UPDATE Weekly

Carol Steckel, Director, Division of Medical Assistance, will speak at NCHCFA’s Summer Symposium. The session, “Medicaid Managed Care—Will North Carolina Be Next” will be held on Wednesday, August 7th, at 10:15 AM. Director Steckel was appointed by Governor McCrory as agency Director in January 2013. She served as Commissioner of the Alabama Medicaid Agency from 1988-92 and again from 2005-2010. This will be a timely and enlightening opportunity for NCHCFA members to learn more about the Administration’s Medicaid reform initiative, “A Partnership for a Healthier North Carolina”. If you have not registered for the Summer Symposium there is still time to do so. Fax registration forms to (919)787-8418 or call NCHCFA at (919) 782-3827.

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Last week the Medicaid rates paid to nursing facilities through NCTracks were rounded down to the nearest dollar. The State was made aware of this error and NCTracks was told to fix this problem. NCTracks will recoup and repay those affected claims. Nursing providers should see the net payments in their remittance advices. Although NCTracks anticipates this taking place without any issues, this will be the first time a recoup/repay has taken place in NCTracks. Based on recent payment issues, the Division of Medical Assistance will be monitoring the process and the results very closely.

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The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) announced that Lorraine Oakes of South Mills, North Carolina, has been honored as the 2013 Adult Volunteer of the Year.

Ms. Oakes has been a volunteer at Kindred Transitional Care and Rehabilitation-Elizabeth City, Elizabeth City, NC, a short-term rehabilitative and long-term care facility, for the past 22 years. She enjoys sitting with residents and getting to know them each on a more personal level. Ms. Oakes has created multiple programs at Kindred Transitional Care and Rehabilitation-Elizabeth City. Fifteen years ago, Lorraine played a major part in developing the facility’s thriving dining assistance program. She also created a popular Bible Studies program.

Ms. Oakes currently serves as the Volunteer Coach at Kindred Elizabeth City, and she advises all volunteers at the facility. She is also an active volunteer at local assisted living facilities and elementary schools.

Ms. Oakes’ dedication to serving others will be recognized at the AHCA/NCAL 64th Annual Convention & Expo in Phoenix, Arizona, on October 6-9, 2013.

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There is still time to register for the Second Annual Summer Symposium, August 6-8, 2013 at the Marriott Grande Dunes Resort, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for the most up to date information affecting long term care. Please fax a registration form to the Association office at (919) 787-8418.

NCHCFA’s registration desk will open at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, August 6th and will remain open until 5:15 PM. Registration will be located in the lobby behind the hotel registration desk. The first session will begin at 1:00 PM and will be located in Atlantic 1-4.

What do I wear? Dress for the Summer Symposium is business casual. Don’t forget to bring a sweater if you are cold natured. Room temperatures are very difficult to control in such a large setting!

Weather Forecast for the Myrtle Beach Area

We are looking forward to a great week!

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It is time, once again, for the NCHCFA “Fabulous 50” awards! This time-honored event provides the opportunity to acknowledge front line, unlicensed personnel who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in the long term care profession. The Fabulous 50 awards program honors individuals who are the backbone in our facilities because of the support they provide to our residents. A panel of judges from the Education and Programs Committee will select ten nominees from each district. Each of the award recipients will be honored at a dinner and awards presentation in their district. The deadline to receive completed nominations is Tuesday, September 3rd. Please encourage your facility to participate in this special award program.

The dates for the 14th Annual Fabulous 50 Celebrations are:

District I – October 15, 2013, Grand Bohemian Hotel, Asheville
District II – October 21, 2013, Hilton Charlotte University Place, Charlotte
District III – October 24, 2013, Grandover Resort, Greensboro
District IV – October 29, 2013, Mad Boar Restaurant, Wallace
District V – November 4, 2013, Renaissance North Hills Hotel, Raleigh

To fill out nomination forms online, visit the Member Center of the Association Website at http://www.NursingHomesNC.com. Click on “News & Updates”, select “2014 Fabulous 50 Nomination Packet” and choose “Survey Monkey”. If you have any questions about the Fabulous 50 awards, call the Association office at (919) 782-3827. Pictures for nominations submitted online may be e-mailed to kareno@nchcfa.org

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Providers who submit Prior Approval (PA) requests online through NCTracks can save time and effort by not submitting paper forms. Requests submitted via the NCTracks provider portal do not have to be re-keyed into the system at the receiving end, as a paper form would. The electronic format also allows providers to attach documentation, such as PDF files, instead of mailing them. NCTracks also allows providers to monitor the adjudication status of PA requests, including those not submitted to CSC

Providers who continue to submit paper PA requests should make sure they are using CSC forms and not those from legacy systems. Forms from the legacy systems do not include taxonomy codes. Appropriate forms for medical PA are available on the Division of Medical Assistance Website at http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/provider/forms.htm.

For additional information about how PA works in NCTracks, see the NCTracks Prior Approval Tool Kit.

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Please plan to join your friends and colleagues in beautiful Pinehurst, North Carolina, on September 11th and 12th for the Second Annual Autumn Classic Golf Tournament. The event will begin on Wednesday evening with a reception, dinner and program held at the world famous Mid Pines Inn and Golf Club. The Pinehurst Autumn Classic is being sponsored by the NC Health Care Facilities Association to benefit our Political Action Committee (PAC). You do not have to play golf to participate! Registration details will be available this week.

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Before you break for summer vacation, don’t forget to register for the AHCA/NCAL 64th Annual Convention & Expo. Held October 6-9 in Phoenix, this is an event you don’t want to miss. The Convention & Expo brings together thousands of long term and post-acute care professionals from across the country and creates excellent opportunities for networking and learning.

For a complete list of education sessions, speakers, expo information, and event schedules, visit the Convention & Expo Website.

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Last week, on a conference call with CMS Program Integrity, it was learned that CMS is developing a new integrity contractor called a Unified Program Integrity Contractor (UPIC). These contractors will focus on both Medicare and Medicaid integrity issues, and the Zone Program Integrity Contractors (ZPICs) and the MACs will be folded into the UPICs. (MACs will not go away; but its integrity responsibilities will be folded into UPICs). The Medicaid Integrity Contractors (MICs), designated in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, will phase out. The Medicare Recovery Auditors (RAs)(formally RACs) will still be in place and the Medicaid RACs (designated in the Affordable Care Act) will still be in place. We will keep our members informed as we learn more about this development.

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UPDATE Weekly will not be published next week due to the Association’s Annual Summer Symposium. UPDATE Weekly will resume publication on August 14, 2013.

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The next CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)/Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum scheduled for Thursday, August 1, 2013 at 2:00 PM ET. The planned agenda is as follows:

I. Opening Remarks
II. Announcements & Updates, including Health Insurance Marketplace Websites Re-Launch, the SNF PPS Final Rule and other topics of interest.
III. Open Q&A

To participate, dial (800) 837-1935 and reference Conference ID 14927067.

An encore recording of this call can be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 and entering the Conference ID listed above. Encores for ODFs held on Thursdays can be accessed the following Monday. The recording is available for 3 business days.

For ODF schedule updates and e-mailing list registration, visit the CMS Website at http://www.cms.gov/OpenDoorForums.

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This book explores 28 challenging cases which 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.

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

Product #8248
AHCA MEMBERS $59.95

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Important information for residents and families. This brochure outlines what physical restraints are, when they should be used, rules and regulations concerning restraints, and making decisions about using them. Contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org to order brochures for your facility.

• NCHCFA Member: $30.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping
• Non-Members: $60.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping

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Missing, Wandering Alzheimer’s Patients A Growing Concern

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/26/wandering-alzheimers-_n_3653267.html

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The International Space Station is the most costly object that has been built on earth. The project was started in 2000 and was completed in 2010 with a cost near $157 billion!

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