UPDATE Weekly

Last week, the Association was proud to honor Fabulous Fifty winners in District V at the North Raleigh Hilton, Raleigh, NC. Representative Marilyn Avila hosted the event. Recipients of the 2013 District V Fabulous Fifty honor are:

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

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Palmetto GBA encourages providers to use their Web site to register to receive e-mail updates from their listservs. By registering, providers can stay up-to-date with important Medicare information.

Registering for these e-mail updates is quick, easy and free! To do so, you must first register and create a customized registration profile of the topics you would like to receive by e-mail, which are based on your Medicare benefit type.

To register online, follow these easy steps:

1. Go to http://www.PalmettoGBA.com/medicare.
2. Click E-mail Updates at the top of the page.
3. Select Register Now to create your new member listserv registration. The member registration profile online form will display.
4. Complete the four (4) steps as instructed.
5. After you select the Register button in Step 4, you will receive an e-mail with your username and password for your records.

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The NCHCFA Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held February 10-13, 2013 at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC! Call the Sheraton at (800) 242-6556 to make your room reservation. Identify you are with “NC Health Care Facilities Association 2013” to receive the group discounted rate. Brochures outlining specific program information will be mailed in December.

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Palmetto GBA has released information on Change Request (CR) 8044, which informs Medicare Contractors that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has updated the manuals by adding policy clarifications pertaining to the SNF consolidated billing provision and claims processing, including guidance issued previously in a series of Medicare Learning Network (MLN) Matters Special Edition articles on this subject. Click here for additional information on this subject.

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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, F-tag 309 and F-tag 322 concerning Advance Directives, End of Life and Feeding Tubes. 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 are explained in S&C 12-48-NH and can be accessed by clicking here. The F-tag 322 Feeding Tubes changes are explained in S&C 12-46-NH and can be found 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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As a result of the effects of Hurricane Sandy, the North Carolina Division of Medical Assistance and its Medicaid Fiscal Agent, HP Enterprise Services, have experienced delays in receiving crossover claim files from the CMS Coordination of Benefits Contractor (COBC). The New York data center used by the COBC to produce and transmit crossover claim files experienced flooding due to Hurricane Sandy. As a result of this flooding and the need for the COBC to switch over to a disaster recovery site, there have been delays in sending out crossover claim files to DMA and its fiscal agent. CMS is sending regular updates on its recovery process and as DMA receives more information it will be shared with the provider community.

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The “Updated LEIE” database file reflects all OIG exclusion and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in October 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 October 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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This book explores 28 challenging cases cover 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.

Product #8248

AHCA MEMBERS $59.95

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

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Were you unable to attend our recent Antipsychotics seminar? The notebook used in the training is now available for purchase. Contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org to order a notebook for your facility. The cost is $25.00 plus tax and shipping.

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Scientists think DNA from very old healthy people could offer clues to how they lived so long and could one day lead to medicines to help the rest of us stay disease-free longer.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45046490/ns/health-aging/#.UJqw6oZP58E

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The phrase to “spill the beans” came from the ancient Greeks. When a Greek voted, he would put a bean in the helmet of the candidate of his choice. The candidate with the most beans in his helmet was then proclaimed the winner. After the winner was announced publicly, the helmet was then returned to the candidate so he could place it on his head, “spilling the beans,” signifying he accepted the office.

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