Beginning Friday, May 21, 2021, CMS has new requirements of nursing homes around the COVID-19 vaccine — educating staff and residents on the risks and benefits, offering the vaccine to all staff and residents, and reporting vaccination status to the CDC. The NCPA LTC Division suggests reaching out to your nursing home clients to see how your pharmacy might be able to alleviate some of their challenges.

What settings are impacted by the new requirements?

Nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Assisted living facilities are not impacted by these requirements at this time.

While the requirements currently only apply to nursing homes, CMS is seeking public comment on the feasibility of implementing these requirements for other Medicare/Medicaid participating shared residences.

When does it go into effect?

Friday, May 21. Beginning Monday, June 14, nursing homes that do not report the required information weekly to the CDC will receive a $1,000 penalty that increases with noncompliance.

What are the requirements in a nutshell?

Everyone regularly working or living in a nursing home setting is provided the opportunity to get the vaccine.

Everyone regularly working or living in a nursing home setting is provided up-to-date education around the benefits, risks, and potential side effects of the vaccine. Documentation of this education as well as vaccination status is kept in the patient medical record or, in the case of staff, in some other form like a staff roster.

Weekly reporting back to the CDC on the vaccination status of residents and staff of the facility, including the following:

• Total number of individuals

• Total number of individuals vaccinated

• Numbers of each dose of COVID-19 vaccine received

• COVID-19 vaccination adverse events through HHS Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)

• COVID-19 therapeutics administered for residents

Here's a detailed summary of all the requirements of the nursing homes.

What can you do to help your facility clients?

Let your facility clients know that you have access to the vaccine and can supply, educate on as needed and administer the vaccine moving forward.

Provide education on the benefits, risks, and potential side effects of the vaccine. Here are some helpful resources:

• Resident-facing information

• Staff-facing information

• Customizable PowerPoint Presentation on Vaccine Hesitancy
  Click here to download a PowerPoint presentation prepared by CPESN for pharmacists to use to speak to audiences about COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy

Pull a weekly report from your pharmacy management system with some or all of the information to help meet the CDC reporting guidelines.

Resources for LTC Pharmacies:

• Summary - COVID-19 Vaccine Immunization Requirements for Residents and Staff

• Education for Facility Staff

• Education for Residents

• NCPA Long-Term Care Division Town Hall
  featuring owners and operators of six different long-term care pharmacies to share their tips, best practices, and customer service opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• LTC industry letter to CMS for COVID-19 relief

• ASCP COVID-19 response

• The Society for Post-Acute and Long-term Care Medicine Resources

Check out the other COVID-19 pages for information about personnel, management, financials, pharmacy practice and more!