UPDATE Weekly

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. The final seminar will be held October 16th at the Hilton Charlotte University Place, Charlotte, NC.

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services (CMS) has made changes to surveyor guidance for Advance Directives in Appendix PP of the SOM to provide clarification to nursing home surveyors when determining compliance with the regulatory requirements for F-tag 155 and F-tag 309 concerning Advance Directives and End of Life. The regulatory language remains unchanged.

The F-tag 155 Advance Directives changes are explained in S&C 12-47-NH and can be found by clicking here. The F-tag 309 End of Life changes can be accessed by clicking here.

These revisions should be implemented no later than November 30, 2012 and the above links provide an advance copy of the revised guidance with all new language presented in red and italics.

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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.

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The “Updated LEIE” database file reflects all OIG exclusion and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in September 2012. This new, “Updated LEIE” (List of Excluded Individuals and Entities) is a complete database file containing all exclusions currently in effect. Individuals and entities that have been reinstated to the federal health care programs are not included in this file.

The new file is meant to REPLACE the “Updated LEIE” file made available for download last month.

Alternatively, you may wish to download either the September Exclusions or Reinstatements databases only which are posted as the “Current Monthly Supplements” at http://www.oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/exclusions_list.asp.

The full LEIE database — complete with all the monthly updates — is included in the OIG “On-line Searchable Database” which may be accessed at http://exclusions.oig.hhs.gov.

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Palmetto GBA will host a J11 Part A ATC on Thursday, October 18, 2012, from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET. ATCs are intended for Part A providers billing for services rendered in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. This teleconference is designed to open the communication channels between Palmetto GBA and the J11 Part A provider community. The topic for this ATC will be about the Finance department and RAC information.

To participate on the call, dial (877) 789-3907 and use confirmation code 95900238.

Palmetto encourages providers to submit questions prior to the call. Just fill out the Ask-the-Contractor: Submit a Question form. To access this form, please go to http://www.palmettogba.com/j11a/forms. Once completed, please send via fax to (803) 935-0140 addressed to J11 Part A Ask-the-Contractor Teleconference. All questions must be received at least five business days prior to the teleconference. To help ensure your access to this conference call Palmetto asks that you dial in five to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

An Encore digital recording of this conference will be available for replay two hours after the teleconference’s completion through October 25, 2012 at 11:59 PM. To access the recording, call (855) 859-2056 and reference the conference ID number shown above.

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The Carolinas Medical Directors Association is holding their Annual Symposium on Geriatrics and Post-Acute Care, on November 9 and 10 at the Marriott Executive Park in Charlotte, NC. Through the formal presentations as well as the interaction with colleagues, participants should advance their knowledge of disease states and contemporary treatments options for the geriatric population.

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for all healthcare professionals currently or considering serving geriatric populations including Consultant Pharmacists, Medical Directors, Attending Physicians, Mid-Level Practitioners and Registered Nurses.

Objectives

At the completion of this course, attendees should be able to:

• Discuss clinical advances and new research findings relevant to long term care medicine.
• Utilize available data, tools, and emerging technologies to make informed decisions about clinical care of geriatric patients.
• Enhance skills and abilities to collaborate with and/or lead the long term care IDT team.
• Develop an evidence based strategy for appropriate use of medications for the Long Term Care resident.

To register on-line, please click here.

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This book describes how to change the culture of a long term care facility, and at the same time refine your leadership skills. The goal of this book is to make long term care more compassionate, effective, and successful through the leadership of the administrator. S.E.R.V.I.C.E. refers to service, education, respect, vision, inclusion, communication and enrichment – each with its own chapter and examples.

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

Product #6982

AHCA MEMBERS $23.95

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Does your facility need an extra copy of the Membership Directory around the office? This informative guide lists the NCHCFA Board of Directors, member facilities (by facility, administrator and district), staff contacts, and the NCHCFA trade members. Order yours today! Contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org to order one for your facility.

NCHCFA Members only: $35.00 plus tax and shipping

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Many Americans report being overwhelmed by the demands of caring for aging loved ones, and the following new study suggests a key reason.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/09/caregivers-must-do-medical-tasks_n_1949131.html?utm_hp_ref=health-news&ir=Health%20News

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Ruby-throat hummingbirds migrate from Canada to Panama every year; this 2,000-mile migration includes a flight over the Gulf of Mexico. The flight over the Gulf is approximately 500 miles of the total trip and is non-stop.

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