Section Q of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 includes criteria to ensure that a resident's desire to be discharged to the community, when medically feasible, has been fully considered.  The revisions to Section Q also requires state Medicaid agencies to designate a Local Contact Agency (LCA) to provide information concerning community-based options to residents expressing a desire to receive that information. 

The Department for Medicaid Services has contracted with...

• Point of Care Devices and Infection Control in Nursing Homes - 10-28-NH Infection Control Standards for Nursing Homes at §483.65 - F441 -Determining Compliance: The following practices are deficiencies in infection control:
  • Reusing fingerstick devices (e.g., pen-like devices) for more than one resident;
  • Using a blood glucose meter (or other point-of-care device) for more than one resident without cleaning and disinfecting it after use.
    If a surveyor observes a facility doing either of the above, the surveyor should follow the interpretive guidelines, investigative protocol, and severity determination information at F441 to determine the severity of the deficiency.
    

Scope & Severity: CMS is revising the example in Appendix PP to make a distinction between (a) reuse of fingerstick devices for more than one resident (immediate jeopardy) and
(b) use of a blood glucose meter for more than one resident without proper cleaning and disinfection, so that scope and severity can be correctly assessed.