PMDA members,
I want to make you all aware of a directive issued from the New York State Department of Health regarding hospital discharges and admissions to nursing homes. While nothing comparable has yet to be promulgated by our own DOH, the
attached directive
is a cautionary tale for us all.
The NY directive states that: No resident shall be denied re-admission or admission to the NH solely based on a confirmed or suspected diagnosis of COVID-19. NHs are prohibited from requiring a hospitalized resident who is determined medically stable to be tested for COVID-19 prior to admission or readmission.
At issue is how we take care of our patients. The NY directive not only threatens the joint patient-centered decision-making we all rely upon daily to drive our transfer decisions; it directs patients, confirmed or suspected COVID19 patients, to return to facilities where we are all doing are very best to prevent the virus introduction and spread.
AMDA has made it clear that it strongly opposes the action taken in NY. It has issued the
attached policy statement
. An editorial on the topic is anticipated shortly with an associated media push to alert doctors and the public to the consequences of this unilateral directive.
Let’s not wait for a similar directive in Pennsylvania. Let’s start the open dialog between our acute care facilities and our post-acute and long-term care settings now, working together to strategize the very best outcomes for all of our patients in these extremely challenging and uncertain times. I welcome your thoughts on the best ways to start that dialog. Email me at
pmda@pamedsoc.org
. A special thank you to Dr. Deborah Way for first alerting us to the NY directive.
Sincerely,
