UPDATE Weekly

NC Health Care Facilities Association just received notice that DMA will host a series of Webinars to provide stakeholders with an overview of the Shared Savings Plan and solicit ideas on the shared savings methodology. Currently, there are four Webinars scheduled with the dates and times listed below:

January 16, 2014: 8:30 AM-10:00 AM
January 21, 2014: 11:00 AM-12:30 PM
January 27, 2014: 9:30 AM-11:00 AM
January 30, 2014: 2:00 PM-3:30 PM

Please note that there is a limit of 1,000 attendees for each Webinar. More information regarding the Shared Savings Plan is available at http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/plan/index.htm.

To join any of the above meeting times for the “Provider Shared Savings Webinar”, please visit https://dhhs.ncgovconnect.com/r16498033. Providers will not have audio capability, but can provide input or ask questions via the chat functionality.

The Association is working to obtain additional information and clarification on the Webinars as well as the Shared Savings Plan itself. As this information becomes available, we will be passing it along to our members.

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Learn how hospitals and healthcare organizations are vulnerable to a disaster. Participants will be introduced to the various natural, technological, and civil hazards to which hospitals and other healthcare organizations may be vulnerable and the potential impacts of those hazards. Federal guidelines and legislation that serve to aid in the preparedness for, and response to, incidents involving these hazards are discussed, as are current emergency management standards for the healthcare community. Participants review response and recovery issues that should be addressed by medical facilities and organizations in preparation for a large-scale incident, including identification of critical resources necessary for response and recovery.

This free two-day class, Disaster Preparedness for Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations within the Community Infrastructure, is being offered three times across the state. The primary target audience for this course is hospital and healthcare managers, personnel responsible for, or contributing to emergency preparedness training, regulatory personnel, public health personnel, mental health managers and personnel, nursing home managers, local emergency management directors/managers, and emergency services managers/administrators.

The class will be offered in Charlotte on January 27-28, Durham on January 30-31, and Goldsboro on February 3-4. To register for the class, you will need to go to the TERMS Web site at http://terms.ncem.org/TRS. Providers are requested to pre-register no later than January 16, 2014, to insure that sufficient course materials will be at each location. Please make sure that you pre-register on TERMS and follow the link in the course description on TERMS to obtain a FEMA Student ID#, since this is a FEMA funded course. That link is https://cdp.dhs.gov/femasid/Register.aspx. Only register using the prior TERMS link.

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Does your facility have a question for NCTracks? NCHCFA 2014 Annual Convention & Expo attendees have a unique opportunity to have facility specific questions addressed by NCTracks, the new multi-payer Medicaid Management Information System for the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS).

On Tuesday, February 25th representatives from NCTracks will provide a brief progress report of the Medicaid claims processing system as it continues to develop and improve since its implementation July 1, 2013 for Package One attendees during “Reimbursement Hot Topics” and for Package Two attendees during “Billing Office Staff Day – Navigating NCTracks.” In addition, NCHCFA is working with NCTracks to have a Provider Help Center open Tuesday, February 25th with several NCTracks representatives available for Package One and Package Two attendees to answer any additional questions regarding submitting Medicaid claims.

“Navigating NCTracks” will be a very detailed and informative program for Billing Office Staff. If your Medicaid Billing Staff have a specific question and/or concern they would like addressed LIVE during “Navigating NCTracks,” please e-mail Sam Clark at samc@nchcfa.org and include “NCTracks Question” in the subject line.

Register your Billing Office Staff today! Reminder, if a facility registers two staff members for Package Two, a Nursing Assistant or Billing Office Staff member may attend Package Two at NO CHARGE!

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The next CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)/Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum is scheduled for Thursday, January, 16, 2014 at 2:00 PM ET. The agenda will include information on Medicare announcements, the CMS Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents, questions from previous SNF/LTC ODF and an open Q&A session.

To participate on the call, dial (800) 837-1935 and reference Conference ID 71096296. Encore is an audio recording of this call that can be accessed by dialing (855) 859-2056 and entering the Conference ID. 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 http://www.cms.gov/OpenDoorForums.

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Register today for the NCHCFA Annual Convention and Expo, February 23-26, 2014 at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, 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 Convention” to receive the group discounted rate. Don’t miss the opportunity to earn up to 16 hours of educational credit for North Carolina Nursing Home Administrators, as well as up to 14 hours of Nursing CE credit! The advanced registration deadline is Friday, February 7th. To obtain an additional brochure visit 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 2014 Convention Hosts for supporting the upcoming Annual Convention & Expo. Be sure to visit them at the booths listed below:

Blue Ridge Pharmacy – Booths 315 & 317

Healthcare Services Group, Inc. – Booths 429 & 431

Medipack Pharmacy – Booth 530

NH Med Services – Booth 528

Don’t miss the 2014 Annual Awards Celebration – Going for the Gold on Tuesday, February 25th. Be a part of this special evening and join us in recognizing the NCHCFA 2014 Special Award recipients. Providers, vendors and community representatives will unite to honor excellence in our profession.

Don’t miss a firsthand account of the 2014 Winter Olympics! Our guest speaker, 1994 Olympic gold medalist Dan Jansen, will be in Sochi, Russia covering the 2014 Winter Olympics! Watch him beginning February 8th on NBC throughout the games! Dan is a symbol of strength, hard work and perseverance. He first captured the world’s attention during the 1988 Winter Olympics. Hearts went out to him when the world learned that his sister, whose last words were ones urging him to victory, had died mere hours before his first race. Although he did not medal, the US Olympic Committee honored him with the Olympic Spirit Award. The speed skating champion embodies the competitive spirit, and his story inspires us to reach for our own personal “gold.”

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Election of officers and members of the Board of Directors will be conducted on Sunday afternoon, February 23rd, during NCHCFA’s Business Meeting. The business meeting will be held in conjunction with NCHCFA’s Annual Convention in Greensboro. All persons seeking an office or a position on the Board of Directors should have their name submitted to the Nominating Committee by Friday, February 7th. The nomination must be submitted in writing or e-mailed and include the candidate’s full name, the office being sought and the facility or company of employment. Please mail or e-mail the information to the attention of:

By Mail:
Nominating Committee
North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association
5109 Bur Oak Circle
Raleigh, NC 27612

By Email:
Karen Outland, NCHCFA, kareno@nchcfa.org

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Palmetto GBA invites you to participate in an Ask the Contractor Teleconference (ACT) on January 21, 2014 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM ET. This call’s topic is Coverage of Skilled Nursing and Skilled Therapy Services in Accordance with the Jimmo v. Sebelius Settlement as Outlined in Change Request (CR) 8458. All provider questions will be responded to during the call regardless of whether they concern the topic of the call or not. This ACT is intended for all J11 Part A and home health and hospice providers. To help ensure your access to this teleconference Palmetto recommends that you dial in five to 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.

To participate on the call, dial (800) 374-0740 and reference pass code 91943405.

To better facilitate the call, fax your completed Ask the Contractor Teleconference Form (ACT) Request using the fax number listed on the form. All questions must include your name, practice name, provider number, state and contact information (include e-mail). Questions submitted should not be patient or provider specific or include any protected health information. Questions should be submitted at least five business days in advance of the call to allow for appropriate research. After the call, a list of questions and answers from the teleconference will be compiled and posted on the Palmetto GBA
Web site.

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“Living the Aloha Spirit” is this year’s them for National Nursing Home Week! American Health Care Association (AHCA) will be adapting this theme to reflect how the profession and every skilled care center honors and practices the aloha spirit in order to sustain a quality and harmonious environment for residents, patients, families, staff and individuals who interact with the long term and post-acute care community in any capacity. More information will follow! National Nursing Home Week is May 11-17, 2014!

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Keep people with dementia fully engaged in daily life and help them maximize remaining functional skills by tapping into their innate abilities and interests. Engaging and Communicating with People Who Have Dementia is a trove of advice on how to identify people’s strengths and preferences and then use this knowledge to improve activity programming, communication, and functional independence.

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

Product # 8311
AHCA Members (on-line price) $44.95

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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 Members: $30.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping.

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Dying: What no one wants to talk about.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/12/health/end-of-life-preparation

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Between 1900 and 1920, Tug of War was an Olympic event.

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