In this Issue

Best Practice of the Week/ Center Highlight of the Week

• Celebrating Trilogy Health Services

• Updated CDC healthcare infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance documents
• CMS Issues Letter on Healthcare Worker Vaccine Rule
• Unvaccinated adults 23 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 during Omicron wave than adults who were vaccinated and boosted, CDC study finds
• Biden-Harris Administration Will Cover Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests Through Medicare
• CMS issued memo QSO-22-10-ALL to all state survey agencies, requiring onsite surveyors, including CLIA and Life Safety surveyors, to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have an acceptable medical or religious exemption.  

• Practical Approaches at Forest Hills
• *NEW* CMS Resources: Survey Resources with Staff Vaccine Documents
• COVID & Vaccination for Aging Adults: Update on Omicron and More
• Click HERE or visit https://bit.ly/GiveTheBoostAShot to download helpful resources and materials.
• CDC Website: Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines - Updated Jan. 24, 2022
• CDC Nursing Home COVID-19 Vaccination Data Dashboard
• COVID-19 Vaccine Access in Long-term Care Settings
• Download the Public Health Communication Collaborative toolkit

• Education on Wednesdays *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*
  • Wednesday, February 9, 2022 from 2-2:30 p.m. ET/ 1-1:30 p.m. CT: Join Stacy Hull, LPC, MAC, CPCS, Aim Lead, Behavioral Health, Alliant Health Solutions for Using Motivational Interviewing to Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations Part 2: Practical Application. Participants will hear scenarios using the skills of Motivational Interviewing. REGISTER
• Clinician Office Hours on Thursdays *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*
  • Thursday, February 10, 2022 from 2-2:30 p.m. ET/ 1-1:30 p.m. CT: Join Amy Ward MS, BSN, RN, CIC – Alliant Infection Prevention Specialist, Alliant Health Solutions for Clinician Office Hours: Focus on Infection Prevention. This Office Hours session is geared toward facility IPs. The format will be a brief presentation followed by Q&A session (30-minute timeframe). REGISTER

Best Practice/Center of the Week

Celebrating Trilogy Health Services
Trilogy Health Services partnered with Alliant Health Solutions after reporting issues were identified with NHSN related to booster related data. Trilogy leadership assisted in actively engaging their buildings reporting zero booster shots for eligible residents. Upon meeting with the Alliant team we were able to identify the reporting issues and assist the campuses in making the necessary changes for improvement with reporting and also with other identified barriers. This resulted in an accurate capture of their data and a clarified recognition of who is eligible. Trilogy is now reporting an 81% resident booster shot uptake among the campuses engaged in this project. Great job to the Trilogy team in recognizing the opportunity, partnering with Alliant, and producing quality outcomes for their residents! Contact Jeremy Bischoff to hear more about this best practice.

Share your best practices! Email Leighann: Leighann.Sauls@allianthealth.org

Latest Guidance/Updates

• Updated CDC healthcare infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance documents
  Infection Control: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) | CDC and Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations to Prevent SARS-CoV-2 Spread in Nursing Homes | CDC. 
  • Updates were made in these guidance documents to align with prior updates made for healthcare personnel with higher-risk exposures in the Interim Guidance for Managing Healthcare Personnel with SARS-COV-2 Infection or Exposure to SARS-CoV-2, which was released on December 23, 2021.  
  • A review of the updates was given on a recent Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) Call, which was recorded and is accessible here: Webinar January 13, 2022 - Updates to CDC’s COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Guidelines in Healthcare and Non-healthcare Settings. 
• CMS Issues Letter on Healthcare Worker Vaccine Rule
  On February 1, 2022, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure issued the following letter to healthcare facility administrators on the importance of staff COVID-19 vaccinations and the current CMS requirements. To view or download the letter, please click on the document below, or visit the CMS current emergencies web page.
• Unvaccinated adults 23 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 during Omicron wave than adults who were vaccinated and boosted, CDC study finds
  The Hill (2/1, Sullivan) reports “unvaccinated adults were 23 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 during the Omicron wave than adults who were vaccinated and boosted, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that “found by far the highest rates of cases and hospitalizations among unvaccinated people, followed by vaccinated but not boosted people, with vaccinated and boosted people having the most protection.” The study also found that “hospitalizations were 5.3 times higher among the unvaccinated than vaccinated but not boosted.”
• Biden-Harris Administration Will Cover Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests Through Medicare
  CMS Developing Initiative to Enable Access to Eight Free Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Tests for Medicare Beneficiaries in Early Spring As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to expand Americans’ access to free testing, people in either Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage will be able to get over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost starting in early spring. Under the new initiative, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month for free. Tests will be available through eligible pharmacies and other participating entities. This policy will apply to COVID-19 over-the-counter tests approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This is the first time that Medicare has covered an over-the-counter test at no cost to beneficiaries. For more information, please see these Frequently Asked Questions. 
• CMS issued memo QSO-22-10-ALL to all state survey agencies, requiring onsite surveyors, including CLIA and Life Safety surveyors, to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have an acceptable medical or religious exemption.  

New Materials & Resources

• Practical Approaches: Forest Hills of DC, a long-term care facility in Washington, D.C. has already achieved a high vaccination rate in comparison to the vaccination rate in Q1 last year. Find out how they did by downloading this flyer to learn about their philosophy and the top eight ways to reach people. 
  
• *NEW* CMS Resources: Survey Resources with Staff Vaccine Documents
  On this new website page is a zip file that contains all the updated FTags, and the new COVID-19 Staffing Matrix surveyors will be using.
• COVID & Vaccination for Aging Adults: Update on Omicron and More
  Watch this video created by Leslie Kernisan, MD, MPH, from Better Health While Aging, that provides an update on the Omicron surge. Topics discussed include whether Omicron is milder in older adults, what is known about rapid testing for Omicron, what to know about the current hospital situation and how to stay safer during the surge.
• CDC Website: Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines - Updated Jan. 24, 2022
  More than 535 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine had been given in the United States from December 14, 2020, through January 24, 2022. To view the current total number of COVID-19 vaccinations that have been administered in the United States, please visit the CDC COVID Data Tracker.
• CDC Nursing Home COVID-19 Vaccination Data Dashboard

  This dashboard displays data at the national and state level on COVID-19 vaccination coverage among residents and staff of CMS-certified nursing homes. These summaries represent data that nursing homes reported to the NHSN LTCF COVID-19 Module using weekly vaccination forms. Join BOOST Office Hours & NHSN Shop Talk on the third Thursdays for technical assistance with CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

• COVID-19 Vaccine Access in Long-term Care Settings
  The federal government is committed to ensuring that residents and staff in long-term care (LTC) settings, such as nursing homes, assisted living, residential care communities, group homes and senior housing, have access to COVID-19 vaccines to receive primary series and booster shots. For additional examples of LTC settings, see COVID-19 Vaccine Access in Long-Term Care Settings. The goal is to continue to protect those who are disproportionately affected by COVID-19—especially residents of LTC settings. All LTC settings that request assistance accessing COVID-19 vaccines for their residents and staff will receive the support they need.
• Download the Public Health Communication Collaborative toolkit. It includes infographics, talking points and sample social media graphics regarding COVID-19 vaccines. 
• Click HERE or visit https://bit.ly/GiveTheBoostAShot to download helpful resources and materials.

Upcoming Give the Boost a Shot Events *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded* ​​​​​​

Join us and invite clinical colleagues every Wednesdays for an educational event. On Thursdays, we'll take a deeper dive into your challenges and questions during Clinician Office Hours. Each week we will focus on the concerns and questions from different clinician groups. 

• First Thursday of the Month: Clinician Office Hours: Focus on Primary and Booster Uptake (Audience: NH Admins, DONs, Direct Care Staff) - Led by Jeremy Bischoff LHNA, BA – Alliant Quality Improvement Initiative Advisor
• Second Thursday of the Month: Clinician Office Hours: Focus on Infection Prevention (Audience: Facility IPs) – Led by Amy Ward MS, BSN, RN, CIC – Alliant Infection Prevention Specialist
• Third Thursday of the Month: Clinician Office Hours: NSHN Shop Talk (audience NSHN users) - Led by Marilee Johnson MBA, MT (ASCP) – Alliant Technical Advisor, Infection Prevention
• Fourth Thursday of the Month: Clinician Office Hours: Focus on Primary and Booster Uptake (audience MD, PA, Advance Practice staff) – Led by Swati Gaur MD, MBA, CMD, AGSF

Date/Time	Event		Registration Link
Wednesday, 2/9/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Education Event: Join Stacy Hull, LPC, MAC, CPCS, Aim Lead, Behavioral Health, Alliant Health Solutions for Using Motivational Interviewing to Increase COVID-19 Vaccinations Part 2: Practical Application. Participants will hear scenarios using the skills of Motivational Interviewing. Objectives:    - Define Motivational Interviewing   - Understand the OARS in Motivational Interviewing   - Understand interviewing skills and strategies *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Thursday, 2/10/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Office Hours: Clinician Office Hours: Focus on Infection Prevention (Audience – Facility IPs) Led by Amy Ward, MS, BSN, RN, CIC – Alliant Infection Prevention Specialist *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Wednesday, 2/16/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Education Event  *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Thursday, 2/17/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Office Hours & Shop Talk: Clinician Office Hours: NSHN Shop Talk (audience NSHN users) Led by Marilee Johnson, MBA, MT (ASCP) – Alliant Technical Advisor, Infection Prevention *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Wednesday, 2/23/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Education Event: Join Diane Sanders-Cepeda, DO, CMD, Senior Medical Director, UnitedHealthcare Retiree Solutions to learn more about Long COVID and Boosters. *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Thursday, 2/24/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Office Hours: Clinician Office Hours: Focus on Primary and Booster Uptake - (audience MD, PA, Advance Practice staff) Led by Swati Gaur, MD, MBA, CMD, AGSF *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register Download Flyer
Wednesday, 3/2/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Education Event: ​​​​​​ Join us for this special session featuring Deke Cataeu, the Chief Executive Officer at A.G. Rhodes, a nonprofit organization operating three nursing homes in metro Atlanta, to hear how he is leading discussions with staff, residents, and families to increase the booster rates.  *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Thursday, 3/3/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Office Hours: Clinician Office Hours: Focus on Primary and Booster Uptake – (Audience: NH Admins, DONs, Direct Care Staff) Led by Jeremy Bischoff, LHNA, BA – Alliant Quality Improvement Initiative Advisor *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Wednesday, 3/9/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Education Event  *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Thursday, 3/10/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Office Hours: Clinician Office Hours: Focus on Infection Prevention (Audience – Facility IPs) Led by Amy Ward, MS, BSN, RN, CIC – Alliant Infection Prevention Specialist *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Wednesday, 3/16/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Education Event  *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Thursday, 3/17/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Office Hours & Shop Talk: Clinician Office Hours: NSHN Shop Talk (audience NSHN users) Led by Marilee Johnson, MBA, MT (ASCP) – Alliant Technical Advisor, Infection Prevention *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Wednesday, 3/23/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Education Event  *​​​​​ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Thursday, 3/24/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Office Hours: Clinician Office Hours: Focus on Primary and Booster Uptake - (audience MD, PA, Advance Practice staff) Led by Swati Gaur, MD, MBA, CMD, AGSF *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register Download Flyer
Wednesday, 3/30/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Education Event  *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register
Thursday, 3/31/22 2-2:30 ​​​​p.m. ET/  1-1:30 p.m. CT	BOOST Office Hours *ANCC Contact Hours Awarded*		Register

About the Give the Shot a Boost Program

Alliant Health Solutions received a direct change order from CMS to provide support to nursing homes to help accelerate resident vaccination rates. This intensive 12-week program includes the following services and activities:

• Tuesdays: You will receive a weekly email bulletin dedicated to this program with the latest updates and tools you can use to help increase vaccination and booster rates.
• Wednesdays: Participate in a weekly educational event for all nursing homes to provide the latest information and tools to help accelerate rates.
• Thursdays: Take advantage of weekly office hours sessions for clinicians to share best practices, updates in clinical guidance, and science. 
• A dedicated website page with resources and materials.
• Access to experts in epidemiology, quality improvement, and infection control. 
  • Assistance Hotline: 1-888-519-4128

For more information about Alliant Health Solutions, visit the website: quality.allianthealth.org.

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