“HHS announced today that it will again provide incentive payments for nursing homes that have been able to meet the incentive program's infection control criteria and meet or exceed the expected COVID-19 mortality rate for their facilities. We can anticipate that there will be reviews that examine what it means to successfully meet these criteria. But in the meantime, these 9,200 nursing homes are desperate for additional financing and this comes just in time during this second surge. Protection of residents and health care workers is paramount in this difficult era and these funds provide the resources needed to ensure that there is adequate staffing, PPE, infection control specialists, and frequent testing. These elements were central to the report from the CMS Coronavirus Commission on Nursing Homes that was released in September and all of us need to ensure we are doing everything possible to follow those 27 recommendations.
These incentive payments come at a time when we have just passed a grim milestone with more than 100,000 nursing home resident and staff lives cut short due to COVID. These performance payments are an important stimulus for nursing homes fighting to improve their performance in a dire situation. What is equally important is that we learn from facilities where infection rates were well controlled as well as learn from those facilities where infection control was unsuccessful. Research reports indicate that nursing homes in communities with high rates of infection, as well as with staff who work in multiple organizations were particularly hard hit. The devastating lock downs that prevented families from visiting will also be studied to discern the implications of this practice, which has decreased the spread of infection and increased the overwhelming loneliness brought on by isolation.
There is much we can learn from the entire spectrum of nursing home experiences and we must do so. The forthcoming distribution of effective vaccines to nursing home populations is a welcome relief, and at the same time, careful scrutiny of staffing, living wages and benefits are an important part of the improvement we need to see for safe and effective care for all nursing home residents.”
Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN
President, The John A. Hartford Foundation
Dr. Fulmer was a member of the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes Commission.
Contact: To speak to Dr. Fulmer, contact Rachel Griffith at 202-553-8303 or RGriffith@MessagePartnersPR.com.