UPDATE Weekly

The Education and Programs committee needs your help! All NCHCFA members are urged to participate in celebrating the Association’s 60th Anniversary during the NCHCFA Diamond Jubilee, February 15-18, 2015 at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel/Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC. Please submit photographs, articles, interesting facts, important dates, individual corporate and/or facility historical details, and any additional information that reflects back on the last 60 years in long term care.

The committee’s goal is to have at least one historically significant detail from all NCHCFA members! Don’t miss this special opportunity to commemorate our founding leaders and extraordinary members from the past, present, and future. Information can be sent to:

NCHCFA
Attn: Allison Boyette
5109 Bur Oak Circle
Raleigh, NC 27612
allisonb@nchcfa.org

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has restructured the Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program to further enhance the quality of services to Medicare beneficiaries. Since August 1, 2014, KEPRO has been the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care QIO (BFCC-QIO) for the state of North Carolina. Previously, the QIO in North Carolina was The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence.

Yesterday, KEPRO held a Webinar/conference call for NCHCFA members. The PowerPoint presentation used during the Webinar can be viewed by clicking here. At the end of the call, there were several open questions that needed further investigation. These questions and answers will be made available once we receive them from KEPRO.

For more information about KEPRO’s services, please visit their Web site at http://www.keproqio.com.

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The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to thank our 2015 Gold Convention Hosts for supporting the upcoming Annual Convention & Expo – NCHCFA Diamond Jubilee Celebration. Be sure to visit them on Tuesday, February 17th during Expo 2015 – Voyage Through the Decades.

Blue Ridge Pharmacy – Booths 500 & 502
Healthcare Services Group – Booths 427 & 429
Legacy Consultant Pharmacy – Booth 516
Medipack Pharmacy – Booth 233
NH Medical Services – Booths 229 &231
Southern Pharmacy Services – Booths 409 & 411

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The “Updated LEIE” database file reflects all OIG exclusion and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in December 2014. This new, “Updated LEIE” (List of Excluded Individuals and Entities) is a complete database file containing all exclusions currently in effect. Individuals and entities that have been reinstated to the federal health care programs are not included in this file.

All the updated files are posted at http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/exclusions_list.asp.

Instructional videos explaining how to use the online database and the downloadable files are available:

• On-line Database Video: http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/online.asp
• Downloadable Database Video: http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/download.asp

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Register today for the NCHCFA Annual Convention and Expo, February 15-18, 2015 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 2015 Convention” to receive the group discounted rate. Don’t miss the opportunity to earn up to 14.5 hours of educational credit for North Carolina Nursing Home Administrators, as well as up to 13.5 hours of Nursing CE credit! The advanced registration deadline is Friday, January 30th. To obtain an additional brochure visit the Member Center of the Association’s Web site at http://www.NursingHomesNC.com.

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On Thursday, January 15, from 2:00-3:30 PM EST, you will have the opportunity to get your questions answered relating to the $10.10 wage issue and VA contracts with officials from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). On February 12, 2014, President Obama signed Executive Order 13658, Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors. The Executive Order raises the hourly minimum wage paid by contractors to workers performing on covered Federal contracts to: (i) $10.10 per hour, beginning January 1, 2015; and (ii) beginning January 1, 2016, and annually thereafter, an amount determined by the Secretary of DOL in accordance with the Order. On October 1, 2014, DOL published the final rule implementing the provisions of Executive Order 13658.

It is long-standing policy that Medicare (Parts A and B) or Medicaid providers are not considered to be federal contractors. However, if a provider currently has VA patients, they are considered to be a federal contractor. On Friday, Dec. 19, and as noted in an email AHCA sent out to its members, DOL shared the below information relating to VA contracts and the $10.10 wage increase. The full DOL Q and A on the President’s Executive Order can be found here. Please click here to register for this free webinar event for AHCA members if you plan to attend. If you have any questions relating to this, contact AHCA’s Senior Director of Not for Profit & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson.

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In preparation for the upcoming State Coalition Call of the National Dementia Partnership on January 29th, NCHCFA is gathering information from providers in North Carolina related to the following four questions. We will be sharing commentary from your responses with our State Coalition members.

1. What are you doing in your nursing home to implement a person-centered approach to care for your residents, especially those individuals that have dementia?
2. What are you doing in your nursing home to provide creative non-pharmacologic approaches to care?
3. Describe one or more successes that have occurred over the past twelve months in your nursing home that have led to a more person-centered, non-pharmacologic approach to care.
4. Describe one or more challenges that have occurred over the past twelve months in your nursing home that have led to a more person-centered, non-pharmacologic approach to care.

Surveys must be completed by 1/20/15. You may complete the survey by clicking, https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ncnhjan15.

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Recruitment continues through March 31, 2015 for the upcoming Southern Partners Action Collaborative for Excellence facilitated by Alliant Quality. Goals will include:

• Continued use of QAPI tools and resources
• Continued reduction of Off-Label Use of Antipsychotics
• Improvement in Mobility for Long-Stay Residents
• Improvement of Composite Score to 6 or better.

To learn more about the CMS National Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative, click here.

To learn more about the SPACE Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative – Southern Partners Action Collaborative for Excellence Benefits, Expectations, and Commitments, click here.

NCHCFA still needs to recruit:

• at least 3 more homes for January.
• at least 4 more One-Star homes by 3/31/15.
• at least a total of 37 more homes by 3/31/15 (including the One-Star homes).

NCHCFA’s request of you at this time is to assist us in meeting this deliverable for 1/31/15. I know that many members have submitted their participation agreement and we ask those facilities to please share with corporate level executives, consultants and sister facilities and encourage them submit the completed participation agreement via e-mail or fax.

If you are ready to register, click here for the Participation Agreement and fax or e-mail back to Nancy Fendler as indicated. For more details, e-mail Nancy at nancy.fendler@alliantquality.org.

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As part of NCTracks preparations for the implementation of ICD-10, they will be conducting an anonymous Provider Readiness Survey. The survey is brief, only 7 questions. Providers should be able to complete it in 5 minutes or less. The survey will be sent to all providers Monday, January 19, with responses requested by 6:00 p.m. Friday, January 23. In an effort to gauge progress in provider preparedness, the survey will be sent again to providers every 2-3 months.

The results of the survey will be used to help NCTracks more effectively approach this important transition. The results will also be reported to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). As noted, responses are anonymous.

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The definitive resource for helping companies achieve world-class results, Baldrige Award Winning Quality – 18th Edition: How to Interpret the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence is the only book on the Baldrige criteria to detail, in simple and straightforward language, every category, examination item, and area to address. From understanding the scoring system to preparing for a site visit, it guides you through all stages in the process. Reflecting the new criteria (2013-2014) that address education and healthcare, this edition outlines a comprehensive plan that is suitable for any company in any industry.

Offering detailed explanations of each of the 17 “Examination Items” and the 36 “Areas to Address” that compose the seven major categories, the book reveals exactly what examiners look for in each area and suggests what you need to include. It also discusses:

• Criteria of leadership and the role of senior management in the award process
• Importance of a long- and short-term strategic plan
• Where and how to satisfy the requirements for demonstrating effective “process” and “results”
• Lists of state award programs based on the Baldrige criteria
• Core values and themes that underlie the award
• How to weigh the importance of the 36 “Areas to Address”
• The significance of the Baldrige scoring scale, and its role in achieving performance excellence

The book devotes a chapter to supplying a clear and concise explanation on how to prepare for a site visit from the board of examiners. It details each facet of the site visit, including its purpose, what a Baldrige examiner looks for, and the questions typically asked during the visit. Complete with rules for preparing graphics and charts, the book includes helpful tips to help you avoid common mistakes when completing the application.

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

Product #6913
AHCA MEMBERS $59.95

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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. To order brochures for your facility, e-mail your request to Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org.

• 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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Go To The Source: What Do Residents Want? Discovering Residents’ Personal Goals and preferences is key to giving them a better quality of life.

http://www.providermagazine.com/archives/2015_Archives/Pages/0115/Go-To-The-Source-What-Do-Residents-Want.aspx

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In 1958, the Association’s Third Annual Convention was held at the Battery Park Hotel in Asheville. The brochure from that year lists six companies with trade booths.

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