UPDATE Weekly

Below is a listing of the 2013 Fabulous Fifty recipients. NCHCFA would like to thank all facilities that submitted nominations. We had a tremendous response to help recognize front-line staff for their contributions. Each of this year’s recipients will be honored at the Awards program in their district. The 13th Annual Fabulous Fifty Special Recognition Awards program will be at the following locations:

• District I – October 18, 2012, Grand Bohemian Hotel, Asheville
• District II – October 23, 2012, Hilton Charlotte University Place, Charlotte
• District III – October 25, 2012, Sheraton Four Seasons, Greensboro
• District IV – October 30, 2012, Mad Boar Restaurant, Wallace
• District V – November 1, 2012, North Raleigh Hilton, Raleigh

District I

• Earl Buckner – Universal Health Care/Fletcher
• Nicole Galladay – Autumn Care of Saluda
• Jamie Greene – Elderberry Health Care
• Paula Henderson – Smoky Mountain Health and Rehab
• Judy Hughes – Pisgah Manor
• Rosemary Lopez – Autumn Care of Saluda
• Daniel Marr – Skyland Care Center
• Teresa Orr – Graham Healthcare and Rehab
• Shirley Owens – Carolina Village
• Kathey Phillips – Autumn Care of Waynesville

District II

• Veronica Adams – Carrington Place
• Olivia Bright – Huntersville Oaks
• Monica Coleman – The Oaks at Town Center
• Sherneter Collins – Jesse Helms Nursing Center
• Sheila Dalton – Sardis Oaks
• Rebecca Evans – Lutheran Home/Hickory West
• Autumn Kiser – Autumn Care of Statesville
• Glenda Miller – Wilkes Senior Village
• Sherry Welborn – Westwood Hills Nursing and Rehab
• Betty Williams – Alleghany Care and Rehab

District III

• Alicia Barker – Universal Health Care/Ramseur
• Darlene Duncan – Piney Grove Nursing and Rehab
• Shawanda Greene – The Oaks
• Liddie Howard – Peak Resources/Alamance
• Vance Hunter – Hillcrest Convalescent Center
• Sctaria Malloy – Jacob’s Creek Nursing and Rehab
• Samantha McCullough – Clapp’s Nursing Center
• Johnetta McKeithan – Peak Resources/Treyburn
• Lesley Tate – Alamance Health Care Center
• Famylyar Williams – Maple Grove Health and Rehab

District IV

• Michael Faison – Liberty Commons of Columbus County
• Ann Fowler – Cumberland Nursing and Rehab
• Teretha Jones – Harnett Woods Nursing and Rehab
• Lara Lyle – Liberty Commons Rehab Center
• Jackie Pevia – Highland Acres Nursing and Rehab
• Felecia Swann – Carolina Rivers Nursing and Rehab
• Janet Swinson – UniHealth Post-Acute Care/Neuse
• Mike Wilson – Highland House Rehab and Healthcare
• Nicole Woodworth – Southwood Nursing and Rehab
• Telthanie Yeoman – Trinity Grove

District V

• Anthony Bostic – The Oaks at Mayview
• Corey Fields – Heritage Healthcare of Farmville
• Ella Gibbs – Cross Creek Health Care
• Yatisha Lorden – UniHealth Post-Acute Care of Raleigh
• Brenda McKnight – Franklin Oaks Nursing and Rehab
• Rosa Norfleet – Three Rivers Health and Rehab
• Lorraine O’Neal – South Village
• Marshall Sneed – Universal Health Care/Oxford
• Latrice Storey – Liberty Commons of Johnston County
• Elaine Waters – Roanoke River Nursing and Rehab

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Register today for the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association’s “CMS State Collaboration on the Use of Antipsychotics.” The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has announced the Partnership to Improve Dementia Care, an initiative to ensure appropriate use of antipsychotic medications for nursing home patients. This partnership – among federal and state partners, nursing homes and other providers, advocacy groups and caregivers – has set a national goal of reducing the use of antipsychotic drugs in nursing home residents by 15% by the end of 2012. NCHCFA has been working with a coalition of stakeholders who will be involved in trainings offered to personnel on interventions that can be used to reduce antipsychotic medication use.

This seminar is the “kick-off” for this partnership and will focus on comprehensive dementia care and therapeutic interventions for nursing home residents with dementia.

YOU MAY REGISTER AND PAY ON-LINE! PLEASE VISIT http://www.NursingHomesNC.com AND CLICK ON CMS State Collaboration on the Use of Antipsychotics! Register today, space is limited! To download an additional brochure click here.This seminar will be held in the following locations:

• October 10^th – Sheraton Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
• October 11^th – Embassy Suites, Cary, NC
• October 16^th – Hilton Charlotte University Place, Charlotte, NC

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Although NCHCFA has had our Medicare rate calculator available for several weeks; Palmetto GBA has just now made available their Medicare rate listing.  To access the Palmetto listing for the rates effective October 1, 2011 and October 1, 2012, click here.

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The NCHCFA Political Action Committee (PAC) is very close to reaching its 2012 fundraising goal. A record setting number of provider representatives (170) made donations to this year’s PAC campaign. We are also on pace to break the record for total contributions. The campaign is not over so if you have not done so already please consider supporting your PAC today! To make on-line contributions please visit our Web site at https://www.nursinghomesnc.com/nchcfapac. You can also mail contributions to:

NCHCFA/PAC
5109 Bur Oak Circle
Raleigh, NC 27612

Please remember, North Carolina law prohibits corporate contributions to PACs. All checks or credit card donations must be from personal funds.

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We would like to acknowledge the generous support we received from our Trade Associate Members during this year’s PAC fundraising campaign. Each company and their representatives will also receive special recognition during the 2013 Annual Convention and Trade Show. Thank you for your loyal support of NCHCFA/PAC. Click here to see a list of Trade contributors.

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Information in Change Request (CR) 8037 could impact payments for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) who provide services to Medicare beneficiaries in a Part A covered Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) stay. This article provides the 2013 annual update of Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Codes for Skilled Nursing Facility Consolidated Billing (SNF CB) and how the updates affect edits in Medicare claims processing systems. Click here to access this information.

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A Medicare Part B claims processing issue has been identified with the 2012 Annual Update of the Healthcare Common Procedure Code System (HCPCS) Codes for Skilled Nursing Facility Consolidated Billing. Medicare Part B Services may have been erroneously denied by Medicare’s claims processing system. In other instances, the claims processing system may have paid and then identified a Medicare “overpayment” on these claims in error. The situation has been corrected as of July 30th, 2012 but services meeting the following may have been impacted:

HCPCS for dates of service January 1, 2011 and after, claims processed January 3, 2011 through July 29, 2012:

• 21554 – until March 11, 2012
• 96522 – until July 29, 2012
• 96571 – until July 29, 2012

HCPCS for dates of service January 1, 2012 and after, claims processed January 3, 2012 until July 29, 2012:

• 0079T
• 00790
• 00792
• 00794
• 00796
• 0163T
• 01630
• 01632
• 01634
• 01636

CMS is working with its Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to identify all claims that were denied in error as well as any overpayments that were identified erroneously and resulted in a demand letter so that appropriate payment adjustments can be made.

MACs will advise providers through its Web site and listserv messages when it expects to complete this process so that you can anticipate when your claims (along with any notifications for payment recovery) will be adjusted.

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Palmetto GBA’s 2012 Fall Tour Workshop series is well underway. Palmetto invites providers to join them as they discuss Medicare coverage and billing updates, as well as clinical and documentation information affecting the Medicare provider community. The workshops will be held across North Carolina starting October 19 and ending October 26.

Topics will include:

• Medicare updates
• Provider Contact Center (PCC) process
• Adjust/appeal/clerical re-openings
• Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) – Liability
• Updating beneficiary information with the Coordination of Benefits Contractor (COBC)
• Billing and coverage reminders
• On-line Provider Services (OPS)
• Web resources
• Claims Error Rate Testing (CERT)
• Compliance
• Top inquiries/denials

This workshop series is recommended for hospital and skilled nursing facility (SNF) providers, administrators, billers, nurses and other healthcare professionals that submit claims to Medicare.

Palmetto is offering Part A sessions at the same time as Part B sessions are offered. This will allow providers who wish to attend both sessions would be able to do so by attending the Part A session that pertains to their provider type (SNF or hospital) and then attending the Part B session that occurs opposite of their Part A session on the same day.

Click here for information on the Part A sessions. Click here for information on the Part B sessions.

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The 2013 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award program is in full swing. AHCA/NCAL encourages all member facilities to get involved in the program. Why get involved? The program criteria is a powerful resource for quality improvement activities. Silver and Gold Quality Award recipients are more likely to have fewer survey deficiencies, better quality measures (such as lower use of off-label antipsychotics) and higher satisfaction scores than the national average. The Quality Award program can also help facilities meet the four AHCA/NCAL Quality Initiative goals! Lastly, Quality Award recipients receive national recognition that can assist in marketing efforts.

Facilities planning to apply for the 2013 program should submit an Intent to Apply by November 1, 2012! This is not mandatory, but there are a number of benefits associated.

• The overall application fee is reduced by $200 at each award level; and
• Applicants who submit the Intent to Apply will receive regular communications from Quality Award staff with deadline reminders and tips on applying for the award.

To submit an Intent to Apply, facilities can simply visit the Quality Award Web site or e-mail program staff at qualityaward@ahca.org for instructions.

The Bronze Criteria Series is a sequential series of videos, or seminars, that address each of the twenty Bronze Criteria. This series was developed to help applicants understand and meet the demands of the Bronze criteria. To check out this series; please download the Bronze Viewing Guide.

2013 Program Deadlines:

• Intent to Apply Deadline (not mandatory): November 1, 2012 at 8 pm EST
• Bronze Application and Fee Deadline: January 31, 2013 at 8 pm EST
• Silver Application and Fee Deadline: February 28, 2013 at 8 pm EST

For additional information, please visit the Quality Award Web site (qa.ahcancal.org) or e-mail program staff at qualityaward@ahca.org.

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The AHCA/NCAL 63rd Annual Convention & Expo will begin very soon with lots of great education sessions, speakers, networking and social events planned! Consider registering for the Premium Full Meeting Package to make the most of your convention experience. You’ll have access to all education sessions, the opening and closing general sessions, The Expo Hall with complimentary lunch, and more! Don’t miss the premiere long term and post-acute care event of the year!

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Numerous unique considerations associated with long term care make managing long term care different from managing any other health care operation. The culture, clients, families, financing – virtually every aspect of long term care differs from those in any other health care organizations. The management concepts presented by Connie Evashwick and James Riedel can be applied to a wide range of long term care settings. Rather than supplying all the answers, this book provokes the thinking necessary for decision making and presents a framework for working with various issues. It offers a practical look at daily management challenges found in long term care environments.

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

Product #6859

AHCA Members $50.00

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This notebook with CD will help you understand the 2007 revisions to advance directives laws in North Carolina. A revised model policy is included which may be used by providers in developing or revising existing policies on advance directives. Contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org to order a notebook for your facility.

NCHCFA Members: $40.00 plus tax and shipping

Non-Members: $80.00 plus tax and shipping

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“This performance reminds us that living in an institution does not define who we are,” said Concetta M. Tomaino, executive director of the institute, which is part of CenterLight Health System. “Rather, it shows that life can and continues to be a very rich experience.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/13/nyregion/bronx-nursing-home-collaborates-with-carnegie-hall-musicians.html?ref=nursinghomes

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Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other 49 US states put together.

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