UPDATE Weekly

CMS issued contingency plans during the federal government shutdown which include identifying functions that (a) are not affected by a shutdown, (b) essential functions that are to be continued in the event of a shutdown, and (c) other functions that are directly affected and therefore should not be operational during a shutdown.

Of interest to skilled nursing facilities, “Functions Not Supported during a Federal Government Shutdown” include:

1. Standard Surveys
2. Certain Revisit Surveys
3. Initial Surveys
4. Initial Certification via Deemed Status
5. Validation Surveys
6. Certain Complaint Investigations
7. Patient Safety Initiative (PSI) Pilot Surveys
8. MDS or OASIS
9. Informal Dispute Resolutions (IDRs)
10. New CMP-Funded Improvement Projects

In the event of a federal government shutdown that persists for more than a few weeks, CMS will communicate further instructions with regard to any special provisions that are appropriate for Survey & Certification activities. To read the entire memo, click here.

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Before NCTracks was implemented, officials with the state Department of Health and Human Services predicted three months of bumpy road for the new Medicaid bill-paying system. NCTracks has now been in use for three months and it looks like a smooth road is not yet in sight for some providers.

DHHS issued a press release on October 1st, the three month anniversary of NCTracks. In this press release DHHS states, “DHHS and CSC continue to put all available resources towards proactively reaching out to providers to assist them with this monumental transition to a new claims payment system.” The entire press release can be read here.

NCHCFA continues to coordinate efforts with NCTracks to resolve some of the system issues impacting a majority of nursing facilities. Although some issues have been resolved, there are still some major issues that are being worked on, including documentation of Medicare Bad Debt amounts and the filing of Medicare Advantage crossover claims.

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NC is one of the first three states in the United States that are accepting electronic Plans of Corrections (POC). Below is the information for your facility to sign up so that starting November 1st your POC will be available electronically through a secure CMS system. This is for facilities that are certified for Medicare and Medicaid only at this time. Please follow the instructions below to sign up, which includes watching a webinar and also for requesting the proper passwords to be able to send your POC electronically.

DHSR has also set up a special e-mail address, DHHS.DHSR.EPOC@dhss.nc.gov, to direct questions and also to notify DHSR you have completed and received your CMSNet account. Please remember that this needs to be completed by November 1st. After that date, any surveys DHSR conducts will have citation statements electronically sent to the facility. DHSR is asking that facilities establish an e-mail address that will be stable, checked regularly and not affected by staff turnover.

ePOC Registration Instructions:
Start on the CMSNet page of the QTSO website, https://www.qtso.com/cmsnet.html. On that page scroll down to ePOC Access Request Forms link. The ePOC forms page will display. On the ePOC forms page, select the Steps to Access ePOC Application link. This document is all inclusive detailing the need to request the CMSNet account first, then how to register online for the ePOC access and finally how to access the ePOC system. Users should follow the steps in the document.

Webinar Registration:
The ePOC Webinars are now available on the QTSO Web site, http://www.qtso.com. To access the Webinars, go to the Online Training section of QTSO and select the ePOC link. An e-mail will be sent with a password to access the Webinar after registering your name and e-mail address. A media player capable of running a Windows Media file will be needed to run the Webinars.

If you have questions, Cindy DePorter, Shonda Kelly and Sharon Harwood will be answering questions from the special e-mail account that has been set up, DHHS.DHSR.EPOC@dhss.nc.gov.

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The Medicaid Bulleting is published each month and is posted online for easy access. The October 2013 issue contains several articles on NCTracks, Medicaid Credit Balance Reporting and other items of interest to the provider community.

The current and past issues of the Medicaid Bulletin can be accessed by clicking here.

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Effective October 1, 2013, Liberty Healthcare Corporation–NC became the Personal Care Services (PCS) Independent Assessment Entity (IAE), replacing The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence (CCME). Details of the transition process can be found in the Medicaid Special Bulletin located at http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/bulletin/pdfbulletin/0913_Special_Bulletin_PCS.pdf. In addition, the October 2013 issue of the Medicaid Bulletin has an article on PCS program changes and updates. The October Medicaid Bulletin can be read by clicking here.

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Train your entire staff on the importance of fire safety with this comprehensive training program. The instructor manual provides objectives, activities, and a list of required equipment and procedures. The included videos, Flashover: Point of No Return and Human Behavior in Fires, reinforce your lessons by demonstrating fire containment and emergency procedures and by examining how people react to a fire emergency.

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

Product #6732
AHCA MEMBERS $55.95

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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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Documentary about a Raleigh team of women in their 70s.

Read more here: http://grannysgotgame.com

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Eighty percent of the pumpkin supply in the United States is available in October.

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