Member Resources

The National Health Care Safety Network (NHSN) has reported that there is an error occurring with data upload to the NHSN Long Term Care Facility modules. This has to do with an incorrect auto-populated date error. The ​CDC is urgently working to correct the NHSN application error that is impacting reporting COVID-19 data since December 26, 2020. When entering weekly COVID-19 data for the week of December 21-27, the pre-populated date for the week indicates that the week ends on December 27, 2021, instead of December 27, 2020. When trying to save data, the system generates an error message and will not allow facilities to save their data. A solution will be deployed in the NHSN application later this week, but until then a work-around can be used to continue reporting COVID-19 vaccination data.

Mass Senior Care is making resources available in its COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkit accessible to staff by providing materials in four different languages, including Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Haitian Creole and Traditional Chinese. All of the resources, including posters, a template letter to staff and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) can be accessed and downloaded from our COVID-19 Vaccination webpage, https://www.maseniorcare.org/covid-vaccine.

The Massachusetts Congressional Delegation this week sent a letter, led by Congresswoman Lori Trahan, to the Director of the CDC requesting that the CDC approve the Commonwealth’s request to offer four vaccination clinics at long-term care facilities in Massachusetts through the Long-Term Care Pharmacy Partnership Program.

Amidst celebratory backdrops, on December 28th more than 30 nursing facilities in Massachusetts began vaccinating residents and staff with the COVID-19 vaccine, offering a sign of hope to facilities that have courageously battled this insidious virus over the past 10 months. “Today marks a critical and hopeful milestone in our fight against Covid-19 with the first wave of vaccines being distributed in nursing facilities across the Commonwealth,” said Tara M. Gregorio, Mass Senior Care Association President.

Members are asked to respond to MSCA vaccination clinic outreach, reminded about the definition of staff for vaccination, given information on BinaxNOW Rapid Point of Care COVID-19 Testing for ALR, and invited to register for today’s COVID-19 vaccine safety chat with AHCA, CMC and the CDC.

Memo shares information on a provider experience with COVID-19 vaccination clinic, BinaxNOW guidance for LTC facilities, EOHHS final October 2020 Medicaid Rate regulation with modifications, HHS update of the Provider Relief Fund FAQ, and provides a reminder about the DPH weekly call.

Member COVID-19 updates on MassHealth 2nd Room Density Report due 12/31/2020; MassHealth increasing supplemental payment for the new targeted Isolation Space Program; new DPH webpage for COVID-19 guidance for LTC facilities; healthcare license renewals extended; additional CDC resources on COVID-19 vaccination, and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet.

DPH released updated Guidance Regarding Seasonal Influenza Vaccination of Healthcare Personnel at Massachusetts Nursing Homes and Rest Homes for the 2020-2021 Season and MassHealth has issued Eligibility Operations Memo (EOM) 20-21 Level-of-Care Screening Process.

This memo shares information on COVID-19 vaccination materials available in four languages, reminds members to update November Surveillance testing payments with CHIA, and provides a corrected link for assisted living CLIA waivers.

Member updates on Congress passing a $900 billion stimulus package, new rate for staff surveillance testing, CDC releases additional guidance on COVID-19 vaccination in long-term care facilities, OSHA releases resource for understanding compliance with OSHA’s Respiratory Protection standard, county positivity rates >10% in Bristol & Nantucket counties, MassHealth issues bulletin on Coverage and Payment for COVID-19 Vaccine Administration, Testing, and Monoclonal Antibody Product Infusion, and DPH weekly call reminder.

Another reminder to members regarding the Town Hall Meeting at 8 pm Tonight with EOHHS Secretary Marylou Sudders.

A memo reminding members about the Town Hall Meeting tonight with EOHHS Secretary Marylou Sudders, the CMS-CDC Nursing Home Stakeholder Call scheduled for tomorrow and to order BinaxNow test kits from DPH.

This memorandum shares information on the confirmation of verbal consent from Walgreens and CVS, a COVID-19 Town Hall Meeting for Nursing Home Workers, Emergency Use Authorization Fact Sheet for COVID-19 in multiple languages, BinaxNow Test Kits and a COVID-19 vaccine presentation.

Memorandum To: Mass Senior Care Members From: Tara M. Gregorio, President Re: COVID-19 Updates: DPH Releases Guidance on Considerations for HCP After COVID-19 Vaccination; Mass Senior Care Shares COVID-19 Vaccine Resources, and CHIA Reporting Extensions During the Holiday Season Date: December 17, 2020 DPH Releases Guidance on Considerations for Health Care Personnel After COVID-19 Vaccination The DPH has released guidance on Considerations for Health Care Personnel After COVID-19 Vaccination. Health care personnel may experience side effects following COVID-19 vaccination. Providers

Wishing you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season from all of us here at Massachusetts Senior Care Association.

It is hard to imagine long term care staff having the time or energy to do much of anything beyond their workday after dealing with the extraordinary demands of caring for residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. But more than 75 individuals submitted applications for the 2021 Mass Senior Care Foundation Scholarship program, a testament to the commitment and dedication of our caregiving staff.

To assist members with talking to long term care staff, residents, and family members about the importance of getting a COVID-19 vaccine, Mass Senior Care has created a new campaign “Arming Ourselves Against COVID-19”. The campaign’s dedicated webpage at www.maseniorcare.org/covid-vaccine has resources related to the COVID-19 vaccine including links to information about vaccine allocation, safety and efficacy, as well as tools to prepare your vaccination clinics.

Information is provided on consents required by CVS and Walgreens for the COVID-19 vaccine, the CDC recommendations on post-vaccine considerations for residents, additional tools and resources offered by DPH and Provider Relief Fund FAQs for vaccine distribution.

Members are given updates on Pfizer EUA COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet, obtaining CLIA waivers for ALRs, AHCA vaccination office hours and reminded about the weekly DPH call.

Shares Vaccine Clinic Deployment materials developed by the American Health Care Association (AHCA).

A notice to members that EOHHS Secretary Marylou Sudders will be hosting a MassHealth stakeholder call on Monday, December 14th from 2:30pm – 3:30 pm to give a high-level overview of the Commonwealth’s COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution Plan.

On Tuesday, December 15 at 3:00pm Eastern, Vince Crisler, Founder and CEO of cybersecurity company Dark Cubed, will lead a one-hour presentation titled Cybersecurity Essentials for Long Term Care. From his time at the Pentagon, to CISO at the White House, and his years managing massive cyber and critical infrastructures at the Department of Homeland Security, Vince commands a deep understanding of the myriad challenges that organizations face given the ever expanding and evolving cyber threat landscape.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association. Our Associate Members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and participating as exhibitors and sponsors for events and educational conferences. Mass Senior Care members are encouraged to contact Associate Members when they are in need of long term care products and services.

The AHCA/NCAL Infection Control Certificate Program is designed for skilled nursing and assisted living staff and features two main areas.

In a recent website posting, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlighted two successful infection prevention success stories from Massachusetts. As the CDC noted, “Many long-term care facilities across the country are taking actions to implement CDC guidance and keep residents and staff safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. These stories highlight a small selection of the ongoing work of those facilities.”

As we complete Week 4 of the 16-week Project ECHO sessions, the focus of this week’s curriculum pivoted to address participants concerns and questions about the deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine in the Commonwealth’s nursing facilities. During the sessions, nursing facility participants, geriatricians, and long term care clinicians reviewed the latest news regarding the vaccine and discussed how to safely and effectively implement it in nursing facilities. Since the vaccine is on a fast track for distribution and nursing facilities in Massachusetts are prioritized in Phase 1, next week’s Project ECHO session will continue the discussion on vaccine management with a substantial amount of time being devoted to Q&A.

The memo reviews DPH information on vaccine distribution, update to Exposure & Return to Work Guidance, BinaxNow Test Kits availability and reminds members about the AHCA Vaccine Webinar.

Members are made aware of EOHHS and DPH updates to long-term care guidance as well as updated resources for REDCap.

Announcement on the webinar on staff and resident roster reporting to CHIA and a reminder about the DPH weekly call.

Members are provided informaion on AHCA webinar on vaccination clinics, update to Nursing Home Compare and 5 Star Rating System, BinaxNow test kits from DPH and MHA to offer 2nd opportunity to bulk purchase PPE.

While the Thanksgiving holiday may have looked different this year, Mass Senior Care members worked tirelessly to help residents and their family members safely celebrate the holidays in the midst of a pandemic. Mass Senior Care extends our gratitude to our long term care heroes for going above and beyond to ensure residents are staying healthy and engaged with their loved ones.

With Week 3 of the 16-week Project ECHO initiative nearing completion, 300 nursing facilities from across the Commonwealth have been participating in this nationwide training program to help keep COVID-19 from spreading in nursing homes and to prepare and equip staff so that they can better protect residents and themselves.

Comparing Massachusetts to states such as Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, two members of the COVID-19 Policy Alliance penned an Op Ed that ran on Cognoscenti, (WBUR's opinion and ideas site) maintaining that, while state leaders have done a lot to help nursing homes through this pandemic, support and resources has not been nearly enough.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) yesterday voted to include long term care residents and staff at the highest level of priority for the first distributions of a COVID-19 vaccine, along with health care workers. States are not required to follow the panel’s recommendations, but they typically do.

Announcements that nursing homes will be receiving notification from the DPH Vaccine Management Program related to enrolling in the Massachusetts COVID-19 Vaccine Program (MCVP) Agreement and CDC has made several updates on guidance for facemasks for health care personnel.

Information on the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) vote to include long term care residents at the highest level of priority for the first distributions of a COVID-19 vaccine, along with health care workers and HHS release of the dollar amounts for skilled nursing facilities that received Quality Incentive Payments ​in September.

Members are reminded about the September Surveillance testing payments and the October filing for EOHHS payments.

The Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center, in collaboration with DPH, is making BinaxNOW test kits available for use at nursing homes and rest homes for the purpose of testing visitors and symptomatic residents and staff, at no cost to the facilities, AHCA/NCAL has provided OSHA resources for nursing homes and members are reminded about the DPH Weekly Call.

An announcement that MassHealth has issued Bulletin 157 updating COVID-19 Ongoing Surveillance Testing Requirements.

The memo covers the EOHHS urge to continued vigilance with regards to PPE and hand hygiene as well as the CHIA notice of a holiday extension for submission of staff surveillance testing and nurse staffing data.

Touting the heroic dedication of nursing home workers, Congressman Richard Neal addressed Mass Senior Care members during the Association’s virtual Annual Meeting last week, noting that he plans to “work with his colleagues on Capitol Hill and the Biden administration to provide more financial support for the long term care sector so that facilities can secure the necessary PPE, staffing levels, and give their frontline staff higher wages.”

This memo provides information on the State updated holiday letter to long-term care families; reminds members about the first CHIA HPPD reporting submission is due by noon, Friday November 27th, discusses EOHHS supporting materials (FAQ, Template), and also provides a DPH weekly call reminder.

Announcements about the Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center, in collaboration with DPH, is making BinaxNOW test kits available for use at nursing homes and rest homes for the purpose of testing visitors and symptomatic residents and staff, at no cost to the facilities, and DPH updated guidance on surveillance testing in long-term care facilities.

Resources are shared with members for dealing with the 2nd Surge of COVID-19.