As healthcare operations start to be addressed under alternative standards, now is the time to focus on the items that might have affected agencies during the earlier weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. One challenge will be ensuring that agencies are prepared for the future. With an eventful beginning to the Atlantic hurricane season, earthquakes, flooding, and various other recent natural disasters, HealthCare ConsultLink (HCL) would like to remind agencies of the need to plan for s...

Interim Guidance Criteria for Return to Work Maintaining appropriate staffing in healthcare is essential to providing a safe work environment for staff and safe patient care. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released updated guidance for return to work criteria. As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, staffing shortages may likely occur due to staff exposures, illness, or need to care for family members at home. Healthcare must be prepared for potential s...

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently provided details on the Infection Control Focused Audits now being completed across the United States in agencies. These agency surveys are random and have been noted to require expedited turn-around of records for the agency response. CMS created the Guidance for Infection Control tool for use in these surveys to ensure compliance with infection control procedures expected during the pandemic. The tool provides a f...