Here’s the answer…On March 13, CMS released guidance related to transfer of patients who had been treated for COVID-19 from a hospital to a nursing home. https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-20-14-nh-revised.pdf https://twitter.com/nypost/status/1263175238059163648

It stated that a nursing home can accept a resident diagnosed with COVID-19, as long as the facility can follow CDC guidance for Transmission-Based Precautions. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/disposition-hospitalized-patients.html

If a nursing home cannot follow CDC’s guidance & provide the necessary care, the transfer must wait until the patient is no longer subject to COVID-19 precautions, or the resident can be transferred to another facility that can provide the care.

In the guidance, CMS urged nursing homes to dedicate a specific wing to patients moving to, or arriving from, a hospital, where they could remain for 14 days with no symptoms.

. @realDonaldTrump’s Administration commends the states that overcame their hospital capacity issues by acting on CMS’s recommendation to create dedicated locations according to COVID-19 status.

For example, @CAgovernor temporarily transferred COVID-19-negative nursing home residents aboard the U.S.S. Mercy while @GovRonDeSantis is requiring negative test confirmation prior to transfer from hospitals to nursing homes.

When a patient leaves a hospital it’s critical they are discharged to a place where their healthcare needs can be met without risking spread of the virus to others.