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Issue #5 - June 10, 2020
 
WHAT'S NEW
The COVID-19 Resources for Skilled Nursing Facilities webpage is frequently updated with links and information to assist you, including these most recent updates:

 ➢ Check out the LeadingAge Infection Control Survey Tool to help prepare for COVID-19 focused surveys for Nursing Homes.

 ➢ Last week, CMS posted the first set of COVID-19 nursing home data. For a quick overview of the data, take a look at the Long Term Care Facility Reporting Data Summary.

 ➢ Use the Supporting Frontline Staff Cheat Sheet for ideas on how you can support your frontline staff during the COVID-19 crisis.
 
OPPORTUNITIES
There are also training resources available to help guide you through COVID-19. Check out these opportunities for patients and staff:

 ➢ Register now for the upcoming complimentary webinar from Advisory Board to learn tactics on how to Provide Emotional Support for Staff During and After the Covid-19 Crisis on Thursday, June 18th, 1-2pm ET.

 ➢ Take advantage of the free CMS webinar series (every Thursday, 4-5pm ET, through July 16) that provides training on infection control processes in nursing homes. 

 ➢ Join the clinical trial investigating Probiotics to Prevent COVID-19. Researchers Paul Wischmeyer and Anthony Sung at Duke University have identified a probiotic (live bacteria, as is present in yogurt) that has the potential to decrease COVID-19 infection by 30-50%. They are currently developing a clinical trial to use this probiotic to prevent COVID-19 in skilled nursing facilities for residents and staff. If you are interested in working with them, please contact PROTECT-SNF@duke.edu.
 
REMINDERS
 ➢ Mark your calendars! The next HOPE SNF Collaborative Webinar: What’s Next with COVID 19? is this Thursday, June 11th, 2020 from 8-9:30am ET. The agenda includes:
  • Outpatient Parenteral Antimicrobial Therapy: Tips for Success SNFs
  • COVID-19 Vaccine Development
  • Pandemic Response Network: Community Health Watch
  • Telemedicine in Post Acute and Long Term Care
Join HERE
 ➢ The Duke SNF COVID-19 Advisory Team includes experts in infectious disease, geropsychiatry, palliative care, and case management to answer questions and find solutions for a variety of situations. Let’s meet one of our experts:
Dr. Serena Wong is a geriatrician who specializes in caring for older adults across clinical settings. She is a consultant at Duke University Hospital and Duke Regional Hospital, and she also sees patients in the Geriatrics and Perioperative Optimization of Senior Health (POSH) clinics. She has an interest in patient education, and she has presented locally and regionally on this topic and others pertinent to geriatrics.
 
Do you have a question for Dr. Serena Wong or any of our expert team members?
Submit Your Question
DUKE HEALTH UPDATES
New appointment type! Pay close attention to the type of appointment scheduled for your resident by using the information on the Discharge To Outside Facility (DTOF) form. For telephone appointments, we have noticed that the Discharge Summary displays the clinic name but does not state if it is a telephone appointment. The DTOF specifies it is a telephone appointment. In order to avoid a missed visit, please plan accordingly and be prepared to have a phone in the patient’s room in advance of appointment. 

Discharge Summary Example: does not specify it is a telephone appointment.

Discharge To Outside Facility (DTOF) Example: does specifies it is a telephone appointment.
SHOUT OUTS
Our Shout Out this week is to Peak Resources Brookshire, who recently began accepting patients with ventricular assist devices (VADs). Kathy Roundtree, the clinical social worker/case manager for the Duke University Hospital Heart Transplant/VAD team stated, “they have been great to work with and willing to take this on during the pandemic. This has been an enormous gift to us and our patients.” Thank you, Peak Resources Brookshire, for helping patients continue to get the right care, in the right setting, at the right time.
 
Your PHMO SNF Team:

Heather Jacobson, MHA, MS, CCC-SLP
PHMO Senior Planning & Strategic Services Analyst
heather.jacobson@duke.edu

Heidi White, MD
PHMO Medical Director, Geriatric Medicine
heidi.white@duke.edu

Patricia Kramer, Ed.S., CCM, CSW, NCC
DUHS Senior Director, Case Management
patricia.kramer@duke.edu

Click here for more information about the PHMO Hope SNF Collaborative.

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