Dear Residents, Families and Employees:
CMS has issued an update to an August 26, 12-page memo, entitled Interim Final Rule (IFC), CMS-3401-IFC, Additional Policy and Regulatory Revisions in Response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency related to Long-Term Care (LTC) Facility Testing Requirements. Following you will find the key changes that you need to know:
- Close contact is now defined as someone who has been within 6 feet of a COVID-19 positive person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
- Testing requirements will now be based on the rate of community transmission, not the positivity rate. The current rate of transmission for Philadelphia is reported as HIGH.
- All Employees and Residents showing signs or symptoms should be prioritized for testing.
- Close contact with anyone identified to be positive will be required for all vaccinated and unvaccinated employees and residents.
For the Independent Living residents, only, we will be eliminating Sign-Up Genius to schedule an appointment to visit. Sign-Up Genius will still be used for the health center and personal care appointments to visit.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me directly at the email address slachman@wel.org or by phone.
Stay well,
Suzanne H. Lachman, LNHA
Executive Director
267.348.3340
