Oct. 4th COVID-19 Update
New COVID-19-related updates for providers of long-term/post-acute care (LTPAC) and senior services continue to be shared on a regular basis by both state and federal authorities. The latest developments are described below.
As a reminder, LeadingAge NY continues to convene weekly webinars on Mondays at 11 a.m. to address emerging questions on COVID-19. A recording of our most recent webinar, held on Oct. 3rd, is available here, and a list of the items shared by LeadingAge NY staff in the webinar chat can be accessed here. If you have questions for next week’s update, which will be held on Tues., Oct. 11th at 11 a.m. due to Columbus Day, or would like the access information, please contact Jeff Diamond.
Cross-Sector Updates
LeadingAge NY Provides Interim Comparison of Federal COVID-19 Guidance Changes with Old DOH Guidance
New COVID-19 infection prevention guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Sept. 23rd has raised a host of questions regarding the continued validity of previously issued Department of Health (DOH) guidance. Various DOH requirements are now inconsistent with federal guidance, even though they were intended to follow federal guidance in effect at the time they were imposed. LeadingAge NY has asked DOH for its position on the new federal guidance but has not received any updates as of the publication of this article. We recommend that members continue to follow the DOH guidance pending instructions from DOH, unless the CDC or CMS guidance offers stronger infection prevention measures than State guidance or covers issues that have not been addressed by DOH.
To assist members in analyzing the new guidance and in identifying inconsistencies with DOH guidance, LeadingAge NY has developed a comparison chart that provides an overview of the key changes in protocols set forth in the federal guidance documents. Click here for more information.