UPDATE Weekly

Register today to attend the second annual NCHCFA Summer Symposium, August 6-8, 2013 at the Marriott Grande Dunes Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC for the most up to date information affecting long term care. You can register and pay on-line. Visit http://www.NursingHomesNC.com & click on Second Annual Summer Symposium Registration! Administrators and registered nurses will be able to earn up to 14.0 hours of continuing education.

The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to thank the 2013 Summer Symposium Hosts for supporting this year’s event:

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The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is proud to launch its first on-line Medicaid Information Clearinghouse. This new tool is available exclusively for AHCA members and is a one-stop shop to get answers and resources on the Medicaid program.

Here members will find background information about Medicaid and how it is changing, issue briefs of interest to the long term care sector, and state-specific information about nursing center payment policies in Medicaid. The Clearinghouse also includes detailed information for nearly every state on the Medicaid payment methodology used to reimburse nursing centers.

The state-specific information available includes:

• Current Federal Medical Assistance Percentages,
• Efforts to integrate care for people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid,
• Links to state Medicaid webpages,
• Provider tax,
• Reimbursement policies,
• Managed long term care activity, and
• Much more!

Stay tuned for updates to this page on a regular basis. AHCA hopes this information is useful to you.

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Some members have recently received letters from the North Carolina Central Cancer Registry (NCCCR) requiring the data submission of cancer or benign brain tumor diagnoses in patients. N.C. General Statutes § 130A-209 requires that all providers that engage in the detection, diagnosing, or treatment of cancer – including physicians, hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospices – report to the central cancer registry each diagnosis of cancer or benign brain or central nervous system tumors.

The N.C. Division of Public Health has identified a gap in the actual number of cancer deaths and the number of cases reported each year by providers. For example, in 2010 there were approximately 18,000 actual cancer deaths, but 2,300 of those deaths were not previously reported and were found only by checking the death certificates. However, it can often take up to two years to obtain the necessary data when only using the death certificates and this can delay public health intervention efforts targeting specific types of cancer.

NCHCFA staff has been in discussions with the North Carolina Division of Public Health to discuss ways in which the legal requirements can be met in a less time consuming and less burdensome way for nursing home providers. We reached an agreement with the N.C. Division of Public Health to report only a limited number of fields for each nursing home resident with a cancer diagnosis, as opposed to all of the fields normally reported by hospitals and physicians. The principle information to be reported is: Resident’s Name, Address, Date of Birth, Gender, Cancer Site, and Date of Diagnosis, if known. This is a simplified process that is more appropriate and less time consuming in the nursing home setting.

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The North Carolina Culture Change Coalition will be offering a free workshops throughout the state. Each location will offer a 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon session or 1:00 – 4:00 PM session.

• August 6, 2013 at WillowBrooke Court at Plantation Estates | 701 Plantation Estates Drive, Matthews, NC 28105
• October 9, 2013 at Davis Health Care Center | 1011 Porters Neck Road, Wilmington, NC 28411

Administrator CEUs, drinks and snacks will be provided. To register, contact Patsy Rudolph at patsy.rudolph@kindred.com. Comments and questions can be directed to Becky Wertz, becky.wertz@dhhs.nc.gov or by visiting the NC Culture Change Coalition’s Web site at http://www.ltcenhance.com.

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Additional NCTracks training have been scheduled for the week of June 24-27. This training will be offered via Webinar only and is open to all providers. The schedule of topics to be covered during the trainings incudes:

Monday, June 24, 2013

8:30 – 11:00 AM Enrollment Applications

12:30 – 2:30 PM Security

3:00 – 5:00 PM Recipient Eligibility

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

8:30 – 10:00 AM Dental PA

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Dental Claims

1:30 – 4:00 PM Medical (CMS1500/837P) Claims

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

8:30 – 10:00 AM Medical PA

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Recipient Eligibility

1:30 – 4:00 PM Institutional (UB04/837I) Claims

Thursday, June 27, 2013

8:30 – 10:00 AM Institutional PA

10:30 AM – 12:30 PM Security

To register for the new training sessions, go to https://www.nctracks.nc.gov/provider/providerEnrollment/index.jsp and click on the link for “NCTracks Training”. Step-by-step instructions for “How to Register for Training” are available at the same link. An NCID is required to register for training. To obtain an NCID, go to https://ncidp.nc.gov/pmf/Registration.html.

If you have any questions regarding NCTracks training, please contact the CSC EVC Call Center at (866) 844-1113 or by e-mail at NCMedicaid@csc.com.

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What is CRE?…Why is it important?…What are some prevention strategies? These and other questions will be answered during the webinar presented by Katie Passaretti, MD, Infectious Diseases and Internal Medicine, Hospital Epidemiologist Carolinas Medical Facilities, Charlotte, NC.

Target Audience: All healthcare providers in all care settings

Goal and Objectives:

• Goal of Webinar – To introduce and educate as many varied healthcare staff as possible
• Objective 1 – Describe the Epidemiology of CRE in the US
• Objective 2 – Review measures necessary to halt transmission
• Objective 3 – Understand the importance of a regional approach to CRE control

Sponsored By:

• North Carolina Quality Center (NCQC),
• The Association for Professional in Infection Control – North Carolina Chapter (APIC-NC),
• The Statewide Program for Infection Control and Epidemiology (SPICE), and,
• The North Carolina Division of Public Health (DPH).

To register for this Webinar, go to https://qcwebinar.webex.com/qcwebinar/onstage/g.php?t=a&d=662312650.

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Mark your calendar now and plan to attend four value-packed days of learning and networking in Phoenix, AZ, October 6-9, 2013! Choose from over 60 sessions in 11 education tracks ranging from advocacy to finance to person-centered care to quality improvement. Take advantage of terrific networking opportunities, outstanding educational programming, and fabulous entertainment, all in a beautiful location. Visit http://www.AHCAconvention.org for event details and registration information! Early bird discount ends July 19, 2013!

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This book explores 28 challenging cases covering pivotal issues that most health care administrators and managers are likely to encounter at some point in their work—quality improvement, strategic planning, ethical dilemmas, organizational dynamics, cost–benefit analyses, resource utilization, and more. Providing an exceptional framework for decision-making and debate, Cases in Health Services Management is an outstanding casebook that provokes thought and discussion.

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

Product #8248
AHCA MEMBERS $59.95

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The notebook used in the October 2012 training is available for purchase. Contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org to order one for your facility. The cost is $25 plus tax and shipping.

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Making the decision to approve heroic measures to save a loved one’s life can be fraught with emotion, so anxious family members tend to turn to the doctor for guidance, according to the first study to analyze the role that doctors’ language plays in end-of-life decisions.

http://healthland.time.com/2013/05/10/doctors-word-choice-impact-whether-patients-families-choose-cpr/

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There is 19 foot “no touching zone” where all the trees have been removed across the entire 5,468 mile span of the Canada-U.S. border. The division between the countries isn’t even vaguely straight, but rather made up of 900 different zigzagging lines.

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