COVID-19 Information

COVID-19 Information

Prism Health Care Services is monitoring the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19). We are committed to keeping you informed.  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have provided guidance and resources to help you stay aware of the virus and learn how Prism Health Care Services will operate during home care visits to keep you and your family safe.

What is COVID-19?

The CDC is responding to an outbreak of respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus that was first detected in China, which has now been detected in a number of countries internationally, including the United States.

How it Spreads

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person, between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouth or nose of people nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.

Tips & Symptoms

Tips

  • Avoid people who are sick
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe

Symptoms

  • Shortness of Breath
  • Fever
  • Cough
  • Loss of sense of taste and smell

Our Commitment to Keep You Safe During the Equipment Delivery and Instruction Home Visit

COVID-19 Mandatory Screening Process for All Home Care Visits

For the health and safety of our patients and employees, Prism will continue to conduct screening for all individuals entering our building and/or requiring services.

Pre-Admission Visit Questionnaire:

Prior to every patient encounter with Prism staff, all customers will require screening through a COVID-19 Virus Risk Assessment. Screening shall include the following questions;

In the last 14 days, have you or members of your household,

  • Travelled internationally or outside of the United States? 
  • Travelled to Texas, Arizona, California or Florida? 
  • Had direct contact with someone who hast tested positive for COVID-19?
  • Had direct contact with someone who is pending test results for COVID-19?
  • Experienced a fever, cough, shortness of breath, loss of taste and smell, muscle or body aches, headache, sore throat, nausea or diarrhea?

As an appropriate precaution for the safety our staff and customers, we request that all household members age 2 or older wear a mask during the visit time.  The acceptable exception applies to individuals who are unable to wear a mask due to medical reasons.

We thank you in advance for your compliance and understanding.

Prism Health Care Services Employee Surveillance Protocols

  • Mandatory beginning and end of shift body temperature monitoring
  • Supervisor infection control audits
  • Use of Personal Protective Equipment in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control Guidelines.
    • Hand hygiene should be performed before putting on and after removing personal protective equipment using alcohol-based sanitizer that contains 60-95% alcohol.
    • All employees making home visits will use personal protective equipment including gloves and N95 masks.
    • When a patient or member of the household has been exposed or tested positive for COVID-19 employees will follow the CDC guidelines for personal protective equipment as it relates to COVID-19.  
    • All personal protective equipment will be put on outside of the home prior to entry into the home.
    • Alert persons in the home that the public health personnel will be entering the home. Anyone within the home with active or suspected COVID-19 must move to a different room, if possible, or keep a 6-foot distance in the same room.
    • For more information regarding the use of personal protective equipment guidance by the Centers for Disease control, click here https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/php/guidance-evaluating-pui.html

Patient/Household Responsibility to Ensure the Safety of the Home Care Employee

  • Keep entrance to the home clear
  • If possible, isolate any person within the home exhibiting symptoms or confirmed COVID to a separate room when our employee enters the home OR, keep a 6-foot distance in the same room
  • If possible, provide a trash can outside of the home for disposal of the personal protective equipment used by the Prism Health Care employee
  • If employee is unable to remove all PPE outside of the home, it is still preferred that face protection (i.e., respiratory and eye protection) be removed after exiting the home.
  • If gowns and gloves must be removed in the home, ask persons within the home to move to a different room.
  • Once the entry area is clear, Prism Health Care Services employee will remove gown and gloves and exit the home. Once outside the home, the employee will perform hand hygiene with alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains 60% to 90% alcohol, remove face protection and discard the personal protective equipment by placing it in the trash can before departing the location.  Perform hand hygiene again.
  • Any deviation from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ recommendation may result in a cancelled home visit

DELIVERY of Medical Equipment to Customers Diagnosed or Exposed to COVID-19: 

  • Whenever possible, we will make every attempt to deliver equipment to the home, no sooner than 48 hours prior to the patient arriving home from hospital or skilled nursing facility.
  • In the event that delivery is required to patient home post discharge, every effort will be made to instruct and deliver to an alternate location, i.e. Garage.
  • Portable oxygen will be delivered to the hospital or skilled nursing facility for patient transfer.

PICKUP of Medical Equipment to Customers Diagnosed or Exposed to COVID-19: 

  • Call our office to schedule equipment pick up at 847-310-4730 to stop the billing process
  • When possible, we ask that you wipe down the equipment with an anti-microbial disinfectant
  • Isolate the medical equipment for 72 hours prior to the date of the scheduled pick up

TELE-HEALTH VISITS WITH A RESPIRATORY THERAPIST ARE AVAILABLE FOR CPAP, BIPAP AND NON-INVASIVE VENTILATION PATIENTS

When Is It Safe to Discontinue Transmission-Based Precautions for Home Care Patients With COVID-19?

  • The Centers for Disease Control has provided guidance on the decision to discontinue Transmission-Based precautions for home care patients with COVID-19. This decision should consider disease severity, illness and symptoms, and results of laboratory testing for COVID-19 in respiratory specimens. For more details, please refer to:  https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html

Considerations to discontinue in-home isolation include all the following:

  • Resolution of fever, without use of antipyretic medication
  • Improvement in illness signs and symptoms
  • Negative results of an FDA Emergency Use Authorized COVID-19 screening test. *

*Initial guidance is based upon limited information and is subject to change as more information becomes available.

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