Medicare to Nursing Homes: Follow COVID Guidelines During the Holidays

• by Christian Worstell
• February 22, 2021

Published December 8, 2020

Follow our Medicare Coronavirus News page for related information on coronavirus (COVID-19) and its impact on Medicare beneficiaries.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has a message for nursing home residents, staff and visitors: Happy holidays, and follow COVID-19 guidelines. 

The CMS recently urged nursing homes, which have been among the most high-risk facilities during the coronavirus pandemic, to tighten up protocols during the holiday season when visits are expected to increase. 

Those guidelines include face coverings, six feet of social distancing and limiting the number of visitors. 

“The approaching holiday season remains fraught with danger for the vulnerable residents of America’s nursing homes. They and their families — along with facilities themselves — must not let their guard down over the holiday season, especially with a safe and effective vaccine so close to reality.” - Seema Verma, CMS Administrator¹

How is Medicare keeping nursing homes safe from COVID-19 during the holiday season?

The CMS is recommending that nursing home facilities find innovative ways of recognizing the holidays without parties or large gatherings that could increase the risk of COVID-19 transmission. 

The CMS also acknowledged residents’ rights to leave the facility temporarily during the holidays to visit with family and friends but urged extra precautions to reduce the spread of the pandemic.

Medicare is also urging nursing homes to double down on testing requirements and for nursing home staff to educate residents and their families about the risks of leaving the facility, the steps they should be taking to reduce their risk and encouraging the use of alternative means to stay connected to loved ones. 

As of Nov. 15, there had been almost 70,000 COVID-19 deaths among nursing home residents in the U.S., which has accounted for roughly a quarter of all COVID-19 deaths nationwide. Almost 332,000 cases had been confirmed in nursing homes as of Nov. 15, with another 165,000 suspected cases. 

Nursing home residents and health care workers are slated to be among the first in line to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, according to the CDC. COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be available right around the new year.

Learn more about Medicare coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

¹ CMS. (Nov. 18, 2020). CMS Urging Nursing Homes to Follow Established COVID Guidelines This Holiday Season [press release]. Retrieved from https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cms-urging-nursing-homes-follow-established-covid-guidelines-holiday-season.

About the author

Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.

Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.

Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.

Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.

A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.

 

 

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