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GAO Found ‘Persistent Problems’ With Infection Control Even Before COVID-19

COVID-19 originated in late 2019 as a new and highly contagious respiratory disease causing severe illness and death, particularly among the elderly. Because of this, the health and safety of the nation’s 1.4 million nursing home residents—who are often in frail health and living in close proximity to one another—has been a particular concern. 

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) was asked to examine the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service’s (CMS) oversight of infection prevention and control protocols and the adequacy of emergency preparedness standards for emerging infectious diseases in nursing homes, as well as CMS’s response to the pandemic. 

The CMS, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for ensuring that approximately 15,500 nursing homes nationwide meet federal quality standards. These standards require, for example, that nursing homes establish and maintain an infection prevention and control program. 

CMS enters into agreements with state survey agencies to conduct surveys and investigations of the state’s nursing homes and to cite nursing homes with deficiency citations if the home is not in compliance with federal standards. Infection prevention and control deficiencies cited by surveyors can include situations where nursing home staff did not regularly use proper hand hygiene or failed to implement preventive measures during an infectious disease outbreak, such as isolating sick residents. Many of these practices can be critical to preventing the spread of infectious diseases, including COVID-19.

GAO analysis of CMS data shows that infection prevention and control deficiencies were the most common type of deficiency cited in surveyed nursing homes, with most nursing homes having an infection prevention and control deficiency cited in one or more years from 2013 through 2017 (13,299 nursing homes, or 82 percent of all surveyed homes). In each individual year, GAO found that about 40 percent of surveyed nursing homes had infection prevention and control deficiencies, and this continued in 2018 and 2019. About half—6,427 of 13,299 (48 percent)—of the nursing homes with an infection prevention and control deficiency had this deficiency cited in multiple consecutive years from 2013 through 2017.

In each year from 2013 through 2017, nearly all infection prevention and control deficiencies (about 99 percent in each year) were classified by surveyors as not severe, meaning the surveyor determined that residents were not harmed. Our review of CMS data shows that implemented enforcement actions for these deficiencies were typically rare: from 2013 through 2017, CMS implemented enforcement actions for 1 percent of these infection prevention and control deficiencies classified as not severe. 

GAO plans to examine CMS guidance and oversight of infection prevention and control in a future report, including the classification of infection prevention and control deficiencies.

Read the full report at GAO

GAO Found 'Persistent Problems' With Infection Control Even Before COVID-19 Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Today
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.
Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Todayhttp://www.hstoday.us
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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