cbaker_admin
Thu, 07/23/2020 – 15:30
CMS is expected to issue a formal rule mandating the weekly testing of nursing-home staffers in states with high rates of COVID-19 infections. The new requirement would apply to any state in which the percentage of overall tests in the community that come back positive is 5% or more. In a recent call with industry representatives, Trump administration officials also said the federal government would ship testing instruments to nursing homes comprising about 400 tests each, and further tests would cost less than $25 each. CMS Administrator Seema Verma says these shipments have already begun, enabling facilities to perform rapid tests. Some states have put in place their own testing mandates for nursing homes. Florida, for instance, recently began providing twice-monthly testing of nursing-home and assisted-living staffers. The Trump administration has also deployed teams to 18 nursing homes experiencing outbreaks in Illinois, Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. These teams of clinicians and public-health service officials from multiple agencies offer technical help and education, according to CMS.
