UPDATE Weekly

Make plans today to join your colleagues for the third annual NCHCFA Summer Symposium. The three-day event will be August 5-7, 2014 at the Embassy Suites Resort at Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach, SC. Call the Embassy Suites Resort at (800) 876-0010 to reserve your overnight room. Use group code “NHF” to identify yourself as a NC Health Care Facilities Association Convention attendee! To make your reservation on-line, visit http://tinyurl.com/2014symposiumreserve. Please note that when our room block is full, rooms will be on a first come, first served basis at prevailing published rates.

To view the 2014 Third Annual Summer Symposium schedule at a glance, click here!

Please call the Association office at (919) 782-3827 with any questions. Brochures will be mailed to members in June!

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North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association is offering a train-the-trainer program utilizing FutureCare NC’s human patient simulator. Dr. Mandy Richards, DNP, RN will use a state of the art human patient simulator that displays real time patient diagnostics and disease symptomology. This seminar offers a one-time “train-the-trainer” human patient simulator session to member facilities and corporations. Simulation based learning curriculum helps train staff using scenarios ranging from SBAR communication practices, clinical skills and assessment enhancement to medication errors and pneumonia identification. The session is designed to highlight the benefits a facility may achieve through the use of human patient simulator learning which focuses on the interactions and communication among nursing teams.

This will be an all-day training. Facilities and corporations will be able to register teams with 3 or 4 members with a maximum of 60 seats available. Teams must, at a minimum, include a RN (the person identified as responsible with facility implementation), one Nurse Aide, and one LPN. These groupings may also be composed of teams assigned by multi-facility management.

This seminar will be offered in Raleigh on June 4th. To register, log onto our Web site http://www.NursingHomesNC.com and download the brochure and registration form. You may fax the registration to (919) 787-8418 or e-mail it to kareno@nchcfa.org.

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Each month, Palmetto GBA publishes the Medicare Advisory with information for Medicare participating providers. The June 2014 issue can be viewed by clicking here.

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Hurricane history teaches that a lack of hurricane awareness and preparation are common threads among all major hurricane disasters. By knowing your vulnerability and what actions you should take, you can reduce the effects of a hurricane disaster. Please review the plans that your facility will implement in case of a hurricane and make sure your employees are familiar with their role in case of a disaster.

The National Hurricane Center has some Hurricane Preparedness Week resources available at http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/prepare.

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Some American Health Care Association (AHCA) members have been contacted by one or more of the three entities which hold copyrights for music, BMI, SESAC, or ASCAP. These contacts, by letter or telephone call, assert the member is violating US Copyright laws by playing music in a “public space.” They are requesting the provider apply and pay for license to play music in their communities (both assisted living and nursing centers).

Under the 1976 Copyright Act, the holder of the copyright or its assigns (BMI, SESAC or ASCAP) has the exclusive right to reproduce the work and, in the case of a sound recording, to perform the copyrighted work publicly. Perform has a broad definition and includes singing, playing music, broadcasting, playing a CD or DVD, or turning on a radio or TV. Publicly means to perform any place where a substantial number of persons outside a normal circle of family and social acquaintances hear the music or it is open to the public.

Examples of situations where playing music may be a public performance include live performances, DJ’s, Karaoke, music in common areas, large screen or multiple TV’s, background music, resident social gathering/holiday events, aerobic/dance/fitness classes.

There are two exceptions which may apply to AHCA/NCAL members:

• Areas less than 2,000 total square feet (excluding residential areas) may be excluded from having to obtain a license.
• Live performances for residents in a not-for-profit community that does not create any direct or indirect commercial activity (marketing), do not need a license. A local choir singing Christmas carols would be an example.

A determination of whether you need a license from BMI, SESAC and or ASCAP will depend on the specific circumstances in your community. We recommend you consult an attorney before deciding to apply for a license.

You can get more information by going to the Web site of each of the licensing entities: http://www.bmi.com; http://www.sesac.com; http://www.ascap.com.

If you have questions please contact Lyn Bentley with AHCA at (202) 898-6304.

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CMS provided AHCA with copies of a Survey & Certification Memorandum (S&C Memo) and associated surveyor interpretive guidance at F371, Sanitary Conditions. The focus of these documents is on use and serving of pasteurized and unpasteurized eggs. Several key points:

1. A nursing center that uses and serves unpasteurized eggs must ensure the eggs are fully cooked until both the yolk and white are completely firm.
2. If a nursing center uses pasteurized eggs, they may serve them as “soft-cooked”, “soft-scrambled”, or “sunny-side up”.
3. The use of signed agreements between the nursing center and a resident/patient (or the resident’s/patient’s legal representative) releasing the nursing center of liability if the patient/resident becomes ill due to eating unpasteurized eggs prepared by the nursing center that are not cooked until the yolk and white are completely firm are not permitted.

CMS also updated the surveyor guidance to include information related to serving food grown in Nursing Home Gardens, which was in a previously released S&C Memo.

These documents can be found by clicking here. The S&C Memo is dated May 20, 2014 and is “Effective Immediately.”

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The 65th Annual AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo registration is NOW OPEN! Early Bird deadline is July 18th! This year’s convention will offer you the opportunity to deepen your professional knowledge, network with colleagues from across the country, spend time in the Expo Hall discovering new business solutions, and even rock out a little. This is the must-attend event for long term and post-acute care professionals. Register today and take advantage of the lowest registration rates available! Click here to register now!

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This book provides the theory, principles, methods, and tools for the nurse manager or leader of a long term care facility. It contains more than 150 guidelines, flow sheets, communication, assessment, and feedback procedures that can be implemented with little or no modification by directors of nursing in every type of long term care facility.

To order, visit http://www.AHCApublications.org or call (800) 321-0343.

Product #6746
AHCA MEMBERS $84.95

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Important information for residents and families This brochure outlines what physical restraints are, when they should be used, rules and regulations concerning restraints, and making decisions about using them. Contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org to order brochures for your facility.

• NCHCFA Member: $30.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping
• Non-Members: $60.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping

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Heartbreaking Photo Project Captures Everyday Heroes In Their Last Moments Of Life.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/27/right-before-i-die-photos_n_5361465.html

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Johnny Cash’s “A Boy Named Sue” was penned by beloved children’s author Shel Silverstein.

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