The Daily Progress published a letter to the editor from VHCA-VCAL President and CEO Keith Hare describing the close oversight the VDH Office of Licensure and Certification has had in evaluating nursing facilities infection prevention and control measures during the COVID-19 outbreak. The letter was intended to provide more context on the data released by CMS indicating only 15 percent of facilities had been surveyed.

Read the full text of the letter:

Opinion/Letter: Nursing facilities working hard on COVID data (dailyprogress.com, June 13, 2020)

Recently, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released data on COVID-19 cases among the more than 15,000 nursing homes across the nation.

It has been reported that Virginia has fallen behind other states in conducting infection control focused surveys on this data, but nursing facilities have been working closely with the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Licensure and Certification to conduct these surveys in a manner we believed would prioritize the health and safety of our residents and care providers at our facilities — in Charlottesville and across the state.

To prevent further spreading and to protect the most vulnerable in our society from the highly contagious virus, the surveyors thoughtfully approached the decision — which was influenced by CMS guidance — to conduct off-site virtual surveys when possible. 

Given the virus’s ability to spread — even under the strictest containment measures or by asymptomatic carriers —  there was concern that bringing surveyors into the facility could put the residents and staff at increased risk of contracting the virus.

Beginning in mid-March, the state closely monitored nursing facilities and conducted comprehensive off-site virtual surveys to ensure they were in compliance with state and local health department guidelines and were fully equipped to handle COVID-19 cases.

Overall, when considering both in-person and off-site virtual surveys, Virginia has completed close to 67% of required surveys — significantly higher than the previously reported 15% of in-person surveys. And we are actively working to satisfy CMS requirements for all completed surveys to be counted.

Providing as much factual data and real-time information as possible is critical in our ongoing efforts. We look forward to continuing to work together with the survey teams to fight this battle against COVID-19.

Keith Hare
Richmond