Many of our patients on the Inpatient Rehabilitation units have medical conditions that put them at a very high risk of becoming sick with COVID-19. In order to best protect those patients and our care teams, we will be implementing new visiting hours. Visitors will now be allowed from 1-6 p.m., with exceptions for caregiver training and certain compassionate-care…
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Transport of Laboratory Specimens from Patients with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19 Infection
Because of the potential for exposure to infectious aerosols or droplets, it is not recommended to transport respiratory specimens from patients suspected to have, or confirmed to have, COVID-19 through the pneumatic tube system (PTS). Examples of respiratory specimens include •Nasopharyngeal (NP) and oropharyngeal (OP) swabs •Nasal mid-turbinate (NMT) swabs •Anterior nares swabs •Nasopharyngeal wash/aspirate or nasal aspirate •Pleural fluids •Tracheal and lower respiratory…
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COVID-19 Drive-thru Testing Update
Effective today, patients going to Kettering Health Network drive-thru sites for COVID-19 testing should schedule appointments through MyChart. To schedule an appointment, patients should follow the steps below: Log into MyChart. Go to the “Visit” icon at the top of the page. If you are using the MyChart app, click “Appointments.” Select “Schedule an Appointment.” Select “Covid Drive-thru Testing.” Answer the questions. Select the location. Select…
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Network Recommendations – Repeat SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Patients with a Documented Prior Infection
CDC observation- Research Positive patients Mild to moderate disease Severe disease or severely immunosuppressed Positive PCR test SARS-CoV-2 Do not harbor live virus > 10 days Donot harbor live virus >20 days Research Findings Repeat infection SARS-CoV-2 world wide Documented only once…
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Updated Screening Process for Employees and Physicians
As of Friday, October 9, employee and physician screening will be discontinued. Employees and physicians working on-site will no longer be screened as they enter the building but will be required to complete daily self-monitoring for COVID-19-related symptoms. To complete the daily symptom assessment, follow the guidelines below: Take your temperature with a thermometer each day. If you have…
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HHS Order Changes
As of August 1, the United States Department of Health and Human Services required seven questions to be asked on orders for COVID-19 tests, and for those answers to be reported. The questions are: Is this your first test? Are you a health care employee? Are you symptomatic as defined by the CDC? Date of…
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Safety First Reminders
As we continue navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, the safety of our teams and our patients remains a top priority. By putting safety first, we can all help reduce the spread in our community—including among our own team members. In addition to consistent handwashing and masking, there are a few areas within our facilities where we…
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Inpatient Rehab Admission Update
As COVID-19 guidelines and recommendations continue to evolve, Kettering Health Network Inpatient Rehab has updated their admission requirements as indicated below: Patients with a history of COVID-19: Network Inpatient Rehab admissions for patients with a history of COVID-19 will defer to the Incident Command protocol as outlined in the email sent on 9/21/20 based on CDC guidelines. Patients admitted to Inpatient Rehab will need to…
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Kettering Health Network Recommendations for Repeat SARS-CoV-2 Testing in Patients with a Documented Prior Infection
There is excellent data showing that while patients can remain positive on PCR testing for SARS-CoV-2, these patients do not harbor live virus after 10 days (mild/moderate disease or asymptomatic) or 20 days (severe disease or severely immunosuppressed). In addition, repeat infection with SARS-CoV-2 has only been documented once or twice worldwide. For these reasons…
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Network Room Placement for Patients Admitted who Have Previously Been Infected with SARS-CoV-2
KHN is following CDC and ODH guidance regarding the need for respiratory/droplet isolation for patients who are admitted and had a previously documented COVID-19 illness or asymptomatic positive test for SARS-CoV-2. Non-test-based strategy for determining isolation for patients admitted who have previously been infected with SARS-CoV-2 Standard Precautions can be used for patients with prior mild-to-moderate illness…
