Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outpatient 

Dialysis Facility Preparedness Assessment Tool

All U.S. outpatient dialysis facilities should be prepared for the possible arrival of patients with Coronavirus 

Disease 2019 (COVID-19). All outpatient dialysis facilities should ensure their staff are trained, equipped, and 

capable of practices needed to:

 Prevent the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, within the dialysis facility.

 Promptly identify and isolate patients with possible COVID-19 and inform the correct dialysis facility staff and 

public health authorities.

 Provide dialysis for a limited number of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 as part of routine 

operations.

 Potentially provide dialysis for a larger number of COVID-19 patients in the context of an escalating outbreak.

 Monitor and manage any healthcare personnel that might be exposed to COVID-19.

 Communicate effectively within the dialysis facility and plan for appropriate external communication related 

to COVID-19.

The following checklist is not a list of mandatory requirements; rather, it highlights important areas CDC recommends 

outpatient dialysis facilities review in preparation for potential arrivals of COVID-19 patients.

Elements to be assessed

1. Infection prevention and control policies and training for healthcare personnel (HCP):

Completed In Progress Not Started

Facility leadership including, but not limited to, the Chief Medical Officer, quality officers, 

medical directors, facility administrator, nurse manager, infection prevention personnel, 

chief operating officer, nephrologists, nurse practitioners has reviewed the Centers for 

Disease Control and Prevention’s COVID-19 guidance for dialysis facilities.

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/healthcare-facilities/dialysis.html

Facility provides education and job-specific training to HCP regarding COVID-19 including:

Signs and symptoms of infection.

Importance of hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, and cough etiquette.

Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) including competency evaluation.

Triage procedures and patient placement.

HCP sick leave policies.

Self-monitoring for fever or respiratory symptoms including not reporting to work 

when ill.

How and to whom suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases should be reported.

U.S. D

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www.cdc.gov/coronavirus
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outpatient Dialysis Facility Preparedness Assessment Tool

Continued Infection prevention and control policies and training for healthcare personnel (HCP):

Completed In Progress Not Started

Facility provides education to patients about the following:

COVID-19 (e.g., symptoms, how it is transmitted).

Importance of immediately informing HCP if they feel feverish or ill.

Actions they can take to protect themselves (e.g., hand hygiene, covering their cough, 

maintaining social distancing).

Actions the facility is taking to keep them safe (e.g., visitor restrictions, changes in PPE).

2. Process for rapidly identifying and isolating patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19:

Completed In Progress Not Started

Facility has notified patients to call ahead and report fever or symptoms of respiratory 

infection.

Facility has a system to receive and triage phone calls from patients with symptoms of 

fever or respiratory infection.

Facility has a system to screen patients at presentation to the facility for fever or 

respiratory infection.

Signs are posted in triage areas (e.g., at entrance, and in waiting areas) advising patients 

with fever or symptoms of respiratory infection to immediately notify triage personnel so 

appropriate precautions can be put in place. 

Facemasks are provided to symptomatic patients (fever or respiratory symptoms) upon 

entry to the facility and kept on until they leave the facility.

Alcohol based hand sanitizer for hand hygiene is available at each entrance, in waiting 

areas and near treatment stations.

Facility provides tissues and no-touch receptacles for disposal of tissues in waiting rooms 

and in dialysis treatment areas. 

Facility has space in waiting area for ill patients to sit separated from other patients or a 

process that allows medically stable patients to wait outside the facility.

Facility has a process to ensure patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are 

placed in the appropriate treatment area as soon as possible to minimize time in waiting 

areas. 

Facility has a process in place for immediate notification of facility leadership when a 

suspect case is identified.

Facility has a process to notify local or state health department of a suspect case.
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outpatient Dialysis Facility Preparedness Assessment Tool

3. Patient placement:

Completed In Progress Not Started

Confirm the number and location of available isolation rooms (not being used for 

hepatitis B surface antigen positive patients) in the facility. 

For patients with undiagnosed respiratory infection, facility has an isolation room (not 

being used for hepatitis B surface antigen positive patient) to dialyze patient.

 If an appropriate isolation room is unavailable, facility has a designated dialysis 

station(s) at a corner or end-of-row, away from the main flow of traffic, separated by 

at least 6 feet from nearest patient (in all directions), to dialyze a masked symptomatic 

patient.

Facility maintains at least 6 feet of separation between masked patients with 

undiagnosed respiratory illness and other patients during dialysis treatment. 

For patients with suspected or diagnosed COVID-19, facility has a plan to dialyze 

patients in the facility. The same strategies used for dialyzing patients with undiagnosed 

respiratory infections can be used and are stated in dialysis guidelines. 

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/healthcare-facilities/dialysis.html

Facility has a plan for cohorting patients and HCP if they are dialyzing multiple patients 

with respiratory infections [e.g., in the same section of the unit and/or on the same shift - 

consider the last shift of the day]. If diagnosis is known, patients with different respiratory 

infection diagnoses should not be cohorted.

Facility has plans to minimize the number of HCP who enter the isolation dialysis room 

(or isolation station) (e.g., having dedicated HCP to care for patients with suspected or 

confirmed COVID-19). 

4. Transmission-Based Precautions:

Completed In Progress Not Started

Facility has a procedure for assessing supply (inventory) of personal protective 

equipment (PPE) and other infection prevention and control supplies (e.g., hand hygiene 

supplies). 

Facility has a contingency plan to optimize PPE use during shortages. 

HCP wear the following PPE when caring for patients with undiagnosed respiratory 

illness unless the suspected diagnosis requires Airborne Precautions (e.g., tuberculosis):

 Gloves

 Isolation gown

 Facemask

 Eye protection (e.g., goggles or face shield)

If COVID-19 is suspected, an N-95 or higher-level respirator is preferred, if available and 

the facility has a respiratory protection program with fit-tested HCP; facemasks are an 

acceptable alternative.

HCP receive appropriate training, including “just in time” training on selection and proper 

use of (including putting on and removing) PPE, with a required demonstration of 

competency.

Facility has a process for auditing HCP adherence to recommended PPE use .
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outpatient Dialysis Facility Preparedness Assessment Tool

5. Movement of patients with undiagnosed respiratory infection and/or confirmed or suspected 

COVID-19 within the dialysis facility:

Completed In Progress Not Started

Patient movement outside of the isolation room (isolation station) will be limited to 

essential purposes.

Patient will be asked to wear a facemask during their time in the dialysis facility. 

6. Hand hygiene (HH):

Completed In Progress Not Started

HH supplies including alcohol-based hand sanitizer are readily accessible in patient care 

areas, including areas where HCP put on and remove PPE. 

Facility has a process for auditing HCP adherence to recommended hand hygiene 

practices.

7. Environmental Cleaning:

Completed In Progress Not Started

Facility has a plan to ensure proper cleaning and disinfection of environmental surfaces 

and equipment in the patient isolation room or station.

All HCP with cleaning responsibilities understand the instructions for use and contact 

time for selected products.

Facility has a process to ensure shared or non-dedicated equipment is cleaned and 

disinfected after use and according to manufacturer’s recommendations.

Facility uses an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant on hard non-porous surfaces. 

Refer to List N (www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sarscov-2) on the EPA website for EPA-registered disinfectants that have qualified under EPA’s 

emerging viral pathogens program for use against SARS-CoV-2.

 When using products from List N, facilities should ensure the products also have a 

bloodborne pathogen claim (e.g., hepatitis B, HIV)

8. Monitoring and managing HCP: 

Completed In Progress Not Started

Facility has sick leave policies that are non-punitive, flexible and allow ill healthcare 

personnel (HCP) to stay home.

Facility has a process to conduct active-and/or self-monitoring of HCP if required by 

public health. 

Facility has a process to conduct symptom and temperature checks of HCP prior to the 

start of the shift. 
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Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outpatient Dialysis Facility Preparedness Assessment Tool

9. Visitor access and movement within the dialysis facility:

Completed In Progress Not Started

Facility has a plan to restrict visitors who are ill from entering the facility. 

Visitors are screened for symptoms of acute respiratory infection before entering the 

facility.

10. Facility maintains situational awareness of COVID-19 both at the national and local level:

Completed In Progress Not Started

Facility regularly monitors the situation on CDC's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) web 

page. www.cdc.gov/coronavirus

Facility knows who to contact at their local health department for information on local 

COVID-19 transmission

Facility knows where COVID-19 testing is being performed locally and has a plan to refer 

patients who need COVID-19 testing