Upcoming Federal Nursing Home Learning Opportunities
On Thurs., March 28th at 2 p.m., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will offer an Office Hours session on Reporting Annual Healthcare Personnel Influenza Vaccination Data. Members will recall that nursing homes are required to submit data by May 15th through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) on the influenza vaccination status of anyone who worked at least one day in the nursing home between Oct. 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024. The slides from a February 2024 session are available here, and the operational guidance is posted here. Registration for the March 28th webinar (which will be replayed again on April 25th at 2 p.m.) is here.
The CDC will review the upcoming change to the definition of “up to date” with COVID vaccinations for weekly NHSN COVID vaccination data reporting purposes at 2 p.m. on Wed., March 27th. Members will recall that as of the week ending April 7th, the definition of “up to date” for those 65 years of age and older (residents and staff) will change. Those who have received two doses of the updated (i.e., 2023-24) vaccine or who received a first dose within four months will be considered “up to date.” The definition for those under 65 will not change: they will be considered to be “up to date” if they have received one dose of the updated vaccine. The registration link for the webinar is here. The document detailing the new definition is here.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has scheduled a Skilled Nursing Facility/Long Term Care Open Door Forum for Tues., April 2nd at 2 p.m. The agenda (subject to change) is expected to include updates on Value-Based Purchasing reports, Quality Reporting Program (QRP) training updates, Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes, and the release of new guidance for Enhanced Barrier Precautions in nursing homes to prevent the spread of multidrug-resistant organisms. Registration is available here.
Contact: Darius Kirstein, dkirstein@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8841