UPDATE Weekly

Providers have noticed that some of the amounts received from Medicaid for crossover claims have increased. This is due to a recent change in calculating the cost sharing for Qualified Medicare beneficiaries. Click here for the official announcement and additional details.

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The nursing facility Medicaid rates effective April 1, 2015 have been posted at http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/fee/index.htm. The April rates were adjusted as follows:

1. The direct rate was updated using the December 31, 2014 case-mix index (CMI). Although a case-mix freeze was included in last year’s budget, until approved by CMS, the Division of Medical Assistance will continue to case-mix adjust our rates. Upon approval, the rates will be adjusted retroactively to January 1, 2015 using the June 30, 2014 CMI.
2. The Fair Rental Value rates were adjusted to recognize items submitted on the Capital Data Surveys. In addition, the ages of facilities were increased by two years (up to a maximum of 32.5 years). This adjustment was done to recognize depreciation that was not taken last year as well as depreciation for this year. The other FRV variables (cost per square foot, location factors and the historical cost index) were not adjusted.

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The NC Department of Health and Human Services will soon launch a pilot initiative that provides a collective learning opportunity for professionals who assist individuals with long-term care needs to transition from facility settings to their homes and communities.

The NC Community Transitions Institute (“The Institute”) will create a learning community among participating transition coordinators, care managers, care coordinators, discharge planners, options counselors and others in order to collectively deepen the skills and approaches necessary to best ensure a quality transition.

If the Institute pilot proves to be an effective, scalable method for supporting the learning of professionals involved in transition work, the Department will develop a strategy for the Institute’s long-term sustainability.

Click here, for the outline of the Institute’s purpose and information about participation and application.

Please note that the deadline for the application is Monday, April 6th.

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Proposed changes to the Personal Care Services (PCS) program have been posted for public comment. Comments will be accepted until May 17, 2015. To view the proposed changes, click here.

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Join the North Carolina Culture Change Coalition for a symposium that features an Interactive Theater performance on unnecessary wheelchair use in nursing homes. This event is open to medical directors, administrators, nursing, therapy, restorative aides, nurse aides, state surveyors and Ombudsmen.

This symposium is funded through CMP funds and FREE to four members of your certified nursing home to register. At least one of the attendees must be a certified nursing assistant. CEU credits may be provided for Administrators and nurses. Any additional registrants will be considered based on availability.

To secure a spot for this career-enhancing workshop, click here.

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We are excited about the number of nursing homes that have decided to participate in the Alliant Quality National Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative (NNHQCC). Alliant Quality would like to invite each of you to attend a brief (30-minute) informational session in April. If you have not already completed a participation agreement and do not want to be left out, please complete the agreement and return to nancy.fendler@alliantquality.org.

WEBINAR TOPICS:

• Overview of the SPACE Collaborative
• Performance Improvement Project Goal Selection
• Upcoming SPACE Educational Topics
• QAPI Self-Assessment Tool

Thank you for your commitment to improving healthcare quality and the lives of residents in nursing homes in North Carolina.

There are four Opportunities, please click on the dates below to register.

Tuesday, April 14, 2015

• 10:30 am – 11:00 am
• 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm

Thursday, April 16, 2015

• 10:30 am – 11:00 am
• 2:00 pm – 2:30 pm

ABOUT ALLIANT QUALITY
Alliant Quality is the Medicare Quality Innovation Network (QIN)-Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for North Carolina. Under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Alliant Quality invites your nursing home to participate in a collaborative designed to ensure that every nursing home resident receives the highest quality of care. Specifically, the Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative (NNHQCC) will strive to instill quality and performance improvement practices, eliminate healthcare acquired conditions, and dramatically improve resident satisfaction.

The Collaborative offers an exciting opportunity to learn from high performing nursing homes regarding their processes as they pertain to consistent/permanent staff assignment, teamwork and communications, leadership, regulatory compliance, clinical models, and quality of life indicators. The Collaborative aligns national nursing home quality initiatives and partnerships such as the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes Campaign, The Partnership to Improve Dementia Care, and Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI). Targeted focus areas will include increasing mobility, decreasing unnecessary use of antipsychotics in residents with dementia, decreasing potentially avoidable hospitalizations and decreasing healthcare acquired infections and conditions.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND
Participants in the Alliant Quality National Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative (NNHQCC) ~ Southern Partners Action Collaborative for Excellence (SPACE)

If you are ready to register, click here for the Participation Agreement and fax or e-mail it back to Nancy Fendler. For more details, e-mail Nancy at nancy.fendler@alliantquality.org or reach her at (678) 527-3679.

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“Bring on the Fiesta!” is this year’s theme for National Nursing Home Week! Speak the language of Familia, Vida and Amor during National Nursing Home Week 2015! Imagine an event that brings the long-term care (LTC) community of residents, rehab patients, families and care center staff together for a weeklong festival in 2015. Think of all the fun your LTC community can have, which is precisely why the American Health Care Association (AHCA) will designate National Nursing Home Week (NNHW) as “Bring on the Fiesta!” week. Visit AHCA’s on-line store to view the colorful and fun product line for this special week! (Don’t wait until the last minute! National Nursing Home Week products are very popular and will sell out quickly!) National Nursing Home Week is May 10-17, 2015!

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The NC State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators will offer the 2015 Preceptor Seminars on April 20-21, 2015 and April 21-22, 2015 at the Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach, SC. You will need to choose the first seminar dates for Renewal Preceptor certification and the second seminar dates for Initial Preceptor Certification and Continuing Education Only. The seminars will be open to all nursing home administrators seeking continuing education credits and/or preceptor certification. This is the only Preceptor Seminar being planned for 2015 by the NC State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators.

Click here to download more information along with the registration form.

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This DVD has two separate programs: Program 1 introduces everyone in the organization to the safety committee. It explains the role of the safety committee: to promote safety awareness and teamwork. It also explains six things every worker can do to support the goal of a safe, injury-free facility. Program 2 is aimed at the committee members, the administration, and middle managers. It explains the contribution an active, effective safety committee can make to a facility’s bottom line and covers the building blocks most successful safety committees have in common.

The companion Presenter’s Guide includes background information, sample questions and follow-up points for group discussion, sample inservice presentation outline, and copy-ready audience participation handouts.

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

Product #6858D
AHCA MEMBERS $159.00

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This DVD, Mobility and Safe Movement of the Elderly, Improving Your Skills to Prevent Injuries and Reduce Falls, by Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L., FOTA, Dementia Care & Training Specialist, was developed in conjunction with Wake Allied Health Education Center, Durham Technical Community College and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Office of Information Systems. The content is formatted in separate segments in order to customize the delivery of content to your learning objective. Handouts developed by Teepa accompany each video and may be reproduced. To order, e-mail your request to Amy Suggs at amys@nchcfa.org. The price is $35.00 (tax and shipping included).

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From the hilarious to the heart-warming: Documentary shows what happens when teens teach elderly to use the Internet… and even post their own RAP videos.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2765167/From-hilarious-heart-warming-Documentary-shows-happens-teens-teach-elderly-use-Internet-post-RAP-videos.html

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In 1953, it took 27 hours to create one PEEPS® Marshmallow Chick. Today, thanks to advances in technology, it takes six minutes.

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