The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented its Final Rule and updated the program’s Phase 1.
Since the implementation, administrators and staff at skilled nursing communities have been adjusting to rules that major themes of person-centered care—staff training (with an emphasis on dementia), care planning, discharge planning, infection control and residents’ rights.
The theme of infection control was phased into implementation over a three-year period. The general infection control program was implemented on November 28, 2016. The next phase included launching an antibiotic stewardship program. The final phase, Phase 3, is scheduled to go into effect on November 28, 2019.
Part of this phase is the requirement of specialized training in infection control. CMS and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Infection (CDC) collaborated to launch a free, on-demand e-learning curriculum. The training may take up to 20 hours. Upon completion, exam participants will receive a certificate.
Gordon Food Service has many tools and resources that connect with the focus areas of:
- Hand hygiene
- Environmental cleaning
- Linen management
Already a customer? View these resources on Gordon Experience.
These resources provide additional education on infection control, some of which is related to foodservice hand hygiene. When all teams and staff focusing on their part in infection control, it helps create a healthier community.
