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The FDA issued guidance to expand the availability of ventilators as well as other respiratory devices and their accessories during the COVID-19 pandemic. The new guidance:
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CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) will hold a webinar focusing on strategies for healthcare facilities to optimize personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies such as eye protection, isolation gowns, facemasks, and N95 respirators. The webinar will be on Wednesday March 25 at 2-3 p.m. Eastern Time. See more information.
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Although most infection preventionists are fully engaged in our nation’s COVID-19 response, we are aware that there may be recently retired IPs, consultants, or those who have left the profession, interested in providing their assistance. APIC is compiling a list of individuals who are available to assist should they be needed by local, state, or federal response agencies. Click here, if you are interested in providing your contact information and CV.
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The president signed into law H.R. 6201 (P.L. 116-127), The Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Among other provisions, the law requires OSHA to issue an emergency temporary standard (ETS) within 30 days that requires employers within the healthcare sector, and any other sectors designated by OSHA or CDC to be at elevated risk, to develop and implement a comprehensive infectious disease exposure control plan to protect healthcare workers. The ETS shall be based on the CDC’s 2007 “Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings’’ that was issued to protect healthcare workers against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). In addition, the ETS may not be less protective than the infectious disease precautions for novel pathogens issued by any OSHA state plan. Read a summary of the law.
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The FDA issued Emergency Use Authorization for a point-of-care COVID-19 diagnostic for the Cepheid Xpert Xpress SARS-CoV-2 test. The approval is for use of the test in high- and moderate-complexity CLIA-certified laboratories as well as in certain patient care settings. The company intends to roll-out availability of its point-of-care testing by March 30. Read the FDA announcement.
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APIC has been actively advocating for regulatory relief from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) quality reporting programs due to the need for personnel to be fully engaged in the COVID-19 emergency. Today, CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced that the agency is granting exceptions from reporting requirements and extensions for clinicians participating in Medicare quality reporting program related to upcoming measure reporting and data submission for those programs. Details are available here.
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During this COCA call, presenters will focus on current information about people who are higher risk for COVID-19 complications because of their age or underlying medical conditions, particularly those that are not well-controlled.
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APIC President Connie Steed sent a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma requesting a waiver to delay HAI reporting requirements under CMS Quality Reporting, Value-Based Purchasing, and Healthcare-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction Programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Read APIC’s letter.
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In recognition of the need to conserve PPE during the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA has issued a memo on “Temporary Enforcement Guidance – Healthcare Respiratory Protection Annual Fit-Testing for N95 Filtering Facepieces During the COVID-19 Outbreak.” The memo emphasizes the importance of fit-testing to protect healthcare personnel, but recommends that employers follow CDC guidance for optimizing the supply of N95 respirators during this outbreak. The OSHA memo to compliance safety and health officers allows them to exercise enforcement discretion to temporarily suspend the annual fit-testing requirement in certain circumstances, including allowing different testing methods to avoid destruction of the device, using only NIOSH-certified respirators, making a good-faith effort to comply with the regulations, and ensuring users understand the importance of performing a user seal check when donning a respirator.
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During this COCA Call, presenters will focus on current information about COVID-19 as it relates to long-term care facilities, including nursing homes. Topics will include infection prevention and control guidance, steps facilities should take to prepare, and available resources.
Special Request: Due to the high demand we anticipate for this COCA Call, we kindly ask participants to access it in a group format, if possible, to allow for the maximum number of people to participate.
