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NEWS
ALERT
February 9, 2022
Contact:
CMS Media Relations
CMS Media Inquiries
CMS Makes Nursing Home
COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Data Available Online, Increasing
Transparency for Consumers
As
part of its commitment to improve transparency and help families and
caregivers find the best nursing home care for their loved ones, the
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now posting data
on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots administered to nursing home
residents and staff on the Medicare.gov Care Compare website. The
data will show resident and staff booster rates at the facility level
and will include national and state averages.
The
current data indicate that the rate of booster shots administered to
nursing home residents is comparable to the national average for adults
over the age of 65. It also shows the rate of booster shots
administered to nursing home staff lags behind the national average of
those over the age of 18 (for staff).
As
the CDC has reported, receiving a
booster dose is the most effective way to avoid serious illness from
COVID-19, including the Omicron variant. By posting these data, CMS is
highlighting this information for the public and other stakeholders to
help increase the number of nursing home residents and staff who obtain
a booster shot.
CMS
is also urging facilities to communicate with their fully vaccinated staff members and
residents about the importance of staying up to date with COVID-19 shots to
protect the vulnerable nursing home population. The new booster data
will be displayed along with the other COVID-19 vaccination data
already included on the Medicare.gov Care Compare website.
The
CMS Omnibus Health Care Staff Vaccination rule
requires that, by the Phase 2 implementation dates,
staff be fully vaccinated, meaning individuals have completed their
primary vaccination series, which is two weeks after a person has
received their dose of a single dose vaccine, or two weeks after the
second dose of a two-dose vaccine. CMS requires that nursing homes
educate their residents and staff and offer the COVID-19 vaccine, which
includes the booster, but does not currently require booster doses. CMS
is working with long term care (LTC) providers to identify strategies
and partnerships to obtain and administer COVID-19 vaccines and
boosters for residents and staff. These efforts include working with
the LTC community to identify and promote best practices for increasing
vaccination rates. CMS continues to analyze vaccination data for
residents and staff that nursing homes submit to the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Health Safety Network (NHSN)
and deploys its Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) teams to assist
nursing homes with low rates of vaccinations and disparities in access
to vaccinations. LTC providers are encouraged to consider the option
that works best for their residents and staff when coordinating access
to COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, either in the local community
or on-site.
Medicare
and Medicaid-certified nursing homes have been reporting COVID-19 data
in the CDC’s NHSN since May 2020. Providing the booster information on
the consumer-friendly Care Compare site is one more tool that allows
people to have a more comprehensive understanding of the environment
they live in or are considering for themselves or a loved one.
The
vaccination section is located below the Star Ratings on Care Compare.
To view vaccination rates, select ‘View COVID-19 Vaccination
Rates’. The vaccination and booster data posted on Care Compare
is updated every other Thursday with the most recent available data.
For example, on Thursday, February 17, the vaccination and booster data
will be updated with data reported in NHSN as of February 6. The
display is delayed by a week and several days because of the validation
and posting process. Updates will continue every other week.
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