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CMS posted a revision to memo QSO-20-31-All that updated the criteria a facility may meet that could trigger a focused infection control survey. This is important in light of the 5-Star user’s Guide posted today which is addressed below. Among the changes, CMS added, “criteria requiring states to conduct focused infection control surveys due to the increased availability of resources for the testing of residents and staff and factors related to the quality of care.”…

Basics COVID-19 is a non-segmented, positive sense RNA virus.COVID-19 is part of the family of coronaviruses.  This contains:(i) Four coronaviruses which are widely distributed and usually cause the common cold (but can cause viral pneumonia in patients with comorbidities).(ii) SARS and MERS – these caused epidemics with high mortality which are somewhat similar to COVID-19.  COVID-19 is most closely related to SARS.COVID-19 binds via the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor located on type II alveolar cells,  intestinal epithelia, and…

CMS has posted an update to the PDPM Grouper DLL, as v1.0009, to add support for new ICD-10 codes that may be used for assessments with target dates on or after 1/1/2021. The posting notice lists those as: Z11.52, Z20.822, Z86.16, M35.81, M35.89 and J12.82. It notes that codes M35.81 and M35.89 replace code M35.8, which should no longer be used on assessments with target date on or after 1/1/2021. They’ve also released new lookup…

Passed by the U.S. Congress on November 17, 2020 and heading to the White House for the President’s signature, the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act “requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to take specified steps to increase cybersecurity for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.”Given the many recent security issues with “smart” devices and their rapid proliferation in the marketplace, we’re glad to see the…