The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has released clarifying details regarding waivers that affect resident cohorting in long-term care facilities.
No additional approval is needed when “two or more certified LTC facilities want to transfer or discharge residents between themselves for the purposes of cohorting,” the agency stated in an addendum published Monday. However, state agency approval is needed when a certified facility wishes to transfer or discharge residents to a non-certified location, it said.
The clarification responds to questions regarding requirement waivers that affect room-sharing among residents. The waivers are meant to support the placement of residents diagnosed with COVID-19 in locations designed specifically for their care and to prevent further disease transmission within facilities, CMS said.
The agency in recent weeks has sought to ease transfers and discharges between facilities in the following cases:
1. Transferring residents with symptoms of a respiratory infection or confirmed diagnosis
of COVID-19 to another facility that agrees to accept each specific resident, and is
dedicated to the care of such residents;
2. Transferring residents without symptoms of a respiratory infection or confirmed to not
have COVID-19 to another facility that agrees to accept each specific resident, and is
dedicated to the care of such residents to prevent them from acquiring COVID-19; or
3. Transferring residents without symptoms of a respiratory infection to another facility
that agrees to accept each specific resident to observe for any signs or symptoms of a
respiratory infection over 14 days.
More details on the original transfer/discharge waivers can be found here. The addendum with clarification can be found here.
