Maine DHHS works with nursing homes to help meet new COVID-19 test rules
In response to new federal requirements — and $10.4 million in new federal funding — for COVID-19 testing at Maine nursing homes, the state says it is stepping up its assistance to the facilities.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released new rules last week that require skilled nursing facilities to test all staff at frequencies based on the prevalence of the disease in the facility’s county.
The facilities must develop plans for testing that meet federal criteria, and in Maine the plans are due to the Department of Health and Human Services by Sept. 15. The department will use the plans to make ongoing decisions about visitor restrictions at the facilities, according to a news release Tuesday.
DHHS issued guidance to help the health care providers understand their options for meeting the new requirement.
For example, nursing facilities can contract with a private testing service, submit samples to the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, or — at facilities with fewer than 75 employees — arrange for testing through the DHHS “swab and send” test sites. About 90 Maine facilities will also receive point-of-care tests from the federal government, and can use them to help meet the requirement for staff testing.
The Maine CDC already offers testing of residents and staff if a case of the disease is confirmed within a nursing facility.
The new federal funding is intended to support the increased testing as well as additional staffing, DHHS said in the release. The $10.4 million allocation to Maine is part of an initial round of $5 billion for nursing facilities from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
“Today’s guidance along with the new federal support will add to our progress in limiting the impact of COVID-19 on Maine’s nursing facilities,” said DHHS Commissioner Jeanne Lambrew. “It will also bring us one step closer to allowing family and friends to visit their loved ones in nursing facilities, which has been limited by the threat of COVID-19.”
In related news, DHHS said it is launching a free online portal to help nursing facilities meet employee shortages, which have grown worse during the pandemic. The Connect to Care portal will allow facilities to contact qualified job applicants, and is now being tested before launching to all nursing facilities shortly.
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