In a November 17, 2020 media release, “CMS Releases Nursing Home COVID-19 Training Data with Urgent Call to Action,” the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) encouraged nursing home providers to have their staff take the free CMS Targeted COVID-19 Training for Frontline Nursing Home Staff & Management as there is an uptick in COVID-19 cases nationwide. The Agency notes in the release that approximately 12.5% of United States nursing home staff have taken the training, which was released in August 2020.
How to Take the Training
The training consists of five modules for frontline clinical staff that are intended to provide insight into basic infection control & prevention around areas that are commonly identified on survey – hand hygiene, screening, etc.
There are also ten modules for nursing home management that include infection control topics related to hand hygiene, cleaning and cohorting, but also provide insight into topics that administration should be aware of, such as emergency preparedness and telehealth.
- Access the training on the Quality, Safety & Education Portal (QSEP).
- The instructions for getting the certificate of completion can be found on the QSEP website on the Targeted COVID-19 Training for Nursing Homes Instruction webpage.
For more information, view the CMS media release, which includes a list of facilities across the US where more than 50% of the staff have completed this training.
