Princeton Place Did Not Always Comply With Care Plans for Residents Who Were Diagnosed With Urinary Tract Infections (A-06-17-02002)

Princeton Place did not always provide services to Medicaid-eligible residents diagnosed with UTIs in accordance with their care plans, as required by Federal regulations. Specifically, Princeton Place staff did not always document that they monitored the residents' urine appearance at the frequencies specified in their care plans. Princeton Place did not have policies and procedures to ensure that its staff provided services in accordance with its residents' care plans. As a result of Princeton Place not following residents' care plans, the residents were at increased risk for contracting UTIs and for incurring complications from UTIs, including requiring hospitalization.

EVS personnel play a critical role in preventing the spread of germs and healthcare-associated infections

“EVS and the Battle Against Infection” is an interactive graphic novel illustrating the important role of EVS personnel in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. The online version of the training tool features real-world infection prevention and control scenarios and allows participants to choose options that affect the outcome of the story. 

Please join Christine LaRocca, MD and the National Nursing Home Quality Improvement Campaign to learn more about sepsis, who is at risk and the signs and symptoms for early detection. In addition, we will:

·        Review examples of sepsis screening tools commonly used in hospital settings;

·        Learn what tools to use while recognizing the limitations of sepsis screening tools in the nursing home population; and

·        Understand the elements of evidence-based treatment for optimal outcomes.

The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General issued two new reports that address the identification, reporting and investigation of incidents of potential abuse and neglect of our nation's most vulnerable populations, including seniors and individuals with developmental disabilities. OIG issued an early alert in 2017 based on the preliminary findings of this work. Our resulting work, released in June 2019, identify thousands of Medicare claims that indicate abuse and neglect of beneficiaries, including beneficiaries in skilled nursing facilities. If you suspect someone is the victim of abuse or neglect, contact law enforcement immediately.

Reports:

CMS Could Use Medicare Data To Identify Instances of Potential Abuse or Neglect 

Incidents of Potential Abuse and Neglect at Skilled Nursing Facilities Were Not Always Reported and Investigated

National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Training

Section Navigation2019 LTCF Annual Training

Join us Tuesday, July 9th – Thursday, July 11th, 2019 for the 2019 National Healthcare Safety Network’s (NHSN) Annual Training for Long-term Care Facilities held on the CDC campus in Atlanta, Georgia

The NHSN Long-term Care Facility (LTCF) training is open to current NHSN LTCF users, as well as LTCF facilities interested in enrolling in NHSN. The training will provide participants the information and tools necessary to identify, report, and analyze the following:

·        Clostridioides difficile infections (CDI)

·        Multi-drug Resistant Organisms (MDRO)

·        Urinary tract infections (UTI)

·        Prevention Process Measures – Adherence to gown and glove; hand hygiene adherence

Two hands-on lab sessions will be available for attendees who are interested in learning how to analyze data within the NHSN application. Space for these sessions are limited and require additional registration.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear various presenters discuss strategies to implement antibiotic stewardship, infection prevention, and internal data validation. The NHSN User Support team will join us during the week to offer attendees onsite support.

Trends in Deficiencies at Nursing Homes Show That Improvements Are Needed To Ensure the Health and Safety of Residents (A-09-18-02010)

In this data brief, we analyze nursing home deficiencies that were identified by State survey agencies (State agencies) across the Nation for calendar years 2013 through 2017 (review period). This data brief offers the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and other stakeholders (e.g., State agencies and nursing home management) insight into deficiency trends at nursing homes nation-wide. It also complements our previous report on State agencies' verification of correction of nursing home deficiencies.

Strysko J, Fialkowski V, Marsh Z, et al. Notes from the Field: Outbreak of Multidrug-Resistant Shigella sonnei Infections in a Retirement Community — Vermont, October–November 2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2019;68:405–406. 

On October 22, 2018, the Vermont Department of Health (VDH) notified CDC’s Waterborne Disease Prevention Branch of an outbreak of diarrhea caused by Shigella sonnei among residents, visitors, and staff members of a retirement community in Chittenden County, the state’s most populous county. High-quality single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis predicted initial isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR), and were closely related to a concurrent multistate cluster (differing by 0–11 SNPs). In the United States, rates of MDR shigellosis are increasing (1); outbreaks of MDR shigellosis are more common among men who have sex with men and are rare in retirement community settings (2). CDC collaborated with VDH to identify additional cases, determine transmission routes, and recommend prevention and control measures.

SUBJECT: Revisions to the State Operations Manual (SOM 100-07) Chapter 2, The Certification Process, Chapter 3, Additional Program Activities, and Chapter 4, Program Administration and Fiscal Management

I. SUMMARY OF CHANGES: The purpose of this revision is to update Chapters 2, 3 and 4 in Publication 100-07 with the New Medicare Card Project-related language.

CMS created the Five-Star (5-Star) Quality Rating System to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily. The Five-Star Quality Rating System Technical Users' Guide provides in-depth descriptions of the ratings and the methods used to calculate them. Updated twice in April 2019.