UPDATE Weekly

Election of Officers and Members of the Board of Directors will be conducted on Monday, January 29th, 2018, during NCHCFA’s Business Meeting. The Business Meeting will be held in conjunction with NCHCFA’s 2018 Annual Convention in Greensboro. All persons seeking an office or a position on the Board of Directors should complete the NCHCFA Board of Directors Application and submit it to the Nominating Committee by November 30, 2017. The NCHCFA Board of Directors Application is new for 2018, and it is being implemented to assist the Nominating Committee in evaluating candidates wishing to run for a seat on the Board of Directors. Please mail or e-mail the completed application to the attention of:

By Mail:
Nominating Committee
North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association
5109 Bur Oak Circle
Raleigh, NC 27612

By E-mail:
Karen Lennon, NCHCFA, KarenL@nchcfa.org

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NCHCFA would like to thank all facilities that submitted nominations for the 2018 NCHCFA Annual Awards. We had a great response to help recognize front-line staff for their contributions. As soon as all winners have been notified, the 2018 Annual Award Winners will be listed in UPDATE.

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As announced previously, in the final Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) made an array of calculation errors. The FY 2018 SNF PPS – Final Rule Correction Notice corrects technical errors related to the wage index and budget neutrality factor provided in the final rule that determined the skilled nursing facility Medicare rates that became effective October 1, 2017. Impacts on facilities are minimal but will vary based on patient case mix and Core-Based Statistical Areas (CBSA).

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has updated their Medicare SNF PPS Rate calculator tool to reflect the changes CMS has made to the SNF PPS rates. It can be accessed by clicking here.

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Earlier this week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule for the calendar year (CY) 2018 physician fee schedule (PFS) and final rule with comment period for the quality payment program (QPP). The rule includes updates to payment policies, payment rates, and quality provisions for services furnished under the PFS on or after January 1, 2018.

The PFS pays for Medicare Part B services furnished by physicians and other practitioners in all sites of service. These services include but are not limited to, visits, surgical procedures, diagnostic tests, therapy services, and specified preventive services. In addition to physicians, payment is made under the PFS to a variety of practitioners and entities, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and physical therapists, as well as radiation therapy centers, independent diagnostic testing facilities, and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).

Payments are based on the relative resources typically used to furnish the service. Relative value units (RVUs) are applied to each service for work, practice expense, and malpractice. These RVUs become payment rates through the application of a conversion factor. Payment rates are calculated to include an overall payment update specified by statute.

The PFS rule includes several provisions that impact SNFs, including the following:

• Overall payment rates
• Changes in the values of specific services, including outpatient therapy services
• Therapy caps
• Medicare telehealth services
• Medicare shared savings program

To view the full summary of these provisions prepared by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), click here. For more information, e-mail Dan Ciolek at dciolek@ahca.org.

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The Emergency Preparedness Final Rule, released September 16, 2016, impacts skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IIDs), but does not apply to assisted living providers. Providers will need to comply with the final rule by November 15, 2017.

In June 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Emergency Preparedness Interpretive Guidance (IG). Members are highly encouraged to look through the guidance. Click here for a summary the American Health Care Association (AHCA) put together of the IG for your use. CMS also released the surveyor training to providers, more information can be found in this September memo. In addition, AHCA has an Emergency Preparedness Final Rule Webinar Series. Be sure to register for the final Webinar in the series, which will be held November 21st from 2:00-3:00 PM ET. Finally, the AHCA Bookstore has added new resources for the rule, to access the bookstore please click here.

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The updated List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) database file, which reflects all OIG exclusions and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in October 2017 has been posted. The updated files are posted on OIG’s Web site at https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/exclusions_list.asp. Healthcare providers have an “affirmative duty” to check to ensure that excluded individuals are not working in their facilities or face significant fines.

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Below you will find access to these useful education materials for residents, families, and staff.

“Protect yourself from influenza…Get vaccinated!”
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4408.pdf

“Vaccinations for Adults…You’re never too old to get vaccinated!”
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4030.pdf

“Vaccinations for Adults with Heart Disease”
http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4044.pdf

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Make plans today to attend the NCHCFA Annual Convention and Expo January 28 – 31, 2018. The meeting will be held at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, Greensboro, NC. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Secretary Cohen’s informative program on Monday, January 29th, during the Annual Business Meeting.

Since being appointed as Secretary of the DHHS in January, Mandy Cohen, MD, MPH, and her team have worked tirelessly to improve the health safety and well-being of North Carolinians. DHHS is a cabinet-level agency with approximately 16,000 employees and an annual budget of $20 billion. Among her top priorities are combating the opioid crisis, building a strong, efficient Medicaid program, and improving early childhood education.

Cohen is an internal medicine physician and has experience leading complex health organizations. Before coming to DHHS, she was the Chief Operating Officer and Chief of Staff at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). She brings a deep understanding of health care to the state and has been responsible for implementing policies for Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Federal Marketplace.

A graduate of Cornell University, she received her medical degree from the Yale School of Medicine, a Master’s in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health and trained in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.

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The AHCA Quality Award program has three progressive step levels. This seminar will cover the first level, Bronze – Commitment to Quality. Bronze Award applicants begin their quality journey by developing an organizational profile including vision and mission statements, an awareness of their environment and customers’ expectations, and a demonstration of their ability to improve a process.

This session includes a full day of training and consultation on how to complete the AHCA/NCAL Bronze Quality Award Application. This training will decipher the criteria, answer questions, clarify concepts, and guide participants through the process of writing an organizational quality award application. Using interactive technology, participants will leave the workshop with their applications complete or with few areas to fill in.

Objectives:

• Gain knowledge on the AHCA/NCAL Bronze National Quality Award Application Process
• Understand the technical requirements of the application process and recertification policy of the Awards Program
• Review and learn the Bronze Quality Award Criteria
• Develop the framework for a Quality Award Application

It is never too early to begin thinking about and planning your quality award application. This is an opportunity for you and your team to begin your quality journey by working together through the writing process. Get your application ready early and have plenty of time to fine-tune it before the deadline.

For the complete brochure and registration information, click here.

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Judy Wilhide Brandt will be presenting an encore presentation on the following topics in Durham, NC on November 16th, 2017. If you could not attend the previous sold-out seminar on September 26th, don’t miss out on this one. Click here to download and print the brochure and registration form. Click here to register on-line.

• Review SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP), Section GG Coding
• Discuss the purpose of Post-Acute QRP and the role of SNF-QRP
• Understand which MDS items are used for MDS based QRP measures and how to avoid a 2% APU reduction
• List the current QRP claims and MDS based measures with overview of how they are calculated
• Discuss the new MDS items for QRP and new QRP measures to begin collection October 2018 as finalized in the FY18 SNF Final Rule
• Discuss implications of accurate coding for Section GG, to include assessment periods, timing and value in health information exchange for transitions
• Review 5 star quality measures and accurate coding
• Discuss administrative oversight of the MDS department to ensure compliance with accurate coding and transmission for all QMs that are MDS based
• Understand how MDS coding affects risk adjustment for claims based measures
• Review Requirements and Interpretative Guidelines for baseline care planning
• Discuss authentic ways to engage the physician and CNAs in care planning as required by Phase 2 ROP

About the Presenter

Judy Wilhide Brandt is one of the nation’s leading experts on skilled nursing facility (SNF) clinical Medicare compliance, Five Star Rating System, Quality Measures and the MDS/RAI process. Judy brings over thirty-five years of combined experience to the long term care profession, with over twenty years in positions of increasing responsibility in nursing facilities as a nurse manager, executive, and consultant. She is the principle for Wilhide Consulting, Inc. and serves as an advisor, auditor, and trainer for multiple providers from stand-alone communities to multi-state chains across the country.

PLEASE NOTE:
This is the same session that was presented on September 26th in Greensboro.

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The new emergency preparedness requirements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) become effective November 16. To help prepare skilled nursing facilities participating in Medicare and Medicaid to meet these new requirements, The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is pleased to offer a new Emergency & Disaster Preparedness Kit prepared by IlluminAge Communication Partners.

The new kit includes three main components:

• Online Emergency Document Storage and Portal. This service makes it easy and fast to organize, store, and have online/offline emergency access to “must have” documents, such as emergency contact lists, evacuation and resident relocation plans, emergency staffing plans, valve shut-off instructions, etc.
• Step-by-Step Video. A 26-minute video that provides an excellent overview of CMS’ new emergency preparedness requirements, including their background and context, the timeline for compliance, and the elements every emergency planning effort must include.
• Emergency Preparedness Checklist. A 28-page companion that will give your emergency prep coordinator an easy-to-follow, 15-step framework to help shape and guide an effective compliance program.

To order, visit http://www.AHCApublications.org or call (800) 321-0343. Fax orders may also be placed at (800) 869-5605.

AHCA MEMBERS $179.00

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NCHCFA has partnered with nationally recognized speaker, Cara Silletto and her company Crescendo Strategies, to offer you a new online course. Are you having trouble retaining young workers? Do you find it hard to understand Millennials? If you missed our Full Day Workforce Summit, this 90-minute, self-paced online course shows leaders a Millennial speaker’s first-hand stories about the real generational issues on the T.A.B.L.E. (technology, authority, balance, loyalty, entitlement). Course participants will learn critical insights about all of today’s workers in order to bridge the widening generational gaps and reduce unnecessary employee turnover.

How companies use this on-line course:

• Consistent training across multiple locations
• Catch-up session for those who missed it live
• New supervisor and manager orientation
• Prep for strategic planning or leadership retreats
• Deep-dive diversity training beyond the basics
• Continuing education credits (1.5 NAB-approved credits)

NCHCFA is pleased to offer member discounts! Click here for more information and promotional codes. Click here to start the course (Remember to enter your promo code).

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Tapping into dementia patients’ memories through Vaudeville

NYTimes Article

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By law, any product labeled “peanut butter” in the United States must be at least 90 percent peanuts.

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