[April 1, 2020] ISDH Issues COVID-19 Guidance for Hospital Discharge to Long Term Care Facilities

Earlier this evening, the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) released COVID-19 guidance for hospital discharge to nursing facilities and skilled nursing facilities, and facilities sending of residents to the emergency department, which can be found in full here.

The guidance issued is substantially different from the original version provided to IHCA late last week.  IHCA worked with ISDH and the Indiana Hospital Association to ensure there was an understanding of the current resource limitations and staffing challenges across long-term facilities, as well as the danger of introducing COVID-positive patients and PUIs into COVID-naive facilities.

IHCA also worked to improve the issued guidance to ensure the prioritization of local collaboration between the long term care facility and discharging hospital, the patient’s medical needs and goals for care, the facility’s ability to carry out isolation precautions, and the patient’s clinical status and available test results.  Five patient categories were created to provide specific guidance to LTC facilities and hospitals.

The ISDH asks that this guidance be utilized when evaluating the transfer of a resident from the facility to the emergency department and of a patient from a hospital to a long term care facility.