In less than 60 days, COVID-19 has completely changed life and work as we know it both in the United States and around the world. Coronavirus has infected hundreds of thousands of Americans and to date, has killed more than 42,000 people in our country alone. But what Coronavirus has also done, is infect our entire country with fear, apprehension and anxiety, especially among those who work, live, or have loved ones, in any kind of long-term care facility (LTCF). The concerns are real and whether for your staff, or your patients, they prompt terribly unsettling questions.
- Will I contract the virus?
- If I do, what will happen to me?
- Will I survive?
- Where will I have to go?
- Can my facility protect me?
- Who will take care of me?
- Who… will save my life?
Those of us in healthcare, work on the other side of those fears. In good times, and now in the middle of a pandemic, our responsibility is protecting those in our care and to do everything we can to minimize the effects of COVID-19 on our patients and our facilities. Thinking ahead, being prepared and ramping up your compliance with the CDC guidelines for COVID-19 preparedness are the keys to that care.
That’s where our team at Century Rehabilitation can help you.
As you’re no doubt aware, the CDC has issued strict guidelines for LTCFs that are to be put in place as quickly as possible. If, at present, your facility isn’t in complete compliance with the guidelines, know this first – you are not alone. In the wake of Coronavirus, many skilled care providers are scrambling to address any areas of weakness and that is where Century Consulting services can help. Our team provides expedient, comprehensive audits that can quickly and affordably identify and address any areas of need to keep you in regulatory compliance.
To get you started, here are 10 questions you should be asking in regard to COVID-19:
- Do we have set policies and procedures in place to keep COVID-19 out of our facilities?
- Do we have set policies and procedures in place to stop the spread of COVID-19 in our facilities if someone tests positive?
- Do we have a thorough infection control plan in place?
- Has our staff been trained to implement the infection control plan in the event of a COVID-19 outbreak?
- Are our nurses prepared to handle severe respiratory cases?
- Are our nurses apprehensive and even scared about treating multiple higher acuity patients?
- Do we have respiratory therapists on staff and if not, do we have access to or relationships with available respiratory therapists?
- Are we equipped with enough facemasks, gowns, gloves, N95s, ventilators, respirators and medication to handle multiple severe respiratory cases?
- Does my staff understand the billing procedures for COVID-19 treatment?
- Am I ready for a State infection control inspection if it happened tomorrow?
If your answer to even one of these questions is no, we can help you get fully prepared for the tsunami of respiratory cases we’re all going to be seeing over the next 18 months to two years. Until we have extensive testing, treatments and a vaccine for COVID-19, we are all going to be treating the effects of Coronavirus in one way or another and the only choice we have is to get prepared.
That’s where we can help you.
What sets Century Rehabilitation apart is that we can both identify any issues and then help you solve those issues quickly, efficiently and affordably. In addition to our therapy services, we offer staffing and consulting services that can help you get up to speed and at whatever level you require. Need to hire full-time, or contract nurses and respiratory therapists? We can handle everything from the interview to the training. And if you need consultative services, we offer three areas of specialty to help you: Medical Review and Appeal, Nurse Consulting and most importantly right now, Respiratory Therapy Consulting.
Our respiratory specialists offer full respiratory treatment and tracheostomy care training to ensure compliance with all Medicare and Medicaid requirements for the delivery of respiratory services. Each of your nurses receives a training manual and a Certificate of Competency after passing the exam, plus we can perform a full audit of your clinical documentation to identify potential deficits that could result in a loss of revenue. Best of all, you’ll have a treatment plan for residents with COVID-19 that lets you offer the best treatment available while still protecting your staff and other residents.
Like you, we understand there are two sides to working in healthcare: the care side and the financial side. Each of us is driven to deliver exceptional care and to save lives. But that can’t happen if we aren’t healthy ourselves. Whether our engagement with you is as simple as a single hire, or as comprehensive as an ongoing consultancy, know we will always offer counsel to help you and your staff better understand billing, compliance and how best to provide exceptional care while still turning a profit so you can continue to offer exceptional care for years to come.
As it’s been said time and time again lately, we are all in this together. COVID-19 isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. But if we stand together, in full compliance, in full preparation, helping each other with trained staffs and the equipment we need to save lives, we will all be standing strong when Coronavirus is under control.
