In this Issue

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

• Thursday, January 12, 2023 from 2:00-2:45pm ET/ 1:00-1:45pm CT: How To Use Available Treatments to Decrease Impact of Covid-19 Outbreaks - REGISTER **Now on Zoom**
• Thursday, January 19, 2023 from 2:00-3:00pm ET/ 1:00-2:00pm CT: NHSN Shop Talk - REGISTER **Now on Zoom**
• We want to hear from you on topics!

• Happiness Lives at Annandale Village in Suwanee, Georgia
• Has your facility been successful in achieving your goals for your resident’s booster rates? Please share how you achieved success, helping to spread success by sharing with your peers!

• **New** CMS Audio Series: Trusted and Accurate Information on COVID
• Updated COVID-19 boosters reduce hospitalization risk by 50%, research finds
• Long-term (180-Day) Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 in the REMAP-CAP Randomized Clinical Trial
• Nursing Home Industry Reacts to White House COVID-19 Bivalent Booster Campaign (ahcancal.org)
• CMS QSO Memo: Importance of Timely Use of COVID-19 Therapeutics
• CDC released updated Quick Reference Guide: Reporting up to date COVID-19 vaccination status through the COVID-19 Vaccination Modules
• Highlights From the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2022—COVID-19’s Ripple Effects
• CDC: Bivalent boosters better at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 than previous shots
• COVID-19 and Excess All-Cause Mortality in the US and 20 Comparison Countries, June 2021-March 2022
• CMS: Quality in Focus (QIF) Provider/Supplier Training
• Know Your COVID-19 Community Level

• **NEW** Take 5 videos on therapeutics
• Bivalent Myths and Facts
• Share with Friends & Family: Finding an Updated Bivalent Booster
• Vaccination Weeks of Action
• Your Safe Visitor Policy and Cohorting plans
• Understanding How COVID-19 Vaccines Work
• When to Get Tested for COVID-19
• COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Calculator
• The Adult Vaccine Assessment Tool
• Flyer: Visitor Talking Points
• Poster: Attention Vistors
• Poster: Why I Got Vaccinated
• Click HERE or visit https://bit.ly/GiveTheBoostAShot to download helpful resources and materials.

Check in: How are we doing? Are you finding the events and materials helpful?

• Please click here to share feedback with us

Best Practice/Center of the Week

If your facility needs assistance with increasing your COVID-19 booster rates, please reach out to us at Booster@allianthealth.org.

Latest Guidance/Updates

• **New** QIO Program Audio Series: Trusted and Accurate Information on COVID
  A few weeks ago, as a result of discussions among QIOs, various stakeholders and providers, and as part of the larger Whitehouse Vaccine Sprint, the QIO Program developed an audio series with trusted, accurate information to guide nursing home staff and residents. Below are the high level summaries of the recordings. Please keep an eye out for additional fact sheets and flyers in the next couple of weeks.
  • Episode 1: Conversations with the CMS CMO - The Facts Behind the Updated COVID-19 Vaccine: Safety and Efficacy: The new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine provides even greater protection against severe illness and death than the original primary series. In this episode, hear from Peter Marks, MD, PhD, director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Biologics and Research about what makes the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine different. Get answers to common questions about the updated vaccine and facts about the risks and side effects for the nursing home and long-term care population. Listen
  • Episode 2: Conversations with the CMS CMO – Long-term Care Treatment Options for COVID-19: Several treatment options are available for nursing home residents who are diagnosed with COVID-19. In this episode, learn from John Farley, MD, MPH from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Meg Sullivan, MD, MPH from the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) about the risks, benefits and common side effects of these treatments. Listen
  • Episode 3: Conversations with the CMS CMO - CDC Programs for COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Vaccination in Nursing Homes: Infection prevention and the use of vaccines is key to reducing the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. In this episode, Nimalie Stone, MD, MS and Arjun Srinivasan, MD from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discuss CDC programs and collaborations that support nursing home efforts to promote infection prevention and vaccination and how health care providers can access the new vaccine for their facilities. Listen
• Updated COVID-19 boosters reduce hospitalization risk by 50%, research finds
  • The New York Times (12/16, Mueller) reported “updated booster shots have bolstered Americans’ defenses against serious” COVID-19, “reducing the risk of hospitalization by roughly 50% compared with certain groups inoculated with the original vaccines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in a pair of studies published on Friday.” One “study released on Friday examined how the updated shots protected people from COVID-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations in seven health systems.” The “second study reported on the benefits of updated boosters for older Americans in 22 hospitals from early September to late November.” The studies were published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 
  • NBC News (12/16, Edwards) reported one of the studies “estimated that the boosters are more than 80% effective at preventing hospitalizations in adults ages 65 and up.” The other study, “which included data on 93,830 adults 18 and older, found the booster shots to be at least 56% effective against COVID-related visits to emergency departments or urgent care centers and hospitalizations, compared with unvaccinated people.”
• Long-term (180-Day) Outcomes in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 in the REMAP-CAP Randomized Clinical Trial
  Among critically ill patients with COVID-19 randomized to receive 1 or more therapeutic interventions, there was a high likelihood of improved 180-day mortality among patients treated with IL-6 receptor antagonists and antiplatelet agents. Read More
• Nursing Home Industry Reacts to White House COVID-19 Bivalent Booster Campaign (ahcancal.org)
  The two largest associations representing America's nursing homes and other long-term care and senior living facilities—the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) and LeadingAge, the association of nonprofit providers of aging services—issued a joint statement today in reaction to the White House announcement of a six-week campaign through the end of the year urging Americans and especially seniors to get their updated COVID-19 vaccine. Read More
• CMS QSO Memo: Importance of Timely Use of COVID-19 Therapeutics
• CDC released updated Quick Reference Guide: Reporting up to date COVID-19 vaccination status through the COVID-19 Vaccination Modules
• Highlights From the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2022—COVID-19’s Ripple Effects
• From 2010 to 2019, using a CDC [US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] database looking at death certificates, we’d seen that cardiovascular mortality was slowly coming down and had dropped over those 9 to 10 years by about 9% or 10%. When COVID hit, we actually saw the cardiovascular event rates and mortalities going up. In fact, in 2020 the cardiovascular death rate went up by 4.1%. That represented losing about 5 years of progress that we’d been making. Read More
• CDC: Bivalent boosters better at preventing symptomatic COVID-19 than previous shots
  Bloomberg Law (11/22, Langreth, Muller, Subscription Publication) reports bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech “that fight the latest Omicron variants provide only modest short-term protection against mild infections, and experts say it’s still unclear whether the updated shots are any better than earlier versions at preventing hospitalization and severe illness.” These “bivalent boosters were just 43% effective at preventing mild illness compared to receiving no vaccine in adults 49 and under, according to a” CDC study.
• COVID-19 and Excess All-Cause Mortality in the US and 20 Comparison Countries, June 2021-March 2022
  The US experienced high COVID-19 death rates and higher excess all-cause mortality compared with peer countries during 2020. However, an important question is how cross-national differences in mortality shifted during 2021 and 2022 with both widespread availability of vaccination and new variants. We compared COVID-19 and excess all-cause mortality in the US, the 10 most- and least-vaccinated states, and 20 peer Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries during the Delta and winter Omicron waves. Read More
• Quality in Focus (QIF) Provider/Supplier Training
  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has developed a series of interactive videos called “Quality in Focus” (QIF) on the Quality, Safety & Education Portal (QSEP). The 10-15 minute videos are self-paced. They will help providers and suppliers participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs better understand how to improve health and safety in facilities.
  • The QIF series aims to increase the quality of care for people with Medicare and Medicaid by reducing the deficiencies most commonly cited during the CMS survey process, such as infection control and accident prevention. These resources will help providers and suppliers better understand surveyor evaluation criteria, recognize deficiencies, and incorporate solutions into their facilities’ standards of care, so they are more equipped to meet health and safety guidelines.
  • The QIF interactive videos are tailored for specific provider and supplier types, with 1-3 videos per type. Each interactive video focuses on a specific health or safety citation with the goal of identifying and resolving these deficiencies. QIF interactive videos are currently available for:
    • Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Infection Control Citations
    • Intermediate Care Facility for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (IICF/IID) Program Implementation Citations
    • Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) Local, State, Tribal Collaboration Process Citations -
    • Hospice Plan of Care Citations - Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Post-Intervention Debriefing Citations
    • Long Term Care (LTC) Treatment and Prevention of Pressure Ulcer Citations
    • LTC Free of Accident Citations
    • LTC Medication Error Citations
    • Outpatient Physical Therapy (OPT) Equipment, Buildings, and Grounds Maintenance Citations
    • Comprehensive Outreach Rehabilitation Facility (CORF) Local, State, Tribal Collaboration Process Citations
    • Home Health Agency (HHA) Incomplete Individualized Plan of Care Citations
    • Rural Health Clinic (RHC) Preventative Maintenance Program Citations
    • Portable X-ray Personnel Monitoring Citations
    • End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Cleaning and Disinfecting Citations ---- Hospital Patient Safety
  • Please note that the information in the interactive videos is for informational purposes and is not meant to take the place of statutes, regulations, or official CMS policy. Visit the Quality, Safety & Education Portal (QSEP) Training Catalog at https://qsep.cms.gov/ProvidersAndOthers/publictraining.aspx to access the “Quality in Focus” interactive videos. The videos can be found under the Quality in Focus tab. text
• Know Your COVID-19 Community Level: CDC's COVID-19 Community Levels are a tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. COVID-19 County Check

Materials & Resources

​​​​​​ Video Playlist with Swati Gaur, MD, MBA, CMD, AGSF, Medical Director, Post Acute Care, Northeast Georgia Health System, Jeremy Bischoff, LHNA, BS, State Quality Manager, Kentucky at Alliant Health Solutions, and Lisa Davies, CPHQ, LNHA, RD, LD, Quality Improvement Initiative Manager at Alliant Health Solutions.

• These short videos cover some of the frequently asked questions and common concerns we've from nursing homes across the states we serve related COVID-19 and vaccination. These videos provide quick, to-the-point information and advice to tackle questions and concerns. We will update the list of modules each week! Watch them here.
  • Take 5: New Bivalent Boosters - Everything you need to know - watch
  • Take 5: Immunization Best Practices - watch
  • Take 5: Best Practices to Integrate Immunizations into Your QAPI Program - watch
  • **NEW** Take 5: Therapeutics, part 1 - watch
  • **NEW** Take 5: Therapeutics as of December 2022 - watch
  • **NEW** Take 5: Therapeutics as of December 2022 Part 2: How to get timely treatment - watch
  • **NEW** Take 5 Plus: An Update on use of Therapeutics with the Omicron Variant - watch
  • **NEW** Take 5:  A message from Dr. Swati Gaur, Nursing Home Medical Director: Protecting your loved ones in 2023 - watch
• Bivalent Myths and Facts Flyers: Please print, post, and share these short flyers debunking the myths and misconceptions about the Bivalent Boosters.
  • English
  • Spanish
• Share with Friends & Family: Finding an Updated Bivalent COVID-19 Booster
  CDC recommends that people ages 5 years and older receive one updated (bivalent) booster if it has been at least 2 months since their last COVID-19 vaccine dose, whether that was:
  • Their final primary series dose, or
  • An original (monovalent) booster
  • People who have gotten more than one original (monovalent) booster are also recommended to get an updated (bivalent) booster.
  • To find an updated bivalent booster:
    • Search https://www.vaccines.gov/
    • Text your zip code to 438829
    • Call 1-800-232-0233
• Vaccination Weeks of Action: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) kicked off the Vaccination Weeks of Action campaign on October 13, 2022, to encourage more people to get the updated COVID-19 booster. The following resources are available to help providers, community-based organizations and others actively promote the updated booster and build vaccine confidence during these weeks of action:
  • Vaccination Weeks of Action Social Media Toolkit in English and Spanish
  • Updated COVID Vaccines Toolkit in English and Spanish
  • Older Adults Toolkit in English and Spanish
  • Community-Based Organizations Toolkit in English and Spanish
  • Resources for American Indian/Alaska Native Tribal Leaders
  • Black/African American Civic Organizations Toolkit
  • Rural Community Toolkit
  • General Audience Toolkit in English, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, Tagalog, Korean, Vietnamese, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Haitian Creole
  • Additional resources and toolkits are available here.
• Theater for Vaccine Hesitancy—Setting the Stage for Difficult Conversations: With almost one-quarter of Americans unwilling to get immunized with available COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine hesitancy remains a substantial obstacle to controlling the coronavirus pandemic. This essay describes our experience with a Theater for Vaccine Hesitancy training program that uses improvisational theater techniques to help health care workers have collaborative conversations with unvaccinated patients about the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination. Read More
• Understanding How COVID-19 Vaccines Work: This website page provides resources and information about how vaccines work. Visit Website
• When to Get Tested for COVID-19: The Coronavirus Self-Checker is an interactive clinical assessment tool that can help you decide when to seek testing or medical care if you think you have COVID-19 or have come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19.
• COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation Calculator: CDC’s COVID-19 Quarantine and Isolation calculator takes the stress out of deciding when, and for how long, people with COVID-19 and close contacts need to stay home, get tested, and wear a well-fitting mask.
• The Adult Vaccine Assessment Tool: CDC’s Adult Vaccine Quiz helps you create a list of vaccines you may need based on your age, health conditions, and more. Click here to take the quiz now!
• Flyer: Visitor Talking Points: This one-page flyer outlines how to talk to visitors about ensuring the safety of nursing home residents and staff while visiting. Download 
• Poster: Attention Visitors: This poster outlines practices to help visitors keep nursing homes residents and staff safe. Download 
• Poster: COVID-19 Vaccine Booster: Why Should I Get Boosted? Download | In Spanish
• Click HERE or visit https://bit.ly/GiveTheBoostAShot to download helpful resources and materials.

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 program includes the following services and activities:

• Second Tuesday: 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.
• Twice monthly educational events and dedicated time to ask questions.
• A dedicated website page with resources and materials.
• Access to experts in epidemiology, quality improvement, and infection control. 
  • Assistance Hotline: 1-888-519-4128
  • Email: Booster@allianthealth.org 

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

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