Important Announcement: Trainings are provided through an on-demand, pre-recorded format.
Sign up to receive training updates, including additional resources and tools!
Certificates of Participation are available to those who have completed on-demand Fundamentals trainings and to those who have completed past live trainings.
Critical Topics
These are the 13 topics that nursing home teams must know to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. Click on any of the titles below to jump directly to the self-paced training.
- Establishing an Infection Prevention Program in a Nursing Home, with an Emphasis on COVID-19
- Is Your Nursing Home Ready to Handle the Demands of the COVID-19 Pandemic? Assessing Readiness: Advice from the CDC
- COVID-19 Surveillance to Enable Early Detection and Response to Outbreaks: National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Mandatory Data Collection
- COVID-19 Testing
- Cohorting Strategies
- Cleaning Environmental Surfaces and Shared Equipment
- Creating a COVID-19 Recovery Center
- Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Strategies for COVID-19 Care
- Accepting New Patients During an Active Pandemic: Considerations for Both Transfers from Hospitals and Admissions from the Community
- Telehealth in Nursing Homes
- Transparency: Resident and Family Notification, Department of Health and Other Notifications
- Clinical Care: Managing COVID-Positive Residents
- Managing Staffing Challenges
Recorded Q&A Sessions
- August 27, 2020
- September 10, 2020
- September 24, 2020
- October 8, 2020
- October 22, 2020
- November 5, 2020
- November 19, 2020
- December 10, 2020
- January 7, 2021
Topic: Live Q&A: CMS-CDC Fundamentals of COVID-19 Prevention for Nursing Home Management
Date: Thursday, October 22, 2020
Audience:
This live Q&A series is open to clinical and administrative nursing home staff members and others who have completed the self-paced, on-demand CMS-CDC Fundamentals of COVID-19 Prevention for Nursing Home Management training hosted on www.QIOProgram.org for 24/7 access.
Series Description:
Live Q&A: CMS-CDC Fundamentals of COVID-19 Prevention for Nursing Home Management is brought to you by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the QIO Program.
- Submit questions in advance via email to DVACSupport@thebizzellgroup.com.
- Questions that are not addressed during the live session will be answered on the QIOProgram.org FAQ page.
Watch the Recording:
Resources:
Topic: CMS-CDC Fundamentals of COVID-19 Prevention for Nursing Home Management: COVID-19 Testing
Date: Friday, October 9, 2020
Objectives:
Access to reliable testing, with the ability to receive quick turnaround results, is critical to nursing homes’ ability to managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, nursing homes continue to face significant shortages of testing supplies, as well as the ability to receive results in a timely manner. To address this, the federal government recently launched a new initiative – Point of Care COVID Testing – with the goal of supplying all nursing homes with the equipment necessary to perform COVID-19 testing for residents and staff and receive rapid results. This webinar will provide the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19 testing for nursing homes, including an overview on the latest federal and state guidance, tools to successfully implement Point of Care COVID Testing, and applicable testing protocols for nursing homes.
Watch the Recording:
Resources:
Speaker:
Nimalie Stone, MD, MS
Medical Epidemiologist for Long-term Care
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Topic: Creating a COVID-19 Recovery Center
Date: Thursday, September 24, 2020
Objectives:
Innovative nursing home models that design their care settings to have fewer residents served by a consistent, dedicated set of staff (such as the Green House Project) have demonstrated success at preventing the incidence of COVID-19 infections and reducing the number of infections and deaths within their facilities. This webinar will cover federal and state guidance, as well as strategies and promising practices for establishing a dedicated COVID-19 care center. Among these promising practices are cohorting strategies, consistent assignment and training of personnel, strict infection control techniques and testing protocols, and constant communication and engagement with residents and their families.
Watch the Recording:
Resources:
Speaker:
Michelle Eslami, MD, FACP, CMD
Chief Medical Officer
Rockport Healthcare Services
Carol Larkin, FNP
Chief Development Officer
Rockport Healthcare Services
David S. Silver, MD
Chief Executive Officer
Rockport Healthcare Services
Kristen Morris, RN
Chief Clinical Officer
Rockport Healthcare Services
Topic: Accepting New Patients During an Active Pandemic: Considerations for Both Transfers from Hospitals and Admissions from the Community
Date: Thursday, September 17, 2020
Objectives:
Accepting new admissions to nursing homes during the current COVID-19 pandemic requires a comprehensive plan and protocol based on emerging scientific evidence about COVID-19 transmission within nursing homes, as well as current prevention and control guidelines. Successful implementation of this plan and protocol is essential to preventing further transmission of the virus and/or new COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes across the United States, ensuring proper care of residents, and protecting the health and well-being of residents, family members and health care personnel living, visiting and working in nursing homes. This training will focus on the latest guidance regarding the admission, readmission and/or transfer of COVID-19 positive patients from hospitals, other nursing homes, and from the community to a nursing home; promising strategies to develop a comprehensive plan and protocol, using said guidance, for transfers and admissions of residents to nursing homes; and promising practices for establishing and maintaining a successful partnership between local nursing homes and hospitals to both reduce morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19, and to best leverage nursing home and hospital capacity.
Watch the Recording:
Resources:
Speaker:
Kathleen T Unroe, MD, MHA
Associate Professor of Medicine, Indiana University
Center for Aging Research Scientist, Regenstrief Institute
Stacie Levine, MD
Professor of Medicine, University of Chicago
Chief, Section of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine
Topic: Telehealth in Nursing Homes
Date: Thursday, September 3, 2020
Objectives:
Telehealth – which broadly refers to the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to provide long-distance access to health care and services such as health assessment, diagnosis, consultation and other non-clinical services – has proven to be an effective vehicle for nursing home residents to safely receive health care in the midst of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Telehealth is also considered a safe way for clinicians to provide care, as it reduces potential exposure to health care-associated infections and optimizes the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by health care personnel. This training will offer information on the current federal policies and guidance regarding the use and reimbursement of telehealth services; implementation strategies for efficient adoption of telehealth in nursing homes to best support care delivery and remote patient monitoring; and the importance of addressing training and educational needs to prepare staff and residents.
Watch the Recording:
Resources:
Speaker:
Nell Griffin, EdM, CHC, CPHQ
Senior Quality Improvement Facilitator
Telligen
Christine LaRocca, MD
Medical Director
Telligen
Topic: Cleaning Environmental Surfaces and Shared Equipment
Date: Thursday, August 27, 2020
Objectives:
Proper cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces and equipment in a nursing home environment is critical to prevent the spread of pathogens, and to prevent sickness and disease. This was true pre-COVID-19, but the pandemic has put proper cleaning and disinfection procedures into new focus. The goal of this webinar is to provide an overview of the role of environmental surfaces and shared equipment in the transmission of pathogens; to review standard cleaning and disinfection practices; and to describe the various procedures and monitoring requirements that are needed to ensure adherence to safe practices.
Watch the Recording:
Resources:
Speaker:
Jill Hult, RN, MSAS, LNHA
Senior Account Manager
Mountain-Pacific Quality Health
Topic: Cohorting Strategies
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020
Objectives:
This training provides an overview of cohorting guidelines and strategies that can be used as part of a facility’s infection control and prevention program. The presentation covers a multi-disciplinary approach to cohorting, including the creation of a COVID-19 care unit and the management of residents with COVID-19 symptoms, staffing considerations, the role of environmental services, personal protective equipment (PPE) resources and bed management. You will learn cohorting strategies related to COVID-19 and lessons learned from the field.
Watch the Recording:
Resources:
Speaker:
Deb Smith, MLT (ASCP), BSN, CIC, CPHQ
Infection Preventionist
Health Quality Innovators (HQI)
Topic: Transparency: Resident and Family Notification, Department of Health and Other Notifications
Date: Thursday, August 13, 2020
Objectives:
- Learn updated guidance and policies regarding transparency during the COVID-19 public health emergency
- Learn more about best practices to implement a comprehensive and actionable communication plan
- Glean insight from a shared experience from a COVID-19 family member
- Learn strategies to provide compassionate care and communication during the COVID-19 pandemic
Watch the Recording:
Speaker:
Gayle Atherton, BSN, RN, CPHQ, CDP
Healthcare Quality Improvement Specialist
TMF Health Quality Institute
Nanci Newberry, MEd, BSN, RN, CPHQ, CPPS
Patient & Family Engagement Coordinator
TMF Health Quality Institute
Topic: COVID-19 Surveillance to Enable Early Detection and Response to Outbreaks: National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Mandatory Data Collection
Date: Thursday, August 6, 2020
Objectives: Following this call, participants will possess the knowledge and approaches for remaining current with federal guidance and reporting requirements and understand the importance of conducting regular outcomes and process surveillance.
During this webinar, participants will receive an overview of the following:
- What federal reporting is required and where to access the most up-to-date information and guidance
- Why ongoing COVID-19 surveillance is necessary and what it includes
- How facilities can use surveillance data for the prevention, early detection and mitigation of a potential COVID-19 outbreak
- How data are collected, submitted and entered into the NHSN COVID-19 LTCF COVID-19 Module and why a dedicated infection preventionist should conduct ongoing facility-wide surveillance
- How data reported to the CDC NHSN LTCF COVID-19 Module is used by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Watch the Recording:
Speaker:
Angela Anttila, PhD, MSN, NPC, CIC
Nurse Epidemiologist
NHSN Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Linda Behan, BSN, RN, CIC
Sr. Director of Infection Prevention and Control
Genesis HealthCare
Topic: Is Your Nursing Home Ready to Handle the Demands of the COVID-19 Pandemic? Assessing Readiness: Advice from the CDC
Date: Thursday, July 23, 2020
Objectives: In this session, CDC staff discussed the COVID-19 Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) tool that was developed to support nursing homes preparing for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Health departments, QIN-QIOs and other partners can use this tool to help assess infection prevention practices and guide quality improvement activities through technical assistance to providers. During the discussion, the CDC shared examples of ways that providers and partners have worked together to identify opportunities and strategies to improve Infection Prevention Control (IPC) implementation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Session objectives included:
Watch the Recording:
Speaker:
Nimalie Stone, MD, MS
Medical Epidemiologist for Long-term Care
Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Topic: Establishing an Infection Prevention Program in a Nursing Home, with an Emphasis on COVID-19
Date: Thursday, July 16, 2020
Objectives: Participants of this webinar learned to identify the key components of an infection prevention program in the nursing home setting; describe the best-practice strategies needed to establish a program; and understand the key elements necessary for ongoing infection prevention surveillance.
Watch the Recording:
Speaker:
Eli K. DeLille, MSN, RN, CIC, FAPIC
Quality Improvement Specialist
Infection Preventionist
Health Services Advisory Group
Topic: Managing Staffing Challenges
Date: Thursday, July 9, 2020
Objectives: Following this training, participants understood staffing challenges that are exacerbated by COVID-19 and associated resources regarding federal, state and local guidance and policies related to nursing home staffing during a public health emergency. Additionally, participants learned effective staffing plans to optimize staffing during a pandemic. Lastly, this training provided best practices to promote the safety, health and well-being of nursing home staff to minimize stress and promote resiliency.
Watch the Recording:
Speakers:
Shannon Cupka, EdM
Improvement Advisor
Comagine Health
Martha Jaworski, RN, BSN, CIC
Senior Improvement Advisor
Comagine Health
Adrienne Butterwick, MPH, CHES
Improvement Advisor
Comagine Health
Topic: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Strategies for COVID-19 Care
Date: Thursday, June 25, 2020
Objectives: Following this call, participants understood why using personal protective equipment (PPE) is necessary for infection prevention and were able to describe how to properly use it. Additionally, participants learned how to use an audit tool for tracking compliance in proper use of PPE. An auditing tool was shared with participants. Lastly, we shared promising practices and strategies for PPE supply and proper use.
Watch the Recording:
Speakers:
Jane Brock, MD, MSPH
Medical Director
Telligen
Sherry Longacre, MS, RN
Sr. Quality Improvement Facilitator
Telligen
Topic: Clinical Care: Managing COVID-Positive Residents
Date: Thursday, June 18, 2020
Objectives: The clinical management of COVID-positive and presumed COVID-positive residents requires understanding the various disease trajectories and having appropriate plans of care in place that align with each residents’ goals and preferences. It also requires working with medical directors and clinicians to have the needed medications and other treatments available. This webinar reviewed the key considerations for the clinical management of COVID-positive and presumed COVID-positive residents.
Watch the Recording:
Speakers:
Jane Pederson, MD, MS
Chief Medical Quality Officer
Stratis Health
Continuing Education Credit
The National CMS/CDC Nursing Home COVID-19 Training Series is not accredited by CMS. You can follow up with your association or accrediting body to see if they award credit for participation in our trainings.
Continuing education credits may be awarded by some organizations for participation in CMS trainings.
CMS is accredited by the following organizations:
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Continuing Education (CMSCE) Accreditation Statements
Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
ACCME accreditation seeks to assure the medical community and the public that Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provides physicians with relevant, effective, practice-based continuing medical education that supports U.S. health care quality improvement.
The ACCME employs a rigorous, multilevel process for evaluating institutions' continuing medical education programs according to the high accreditation standards adopted by all seven ACCME member organizations. These organizations of medicine in the U.S. are the American Board of Medical Specialties, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, the Association for Hospital Medical Education, the Association of American Medical Colleges, the Council of Medical Specialty Societies, and the Federation of State Medical Boards of the U.S., Inc.
International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is accredited by the International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is authorized to issue the IACET CEU.