This series will review the components of an effective infection prevention program and connect the dots among program planning, implementation, and patient outcomes. Our speaker will discuss the annual evaluation, risk assessment, and program plan, including methods to evaluate your data, set priorities, and engage stakeholders. Attendees will also learn about the important roles of construction, renovation, cleaning, and disinfecting in preventing infections.

This program will cover the changes to the discharge planning standards published in February 2020. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has yet to publish revised interpretive guidelines and survey procedures to match the new regulations. The regulations apply to all hospitals, including Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs).

This webinar will also discuss the Impact Act’s effects on hospital discharge planning. The Act requires hospitals to assist patients with post-discharge care, whether they are using at home health or are transferred to a skilled nursing facility, long-term care hospital, or inpatient rehab facility. Information on all four must be provided to the patients except for CAHs.

This program will address transfers to other facilities, assessment of readmission within 30 days, caregiver rights and recommendations, reduction of factors that lead to preventable readmissions, timely discharge planning, and more.

Swing beds can be a financial lifeline for Critical Access Hospitals (CAH). This webinar will focus on swing bed regulations in Appendix W for CAHs. Swing bed common deficiencies and how to avoid them will also be reviewed.

While it can be challenging to determine the interpretive guidelines and survey procedures without a crosswalk between Appendix W and Appendix PP, this webinar will assist hospitals in understanding what actions need to be taken.