UPDATE Weekly

Election of officers and members of the Board of Directors were conducted on Sunday afternoon, February 23rd, during NCHCFA’s Annual Business Meeting:

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Not for Profit organizations, especially trade associations, rely heavily on the volunteer time of its membership. One important way to make a difference is by serving on one of NCHCFA’s committees. Members have until March 15th to volunteer to serve on one of NCHCFA’s committees: Standards and Ethics, Provider Relations, Education and Programs, Quality Advisory, and Payment for Services. Click here for a description of the committees. Click here for the sign-up form for all committees.

All committee assignments are for a two-year term beginning at the time of appointment and ending February 29, 2016. Appointments are made by Chair, Kevin Cox. Only representatives from member facilities in good standing are eligible to serve. Committees generally conduct two in-person meetings per year and others as needed by conference call. When submitting your request, please choose more than one committee and rank selections in order of preference. Each committee is limited to 20 people.

Members currently on committees will need to go through the sign-up process.

If you volunteer to serve on a committee, please make the commitment to participate. We promise to be respectful of your time and busy schedules.

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Palmetto GBA performed service-specific prepayment targeted medical review on Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) claims, for the 14 Lower Resource Utilization Group (RUG) Codes. This edit was set in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. The results for claims processed October – December 2013 for each state, including tips on avoiding denials, can be found here.

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The photos from the Chairman’s Evening Extravaganza – A Night in Olympic Village are now available! To view and order photographs, please visit http://www.PhotoSpecialties.com and use the password: NCHCFA and then click on “NCHCFA Chairman’s Evening Extravaganza.”

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Over 700 members and 600 trade members from across North Carolina and the southeast recently attended the Association’s Annual Convention and Expo held in Greensboro, NC. The highlight of the 2014 Convention was recognizing the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association 2014 Special Award recipients:

District I Nurse Aide of the Year – Garnet McMillan – Macon Valley Nursing and Rehab Center
District II Nurse Aide of the Year – Rovonda Campbell – Hunter Woods Healthcare
District III Nurse Aide of the Year – Veronica Cheek – Universal Health Care / Ramseur
District IV Nurse Aide of the Year – Cathy Smith – Golden Years Nursing Home
District V Nurse Aide of the Year – Sidney Richardson – South Village
2014 Riley W. Clapp Outstanding Service Award – Delores Jones – Skyland Care Center

Sidney Richardson received the Tenth Annual J.R. Garrett, Jr. Direct Care Worker of the Year Award!

The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to again thank the Corporate Sponsors of the 2014 Annual Convention and Exposition in Greensboro, North Carolina for their support: PruittHealth, UniHealth Home Health, United Hospice, United Medical, United Pharmacy, and United Rehab.

The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to again thank the hosts of the 2014 Annual Convention and Exposition in Greensboro, North Carolina for their support: Blue Ridge Pharmacy, Healthcare Services Group, Inc., Medipack Pharmacy, NH Med Services, Poyner Spruill LLP, and Southern Pharmacy.

Congratulations Neil Medical Group for winning the 2014 Best Booth Contest during Expo 2014!

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The NCTracks team is offering another in-person Provider Help Center on March 7 in Raleigh. NCTracks staff from provider enrollment, provider relations, claims, and prior approval will be available to assist NC providers with questions or concerns regarding NCTracks. No appointment is necessary. Providers will be assisted on a first come, first served basis.

For providers to get the most out of these sessions, please bring specific examples of issues. The more details that can be provided about the problems, such as screen shots, NPI numbers, TCNs (claim numbers), denial codes, etc., the more help the NCTracks team will be able to provide.
The Provider Help Center will be held on March 7 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM at CSC, 2610 Wycliff Road, Raleigh, NC, 27607.

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NC Health Care Facilities Association presents ICD-10-CM Essentials for Long Term Care March 19, 2014 in Greensboro, NC! Being taught by Pathway Health Services, this one-day seminar will have the following objectives:

• Learn structure, organization, and unique features of ICD-10.
• Understand basic coding guidelines.
• Demonstrate ability to look up and code basic diagnoses.
• Understand how coding relates to billing.
• Relate coding guidelines to all types of care.
• Know basic disease classification and how to use resource books.
• Be able to determine primary diagnosis.

PLEASE NOTE: Per the instructor, the ICD-10 coding manual is NOT needed for this one-day seminar as previously printed in the registration brochure!

The cost to attend this seminar is $185 for members and $370 for non-members. This fee includes handouts, snacks, and lunch. YOU CAN REGISTER AND PAY ONLINE! TO REGISTER, GO TO http://NursingHomesNC.com AND CLICK ON ICD-10-CM Essentials for Long Term Care. You may also download a brochure! Members may be invoiced. Non-members must submit payment online or mail with registration. Registration is open to anyone who would like to attend! REGISTER TODAY!

Location and Dates
March 19, 2014
Sheraton Greensboro at Four Seasons
3121 High Point Road
Greensboro, NC 27407

Reservations need to be made by March 1st! Please call (800) 242-6556 and specify that you are with NC Health Care Facilities Association to receive our special room rate!

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The next CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)/Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum is scheduled for Thursday, March 6, 2014 at 2:00 PM ET. The planned agenda is as follows:

I. Opening Remarks
II. Announcements & Updates
• MDS Provider Training Announcement
• Emergency Preparedness Proposed Rule
III. Open Q&A

To participate, dial (800) 837-1935 and reference Conference ID 71246266.

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.

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Submissions are open for the 2014 AHCA Quality Initiative Recognition Program! Skilled nursing members have the opportunity to be recognized for demonstrating achievement of the AHCA Quality Initiative goals. Members have until Thursday, May 1, 2014 to submit their data qualifying them for recognition. All members recognized through the program will be honored at AHCA/NCAL’s 2015 Quality Symposium in Austin, Texas, and additional honors will be bestowed to those achieving multiple goals.

Learn more about the recognition levels, eligibility requirements and submission steps on AHCA’s website. Please e-mail qualityinitiative@ahca.org with any questions about the Recognition Program.

While nursing centers do not need to submit data for their hospital readmissions and antipsychotic use, centers must submit staff turnover data and customer satisfaction results to AHCA by May 1, 2014.

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AHCA is conducting its annual, nationwide staffing survey to examine retention and turnover rates for nursing center employees. The 2013 Staffing Survey is open to all nursing centers in the U.S., which are asked to complete and return the survey by Thursday, May 1, 2014. Individual center and company responses to the survey will be kept confidential. Published results will appear in the aggregate form only. NCHCFA member centers that wish to be recognized for their nursing staff turnover results through AHCA/NCAL’s 2014 Quality Initiative Recognition Program must participate in the AHCA 2013 Staffing Survey. Submit your staffing data today!

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On Wednesday March 12, 2014 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM (ET), AHRQ will offer Improving Patient Safety in Long-Term Care Facilities: Introduction to the Webinar Series.

• This is the first of 4 Webinars which aims to provide nurse administrators and nurse educators guidance on training using the materials covered in AHRQ’s
• Improving Patient Safety in Long Term Care (LTC) Facilities Training Modules.
• The target audience is nurse administrators and nurse educators who provide staff training to first-line care staff, or who work closely with staff at long term care facilities.

Presenter: Marian D. Edmiston, DEd, MSN, RN-BC

No cost registration at: https://ahrq.ethosce.com/content/improving-patient-safety-long-term-care-facilities-introduction-webinar-series

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Alive Inside is a documentary about the power of music to “awaken” people with dementia and other cognitive impairments. The film recently won the Audience Award for a US Documentary at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. It shows the potential impact of a program called Music and Memory® on the well-being of those with dementia. To learn more about the “Music In My Mind” initiative, see stories from WRAL and WNCN.

This documentary will be shown, free of charge, at the Mission Valley Cinema in Raleigh, NC on March 25, 2014. There are two show times: 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.
1.5 CEUs will be offered for those who need CEUs.

To register online, please click here: 10:00 am showing or 2:00 pm showing. If you would like to mail or fax your registration, please click here: Paper Form. Registration Deadline is Friday, March 21.

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Palmetto GBA has developed a Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Basics educational series that consists of seven Web-based Training modules. These training modules provide an overview of SNF Part A and SNF Part B of A eligibility, billing and coverage, consolidated billing, no payment and exhaust billing, as well as when to submit a generic notice versus an Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN). The following training modules are available:

• Skilled Nursing Facility Basics I: Overview
• Skilled Nursing Facility Basics II: Consolidated Billing
• Skilled Nursing Facility Basics III: Prospective Payment System
• Skilled Nursing Facility Basics IV: General Billing Requirements
• Skilled Nursing Facility Basics V: Part B of A Billing & Coverage
• Skilled Nursing Facility Basics VI: Special Billing Processes
• Skilled Nursing Facility Basics VII: Special Required Notices

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This session will focus on how the current LTC environment can be improved by an intentional, comprehensive continuing education program for RNs that prepares them to achieve Board Certification. The modest investments LTC facility administrators have made in this program have had a positive impact on the LTC RN workforce, their effectiveness on the job, and their RN turnover rate in a LTC environment characterized by rising acuity of LTC patients, tighter reimbursements, and more stringent regulations. Administrators are finding that the benefits of this program to their residents and financial bottom line far outweigh its costs. This session will focus on how the current LTC environment can be improved by an intentional, comprehensive continuing education program for RNs that prepares them to achieve Board Certification. The modest investments LTC facility administrators have made in this program have had a positive impact on the LTC RN workforce, their effectiveness on the job, and their RN turnover rate in a LTC environment characterized by rising acuity of LTC patients, tighter reimbursements, and more stringent regulations. Administrators are finding that the benefits of this program to their residents and financial bottom line far outweigh its costs.

Learning Objectives

1. Correlate the attainment of RN board certification with standards of clinical excellence.
2. Explore the relationships between comprehensive education, RN retention, and overall quality of care outcome.
3. Provide data supporting the business case of comprehensive RN education and professional development investment.

Speakers: Heidi Keeler, Assistant Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center

Date & Time: Tuesday, March 18, 2014 – 2:00pm – 3:00pm (EST)

To register go to: http://www.magnetmail.net/actions/email_web_version.cfm?recipient_id=13909658&message_id=3713340&user_id=AHCA

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This three-part DVD training series includes must-have background information for feeding assistants (Getting Started, 20 minutes), specific job responsibilities and procedures (Proper Feeding Techniques, 18 minutes), and helps prepare employees in case problems or emergencies arise (Problem Behavior and Emergencies, 14 minutes).

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

Product # 6790D
AHCA Members (on-line price) $99.00

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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. 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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Lost Dog Becomes Therapy Animal and Best Friend to Nursing Home Residents

http://shine.yahoo.com/photos/lost-dog-becomes-therapy-animal-slideshow/-photo-2763927-192700810.html

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Ulysses S. Grant smoked at least 20 cigars a day. After a great military victory at the Battle of Shiloh, citizens sent him more than 10,000 boxes of cigars as gratitude. He died of throat cancer in 1885.

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