TB Policy Change
Effective June 1st, the tuberculosis (TB) screening policy will change to only require annual screening for those that fall under the requirements of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Commonwealth of Kentucky guidelines for TB screening for healthcare workers.
The Commonwealth of Kentucky requires annual screening for anyone occupying a Healthcare Facility (HCF) or Healthcare Setting (HCS) or as part of their job, be physically present in any HCF/HCS. The Commonwealth of Kentucky defines a Healthcare Facility (HCF) or Healthcare Setting (HCS) as the following:
Heathcare setting or health facility means the following settings: abortion facility; adult day health program; Alzheimer’s nursing home; ambulatory care clinic; ambulatory surgical center; blood establishment; chemical dependency treatment service; community mental health center; comprehensive physical rehabilitation hospital; critical access hospital; family care home; freestanding birth center; group home; home health agency; hospice program; hospital; Intermediate care facility; limited services clinic; medical laboratory, mobile health service; network; nursing facility; nursing home; nursing pool; outpatient health care center; pain management facility; personal care home; prescribed pediatric extended care facility; psychiatric hospital; primary care center; private duty nursing agency; Level I or Level II psychiatric residential treatment facility; rehabilitation agency; renal dialysis facility; rural health clinic; specialty intermediate care clinic; specialized medical technology service; or behavioral health services organization
The following MCH facilities are identified as a state defined HCF/HCS:
- All Med Center Health hospitals, including long-term care
- Urgentcare, all primary care, all specialty care and all rural health clinics
- Home Health and MedEquip
- Med Center Health Adult Day Center
- Emergency Medical Services
- Barren River Regional Cancer Center
- Hospitality House
- Community Clinic
The following is a summary of updates from CDC for TB screening, testing, and treatment recommendations of U.S. Health Care Personnel:
All Med Center Health positions were carefully evaluated based on the recommendation. Any position identified as not requiring annual screening will not be asked to enter any HCF, as part of their job. Both the manager and employee impacted with the policy change will be notified via email.
