UPDATE Weekly

Does your facility have a question for NCTracks?

On Tuesday, February 25th, NCTracks will have a help center open exclusively for 2014 Convention attendees. Eight representatives from NCTracks will be on-site to assist individuals with specific questions. This will be similar to other help centers that have been held across the state, except this will be solely for SNF providers attending the NCHCFA Annual Convention. Please bring a list of your NCTracks issues as well as any supporting documentation.

In addition to the in-person SNF help center, NCTracks will also 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.” “Navigating NCTracks” will be a very detailed and informative program for Billing Office Staff. If your Medicaid Billing Staff have any specific questions and/or concerns they would like addressed LIVE during “Navigating NCTracks,” please e-mail them to 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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For calendar year 2014, the therapy cap limit has been increased to $1,920. This amount will apply to physical therapy and speech language pathology, combined, as well as occupational therapy. The Medicare Learning Network article on this topic can be read here.

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The Division of Medical Assistance (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. Four Webinars were scheduled. The first was cancelled due to technical difficulties and the second took place yesterday, January 21st. The two remaining Webinars are scheduled as follows:

• 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 either 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 function.

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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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 Chairman’s Evening Extravaganza – A Night in Olympic Village on Monday, February 24th. It’s time for Chair Cheryl Clapp-Coleman to pass the torch! Come help her celebrate like a champion. Join Cheryl and the Board of Directors in Olympic Village for the official gala of the 2014 Winter Olympics! You will not want to miss this international affair. There will be food, fun and entertainment from around the world. The band Soul Fish is back by popular demand and will play all the greatest tunes from your favorite decade.

You will not need your passport to enter this international pavilion! Start the evening in Sochi, Russia with a regional refreshment before you head to the Krasnaya Polyana slopes. Represent team USA and ski like Julia Mancuso on the Alpine Downhill Challenge or snowboard like Shaun White on Thunder Mountain. Once you have worked up an appetite, visit Hamburg, Germany for an imported surprise while continuing your tour of Europe. You do not have to go through customs when you return to the United States! Visit New York and challenge a colleague to a game of Air Hockey and recreate the 1980 Lake Placid, “Miracle on Ice” before you enjoy some American food and fun.

Will you make it to the medals podium? Come dressed as an Olympic athlete from the past or present, or as a spectator from your favorite country! Great prizes will be awarded for the best dressed male and female. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served.

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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 E-mail:
Karen Outland, NCHCFA, kareno@nchcfa.org

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Teamwork is an undisputed asset for reducing nursing and medical errors, improving quality of patient care, resolving workload issues, and avoiding burnout. This text helps to foster the leadership expertise and partnerships that will facilitate the delivery of the highest-quality care. It based on the time-tested wisdom that leadership knowledge, skills and, competencies gained by training a group of nurses in the same organization rather than a single nurse are much more likely to result in genuine organizational transformation. It is the only text available to focus in depth on building and maintaining effective partnerships, motivating and developing others in the team, organizational analysis, strategizing, communicating, planning and managing change, measuring team and partnership effectiveness through metrics, and leveraging results within and outside of the organization.

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

Product #8306
AHCA MEMBERS $60.00

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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. 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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Study: Rehospitalizations nearly twice as high when elders are transferred to HCBS from skilled nursing facilities.

http://www.providermagazine.com/news/Pages/0114/Poorest-Elderly-Nearly-Twice-as-Likely-to-be-Rehospitalized-when-Transferred-to-HCBS-from-Nursing-Center,-Study-Finds.aspx

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Between 1957 and his death, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled more than six million miles. He traveled around the nation, and around the world, meeting with world leaders to promote equality.

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