Nursing Home and ACF DAL Requires Immediate HCS Role Updates
On Jan. 31st, the Department of Health (DOH) issued a Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) to remind nursing homes and adult care facilities (ACFs) of the importance of maintaining direct communication with the Department during emergency situations. The DAL reminds facility administrators of their regulatory responsibility to maintain up-to-date business and after-hours contact information for facility leadership roles in the Health Commerce System (HCS) communications directory. The DAL describes steps to be taken by facilities to help ensure that the Department has capability to reach providers.
According to cited regulation:
"At a minimum, 24 hour, seven day a week contacts for emergency communication and alerts must be designated by each facility in the HPN (HCS) communications directory" and "current and complete updates of the Communications Directory reflecting changes that include, but are not limited to, general information and personnel role changes as soon as they occur, and at a minimum on a monthly basis."
Updates of role contact information must be completed by Feb. 14, 2022. An attached table provides direction and specification of roles and description of the single individual to be assigned to each role. The DAL specifies that cell numbers are required for contact purposes. The Department will be providing follow-up contact and drills to ensure maintenance and accuracy of the information.
Please feel free to reach out to LeadingAge NY with questions or concerns.
Contact: Meg Everett, meverett@leadingageny.org, 518-929-9342