Testing After Emergency Room Visit and End-of-Life Visitation with COVID-Positive Resident

Recently, members have been inquiring regarding whether residents of adult care facilities (ACFs) and nursing homes require a COVID-19 test after an Emergency Room visit. Questions have also come up regarding end-of-life visits with COVID-19-positive residents. The Department of Health (DOH) provided LeadingAge NY with the below written clarification. We are presuming that the guidance applies to both nursing homes and ACFs but are awaiting confirmation from DOH.

COVID-19-positive end-of-life visits: The Department's current visitation guidance permits a COVID positive resident to receive an end-of-life visitor, provided that the visitor is wearing full PPE (including mask and Face Shield), and the facility provides instructions to the visitor on the proper donning and doffing of PPE as well as proper hand hygiene protocols.

Clarification on observation status for purposes of testing to return to the nursing home: Observation status should be treated same as inpatient discharge with a test required, not as an ED visit which is treated similar to other medical visits with no test required.

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, or Karen Lipson, klipson@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8383