Massachusetts § 72CC - Outbreak response plans for long-term care facilities

§ 72CC. Outbreak response plans for long-term care facilities

Section 72CC. (a) The department shall require long-term care facilities to develop and submit to the department an outbreak response plan, which shall be customized to the long-term care facility. The department shall review such plan to ensure compliance with the requirements under this section. Each long-term care facility's plan shall include, but shall not be limited to:

(1) a protocol for isolating and cohorting infected and at-risk patients in the event of an outbreak of a contagious disease until the cessation of the outbreak;

(2) clear policies for the notification of residents, residents' families, visitors and staff in the event of an outbreak of a contagious disease at a long-term care facility;

(3) information on the availability of laboratory testing, protocols for screening visitors and staff for the presence of a communicable disease, protocols to prohibit infected staff from appearing for work at the long-term care facility and processes for implementing evidence-based outbreak response measures;

(4) policies to conduct routine monitoring of residents and staff to quickly identify signs of a communicable disease that could develop into an outbreak;

(5) policies for reporting outbreaks to public health officials, including the chief executive officer or the chief administrative officer of the municipality in which the facility is located, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations; and

(6) policies to meet staffing, training and long-term care facility demands during an infectious disease outbreak and to successfully implement the outbreak response plan.

(b) The department shall verify that the outbreak response plans submitted by long-term care facilities are in compliance with the requirements of subsection (a); provided, however, that a long-term care facility shall review the outbreak response plan it submitted to the department pursuant to subsection (a) on an annual basis and if it makes any material changes to such plan, the facility shall submit to the department an updated outbreak response plan within 30 days of making such change. The department shall, upon receiving an updated outbreak response plan, verify that the plan is in compliance with the requirements of subsection (a).

(c)(1) Every long-term care facility shall review the outbreak response plan it submitted to the department pursuant to subsection (a) on an annual basis.

(2) If a long-term care facility makes any material changes to its outbreak response plan, the facility shall submit to the department an updated outbreak response plan within 30 days. The department shall, upon receiving an updated outbreak response plan, verify that the plan is in compliance with the requirements of subsection (a).

(d) The department shall promulgate regulations necessary to implement this section.