UPDATE Weekly

The following message was released yesterday by Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of the American Health Care Association.

Late last night, the White House and Congressional Leadership released the text of a two-year bipartisan budget agreement. Called the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, it would raise spending caps, increase the debt limit and offset higher discretionary spending through various spending cuts and revenue increases. This series of steps allows the Federal Government to continue meeting its spending obligations while avoiding a fiscal faceoff between the Congress and the Administration.

We flagged the budget process as one of the biggest risks to our sector earlier this year, after Congress permanently repealed the sustainable growth rate. We knew the appetite for pay-fors would be high, as this is must-pass, multibillion dollar legislation.

As you know, we have been monitoring these developments for months now. Each spending scenario potentially impacted our profession, though in different ways. Here’s what we know as of this afternoon. The bipartisan agreement:

• Will increase discretionary spending by $80 billion above sequester spending caps, funding the government through FY 2017 (September 2017).
• Suspends the debt ceiling until March 2017.
• Includes a cap on Medicare Part B premium increases, providing relief to beneficiaries facing an increase next year and in 2017, if necessary.
• Extends the solvency of the Social Security disability insurance trust fund.

The legislation contains only one pay-for that threatens our profession: an extension of the Medicare sequester at its current rate for an additional year, to 2025. While it is unfortunate that Congress continues to use this pay-for when funding options are needed, immediate cuts which further erode already slim SNF margins are a far worse option. Real threats – such as a cut to bad debt reimbursement or an elimination of the provider assessment – are not in this legislation. Additional heath care pay-fors include ACA modifications, drug rebate changes, and a site neutral hospital proposal.

Despite the extension of the Medicare sequester, the latest compromise could ultimately serve the long term/post-acute care community well; adding much-needed stability to an otherwise tumultuous government funding situation.

The process is far from finished. Though leaders in both parties and the White House support the measure, opposition still exists. The House is expected to take up the bill as early as tomorrow, with hopes that the Senate will be able to act on it before the November 3rd debt ceiling deadline.

AHCA will urge Members of Congress to pass this legislation funding the government while easing further funding risks to our sector through September 2017. We will be sure to update you on its status in the coming days. Thanks for all you do.

Best,

Mark Parkinson
President/CEO

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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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Unleashing the Power of Data – Tuesday, November 3, 2015 from 3-4 PM ET. This session in the Sharing Knowledge, Improving Health Care Series is open to QIN-QIOs, partners, providers, and beneficiaries.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!

• Register at http://qualitynet.webex.com/tc
• Click on the “Upcoming” tab
• Locate the National LAN Call on November 3, 2015
• Click “Register”

Learning Objectives:

• Describe key elements to help you succeed in the data-driven healthcare landscape
• Identify available data from your QIN-QIO and other sources of data that you can use now
• Explain how you can leverage data to help achieve desired change within your team or organization

The purpose of this session is to prepare healthcare quality improvement professionals to develop a plan to collect and analyze data to identify gaps in care or processes, and, to track their team or organization’s progress over time using data. As a result, we expect you will be confident in your ability to demonstrate and promote success in your work with the QIO Program and identify opportunities for improvement, all of which promote advance in care that impact the Medicare beneficiaries served by this work.

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On October 1, CMS opened registration for the voluntary period to participate in electronic submission of payroll data, including staff start and end dates (for calculating staff retention and turnover), and census data. The voluntary period from October 1, 2015 until required submission of this data beginning on July 1, 2016 is the ONLY time that providers will have the opportunity to “test” the process and determine how their payroll system interfaces with the Payroll-Based Journal.

AHCA believes that CMS is unlikely to make any significant changes to the process or the system and strongly encourages members to consider registering for the voluntary submission period and submitting their data during the voluntary period.

Important information from CMS about the registration process including links for on-line training as well as to other Payroll-Based Journal resources is available on the Staffing Data Collection PBJ Website.

The Affordable Care Act requires CMS to collect electronic staffing data from nursing centers. The Act requires this data to be auditable and verifiable. The information is intended to collect direct care staff (employed and contracted), employee turnover and tenure, and must include census data and case mix. Earlier this year, CMS announced they would require this information to be submitted by all nursing centers starting in July 2016.

When the required submission process begins, CMS will continue to require providers to submit Forms CMS 671 & CMS 672 at the time of survey. The data from these Forms will be used in calculating the Staffing Domain of the Five Star Rating System until late 2017 or early 2018.

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Join Alliant Quality for a 30 minute Care Coordination Quick Call. This monthly series is held the first Wednesday of the month at 1 PM. The call is next week focusing on health literacy and the challenges to staff as well as the resident.

Details:

• 1st Wednesday of the Month
• November 4, 2015: 1:00 pm
• Using Health Care Literacy Assessment Information for better care coordination – Success story: Ruth Wingel, RN, BSN, Professional Development Specialist, WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center

Come prepared to discuss the following questions:

1. How do you assure that the patient actually understands follow-up instructions?
2. When you identify a health literacy challenge, what do you do next?
3. Are there resources for patients identified as experiencing a health literacy challenge?

Dial-in: 800-747-5150; Access Code: 9963169

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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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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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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

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Art Enriches Seniors’ Lives – Connecting When Words May No Longer Be Possible

http://www.providermagazine.com/archives/2015_Archives/Pages/0715/Art-Enriches-Seniors-Lives.aspx

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The Tootsie Roll was the first penny candy to be individually wrapped.

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