UPDATE Weekly

A portion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that employers make available health insurance coverage for their employees or face penalties. To get a solid understanding of this issue it is suggested that facilities do the following, in this order:

1. Read the memo, “An Owners Guide to the Employer Mandate,” from American Health Care Association (AHCA) President and CEO, Mark Parkinson (note that the March 1 notice to inform employees of coverage has been delayed, see article below). Click here to read this memo.
2. Watch the previous and archived September 2012 AHCA Webinar on the employer mandate: http://webinars.ahcancal.org/session.php?id=9541.
3. Watch the previous and archived January 29, 2013 AHCA Webinar on understanding the requirements for compliance: http://webinars.ahcancal.org/session.php?id=10245.
4. Outline your plan for determining how you will decide what your look-back period will be for purposes of figuring out who is part-time and who is full-time.
5. Meet with your attorney/accountants and or benefits people.

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The US Department of Labor (DOL) plans to delay implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement that employers must inform their current employees about the availability of the Exchanges and tax credits by the original March 1, 2013 deadline. It is also understood that DOL will likely delay the requirements until regulations are promulgated. The implementation date will likely be closer to Oct. 1, 2013 which is the open enrollment date. We will continue to update you as we learn more.

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Time is running out! Register today for the NCHCFA Annual Convention and Expo, February 10-13, 2013 at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, Greensboro, NC. Don’t miss the opportunity to earn up to 15 hours of educational credit for North Carolina Nursing Home Administrators, as well as up to 14 hours of Nursing CE credit! Package Two attendees can earn 2.0 hours of CE credit for Nurses. To obtain an additional brochure visit “Education & Events” on the Member Center of the Association’s Web site at http://www.NursingHomesNC.com.

The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to thank the 2013 Corporate Sponsors for their generous support of the upcoming Annual Convention & Expo. Be sure to visit them on Tuesday, February 12th at the booths listed below:

• UniHealth Home Health – Booth 428
• United Hospice – Booth 430
• United Medical – Booth 426
• United Pharmacy – Booth 431

Don’t miss the opportunity to bring a Nursing Assistant or Maintenance, Laundry, & Environmental Services Director to the Convention for free! If a facility registers two staff members for Package Two, a Nursing Assistant or Maintenance, Laundry, & Environmental Services Director may attend Package Two at No Charge! Expo 2013 seminars will include topics appropriate for Nurses, Nurse Aides and Maintenance, Laundry, & Environmental Services Directors. Package Two registration includes: Expo 2013 educational session on Tuesday (10:30 AM session only), refreshment break, souvenir, Expo 2013 buffet luncheon and admission to Expo 2013.

You do not have to be the President or First Lady to dine like one! Register today for the 2013 Association State Dinner & Awards Gala on Tuesday evening, February 12th. Join Chef Walter Scheib as he duplicates the style of a flawless White House State Dinner while sharing memorable stories from his unique behind-the-scenes perspective. Chef Scheib will be onsite preparing this very special dinner from start to finish! You will be served a four course meal exactly as it was prepared in the White House, ingredients included! Be a part of this special evening and join in recognizing the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association 2013 Special Award recipients. Providers, vendors and community representatives will unite to honor excellence in our profession.

District I Nurse Aide of the Year – Jamie Greene – Elderberry Health Care

District II Nurse Aide of the Year – Shelia Dalton – Sardis Oaks

District III Nurse Aide of the Year – Johnnetta McKeithan – Peak Resources/Treyburn

District IV Nurse Aide of the Year – Mike Wilson – Highland House Rehab & Healthcare

District V Nurse Aide of the Year – Corey Fields – Heritage Healthcare of Farmville

Riley W. Clapp Outstanding Service Award – Liddie Howard – Peak Resources/Alamance

The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would also like to thank the 2013 Convention Hosts for their generous support of the upcoming Annual Convention & Expo. Be sure to visit them on Tuesday, February 12th at the booths listed below:

• Healthcare Services Group, Inc. – Booths 528 & 530
• LTC Properties, Inc. – Booth 408
• Legacy Consultant Pharmacy – Booth 330
• Medipack Pharmacy – Booth 420
• Neil Medical Group – Booths 301, 303, 400 & 402
• Poyner Spruill LLP – Booth 331
• Southern Pharmacy Services – Booths 501 & 503

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In July, the current process for the payment of Medicaid claims will be replaced by a new system, NCTracks. As part of this transition, there are certain steps that providers should start taking now. The current version of the checklist can be found in the latest NCTracks newsletter. For more information on the new Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS), click here.

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Palmetto GBA encourages providers and other visitors to use the Web site to register to receive e-mail updates from their listservs. By registering, you 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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This Thursday marks the close of the application period for the 2013 AHCA/NCAL Bronze National Quality Awards. All applications are due via AHCA’s Web site by 8 PM EST on January 31. Please refer to: Tips on Submitting Your Application and How to Submit Your Application Fee which can be found on the Applicant Resources page on AHCA’s Web site. This will ease the process for both the applicants and the Quality Awards team, who are all on standby to assist applicants this week. Questions: contact the Quality Award team via e-mail at quality-award@ahca.org or call the AHCA offices at (202) 842-4444.

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With simple, no-nonsense language and lighthearted illustrations, this guide offers your CNAs step-by-step information about how to handle challenges that so often lead to burnout and turnover. Specific problems addressed include managing job stress, dealing with death on the job, being a good communicator, relating to family members, and working with aggressive residents.

Product #6194
AHCA MEMBERS $19.95

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

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The notebook used in the fall 2012 trainings is available for purchase. Contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org to order a notebook for your facility.

$25.00 plus tax and shipping

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Police chiefs from the Wabash Police Department in Indiana will soon require their police officers to undergo training on how to interact with individuals suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia.

http://www.policeone.com/training/articles/6102342-Ind-police-to-receive-dementia-training

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The biggest currency bill ever was the Series 1934 $100,000 gold certificate. The bills, made only for three weeks, were used only for official transactions between Federal Reserve banks.

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