From the sky we look so organized and brave
By Steve MacArthur, Hospital Safety Consultant
Once again (I’m thinking there’s no surprise to this), the public health emergency wrought by the impact of COVID-19 on just about anything you’d care to name has been extended. You can find the somewhat reiterative announcement here (apparently, there’s no one at the federal level that proofreads this stuff—go figure). If the past sequence of review and extension continues to hold true, we can expect the next extension to “drop” sometime in April. It would be delightful to think that distribution of the vaccine would somehow interrupt a further extension, but I suspect we probably have at least one more after that, as we move ever closer to whatever is going to constitute the “new normal” (based on the latest numbers from CMS, things do seem to be retreating/receding from red, so to speak).
As we continue our slog through the pandemic, our good friends in the CMS workshop have been busy establishing a portal for all things waiver-related. It may be that there’s too much information (there are a whole bunch of links to various sites, etc.), but on the off chance that you folks might find something useful contained therein, you can check it out here.
There are a couple of YouTube videos in the mix to help complete the online waiver request forms (if you would feel so inclined, you can go directly to the waiver request site by using this link).
Ultimately, it’s all about being able to continuously provide appropriate care to our patients; sometimes that means going from one moment to the next—which, as we’ve learned over the last little while, breeds its own special brand of exhaustion…
I encourage you to make the most of what little “down” time you have to recharge your batteries as much as you can. The vaccination process seems to be gathering some momentum, but we’re still a ways away from the finish line. I guess this is one race we’ll all be finishing at the same time…
Until next time, please stay well and be safe!
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Greeley Company in Danvers, Mass. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is contributing editor for Healthcare Safety Leader. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com