UPDATE Weekly

This week, the Association was proud to honor Fabulous Fifty winners in District II at the Hilton Charlotte University Place, Charlotte, NC. John Formica hosted the event. Recipients of the 2014 District II Fabulous Fifty honor are:

District II
Sherron Barnes – Trinity Oaks, Salisbury, NC
Rovonda Campbell – Hunter Woods Nursing and Rehab, Charlotte, NC
Bobbie Doster – Carrington Place, Matthews, NC
Jennifer Engelhaupt – The Oaks at Town Center, Harrisburg, NC
Noel Hathcock – Trinity Place, Albemarle, NC
Sharon Hash – Alleghany Center, Sparta, NC
Tiffany Johnson – Westwood Hills Nursing and Rehab, Wilkesboro, NC
Lisa Mickalowski – Bermuda Commons Nursing and Rehab, Advance, NC
Paulette Powell – Trinity Ridge, Hickory, NC
Lisa Talmadge – Jesse Helms Nursing Center, Monroe, NC

The next Fabulous Fifty celebration will be held October 24th at The Grandover Resort in Greensboro, NC.

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Late this afternoon, NCTracks notified NCHCFA that Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) payments for the checkwrite dated 10/22/2013 have been delayed by one day. The posting and availability of funds to provider bank accounts will depend on the provider’s financial institution. Wells Fargo customers should see their payments in their accounts on the day that the EFT is processed, which will be Thursday (10/24/2013). Providers who bank at other financial institutions should see payments the business day following the date that the EFT is processed, which will be Friday (10/25/2013) afternoon.

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The Empira Fall Prevention program is a combination of nationally recognized, evidence-based, fall-prevention practices and practical applications from numerous research studies. At the completion of their three-year program, Empira nursing facilities have collectively achieved a twenty to thirty percent (20% – 30%) reduction in the prevalence of resident falls. This finding, coupled with a significant reduction in the number of repeated falls, makes this presentation one that you will want to attend! If you missed the one-day seminar in March of this year, you will not want to miss this one!

Presented by Sue Ann Guildermann, this two-day in-depth session will cover the implementation of a comprehensive fall prevention and reduction program.

The cost to attend this seminar is $315 for members and $630 for non-members. There is a limit of 2 persons per facility! This fee includes handouts, snacks, and lunch for two days. CLICK HERE to download a registration form! Members may be invoiced. Non-members must submit payment with registration. REGISTER TODAY!

Location and Dates
November 13-14, 2013
Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons
3121 High Point Road
Greensboro, NC 27407

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On August 30, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) distributed to each individual SNF facility, through its contractor (TMF Health Quality Institute), Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER). Although these reports have been distributed to other types of health care providers (e.g., hospitals, psychiatric facilities, hospice, etc.), this is the first time that the SNF profession has received PEPPERs, and many AHCA members have questions about how to read and use the report. To address those member concerns, CMS Contractor, Kimberly Hrehor with TMF Health Quality Institute, will provide additional information about the history and background of the PEPPER, a description of the risk areas for improper SNF Medicare payments, a discussion of the percentiles and the comparison groups, and a demonstration of how to read and use the report. In order to cover all this material and allow participants the opportunity to digest the information, we have scheduled two separate Webinars that build upon each other on November 7 at 3:00 PM, ET (SNF PEPPER Training Part I), and November 8 at 3:00 PM, ET (SNF PEPPER Training Part II). Please register for the events separately and in advance at http://webinars.ahcancal.org/session.php?id=11914 for November 7 and http://webinars.ahcancal.org/session.php?id=11915 for November 8.

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The NCHCFA Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held February 23-26, 2014 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 that you are with “NC Health Care Facilities Association 2014” to receive the group discounted rate. Brochures outlining specific program information will be mailed in December.

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The brochure for potential trade associate members and exhibitors at EXPO 2014 will be available next week. Do you have a favorite supplier you think might be interested in participating? If so, now is the time to have them contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org or by phone at (919) 782-3827 to get on the mailing list. The trade show will be held on Tuesday, February 25th during our Annual Convention and Expo in Greensboro, NC.

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The North Carolina Culture Change Coalition is accepting culture change grant applications from every certified nursing home.

The Coalition has made major changes to its grant program in accordance with new rules from CMS which took effect in 2012. Facilities will apply for grants using the updated RFA, which is available throughout the year. Once the coalition receives the proposal, trained members will review the application to make sure it meets CMS criteria. Each section of the application will be scored on the basis of incomplete, needs improvement, acceptable, or exceptional. Any section of the proposal receiving an incomplete or needs improvement will be sent back to the facility, and a trained coalition member will mentor the facility to help refine the section(s). Once all sections meet the acceptable or exceptional score, DHHS will help the facility convert the application into CMS’s required format and will then send the application to CMS for review. CMS has 45 days to make a determination on the application and may contact the facility for further information if necessary. Approval or denial is made by CMS and all decisions are final.

While this represents a major change in the method for reviewing grant proposals, the Coalition is willing to work with any eligible facility wishing to use CMP money to fund enhancement projects so they have the best chance of having their application approved by CMS. The revised RFA became available in early April and was sent to the administrators of all eligible North Carolina facilities. If you have any questions about the program, or need assistance with the application process, please contact Becky Wertz, becky.wertz@dhhs.nc.gov.

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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.

Please visit http://www.AHCApublications.org or call (800) 321-0343 to order this product.

Product #6732
AHCA MEMBERS $55.95

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Does your facility need an extra copy of the Membership Directory around the office? This informative guide lists the NCHCFA Board of Directors, member facilities (by facility, administrator and district), staff contacts, and the NCHCFA trade members. Order yours today! Contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org to order one for your facility.

NCHCFA Members only: $35.00 plus tax and shipping

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Preparing future long-term care leaders: Perspectives change after becoming residents.

http://www.mcknights.com/preparing-future-long-term-care-leaders-perspectives-change-after-becoming-residents/article/206450/

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In game five of the 1920 World Series Bill Wambsganss caught a fifth-inning line drive batted by Clarence Mitchell, stepped on second base to retire Pete Kilduff, and tagged Otto Miller coming from first base, to complete the first, and to date, only unassisted triple play in World Series history. Earlier in the game, Wambsganss’ teammate Elmer Smith hit the first grand slam in World Series history off Brooklyn Robins pitcher Burleigh Grimes.

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