End of Year Wrap-Up for Regulatory Resources

As 2023 ends, the AHCA Regulatory Department would like to provide a wrap-up of resources released throughout the year. Each of the resources were prepared with our members in mind. Our goal is to support you all and ensure you have the tools to stay compliant with a variety of regulatory requirements.    

Discharges-Making the Safest Transition for Your Residents: Discharges – Making the Safest Transition for your Residents is a webinar created by AHCA Regulatory staff to assist facility staff in understanding regulations related to planning, preparing, and discharging residents safely. The Webinar provides real-life scenarios of difficult discharge situations and how to stay in compliance when these situations arise. Registration is free to AHCA/NCAL Members | $65 Non-members   

IDR/IIDR Toolkit: A sub-group of the Survey Regulatory Committee developed the webinar and toolkit titled Informal Dispute Resolution (IDR). Both the toolkit and the webinar were developed to assist facilities in determining if an IDR is an appropriate tool to use after survey where the results need to be disputed by the facility. Additionally, the webinar assists facilities through the process of completing an IDR and informs learners about areas that may vary based on state processes. The IDR process is not one providers do often, so this tool is a helpful aid in completing a task that can sometimes seem confusing and intimidating. Registration is free to AHCA/NCAL Members | $65 Non-members   

Abuse and Neglect: This three-part webinar reviews regulations related to abuse, neglect, and misappropriation of resident property, how and when to report abuse, how to complete an abuse investigation, and helpful tips for achieving past noncompliance (PNC) for these deficiencies. The webinars also include real life scenarios, how to avoid deficiencies in these scenarios, and tools for achieving PNC. Registration is free to AHCA/NCAL Members | $65 Non-members   

Training Requirements: Training requirements is a document that provides a list of all annual training requirements for all positions, in one place. The document also provides additional space to add any state specific training requirements. This is free and accessible to AHCA members only.   

Accidents-How to Stay Ahead of F689 and Keep Your Residents Safe: The Accidents Webinar will review regulations related to supervision to avoid accidents. It also pulls together various resources available on ahcancalED, as well as external resources. The Webinar provides resources for development of policies to remain compliant with accident regulations. Finally, real-life case studies will be reviewed with explanations for what facilities should do if similar events occur. Facility Registration is $100 for AHCA/NCAL members, and subscription access is available for one year.   

MDS Updates Effective October 1, 2023: On August 24, 2023, CMS released the final MDS Item Sets version 1.18.11v5 and on August 22, 2023, it released the final MDS 3.0 RAI User’s Manual version 1.18.11. AHCA has developed tools to assist with implementation of the new changes. These tools cover the changes to the MDS 3.0 Final Item set as well as incorporate the RAI manual guidance into consideration for application. Registration is free to AHCA/NCAL Members.   

Considerations for Care and Services for LGBTQ+ Residents: The provision of care and services offered by nursing homes must be individualized and person-centered, and equally and universally applied to all residents including those who identify as transgender or gender diverse (TGD). Furthermore, as a condition of licensure, the nursing home must remain in compliance with federal, state, and local laws and professional standards, which includes requirements of nondiscrimination. This is free and accessible to AHCA members only.   

Pressure Injury Prevention and Wound Management in LTC: This pressure injury prevention and wound management webinar is presented by Jeanine Maguire, a wound consultant and educator with almost three decades of wound care focus and expertise. In this webinar, Jeanine emphasizes a patient-centric approach and the importance of routine and comprehensive risk assessment and skin checks. She discusses the challenges of Deep Tissue Injury and the controversy over whether pressure injuries are a result of end-of-life or a combination of factors. Jeanine highlighted the need for accurate documentation and understanding of medically unavoidable wounds. She also stresses the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach, ongoing monitoring, and communication. Lastly, Jeanine provides links to CMS F tag 686, the critical element pathway, PAWSIC (the Wound Provider Group checklist), and NPIAP for further reference. *Note that some information shared will change with the RAI updates in October, but the presentation discusses how to prepare for those changes. Registration is free to AHCA/NCAL Members | $65 Non-members    

Building a Lasting Relationship with Surveyors: Before, During, and After Surveys: Building a Lasting Relationship with Surveyors is a tool prepared by the AHCA Survey Regulatory Committee. The tool provides useful information on preparing for surveys, ahead of the survey by building lasting relationships with surveyors. Additionally, the tool provides best practices for during a survey and after the survey is complete. Finally, there are resources within the provided webinar, as well as audit tools to prepare for surveys and for use during a survey. This is free and accessible to AHCA members only.   

Facility Assessments 101: The Driver of Resources, Training, and Competencies: The Facility Assessment webinar begins by explaining the regulatory requirements of the Facility Assessment; it is mentioned over 100 times throughout the State Operations Manual! This information is built upon through explaining the relationship between the Facility Assessment and everything else facilities do on a day-to-day basis. The webinar reviews how to complete a facility assessment and how to then determine which competencies are necessary, based upon that assessment. A sample Facility Assessment is also provided as a resource along with many resources on Facility Assessments and competencies. Cost: $50 AHCA Members | $75 Non-members 1.25 NAB CEs and 1.0 contact hour through the Iowa Board of Nursing are available upon course completion.   

Please send any questions to regulatory@ahca.org.    

Source: AHCA/NCAL