UPDATE Weekly

Make plans today to join your colleagues for the NCHCFA Summer Symposium. The three-day event will be August 6-8, 2013 at the Marriott Grande Dunes Resort, Myrtle Beach, SC. Call the Marriott Resort at (800) 228-9290 to reserve your overnight room. Identify yourself as a NC Health Care Facilities Association Convention attendee! To make your reservation on-line, visit http://tinyurl.com/2013symposiumreserve. Please note that when our room block is full, rooms will be on a first come, first served basis at prevailing published rates.

To view the 2013 Second Annual Summer Symposium schedule at a glance, click here!

Please call the Association office at (919) 782-3827 with any questions. Brochures will be available very soon!

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Pat Boyer, RN, MSM, NHA of Boyer & Associates will present Essentials for Medicaid & Medicare Using the MDS 3.0! In 2012, CMS implemented changes to the RAI manual that have affected your MDS process and your reimbursement system. This workshop will cover those changes. We will also look closely at internal processes to ensure accurate completion of Change of Therapy assessments. In addition, Pat will review how the RUGs III system will crosswalk to the MDS 3.0 so that facilities can maintain their Medicaid Case Mix reimbursement.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify how the 2012 changes will affect your MDS system and what is in store for 2013
• Discuss how to monitor therapy services in the new reimbursement environment
• Determine strategies for managing Medicare Reimbursement and the new rules
• Describe strategies for appropriate management of Medicaid Reimbursement using the MDS 3.0
• Describe strategies for appropriate management of Medicare Part A Reimbursement using the MDS 3.0

YOU MAY REGISTER AND PAY ON-LINE! Please visit http://NursingHomesNC.com and click on Essentials for Medicaid & Medicare Using the MDS 3.0!

• June 19th – Sheraton Imperial, Durham, NC
• June 20th – Hilton Charlotte University Place, Charlotte, NC

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Helping providers understand the tasks they need to perform in order to assist with a smooth transition to the NCTracks system on July 1, 2013, including how and when to do them, a checklist has been prepared and can be found at http://ncmmis.ncdhhs.gov/communication.asp.

In addition, a Special Bulletin has been published which provides key information about CSC and NCTracks that will be an important resource to providers beginning July 1, including:

• Contact information
• Hours of operation
• Checkwrite schedule
• AVRS functionality
• Information available on the new Provider Portal

The bulletin also includes reminders about important activities providers need to perform before July 1. All providers are encouraged to read the Special Bulletin. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Medicaid Management Information System Services (OMMISS) Provider Relations at OMMISS.providerrelations@dhhs.nc.gov.

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The Atlanta Regional Office of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) publishes a quarterly newsletter for providers in Region IV. Click here to read the current issue of The Pulse of CMS.

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In preparation for the July 1, 2013, startup of NCTracks, the new NC DHHS claims system, pre-noting of Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) information has begun. The EFT pre-note process involves submitting transactions to the bank routing code and account number that you provided during Currently Enrolled Provider (CEP) registration. Computer Sciences Corp. (CSC), which assumes fiscal agent duties for NC DHHS on July 1, is confirming that the EFT information provided is accurate.

One zero-dollar credit transaction will be submitted to your bank account for each NC DHHS Division for which you are authorized to provide services, including DMA, DMH, DPH, and ORHCC. If you serve recipients of services from more than one Division, you will receive multiple pre-note transactions.

If you have already completed your CEP Registration, there is nothing you need to do at this time. If you have not completed your CEP Registration, please do so right away. If you did not receive a CEP Registration letter in the mail with an Authorization Code to access the CEP application at http://www.nctracks.nc.gov, please call (866) 844-1113.

If there is a problem with the EFT pre-note process, a letter will be mailed by CSC to the provider. Claims cannot be paid without accurate EFT information. Claims for a provider with a failed pre-note will suspend for 45 days. If the bank account information is not corrected during that time period, the claims will be denied.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that they will begin mailing letters and brochures to Medicare beneficiaries about the changes in Medicare coverage for durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies (DMEPOS).

A letter and brochure were mailed the week of May 13 to original Medicare enrollees affected by the Round 2 DMEPOS competitive bidding, which includes several areas in North Carolina. The letters were mailed to beneficiaries who are currently using DMEPOS that are included in the competitive bidding process for Round 2.

If beneficiaries have questions, they may call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or visit http://www.medicare.gov. Click here to find additional information and view the DMEPOS toolkit; it includes the letters and brochures.

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The North Carolina Culture Change Coalition will be offering a free workshops throughout the state. Each location will offer a 9:00 AM – 12:00 Noon session or 1:00 – 4:00 PM session.

• August 6, 2013 at WillowBrooke Court at Plantation Estates | 701 Plantation Estates Drive, Matthews, NC 28105
• October 9, 2013 at Davis Health Care Center | 1011 Porters Neck Road, Wilmington, NC 28411

Administrator CEUs, drinks and snacks will be provided. To register, contact Patsy Rudolph at patsy.rudolph@kindred.com. Comments and questions can be directed to Becky Wertz, becky.wertz@dhhs.nc.gov or by visiting the NC Culture Change Coalition’s Web site at http://www.ltcenhance.com.

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On Wednesday, May 29, 2013, at 2:00 PM, ET, AHCA/NCAL is sponsoring a Webinar, Compliance with Privacy Regulations for LTC Facilities, with guest speaker Jacqueline Anderson (Rolf Goffman Martin Lang LLP). By way of background, in late January 2013, HHS issued a long-awaited Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) final rule containing significant changes to existing privacy regulations for providers. The new requirements affect several key areas for compliance, including obligations to notify individuals in the event of a breach affecting their protected health information (PHI), relationships with business associates, marketing activities and use of electronic health records. This Webinar will focus on major changes in the new rule and outline how providers can take action to meet the compliance deadline by September 23, 2013. To register for this event, go to http://webinars.ahcancal.org/session.php?id=10994.

In addition, AHCA/NCAL has just released, HIPAA Privacy Reference Manual: A Guide for Nursing Facilities and Assisted Living, which discusses in more detail what we will discuss on the Webinar. This manual is in e-book format (which can be purchased and added to company Web sites), and provides clear explanations of the legal requirements, as well as various tools, templates and policies that will help guide facility staff. To find out more, go to http://AHCApublications.org or call 800-321-0343.

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The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is conducting a nationwide nursing facility staffing survey, which will collect 2012 staffing data that will be used to estimate vacancy, retention and turnover rates of nursing facility employees. Please take some time to complete and return the survey to AHCA by Friday, May 31, 2013.

The goal of this survey is to provide statistics on retention and turnover for benchmarking and advocacy purposes at the national and state levels. Through LTC Trend Tracker – AHCA’s free member-only quality and performance improvement tool, the survey findings can be made available to participating facilities for internal tracking and benchmarking purposes. Please note that individual peer information will not be disclosed to any party, but is made available in aggregate form for benchmarking purposes. For more information, please check out LTC Trend Tracker or the latest staffing report on the AHCA Web site.

Nursing facilities can participate in AHCA’s Nursing Facility Staffing Survey (2012) in one of two ways:

1. Individual facilities may download the survey in PDF format or Excel format from http://www.ahcancal.org/research_data/staffing/Pages/default.aspx. After completion, surveys should be mailed to AHCA 2012 Nursing Facility Staffing Survey, American Health Care Association, 1201 L Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20005, or scan and e-mail the survey to research@ahca.org, or fax the completed survey to (202) 454-1299.
2. Multi-facility organizations may download the survey in Excel format from http://www.ahcancal.org/research_data/staffing/Pages/default.aspx, and e-mail the completed survey to AHCA at research@ahca.org.

Please e-mail research@ahca.org with any questions, or call Jeffrey Liu at (202) 898-2818 or Lisa Matthews-Martin at (202) 898-2824.

Thank you for your assistance and your support!

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Mark your calendar now and plan to attend four value-packed days of learning and networking in Phoenix, AZ, October 6-9, 2013! Choose from over 60 sessions in 11 education tracks ranging from advocacy to finance to person-centered care to quality improvement. Take advantage of terrific networking opportunities, outstanding educational programming, and fabulous entertainment, all in a beautiful location. Visit http://www.AHCAconvention.org for event details and registration information! Early bird discount ends July 19, 2013!

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This three-part DVD training series includes must-have background information for feeding assistants (Getting Started, 20 minutes), specific job responsibilities and procedures (Proper Feeding Techniques, 18 minutes), and helps prepare employees in case problems or emergencies arise (Problem Behavior and Emergencies, 14 minutes).

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

Product # 6790D
AHCA Members (on-line price) $99.00

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NCHCFA’s most popular educational tool is still available, Mobility and Safe Movement of the Elderly, Improving Your Skills to Prevent Injuries and Reduce Falls, by Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L, FOTA, Dementia Care & Training Specialist. This DVD was developed in conjunction with Wake Allied Health Education Center, Durham Technical Community College and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Office of Information Systems. The content is formatted in separate segments in order to customize the delivery of content to your learning objective. Handouts developed by Teepa accompany each video. To order, contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org or (919) 782-3827. The price is $35.00 (tax and shipping included).

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The Vanishing Mind – Giving Alzheimer’s Patients Their Way, Even Chocolate

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/01/health/01care.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

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By weight, watermelon is the most-consumed melon in the U.S., followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.

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