COVID-19 Resources

Coronavirus Updates and Essential Resources for LTPAC

The American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing (AAPACN) and its subsidiaries, the American Association of Nurse Assessment Coordination (AANAC) and the American Association of Directors of Nursing Services (AADNS), is providing the following resources and on-going updates to LTPAC providers. Please check back daily for the latest information specific to LTPAC facilities and providers.

How To Protect Your Residents and Staff

Updates and Resources for LTPAC

AAPACN Resources

AADNS and AANAC members have access to the following articles, tools, and nursing in-service education tools; however, during this health crisis, AAPACN has made these resources available to any LTPAC provider regardless of membership status.

AAPACN Tools

July 21 – Return to Work Criteria for Healthcare Personnel – UPDATED
June 15 – AAPACN 2020 Virtual Conference – Conversation about COVID-19 with AHCA’s Dr. David Gifford
June 6 – Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Donning and Doffing Competency Tool
May 19 – Survey Binder Checklist: COVID-19 Focused Survey for Nursing Homes
May 7 – COVID-19 Healthcare Personnel Screening Form UPDATED
April 17 – Delegation of Resident Interviews During Isolation
April 14 – Leadership Tips to Support Employees During a Crisis
April 10 – CMS COVID-19 Flexibilities: Nurse Aide Competency Checklist
April 9 – Hand Hygiene Competency Tool
April 8 – COVID 19: Screening, Cohorting, and Transmission-Based Precautions Guidance
April 7 – Isolation and MDS Coding in LTC
April 6 – Healthcare Personnel Surveillance Record for COVID-19
April 3 – Resident Surveillance Record for COVID-19
April 3 – Individualized Care Plan Development Guide for Residents with COVID-19
April 2 – COVID 19: Education for Nursing Home Healthcare Personnel
Infection Preventionist Job Description
§483.30 Infection Control Tool

AAPACN In-Service Education Tools

AAPACN Articles and Podcasts

Infection Control and Emergency Preparedness

August 1 – Interim Guidelines for COVID-19 Antibody Testing
July 31 – Guidance for Healthcare Workers about COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Testing
July 31 – Frequently Asked Questions: COVID-19 Testing at Skilled Nursing Facilities/Nursing Homes
July 29 – Preparedness Tools for Healthcare Professionals and Facilities Responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19)
July 26 – Clinical Questions about COVID-19: Questions and Answers
July 22 – Duration of Isolation and Precautions for Adults with COVID-19
July 22 – eCR Now: COVID-19 Electronic Case Reporting for Healthcare Providers
July 22 – Interim COVID-19 Contact Tracing Communications Toolkit for Health Departments
July 22 – Information for Healthcare Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
July 21 – Testing Guidelines for Nursing Homes
July 20 – Training for Healthcare Professionals
July 15 – Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
July 8 – What COVID-19 Seroprevalence Surveys Can Tell Us
June 30 – Antibody Testing
June 29 – Toolkit for States to Mitigate COVID-19 in Nursing Homes (PDF)
June 25 – Preparing for COVID-19 in the Nursing Home
June 23 – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Nursing Home Visitation
June 22 – Preparing for COVID-19 in Nursing Homes
June 17 – Contact Tracing for COVID-19
June 12 – Key Strategies to Prepare for COVID-19 in Long-term Care Facilities (LTCFs)
May 23 – Serology Testing for COVID-19
May 19 – Performing Facility-wide SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Nursing Homes
May 19 – Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Tool for Nursing Homes Preparing for COVID-19
May 18 – Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Healthcare Settings
May 13 – Symptoms of Coronavirus
May 12 – Guidance for U.S. Healthcare Facilities about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
May 12 – Information for Healthcare Professionals
May 5 – Evaluating and Reporting Persons Under Investigation (PUI)
May 4 – COVID-19 Contact Tracing Training Guidance and Resources
May 3 – Clinical Care Guidance for Healthcare Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
April 30 – Responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nursing Homes
April 28 – LTC Mini Webinar: Sparkling Surfaces: Stop COVID-19’s Spread
April 27 – CDC COVID-19 Prevention Messages for Front Line Long-Term Care Staff: Keep COVID-19 Out!
April 27 – CDC COVID-19 Prevention Messages for Front Line Long-Term Care Staff: Clean Hands – Combat COVID-19
April 27 – Testing for COVID-19
April 8 – Medicaid State Plan Disaster Amendments
April 1 – Presymptomatic Transmission of SARS-CoV-2 — Singapore, January 23–March 16, 2020
April 1 – Emergency Preparedness: Caring for persons living with dementia in a long-term or community-based care setting– Alzheimer’s Association
March 30 – APIC Infection Prevention and Control free resources through Sept. 30 – from the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
March 30 – Modes of transmission of virus causing COVID-19: implications for IPC precaution recommendations
March 27 – Asymptomatic and Presymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infections in Residents of a Long-Term Care Skilled Nursing Facility
March 27 – International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM); Announcement New ICD-10-CM for COVID-19
March 16 – COVID-19 Symptomatic Line List Template Spreadsheet – from AMDA
March 16 – Active Screening of Residents – from AMDA
March 16 – COVID-19 Facility Exposure Management – After you have a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 – from AMDA
March 13 – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Preparedness Checklist for Nursing Homes and other Long-Term Care Settings
Updated March 10 – Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Confirmed 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) or Persons Under Investigation for 2019-nCoV in Healthcare Settings
March 5 – Best Practices for Managing COVID-19 in SNFs – recorded webinar – from Washington PACLTC
Prevent the Spread in LTC Facilities
Handwashing Video Library
(Developed with CMS) – Nursing Home Infection Preventionist Training Course
Clean Hands Count for Safe Healthcare
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Long Term Care (LTC) Infection Control Worksheet – LTC Facility Self-Assessment Tool
Emergency Preparedness Webpage
COVID-19 – Website
Key OSHA standards for COVID-19

Regulations/Survey

July 30 – CMS and CDC announce provider reimbursement available for counseling patients to self-isolate at time of COVID-19 testing
July 29 – Guidance to COVID-19 Module Data Entry Screen (PDF)
July 17 – Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Provider Burden Relief Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
July 17 – Medicare Fee-For-Service (FFS) Response to the Public Health Emergency on the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
July 9 – eCR Now: COVID-19 Electronic Case Reporting for Healthcare Providers
July 9 – Nursing Home Five Star Quality Rating System updates, Nursing Home Staff Counts, Frequently Asked Questions, and Access to Ombudsman (REVISED)
July 2 – How to Use NHSN LTCF COVID-19 Module Dashboard for Group Users
July 2 – How to Use NHSN LTCF COVID-19 Module Dashboard for Facility Users
July 2 – Guidance to Understanding Auto-populated Fields
June 25 – COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Health Care Providers
June 25 – Changes to Staffing Information and Quality Measures Posted on the Nursing Home Compare Website and Five Star Quality Rating System due to the COVID19 Public Health Emergency
June 19 – Fiscal Year 2020 CARES Act Information
June 11 – FAQs about COVID-19 Data Published by CMS
June 11 – Long-Term Care Facility (LTCF) COVID-19 Data Quality Webinar
June 11 – Facility Guide to Using the COVID-19 Module
June 9 – Recommendations for Reopening Facilities to Provide Non-Emergent Non-COVID-19 Health Care (PDF)
June 4 – Nursing Home Data Release FAQs
June 4 – Posting of Nursing Home Inspections
June 4 – Release of COVID-19 Nursing Home Data
June 3 – CMS leadership flexibilities blog post and CMS Model Flexibilities Table (PDF)
June 1 – COVID-19 Survey Activities, CARES Act Funding, Enhanced Enforcement for Infection Control deficiencies, and Quality Improvement Activities in Nursing Homes
May 31 – COVID-19 Nursing Home Data
May 21 – LTCF COVID-19 Module Enrollment Refresher and Slides
May 18 – Nursing Home Reopening Recommendations Frequently Asked Questions
May 18 – Center for Clinical Standards and Quality/Quality, Safety & Oversight Group
May 15 – Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) COVID-19 NHSN Reporting Requirements for Nursing Homes
May 6 – QSO-20-29-NH Interim Final Rule Updating Requirements for Notification of Confirmed and Suspected COVID-19 Cases Among Residents and Staff in Nursing Homes
May 1 – Interim Final Rule with Comment Period
April 29 – Long Term Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities and/or Nursing Facilities): CMS Flexibilities to Fight COVID-19
April 29 – LTCF COVID-19 Module
April 19 – Upcoming Requirements for Notification of Confirmed COVID-19 (or COVID-19 Persons under Investigation) Among Residents and Staff in Nursing Homes
April 14 – Interim Enforcement Response Plan for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) – from OSHA
April 13 – 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Long-Term Care Facility Transfer Scenarios
April 2 – Trump Administration Issues Key Recommendations to Nursing Homes, State and Local Governments
March 31 – Additional Background:Sweeping Regulatory Changes to Help U.S. Healthcare System Address COVID-19 Patient Surge
March 27 – Long-Term Care Nursing Homes Telehealth and Telemedicine Tool Kit
March 27 – COVID-19 Focused Survey for Nursing Homes
March 27 – COVID-19 LTC-Surveyor Training
March 27 – CMS Survey Resources File updated with COVID-19 tools
March 23 – QSO-20-20-All – Prioritization of Survey Activities
March 10 – CMS Sends More Detailed Guidance to Providers about COVID-19

Supplies/PPE

July 16 – Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of PPE
July 15 – Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of Eye Protection
June 28 – Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of Facemasks
June 28 – Strategies for Optimizing Supply of N95 Respirators
April 30 – Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of Disposable Medical Gloves
April 30 – Decontamination and Reuse of Filtering Facepiece Respirators using Contingency and Crisis Capacity Strategies
April 27 – CDC COVID-19 Prevention Messages for Front Line Long-Term Care Staff: PPE Lessons
April 24 – Enforcement Guidance on Decontamination of Filtering Facepiece Respirators in Healthcare During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
April 14 – OSHA N95 Fit Testing Guidance
April 1 – Sample universal mask policy and FAQs – from Nebraska Me
March 30 – CDC Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Burn Rate Calculator
March 23 – A Master List of All of the Booze Companies Making Hand Sanitizer – The Takeout
March 17 – New coronavirus stable for hours on surfaces – from National Institutes of Health
March 13 – Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities
March 6 – PPE for COVID-19 Infographic – from Nebraska Medicine and the University of Minnesota Medical Center
Sequence for Putting on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
Checklist for Healthcare Facilities: Strategies for Optimizing the Supply of N95 Respirators during the COVID-19 Response

Billing/MDS

July 28 – Frequently Asked Questions to Assist Medicare Providers (PDF) UPDATED
July 24 – SNF QRP COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Tip Sheet
June 19 – Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Response to the Public Health Emergency on the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
June 17 – Frequently Asked Questions to Assist Medicare Providers (PDF)
June 1 – COVID-19: Using the CR Modifier and DR Condition Code
April 6 – New Video Available on Medicare Coverage and Payment of Virtual Services (expanded under 1135 waiver authority and Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act)
April 3 – ICD-10-CM Official Coding and Reporting Guidelines April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020
April 1 – FY 2020 PDPM ICD-10 Mappings (ZIP) (revision posted 03-31-2020)
April 1 – RUG-IV DLL Package V1.04.1 FINAL (ZIP)
March 31 – JRAVEN Free MDS Software (with new PDPM grouper) and MDS Validation Utility Tool (both updated)
March 30 – Expansion Of The Accelerated And Advance Payments Program For Providers And Suppliers During COVID-19 Emergency
March 27 – Guidance memo – Exceptions and Extensions for Quality Reporting and Value-based Purchasing Programs (PDF)
March 27 – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and Guidance on Payment and Grace Periods, Telehealth for Private Coverage, and Prescription Drugs
March 23 – Coverage and Payment Related to COVID-19 Medicare

Resident Care

July 17 – Discontinuation of Transmission-Based Precautions and Disposition of Patients with COVID-19 in Healthcare Settings (Interim Guidance)
July 12 – Key Considerations for Transferring Patients to Relief Healthcare Facilities when Responding to Community Transmission of COVID-19 in the United States
July 8 – Interim Guidelines for Collecting, Handling, and Testing Clinical Specimens from Persons for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
June 30 – Interim Clinical Guidance for Management of Patients with Confirmed Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
June 10 – Using Telehealth to Expand Access to Essential Health Services during the COVID-19 Pandemic
May 27 – Clinical management of COVID-19
May 19 – Considerations for Memory Care Units in Long-term Care Facilities
May 12 – Healthcare Professionals: Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
May 5 – What to Know About Liver Disease and COVID-19
April 30 – Ten Clinical Tips on COVID-19 for Healthcare Providers Involved in Patient Care
April 28 – Clinical Care Guidance for Healthcare Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
April 27 – CDC COVID-19 Prevention Messages for Front Line LTC Staff: Closely Monitor Residents for COVID-19
April 27 – Evaluating and Testing Persons for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
April 14 – Managing Acute Respiratory Distress During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Advance Care Plan Tool – from AMDA
April 11 – Optimizing Medication Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implementation Guide for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care – University of Maryland School of Pharmacy
April 10 – CPR Guidance During the COVID-19 Pandemic – from AMDA
April 8 – Symptom Management Support for COVID-19 in the Nursing Home – from Probari
April 2 – Frequently Asked Questions Regarding COVID-19 and PALTC – from AMDA
April 1 – Emergency Preparedness: Caring for persons living with dementia in a long-term or community-based care setting – Alzheimer’s Association
March 23 – Information for Clinicians on Therapeutic Options for COVID-19 Patients

Workforce Planning

July 21 – Staffing Resources
July 17 – Criteria for Return to Work for Healthcare Personnel with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 (Interim Guidance)
July 17 – Strategies to Mitigate Healthcare Personnel Staffing Shortages
July 17 – Interim Guidance on Testing Healthcare Personnel for SARS-CoV-2
July 15 – Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Healthcare Personnel During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
July 7 – Information for Healthcare Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
May 14 – COVID-19 Guidance for Nursing Home and Long Term Care Facility Workers
May 11 – Worker Safety and Support
Healthcare Workers and Employers (OSHA)

Crisis Communication

April 30 – Communication Resources
March 22 – Help Keep our Residents Safe from COVID-19 fillable letter

Staff Wellness

May 19 – What Workers and Employers Can Do to Manage Workplace Fatigue during COVID-19
May 11 – Worker Safety and Support
May 5 – Healthcare Personnel and First Responders: How to Cope with Stress and Build Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 14 – Self-Care Resources from The Foundation for PALTC Medicine
March 18 – Mental Health Considerations during COVID-19 Outbreak
March 15 – Strategies for Mitigating the Emotional Impact of COVID-19 – from AMDA
Mini Modules to Relieve Stress For Healthcare Workers Responding to COVID-19: Stress Management Exercise

Other COVID-19 Resources