It’s been a long time coming, but with the way the coronavirus has impacted care centers across the U.S., visitation at the North Shore Health Care Center has been off-limits, until now.
Two levels of visitation have been established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). To start with, North Shore Health Living will begin with Level 2. Under that scenario, five indoor visits will be allowed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days of the week. Visits will start at the top of the hour and can last 45 minutes; appointments must be made the day before. All visitors must be screened at the entrance, must wear cloth face coverings throughout the visit, and must maintain six-foot separations from the resident.
North Shore Health completed its first round of COVID-19 testing on September 28 with 157 employees, physicians and essential caregivers participating. All of the test results came back negative. Employees are allowed to refuse testing, but then will be placed on a two-week quarantine. If essential caregivers refuse testing, then they will not be allowed to visit.
As of October 15, 129 (83.7 percent) of North Shore Health employees and 35 (95 percent) of Care Center residents have received a flu vaccination. Seven employees will receive preservative free vaccine when it arrives later this month and 12 employees are away at school or on medical leave. At this time, seven employees have refused to be vaccinated. North Shore Health has a goal of having 90 percent of its staff vaccinated, and the expectation is that the goal will be achieved in the near future.
At present, the CMS has published that Cook County has 0.2 percent positive rate for the coronavirus, which is allowing North Shore Health to maintain a monthly testing frequency.
CMS ruled that all hospitals that participate in Medicare must report COVID-19 data or CMS may impose penalties, including possible termination from the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Currently North Shore Health is in compliance, but CMS is reviewing data submission and issuing compliance reports every three weeks. “So it’s possible to fall in-and-out of compliance,” said Administrator Kimber Wraalstad. “Also,” noted Wraalstad, “CMS modifies required data elements on a frequent basis, so it is necessary to remain alert to the changes of the data needed.”
Employee health insurance costs rise
Cost of employee health insurance renewals from Blue Cross Blue Shield are 9.9 percent higher than last year. Wraalstad reported that the actual increase would have been 18.3 percent but the Northeast Service Cooperative paid down the increase by 8.4 percent.
340B Drug Pricing Program
North Shore Health will participate in the 340B Drug Pricing Program (340B Program). Pharmaceutical manufacturers who participate in Medicaid must sell outpatient drugs at discounted prices to health care organizations that care for many uninsured and low-income patients. SUNRx, a preferred vendor of the Minnesota Hospital Association, will work with North Shore Health. This program will provide medications, such as chemotherapy and IV therapy, at a reduced price and that price reduction will be passed on to patients. Deidre LaRock- Muggley and Kathy Bernier participated in the evaluation of the program and will assume responsibility for the implantation of the program.
Proposed assisted living facility
North Shore Health has continued ongoing discussions about the potential to manage an assisted living facility proposed by the Community Asset Foundation (CMA). CMA has said they would build the facility, but they have asked North Shore Health to manage it. Meetings have been conducted with the Cook County/ Grand Marais EDA and Community Asset Foundation on a regular basis.
The Minnesota Department of Health released Assisted Living Facility Proposed Rules on October 8 and those rules need to be reviewed to determine the impact to the operation of North Shore Health. Plus, the potential costs to manage the assisted living facility have to be estimated and more information gathered before a decision is made.
Serenity Garden
Infrastructure work has been completed on the Serenity Garden and next spring trees, shrubs, and vegetation will be planted.
Air filtration system
When asked if North Shore Health is looking at installing a bi-polar ionization air filtration system like ISD 166 has done, North Shore Health Director Kimber Wraalstad responded, “Chris Lange, our maintenance director, has been researching this option and has interacted with the Engineering Division from the Minnesota Department of Health. It was noted that bi-polar ionization seems to be getting more and more attention. However, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has not seen any larger peer reviewed papers yet. MDH commented that ionization does not kill viruses instantly and may take an hour to reduce human coronavirus 90 percent. A strong infection control program and disinfection is still needed. It seems to be a good technology to improve indoor air quality, so Chris is working with our mechanical engineer to get their opinion on the use of this system in our existing HVAC system. Essentially, the schools are not as regulated as the hospital and care center.”
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