Situation Report | February 22, 2021
The state Department of Health (DOH) has posted a February 17 Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) and Frequently Asked Questions as a follow up to changes in requirements for pre-employment tuberculosis (TB) testing and annual TB assessments of home care and other health personnel.
The February 17 DAL reminds providers that: policies and procedures must be updated; TB annual assessments must be in place for current personnel when their annual health assessments become due; and staff education on TB is required.
The FAQs address issues raised by HCA and others that derived from a December 16, 2020 DAL outlining updates to the requirements for pre-employment TB testing and annual TB assessment. It advised that current, active employees are no longer required to have an annual TST or interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) blood test, unless medically indicated, but must be screened by an RN annually through an individual risk assessment.
The FAQs cover: what an individual TB risk assessment and education must include; links to sample TB screening assessment forms; who can complete the TB screening; for whom TB tests are still required; the timetable when a risk assessment and education must be completed; applicability of these changes to Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program personal assistants; and more.
TB testing questions should be directed to the DOH Bureau of Tuberculosis Control at tbcontrol@health.ny.gov.