Skip Navigation LinksAFL-20-63

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EDMUND G. BROWN JR.
Governor

State of Californiaā€”Health and Human Services Agency
California Department of Public Health


AFL 20-63.1
August 7, 2020


TO:
Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)

SUBJECT:
Deployment of Online Survey Application for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) SNF Mitigation Surveys
(This AFL supersedes AFL 20-63)



All Facilities Letter (AFL) Summary

  • This AFL announces the California Department of Public Health (CDPH's) phased launch of a new online application for conducting surveys and investigations.
  • Beginning August 7, 2020, CDPH will use the Risk and Safety Solutions (RSS) Inspect to conduct COVID-19 Mitigation Surveys and submit Statements of Deficiencies to SNFs. Refer to the RSS Go Live Dates (PDF) for your region's specific launch date.
  • Facility-authorized users may access their Statements of Deficiencies and submit their plans of correction (POCs) in the Risk and Safety Solutions Inspect website (hc.riskandsafety.com). 
  • This revision outlines the updated process for facility user enrollment.

Background
To efficiently process surveys and increase access to real-time reporting, CDPH has partnered with RSS Inspect to implement their online survey application. Beginning August 7, 2020, CDPH will deploy the RSS Inspect statewide to begin conducting CDPH licensing and certification surveys and investigations. This deployment will occur in a phased approach, allowing sufficient time to train each district office's (DO's) surveyors and facilities who will submit POCs online, before this application is used in the field. The COVID-19 Mitigation state surveys will be the first process to be used and uploaded into the new system, and throughout the year, CDPH will deploy additional functionality to the application, such as complaints, facility reported incidents, and state licensing surveys. Initially this new online system will only be used in SNFs, but as we build additional functionality into the online system, we will then roll out to other health care facility types that CDPH licenses.

Facilities may authorize up to three users who to view and download Statements of Deficiencies, submit electronic POCs, and access robust compliance analytics for their facility. CDPH will not upload past compliance history, but the application will enable users to easily search for and view all inspections conducted for their facility within the system.

Accessing the RSS System
To access the RSS system, follow the instructions below:

  1. By August 7th, enroll up to three authorized users for your facility using the SNF Online Survey Local Contact Form.
  2. The users whose information is received by midnight on Friday August 7th, will receive an email invitation to join RSS by Wednesday August 12th, with login information, including a temporary password from the RSS Inspect application. The email will also contain a link to updated training resources.
  3. Use the temporary login password to log into RSS Inspect and reset the password within 7 days of receiving the email invitation.
  4. SNF users who have not submitted information by Friday August 7th, will be enrolled when surveyors come on site to start their first COVID Mitigation Survey in the RSS system.

Note: There will not be any content in RSS until CDPH surveyors have conducted their first COVID-19 Mitigation Survey using the system.

Facilities may contact their local DO using the email address found in the DO Contacts webpage to request to add, remove, or modify a user's access. CDPH surveyors will also incorporate validating SNF user information into their onsite inspection process. Surveyors may proceed with their inspection without a facility adding a designated user; however, the facility will not be able to receive the Statement of Deficiencies until this step is complete.

Training Resources
For instruction on creating an RSS account and using the application, refer to the Account Creation Tutorial video or the RSS-Inspect Administrator Tutorial (PDF).

Deployment Schedule by District Office
The first COVID-19 Mitigation Survey on RSS will take place no earlier than the dates in the attached RSS Go Live Dates (PDF).

Note: CDPH teams will still conduct COVID Mitigation Surveys and other surveys and investigations outside of the RSS Inspect online system until the technology is rolled out to all facilities and district offices.

If you have any questions about this AFL, please contact your local DO.

 

Sincerely,

Original signed by Heidi W. Steinecker

Heidi W. Steinecker
Deputy Director


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