Home Health & Hospice Week

Hand sanitizer, fire drills, and more addressed.

Medicare is lifting more burdens from inpatient hospices and other inpatient facilities with new 1135 waivers.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services “is waiving and modifying particular waivers under 42 CFR … §418.110(d) for inpatient hospice,” CMS says in its waiver summary document updated May 11.

No. 1: “We are waiving the prescriptive requirements for the placement of alcohol based hand rub (ABHR) dispensers for use by staff and others due to the need for the increased use of ABHR in infection control,” CMS says. However, “due to the increased fire risk for bulk containers (over five gallons) those will still need to be stored in a protected hazardous materials area,” the waiver summary explains.

No. 2: “Due to the inadvisability of quarterly fire drills that move and mass staff together, we will instead permit a documented orientation training program related to the current fire plan, which considers current facility conditions,” CMS says. “The training will instruct employees, including existing, new or temporary employees, on their current duties, life safety procedures and the fire protection devices in their assigned area.”

No. 3: “CMS is waiving requirements that would otherwise not permit temporary walls and barriers between patients,” it says.

All waivers have a retroactive effective date of March 1 and extend through the end of the emergency declaration, points out the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization.