Marina Martin, MD
Stanford ECHO Nursing COVID-19 Director
Project ECHO is launching a Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network. This effort is supported by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), Stanford Medicine, and Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG).
We have actively recruited nursing homes and training centers around the California to join this interactive community of practice to collaboratively advance improvements in COVID-19 preparedness, safety, and infection control.
Goals
The Network aims to help nursing homes implement evidence-based best practices to:
- Keep the virus from entering nursing homes where it has not entered
- Identify residents and staff who have been infected with the virus early
- Prevent the spread of the virus between staff, residents, and visitors
- Provide safe and appropriate care to residents with mild and asymptomatic cases of the virus
- Ensure staff have the knowledge, skills, and confidence to implement best-practice safety measures to protect residents and themselves
Time Commitment
- Participate in a 16-week training (60 – 90 minutes) and mentorship program in groups of 33-35 facilitated by Stanford Medicine and/or the Health Services Advisory Group.
- 2 or more staff participants each week
- The 16-week program starts the week of November 9, 2020
Who is eligible to participate?
Both Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing homes are eligible to participate. Participation is free.
Why should you participate?
Nursing Homes that actively participate in the training will receive $6,000 in compensation in recognition of the staff time involved.
This reimbursement is available to Medicare and Medicaid-certified nursing homes eligible to receiving funding from the Provider Relief Fund and that have agreed to its terms and conditions. The vast majority of nursing homes are eligible.
Sessions Include:
- Personal Protective Equipment Best Practices for COVID-19
- Making the Environment Safe during COVID-19 Through Infection Control Practices
- Minimizing the Spread of COVID-19
- COVID-19 Testing
- Clinical Management of Asymptomatic and Mild Cases of COVID-19
- Managing Social Isolation during COVID-19
Meet the Team
Questions? Contact us
HSAG: canursinghomes@hsag.com
Stanford CME: nursingecho@stanford.edu
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Session 1
COVID-19 Content: Preventing and Limiting the Spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes
Quality Improvement: What is QAPI and how can it support this work
Session 2
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Guidance and Practical Approaches for Improved Outcomes
Session 3
COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Cohortingand Critical Infection Prevention Strategies
Supplementary Resources
- CMS QAPI at a Glance: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/QAPI/Downloads/QAPIAtaGlance.pdf
- CMS: QAPI Self-Assessment Tool: https://www.cms.gov/medicare/provider-enrollment-and-certification/qapi/downloads/qapiselfassessment.pdf
- Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Tool for Nursing Homes Preparing for COVID-19 (PDF)
- HSAG QAPI Companion: https://www.hsag.com/contentassets/ad48e6068e6148de909773f9d89892b1/hsag-qapi_companion.pdf
- CDPH Infection Prevention Webinars Registration
About Project ECHO
Project ECHO is a revolutionary guided-practice model that reduces health disparities in under-served and remote areas of the state, nation, and world. Through innovative telementoring, the ECHO model uses a hub-and-spoke knowledge-sharing approach where expert teams lead virtual clinics, amplifying the capacity for providers to deliver best-in-practice care to the underserved in their own communities.