UPDATE Weekly

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) recently launched a comprehensive on-line Learning Management System to support the training needs of its members. The Web site, known as ahcancalED, contains a wealth of information including educational programs, Webinars, instructional videos, training courses, and other tools. It is available free to AHCA members.

AhcancalED was created for member facilities who do not have the time or budget to develop the newest in-service training. AHCA’s objective was to provide the best and latest educational tools, especially as CMS increases its regulatory requirements about staff training and competency in a number of areas. AhcancalED is designed to help individuals in our profession do a better job of caring for patients and residents and advance in their careers.”

The information on ahcancalED is structured to make the online learning experience engaging, meaningful, and interactive for users. The fresh graphics and clearly defined sections within the site make it easy for users to navigate and find the information they need. The site also allows users to track their own learning progress.

AhcancalED can be accessed at https://educate.ahcancal.org. Suggestions for content or other site enhancements can be submitted to the ahcancalED team at educate@ahca.org. AHCA welcomes ideas that will help improve quality and strengthen the knowledge, skills and attitudes of staff in the long term and post-acute care community.

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Register today for the North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association’s “The Future of SNF Payment Models and Post-Acute Regulatory Reform.” There is little debate that the country’s healthcare economy is undergoing unprecedented reform which is rapidly shifting provider reimbursements to a system that rewards quality, efficiency and collaboration. The SNF providers that wish to thrive in this new economy stand at a tipping point whereby the strategies and tactics they employ today will profoundly impact their opportunity for success in the years to come. As regulatory payment methodologies shift from volume to value, many SNFs are finding themselves behind the curve relative to the pace of change. Please join us on the critically important topics of:

• Bundled Payments
• Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CCJR)
• SNF Value Based Purchasing
• Referral Source Alignment
• Quality Measure (Five Star Rating, QAPI, etc…)
• Medicaid Managed Care

This information will be presented by Dixon Hughes Goodman, LLC in Greensboro, NC on November 10th, 2015 at The Sheraton Greensboro/Four Seasons. The cost to attend this seminar is $185 for members and $370 for non-members. This fee includes handouts, lunch, and breaks. YOU CAN REGISTER AND PAY ON-LINE! TO REGISTER, GO TO http://NursingHomesNC.com AND CLICK ON The Future of SNF Payment Models and Post-Acute Regulatory Reform. Members may be invoiced. Non-members must submit payment online or mail with registration. Registration is open to anyone who would like to attend!

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The 2016 Quality Award application year has started. 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.

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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.

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.

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.

When 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.

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When you have to replace an RN, the average cost is one hundred thousand dollars. By the time you find the right candidate, hire, train, and help them become productive, it could cost 150% of their base salary. It’s a lot less expensive to keep the employees you have, especially in a competitive market!

• Gero Nurse Prep prepares RNs for successful attainment of board certification as Gerontological Nurses, the gold standard of excellence.
• Employer support for continuing education and board certification can increase RN job satisfaction.
• Satisfied, well-trained, and committed RNs provide better quality care.
• RN satisfaction and a supportive workplace are linked to decreased turnover rates.

In addition to staff retention, your support of certification is an investment in your center’s performance, reputation, and residents. To learn more about these and other benefits of the course please go to http://geronurseprep.org.

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This book will show you the true financial consequences of unchecked resident readmission and provide you with the tools to do something about it! It delivers several practical strategies your facility can employ, such as enhanced resident assessment and documentation policies, provider partnerships that improve transitions of care, staff education tools, and methods to achieve resident and staff involvement. You will learn how to ensure smooth care transitions through resident education and effective communication with staff and other care providers, reduce costs associated with re-hospitalizations and maintain or improve the resident’s quality of life.

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

Product #8238
AHCA MEMBERS $129.00

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The brochure for potential trade associate members and exhibitors at EXPO 2016 are now available. Do you have a favorite supplier you think might be interested in participating? If so, now is the time to have them contact Donna Snyder at donnas@nchcfa.org or by phone at (919) 782-3827 to get on the mailing list. The trade show will be held on Tuesday, February 23rd during our Annual Convention and Expo in Greensboro, NC.

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

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Preserve memories despite Alzheimer’s: Sandy’s Story

http://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2015/10/16/sandys-story-part-3–grandpa-books.cnn

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Two-digit Interstate numbers are designed to let drivers know the general direction of the highway. If the Interstate is an odd number, it runs north-south. Interstates with even numbers run east-west.

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