CMS Asks Stratis Health to Provide Targeted COVID-19 Infection Control Assistance

Posted on May 5, 2020 by Jonathan Lips

During its April 22 COVID-19 call, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) noted that Stratis Health would be working with selected nursing homes to assess COVID-19 readiness – as a supplement to the infection control focused surveys MDH is doing around the state. 

We’ve had a few questions from members looking for details about that work, and here’s what we learned:

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) asked Stratis to provide assistance to 85 specific nursing homes (the list is non-public) by asking them to complete an infection prevention control assessment and then to schedule a phone review with Stratis. Following the call, Stratis will send the nursing home a high-level summary, answers to any questions and recommendations for next steps. Stratis will also share some information with CMS, but we don’t know what form that will take.

Stratis contacted the selected nursing homes by email on Friday, May 1. If you did not receive that outreach, it likely means your site is not on the list. 

The assessment and review are not a regulatory inspection but an opportunity for information sharing and learning, designed to:

• Keep COVID-19 out of the nursing home
• Identify infections as early as possible 
• Prevent spread of COVID-19 in the nursing home
• Assess and optimize PPE supplies 
• Identify and manage severe illness in residents with COVID-19 

If your nursing home participates in this initiative and you’d like to share any feedback, contact Jon Lips or Kari Everson.