DDRS Updates

COVID-19 reporting in congregate residential settings supported by BDDS

On Thursday April 9, 2020, Indiana State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Kris Box signed an order requiring COVID-19 reporting for long-term care facilities, prisons, jails and other congregate housing. This order includes reporting for congregate residential settings supported by the Bureau of Developmental Disabilities Services. Congregate residential settings include Medicaid home and community based waiver settings serving two or more individuals and community residential facilities for persons with developmental disabilities (ICF/IDDs and SGLs), as defined in 460 IAC 9-1-2.

Effective today, Friday, April 10, 2020, all congregate residential settings supported by BDDS are required to report the following within 24 hours:

• Any resident who tests positive for COVID-19;
• Any employee who tests positive for COVID-19;
• Any confirmed positive COVID-19 related death OR suspected COVID-19 related death of an individual; and
• Any confirmed positive COVID-19 related death OR suspected COVID-19 related death of an employee.

Confirmed or suspected deaths should be reported regardless of where the death occurred and within 24 hours of the facilities’ knowledge of the death.

To comply with ISDH’s order, BDDS has developed a process to streamline these reporting requirements and minimize the need for duplicate reporting in order to meet the ISDH order.

Process for reporting information for individuals receiving BDDS services:

Providers shall continue using BDDS’s Incident Management System. BDDS is requiring providers to submit the following information through the traditional online incident reporting system (found here BDDS Reportable Incident website):

(1) any individual who tests positive for COVID-19, and

(2) any confirmed positive COVID-19 related death OR suspected COVID-19 related death of an individual.

Providers must file an incident report for individuals that meet the above criteria within 24 hours. The incident report shall include all the information you are normally required to report. BDDS will then take the lead in collecting the reported information that was filed in the incident reporting system and import it daily into the ISDH online form.

Process for reporting information regarding employees:

Providers shall report information regarding an employee who:

• tests positive for COVID-19; and
• any confirmed positive COVID-19 related death or suspected COVID-19 death.

The reporting requirement is for employees of an provider organization that have had direct contact with individuals being serviced by BDDS in congregate residential settings (e.g., direct support professionals, nursing staff, management staff, etc.).

Within 24 hours of knowledge, providers must report information about an employee that meets the above criteria. Providers should not use the BDDS Incident Management System to report employee cases. Rather, employee-specific reporting shall be submitted to bqis.help@fssa.in.gov. The email must include the following information related to the provider and the employee:

• Provider’s name, address, county.
• Reporter’s first and last name, phone number, and email address:
• Reason for reporting:
• a confirmed positive COVID-19 employee,
• a suspected COVID-19 related employee death, or
• a confirmed positive COVID-19 related employee death.
• Employee’s first and last name, gender, date of birth, race and ethnicity.
• Address and county of residential setting(s) where the employee worked
• Any additional information you would want us to know.

BDDS will collect this information daily and report daily through the ISDH online form. Any questions regarding this can be directed to bqis.help@fssa.in.gov.                 

The DDRS is a program of the Indiana Family & Social Services Administration. If you have questions about DDRS programs and services, visit us online at www.DDRS.In.gov.