The Centers For Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced new rules for long-term care facilities in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
These measures are to be implemented as a means to improve transparency by requiring such facilities to disclose cases of coronavirus to both patients’ families as well as public health officials. However, it remains unclear as to when these new rules will take effect, other than “very soon.”
It is the hope that this transparency will help to track the virus and to slow its spread across the country. The administrator of CMS, Seema Verma, spoke at a White House briefing, calling the new policies important. “As we reopen the United States, our surveillance effort around the virus will begin in nursing homes,” Verma said.
By requiring cases to be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the federal government will be able to collect more data on how COVID-19 is impacting the death rate in nursing homes. Furthermore, by requiring nursing home facilities to “inform residents, their families and representatives of COVID-19 cases in their facilities,” it will help to keep worried families up-to-date on the everchanging situation.
These new rules come on the heels of much criticism towards nursing homes by Democratic lawmakers and public health officials who assert that the federal government should have done a better job to track all cases of the virus since the U.S. outbreak began, and families of loved ones in the facilities, who claim that they have been left in the dark as to what is going on in long-term care facilities.
As COVID-19 continues to spread, the safety of our elder population should remain a top priority. Protecting residents and patients from contracting the coronavirus is imperative and all preventative measures should be taken accordingly.
The nursing home abuse and neglect lawyers at Henson Fuerst remain fully committed to protecting the rights of our elderly and helping those impacted by COVID-19 in any way that we can. If you suspect that a loved one’s nursing home or care facility is being negligent, it is vital that such behavior is corrected immediately and those responsible are held accountable. You can take action by contacting us through our website or via telephone at 919-781-1107.
We are in this together and wish you and your loved ones health and safety during this challenging time.