A leading health official again pushed back against criticism from some states that the federal government’s guidance for nursing homes during the coronavirus pandemic contributed to the disease’s deadly impact.
“I think that’s very disingenuous. Our guidelines were very clear. You don’t put somebody in the nursing home if the nursing home is not prepared to take care of that patient,” said Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, on Wednesday.
Verma’s comments came during a radio interview after being asked about state leaders and other critics who blame the federal government’s guidance released during the pandemic . In late May, she took New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to task after he said a state policy that forced providers to accept COVID-19 patients was in line with federal directives.
She said the administration has pushed for, and encouraged, states to develop COVID-only facilities to keep infected nursing home residents safely isolated. In late March, a Massachusetts provider was the first to announce a plan to create a facility focused solely on treating patients with COVID-19 in a partnership with state and health officials. More states, and operators in Connecticut, Texas and California, soon followed suit.
“Some of the things that we’ve done, and what we’ve seen other governors do, is set up COVID-positive facilities. So if somebody is coming out of the hospital, there’s a place for them to go where they can be taken care of and more importantly, they’re not spreading the disease to other people in the nursing homes,” Verma said. “Those are some of the things states can do and we’re encouraging that.”
She warned against states becoming complacent.
“The virus is still out there and even as we’re reopening, we have to be vigilant and that’s especially important for our nursing homes,” Verma said.
“We think it’s important that governors give clear guidance. Nursing homes should not take patients if they’re not prepared and the guidelines are clear about that,” she reemphasized.
Importance of surveys
Also during the interview, Verma stressed the importance of infection control-targeted surveys, saying they are crucial because they serve as an opportunity to see what’s happening inside facilities during the pandemic.
“One of the things that we’ve found is that not all the nursing home staff is washing their hands. Well, when you’ve got a pandemic going on, that’s really important,” Verma said. “Unless you do those inspections, you don’t really have a sense of how that nursing home is actually performing.”
She added that CMS’ quality improvement organizations are working with facilities to help them meet federal standards.
“[For] the nursing homes, this has been a really tough time for them. They’ve been trying hard. It’s a difficult situation. That being said, when you go in and do the surveys, you can work with them. You can help them to identify what the problems are.”
