Medical professionals walk down hospital hallway
Press Release

More than 40% of Skilled Nursing Facilities Do Not Have an Adequate Infection Control Plan to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic

CHICAGO (May 21, 2020) – A flash poll conducted by Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP (Baker Tilly) indicates more than 40% of skilled nursing facilities are not confident that their organization’s infection control plan is acceptable for their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Infection control has quickly risen to the top of enterprise risk management strategies for healthcare providers. Conducting an infection control self-assessment is not intended to be a one-time exercise or tool," Jennifer Schwalm, CPA, partner and leader of Baker Tilly’s senior services practice, said. “As states are reopening, a provider’s business continuity plan must consider the impact of the existing and future plans around infection control to better demonstrate they have the proper resources, policies and procedures in place, and that they can confidently implement their emergency plan if an outbreak or infection occurs within their organization.”

“It is important to document a company’s response efforts throughout the pandemic, as well as how you are communicating to your clients, staff and community,” Sophie Campbell, MSN, RN, CRRN, RAC-CT, CNDLTC, director of Baker Tilly’s clinical advisory practice, said. “After the public health crisis is over, organizations should review their documentation and response efforts to better understand what they did well and what they could have done better so they can appropriately update their infection control plans and be better prepared if, and when, another pandemic occurs.”

Baker Tilly recently held two educational webinars, Business continuity for executives and management teams and Key factors in infection control preparedness for frontline healthcare professionals, to discuss the latest developments for senior service providers that are responding to the coronavirus pandemic. In combination, the two webinars discussed:

  • The current state of the pandemic and the federal relief efforts for senior services providers
  • The infection control tool that has been provided by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
  • The processes to create emergency response plans
  • Practical guidance for business interruption today, while dealing with business continuity plans for tomorrow

About Baker Tilly US, LLP (bakertilly.com)

Baker Tilly US, LLP (Baker Tilly) is a leading advisory, tax and assurance firm, providing clients a genuine coast-to-coast and global advantage with critical mass and top-notch talent in major regions of the U.S. and in many of the world’s leading financial centers – New York, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago. Baker Tilly is an independent member of Baker Tilly International, a worldwide network of independent accounting and business advisory firms in 146 territories, with 36,000 professionals and a combined worldwide revenue of $3.9 billion. Visit bakertilly.com or join the conversation on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

Baker Tilly US, LLP is a member of the Baker Tilly International network, the members of which are separate and independent legal entities. Baker Tilly refers to the global network of accounting firms of Baker Tilly International Limited. Baker Tilly International Limited does not provide services to clients.