Amidst an unfortunate nationwide rise in COVID-19 cases, HeatlhPRO Heritage is relaunching several resources (and sharing new updates, too!) to reinforce our company's key strategies to:
- Stay Safe by assuring staff & patient/resident safety measures
- Stay Smart by remaining engaged in training + updates
- Build Sustainability with census/network development initiatives
Please scroll down for meaningful tools + 'Questions Worth Asking' to inform & spur on your go-forward approach.
1. Stay Safe: Infection Prevention is Critically Important
Infection control is at the heart of HealthPRO Heritage's top priority of assuring staff & patient/resident safety. As COVID-19 cases continue to rise, questions worth asking to guide your approach might include:
What infection control strategies are in place at your community for:
- Staff education?
- Workplan execution?
- Tracking outcomes?
- Demonstrating infection control capabilities to referral sources & potential new admissions?
Where to start? Designed by HealthPRO Heritage clinical experts and Certified Infection Preventionists, the Infection Control Mini-Toolkit is a necessity for all healthcare teams. The ~25 customizable templates & tracking tools are intended as your team’s first-line resources and are to be customized & adopted/utilized immediately. Access this complimentary resource here.
Would your team benefit from conducting an 'Infection Prevention Survey Readiness Assessment?' HealthPRO Heritage offers one-on-one sessions for only $70 per site. Objectives include:
- Identify areas of risk
- Recommend correction strategies
- Review & interpret new provisions of the Skilled Nursing Code
- Ultimately avoid penalties/fines
- For more information or to schedule an one-on-one session click here.
What are the benefits of engaging HealthPRO Heritage's team of Infection Preventionists? Registered Nurses with expertise in the policies & procedures related to pathogen transmission & antibiotic tracking are specially-trained to provide:
- Onsite or virtual Infection Prevention + Control Readiness Assessment with direct observation and survey
- Customized Infection Prevention + Control Toolkit for success
- Customer-specific education/training programs for clinical/front line staff
- Assessment of current Infection Prevention + Control Plan & Policies
- Implementation, monitoring and ongoing analysis + support
- Flexible onsite and/or virtual contracting arrangements available to support your organization's infection control strategy. For more information, contact the Clinical Strategies Team here.
Podcast: Focus on Infection Prevention
CDC-Certified Infection Preventionist, Chelsea Lowe reflects on what infection control means for the future of care delivery and nursing facilities. Listen here + Subscribe for more episodes.
2. Build Sustainability: Census & Network Partnerships
According to an Advisory Board Company poll (published Sept. 8, 2020), hospitals are getting specific about "what's important" when it comes to discharging patients to SNFs amidst the challenges of COVID-19. According to the survey results: hospitals are seeking SNFs who can execute on: #1: Proven COVID-19 Readiness Strategy; #2: Historically Strong Quality Measures; #3: Speed of Admissions Process; #4: Effective Response to COVID-19 Outbreaks.
- What rock-solid strategies and processes are in place at your community to drive census & fortify your network alliances?
- Are you leveraging 1135 waivers (now in effect thru January 21, 2021)? Review the attached Case Studies here that demonstrate the benefit of strategizing + utilizing waivers AND long-term implications to closing doors to upstream providers.
- "Census Growth & Network Development" recorded presentation available here outlines a truly strategic approach to building cross-continuum partnerships and features Clinical Strategies Consultant, Kristy Yoskey.
3. Stay Smart: Access + Review Training and Resources
- HealthPRO Heritage shares updates via our comprehensive COVID-19 Resource Page, featuring regulatory, clinical and personal well-being info, for staff, partners & industry peers. Please access at will!
- Does it make sense to revisit training initiatives at your community? What additional resources are needed to refortify safety & staff engagement? Starting this week: HealthPRO Heritage employees are participating in mandatory training sessions to reinforce critically important COVID-19 response strategies, (so our partners & residents in our care can rest assured we remain vigilant, well-informed and prepared for challenges related to ongoing/spiking COVID-19 trends.)
- Importantly, HealthPRO Heritage remains committed to our pledge: ReDesigning Tomorrow Together