New commission to assess the nursing home response to the COVID-19 pandemic
In June, a new commission was announced with the directive of identifying and communicating best practices for protecting nursing home residents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The commission, made up of 25 members to the independent Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes, was announced by MITRE. Commission members include resident advocates, infectious disease experts, directors and administrators of nursing homes, academicians, state authorities, clinicians, a medical ethicist, and a nursing home resident. Dr. Jay J. Schnitzer, MITRE’s chief medical and technology officer, will serve as the moderator of the commission.
“The commission members are leaders who bring decades of experience in nursing home management as well as safety and quality,” said Schnitzer. “This diverse group will act quickly to identify and communicate best practices for protecting nursing home residents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.”
The commission will convene via teleconference in June and will meet regularly using virtual collaboration tools to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the nursing home response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This work will inform efforts to safeguard the health and quality of life of vulnerable Americans, as well as prepare for future threats to nursing home residents’ safety and to public health.
Specifically, the commission is tasked to:
- Identify best practices for facilities to enable rapid and effective identification and mitigation of transmission of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in nursing homes;
- Work to recommend best practices as exemplars of rigorous infection control practices and facility resiliency that can serve as a framework for enhanced oversight and quality monitoring activities;
- Identify best practices for improved care delivery and responsiveness to the needs of all nursing home residents in preparation for, during, and following an emergency; and
- Identify opportunities to leverage new sources of data to improve existing infection control policies
and enable coordination across federal surveyors, contractors, and state and local entities to mitigate coronavirus and future emergencies. - Recommendations made by the commission will encompass both immediate and long-term actions.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the formation of the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes on May 14. MITRE, an independent, not-for-profit organization, is standing up the commission and facilitating its activities and will independently author and deliver a report on the commission’s findings and recommendations to CMS on September 1.
Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), representing more than 14,000 nursing homes and long term care facilities across the country that provide care to approximately 5 million people each year, released a statement after members of the newly-formed Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes were announced.
“We are pleased to see a variety of stakeholders named to the Commission, including dedicated providers and valued partners Debra Fournier, Camille Jordan, Dr. Rosie Lyles, Neil Pruitt, Jr., and Janet Snipes. These professionals have devoted their lives to serving our nation’s seniors and improving the quality of care in America’s long-term care facilities. Their leadership at the national level, including with AHCA/NCAL, will serve the Commission well as it evaluates ways to protect our most vulnerable from COVID-19.
“Bringing providers, residents, families, experts and policymakers together is essential in fostering a more collaborate approach to addressing this once-in-a-century crisis. Nursing homes cannot beat this pandemic alone, and focusing on enforcement and penalties neither recognizes the nature of the virus nor solves the problem. Providers need the support of public health officials to prioritize our residents and help facilities acquire the necessary resources. We hope the independent Commission will address this critical need.
“As the Commission begins its work, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities are still in the day-to-day battle of keeping the virus at bay. Providers continue to face ongoing challenges in accessing and affording surveillance testing, personal protective equipment and additional staff support. Meanwhile, many states are re-opening portions of society, which is contributing to an increase in cases in some areas of the country. We want to get residents out of isolation and adapt visitations, so they can safely see loved ones again. But we must remain vigilant as research indicates that community spread is correlated with outbreaks in nursing homes, and we have yet to receive the level of resources we need.
“We look forward to working with the Commission as it conducts this important work, but long term care facilities need immediate assistance now. Public health officials at every level can help in this effort by prioritizing long term care for testing, PPE, staffing and funding. Let’s work together now and in the coming months to rally around our nation’s Greatest Generation and our frontline heroes.”
Learn more about the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes at https://sites.mitre.org/nhcovidcomm.
Sidebar:
The commission members are:
- Roya Agahi, RN, MS HCM, WCC; Chief Nursing Officer, formerly of NYC Health + Hospitals, soon to be of CareRite, New York
- Lisa M. Brown, PhD, ABPP; Professor of Psychology, Palo Alto University, California
- Mark Burket, CEO, Platte Health Center Avera, South Dakota
- Eric M. Carlson, JD; Directing Attorney, Justice in Aging, California
- Michelle Dionne-Vahalik, DNP, RN; Associate Commissioner, State Health and Human Services Commission, Texas
- Debra Fournier, MSB, BSN, ANCC RN-BC, LNHA, CHD, CPHQ; COO, Veterans’ Homes, Maine
- Terry T. Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN; President, The John A. Hartford Foundation, New York
- Candace S. Goehring, MN, RN; Director, State Department of Social and Health Services, Aging and Long-Term Support Administration, Washington
- David C. Grabowski, PhD; Professor of Healthcare Policy, Harvard University, Massachusetts
- Camille Rochelle Jordan, RN, BSN, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, CDP; Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations & Innovations, Signature Healthcare, Kentucky
- Jessica Kalender-Rich, MD, CMD, AGSF, FAAHPM, FACP; Medical Director, Post-Acute Care, University of Kansas Health System, Kansas
- Marshall Barry Kapp, JD, MPH; Professor Emeritus of Law, Florida State University, Florida
- Morgan Jane Katz, MD, MHS; Assistant Professor of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland
- Beverley L. Laubert, MA; State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, State Department of Aging, Ohio
- Rosie D. Lyles, MD, MHA, MSc, FACA; Director of Clinical Affairs, Medline Industries, Illinois
- Jeannee Parker Martin, MPH, BSN; President and CEO, LeadingAge California
- G. Adam Mayle, CHFM, CHC, CHE; Administrative Director of Facilities, Memorial Healthcare System, Florida
- David A. Nace, MD, MPH, CMD; President, AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, Pennsylvania
- Lori Porter, LNHA, CNA; CEO, National Association of Health Care Assistants, Missouri
- Neil Pruitt, Jr., MBA, MHA, LNHA; Chairman and CEO, PruittHealth, Inc., Georgia
- Penelope Ann Shaw, PhD; Nursing Home Resident and Advocate, Braintree Manor Healthcare, Massachusetts
- Lori O. Smetanka, JD; Executive Director, National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care, Maryland
- Janet Snipes, LNHA; Executive Director, Holly Heights Nursing Home, Colorado
- Patricia W. Stone, PhD, MPH, FAAN, RN, CIC; Professor of Health Policy in Nursing, Columbia University, New York
- Dallas Taylor, BSN, RN; Director of Nursing, Eliza Bryant Village, Ohio
In addition to the official Commission members, there may be additional members added and guests invited to provide additional viewpoints and insights.