UPDATE Weekly

Today the CDC released the Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship in Nursing Homes. This resource is designed to help nursing homes improve antibiotic prescribing practices and reduce inappropriate use to protect residents from the consequences of antibiotic-resistant infections, such as C. difficile. In addition to the Core Elements document, there is a complimentary checklist and several fact sheets. The AHCA Clinical Practice committee was involved in providing feedback/suggested edits to these fact sheets.

CDC’s Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship in Nursing Homes will provide practical ways for nursing homes to initiate or expand antibiotic stewardship activities. Below are links to the Core Elements materials:

• Press Release
• Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship in Nursing Homes
—- o Appendix A
—- o Appendix B
• Companion Checklist
• Infographic
• Fact Sheets
—- o For Nursing Homes Medical Leaders and Administrators:
—- —-  Leading Antibiotic Stewardship in Nursing Homes
—- —-  Creating a Culture to Improve Antibiotic Use in Nursing Homes
—- o For Residents and Families:
—- —-  Top 10 Infection Prevention Questions to Ask a Nursing Home’s Leaders
—- —-  What You Need to Know About Antibiotics in a Nursing Home
—- —-  What to Ask Your Healthcare Providers about Antibiotics

[Return to top]

The “Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Consolidated Billing (CB)” Web-Based Training (WBT) course was revised and is now available. This WBT is designed to provide education for providers, suppliers, and other health care professionals about SNF CB requirements. It includes payment information for the majority of services provided to beneficiaries in a Medicare-covered SNF stay, including most services provided by entities other than the SNF. It also includes information on bundled prospective payments made through the Fiscal Intermediary (FI) or Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) to the SNF. Continuing education credits are available to learners who successfully complete this course. See course description for more information.

To access the WBTs, go to https://learner.mlnlms.com/Default.aspx. A user account will be needed to access these items.

[Return to top]

Completing applications can take months and the opening of the ITA window is a great time to begin the process. Bronze, Silver and Gold applications are on the Quality Award Website now.

The AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program recognizes member skilled nursing care centers and assisted living communities for quality care and performance excellence. The program sets high standards based on the Baldrige Performance Excellence criteria. The program has three distinct levels; members must receive an award at each level to progress to the next.

WHY PARTICIPATE?
Performance Improvement

The AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program is designed to encourage continuous learning and help members:

• Increase efficiency and effectiveness of their performance improvement system
• Validate and secure the links between continuous improvement, quality, and customer satisfaction
• Link mission, goals, and customer expectations
• Assess and maximize the organization’s strengths
• Apply systematic approaches that produce consistent results
• Receive customized feedback to drive change

Superior Outcomes

AHCA/NCAL research has demonstrated that Silver and Gold recipients (2012-2014) have superior performance in a number of key outcome areas:

• lower rates of readmissions and antipsychotic use
• higher five-star ratings
• higher average occupancy rates

To learn more about all of the 2016 AHCA Quality Award Program, click here.

[Return to top]

CMS recently announced that it has extended the comment period for the Requirements of Participation proposed rule to October 14. You are having an impact! We must ensure that CMS continues to hear us.

The over 6,500 comments that have been submitted so far are helping CMS realize this is a very important issue that has a significant effect on our profession. NCHCFA’s objective is to impress upon CMS just how important these changes are to skilled nursing facilities in North Carolina. To be effective, we need you and as many individuals in your organization as possible to continue to submit comments to CMS.

We are asking that every administrator, director of nursing, corporate officer, support staffer, everyone with a vested interest in the future of this profession carefully review these proposed changes. Please visit AHCA’s dedicated Webpage for resources to assist in your comment submission. You can view everything from simple step-by-step instructions on how to write and file comments to instructional videos to comments that have already been submitted. It’s easy to file your comments electronically.

Although the proposed changes are very broad, you should not feel like you must address every issue. Focus on a few items that will have the greatest impact on your residents, your staff, or your facility.

Resources to help you:

• Mark Parkinson Video
• Dr. David Gifford Video
• Len Russ Instructional Video
• Instructions
• Topics for Comment
• Sample Comments
• Template Letter for Assisted Living Members
• Mark Parkinson’s Comment Letter to CMS
• See comments already submitted
• Submit a Comment Electronically
• Submit a Comment by Mail
• Log Your Submission
• Summary of SNF RoP Proposed Rule
• SNF RoP Proposed Rule Full Text
• Side-by-Side Comparison of Proposed and Current Regulations

Additionally, AHCA is compiling a database of those who have submitted a comment to CMS – either electronically or by mail – on the Requirements of Participation Proposed Rule and will recognize those individuals with a special badge ribbon at AHCA/NCAL’s annual convention this October in San Antonio, Texas.

Many NCHCFA members have commented directly to CMS so the AHCA database is not reflective of North Carolina’s efforts. We realize this is another step to take, but we are asking NCHCFA members to please click here and provide the requested information so that AHCA may count your submission.

If you have any questions regarding the proposed changes or this effort, please do not hesitate to contact either Polly Welsh, pollyg@nchcfa.org, or Eric Kivisto, erick@nchcfa.org, or (919)782-3827.

[Return to top]

Alliant Quality wants to encourage SNFs to keep signing up for the National Collaborative – or SPACE. Alliant recommends having as much time as possible to get started on QAPI improvement work and improving facility quality measures in a systems approach to improve their five star and composite scores.

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.

If you are ready to register, click here for the Participation Agreement and fax or e-mail it back to Lis Klemis. For more details, e-mail Linda Kluge at, Linda.Kluge@area-F.hcqis.org or reach her at (678) 527-3675.

[Return to top]

Alliant Quality is offering to teach diabetes classes in the local nursing homes – to benefit the short-term residents who are there for rehabilitation, for staff and families, and the community. A SNF that is partnering with their community can meet their local needs by offering these free classes, sharing with local MDs and hospitals, and hosting the sites for these trainings. Alliant Quality staff will provide all the materials.

Find out about Alliant Quality’s FREE, FUN, HANDS-ON 6-WEEK CLASS

They can teach at your facility for FREE!

They come to you. They cover all expenses.

You tell them when and help fill the seats.

To learn more, call (888) 313-9355 or e-mail Jeana.Partington@alliantquality.org.

[Return to top]

There are several Medicare related items that impact skilled nursing facilities. These items, as well as links for additional information, are listed below:

• 2016 Annual Update of Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System (HCPCS) Codes for Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Consolidated Billing (CB) Update
• Temporary hold on Medicare claims
• Updated Medicare Rates Effective October 1, 2015
• ICD-10

[Return to top]

A Blueprint for a Fall Prevention Program presented by Sue Ann Guildermann on September 30th, 2015 in Greensboro is now sold out! If you would like to be placed on a wait list, please e-mail Donna Snyder at donnas@nchcfa.org. We will let you know if a seat becomes available. Thank you!

[Return to top]

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

[Return to top]

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, e-mail your request to Donna Snyder at donnas@nchcfa.org.

• NCHCFA Member: $30.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping
• Non-Members: $60.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping

[Return to top]

Be proactive with new CMS regulations.

http://www.mcknights.com/guest-columns/be-proactive-with-new-cms-regulations/article/437083/

[Return to top]

On this date in 1620, The Mayflower sets sail from Plymouth, England with 102 Pilgrims.

[Return to top]