UPDATE Weekly

Over 500 members and 400 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 2015 Convention was recognizing the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association 2015 Special Award recipients:

District I Nurse Aide of the Year – Samuel Green – Smoky Mountain Health & Rehab Center
District II Nurse Aide of the Year – Maureen Benton – Peak Resources/Gastonia
District III Nurse Aide of the Year – Margaret McKay – The Oaks
District IV Nurse Aide of the Year – Hermetta Judge – Pender Memorial Hospital Skilled Nursing
District V Nurse Aide of the Year – Frederick Patrick – Universal Healthcare/Greenville
2015 Riley W. Clapp Outstanding Service Award – Joe Jones – South Village

Margaret McKay received the Eleventh Annual J.R. Garrett, Jr. Direct Care Worker of the Year Award!

The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to again thank our Gold Convention hosts of the 2015 Annual Convention and Exposition in Greensboro, North Carolina for their support: Blue Ridge Pharmacy, Healthcare Services Group, Inc., Legacy Consultant Pharmacy, Medipack Pharmacy, Neil Medical Services, NH Med Services, Poyner Spruill LLP, PruittHealth, and Southern Pharmacy Services.

Congratulations Neil Medical Group for winning the 2015 Best Booth Contest during Expo 2015!

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NCHCFA thanks all individuals that participated in the 2015 Convention and Exposition evaluation raffle. Congratulations to Judith Bullard of Woodbury Wellness for winning a $100.00 American Express gift card! Again, we appreciate your valuable input.

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The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently confirmed its plan to postpone implementation of a new rule on collecting overpayments until Feb. 16, 2016, but providers remain on the hook for returning the money before then.

The proposed rule requires Medicare providers to return overpayments within 60 days, a requirement of the Affordable Care Act. In Tuesday’s Federal Register notice, CMS justified the one-year delay because of “exceptional circumstances” regarding the “complexity of the rule and scope of comments.”

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Mark your calendar today for the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association’s “Assessment of Wounds and Pain Management/Best Practices in Long-Term Care.”

The topics are:

• Pain – The Fifth Vital Sign
• Assessment and Treatment of Vascular Disease and Ulceration
• Skin Care – A Guide for Wound Prevention and Long-Term Success

This program will be presented by Dr. Chuck Gokoo on March 26th, 2015 at the Embassy Suites Greensboro! Brochures will be mailed to all facilities this week and were also included in the attendee notebooks during the 2015 Annual Convention and Expo last week in Greensboro. Online registration is available NOW by logging onto our Web site at http://www.NursingHomesNC.com and clicking on “Assessment of Wounds and Pain Management/Best Practices in Long-Term Care.” Don’t miss it!

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Palmetto GBA 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).

To access these training modules, click here.

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During the reimbursement session at Convention, the following scenario was discussed:

A nursing facility resident went to a hospital emergency department at 10:00 PM. He was not admitted into the hospital as an inpatient, but he was in the ER overnight as an observation stay. He returned to the facility about 12 noon the next day.

According to the Division of Medical Assistance, the facility is able to bill Medicaid for the time the resident was absent from the facility, if the patient was still listed on the facility’s census and was not discharged to the hospital and all of the hospital services will be billed as outpatient services.

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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 and subject to the Service Contract Act (SCA). On Wednesday, March 18, at 2:00 PM ET, get your pressing SCA related questions answered on issues impacting you as a VA contractor from officials from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Registration Link: http://webinars.ahcancal.org/session.php?id=15604

Presenters include Jonathan Rees, U.S. Department of Labor; William Brooks, U.S. Department of Labor; Daniel J. Schoeps, VA Central Office; and Patrick O’Keefe, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

This Webinar follows the January 15, 2015 Webinar that AHCA held for its members with the VA and DOL on the $10.10 wage issue and VA contracts, where several SCA related questions arose for the Agencies. If you have any questions relating to this March 18th Webinar event, please don’t hesitate to contact AHCA’s Senior Director of Not for Profit & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson.

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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.

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 to 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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ICD-10 coding will be implemented in just months. Is your facility ready for the transition? Nationally recognized coding expert Karen Fabrizio, RHIA, CHTS-CP, CPRA, AHIMA Approved ICD-10-CM/PCS Trainer, will help you train with her new, comprehensive ICD-10 coding training manual. Specific to long-term care, this manual gives detailed coding training and how-to guidance for the top diagnoses in the long-term care setting. ICD-10 is a complex new coding set, so it is crucial your facility is prepared.

This book provides:

• In-depth coding how-to for the most commonly documented diagnoses in the long-term care setting
• Guidance on how to properly document and code in ICD-10 to ensure appropriate coding on claims
• Quiz questions, examples, and sample scenarios to help train staff
• A detailed understanding of how long-term care providers in particular can best conquer ICD-10 complexities
• “How to” chapters that focus on each diagnostic area

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

Product #8347
AHCA MEMBERS $149.00

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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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Fully Equipped Village Allows Dementia Patients To Lead Normal, Independent Lives

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/09/hogewey-dementia-village_n_6624376.html

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A flock of flamingos is called a stand or a flamboyance.

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