UPDATE Weekly

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 were mailed to all facilities last 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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In order to achieve their goal of better care, smarter spending, and healthier people, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is working in concert with their partners in the private, public, and non-profit sectors to transform the nation’s health system to emphasize value over volume. HHS has set a goal of tying 30 percent of Medicare fee-for-service payments to quality or value through alternative payment models by 2016 and 50 percent by 2018. HHS has also set a goal of tying 85 percent of all Medicare fee-for-service to quality or value by 2016 and 90 percent by 2018. To support these efforts, HHS has launched the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network to help advance the work being done across sectors to increase the adoption of value-based payments and alternative payment models.

If you would like more information or wish to participate in the Health Care Payment Learning and Action Network, please visit the registration Web page. The names of registered organizations will be made public.

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Last month, NCTracks asked providers to take a brief survey about ICD-10. About 1,500 surveys were completed by various types of providers though out the state. NCTracks will be sending out the survey again periodically as we move closer to ICD-10 implementation on October 1, 2015.

The “not ready” numbers for ICD-10 are in the minority with a majority of providers are at least on the way to ICD-10 readiness. However, NCTracks feels that there is clearly still work to be done.

Some key results from the survey:

• 35% of respondents have not started ICD-10 implementation
• Most common reasons for not yet completing ICD-10 preparations:
– Other priorities / competing projects
– Not enough staffing / resources
– Do not know enough about it
• 33% have not received ICD-10 information from their billing vendor
• 25% do not know if their practice management software is compliant
• 36% are uncertain if they will be ready for ICD-10 by October 1st

Providers must use ICD-10 codes starting October 1, 2015 or their claims will deny and they will not receive payment from any insurer, private or public, ICD-10 has to be a priority.

Providers are urged to take advantage of available resources to learn about ICD-10, especially the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Coding/ICD10/index.html. ICD-10 preparedness is an investment in future business. To start, talk to your billing vendor and practice management software company. Are they ready for ICD-10? The key to success come October 1 will be for all components of the claim submission process – from provider forms and business processes to practice management software to billing vendors to payers, including NCTracks – to be ICD-10 compliant. For links to more ICD-10 resources, see the NCTracks ICD-10 Web page on the provider portal.

From now until ICD-10 goes live in October, you can send your ICD-10 questions and comments to NCTracks-Questioner@dhhs.nc.gov. You will get an answer personally, and NCTracks will get an idea of the kinds of information you need.

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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. Currently, Alliant has recruited over 90 homes to begin work in April 2015.

Alliant thanks all who were able to stop by the Alliant Quality booth at the 2015 NCHCFA Convention and Expo where Alliant was able to provide Quality Measure data to all recruited homes. Alliant does have this QM data for each home in the state and are happy to provide this upon request. The data includes the following seven components:

1. Nursing Home Antipsychotic Data
2. Nursing Home Composite Score Data
3. Nursing Home Readmission Data
4. Pressure Ulcer Data
5. Restraint Data
6. Falls Data
7. ADLs Data

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’s request of you at this time is to assist us in meeting this deliverable for 3/31/15. While many members have submitted their participation agreement, 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 or reach her at 678-527-3679.

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During this free Webinar, representatives of HUD’s Office of Residential Care Facilities (ORCF) will discuss the Section 232 program, which provides mortgage insurance programs for residential care facilities, including nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and board and care homes. You will have the opportunity to learn about what programs are offered through ORCF, and some specific ongoing requirements for borrowers and operators.

Date: April 1, 2015 – 2:00pm – 3:00pm EST

http://webinars.ahcancal.org/session.php?id=15521

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand what the Office of Residential Care Facilities is and what mortgage insurance programs are available through ORCF.
2. Understand the concept of borrower surplus cash as used in the borrower regulatory agreements applicable to the Section 232 Program, and how surplus cash affects the borrower’s ability to withdraw funds.
3. Understand the concept of operator working capital as used in the operator regulatory agreements applicable to the Section 232 Program, and how working capital affects an operator’s ability to withdraw funds.
4. Understand the reporting requirements with respect to operator financial statements, via the ORCF portal system.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dana Halvorson, AHCA’s Senior Director of Not For Profit & Constituent Services.

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100 Essential Forms for Long-Term Care provides convenient access to a compilation of essential long-term care forms that offer easy-to-understand descriptions of implementation processes and timing, and can be used as-is or customized to meet the particular needs of nursing home staff.

The updated content found in this new edition will help long-term care facilities stay compliant with recent regulatory changes and ensure quality resident care is always provided. This valuable resource contains 100 of the most commonly utilized forms in long-term care facilities, including:

• Clinical assessment forms
• Survey readiness assessments
• Documentation forms
• MDS tools
• Regulatory forms
• Accountability reports
• Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) forms

This comprehensive book will help long-term care providers:

• Gain immediate access to the most essential, commonly used long-term care forms
• Enhance the efficiency of staff procedures
• Improve documentation accuracy
• Address documentation needs and concerns for every department

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

Product #8357
AHCA MEMBERS $149.00

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If you missed Upcoming Hospice Regulations seminar, the notebook/presentation is now available for purchase. To order, e-mail your request to Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org. The cost is $25 plus tax and shipping.

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People who feel younger at heart live longer

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/17/health/healthy-aging/index.html

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A pintle is the pin that holds a hinge together.

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