UPDATE Weekly

Each April, the various factors used in the Fair Rental Value (FRV) rate for nursing facilities are updated. Once you have received your rate letter, how can you tell if your rate is accurate? NCHCFA makes available an Excel spreadsheet that can calculate your rate, including separate detail for the direct, indirect, Fair Rental Value (FRV) and provider assessment rate components.

As an added bonus, this same rate calculation can also tell you what your rate would be for any case-mix figure entered. It can also estimate the impact on your FRV rate of any facility improvement that you may be considering in the future.

To access this file, in the member section of the NCHCFA Website, click here.

[Return to top]

Make plans today to join your colleagues for the seventh annual NCHCFA Summer Symposium. The three-day event will be August 8-10, 2018 at the Embassy Suites Resort at Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach, SC. Call the Embassy Suites Resort at (800) 876-0010 to reserve your overnight room. Use group code “HCF” to identify yourself as a NC Health Care Facilities Association Convention attendee! To make your reservation on-line, visit https://tinyurl.com/ncsummersymposium2018.

[Return to top]

The NC Health Care Facilities Association presents Requirements of Participation (RoP) Phase 3. This session will overview the changes outlined in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participation which dramatically reforms the regulations for long term care facilities. The speaker will focus on Phase 3 Regulations, with special attention to Behavioral Health, Trauma, Informed Care, Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) and Training Requirements.

Objectives:

• Identify the timeline for Phase 3 compliance.
• Discuss the 10 key changes that are anticipated for implementation in Phase 3.
• Describe key characteristics of Trauma-Informed Care.
• State the 5 operational strategies for CMS compliance.

About the Speaker:

Kris Mastrangelo, President and CEO, Harmony Healthcare International

“I truly enjoyed Kris’ presentation. She’s very engaging and gave the audience good information to think about. Her personal stories were great!”

“Kris is absolutely amazing in clarity, comprehensive picture and context to past/present/future…will call her Guru Kris!”

“Informative and useful information consolidated and synthesized by speaker”

Kris Mastrangelo is nationally known and recently presented for the American Health Care Association (AHCA) during their 2017 Annual Convention and Expo. She has more than 24 years of experience in the Health Care profession with a specialty in the Long Term and Post-Acute Care Arena. An Occupational Therapist degree from Tufts University followed by a Master’s in Business Administration from Salem State University coupled with a Nursing Home Administrator’s License affords Kris an in-depth perspective into the nursing home profession. Initially providing direct care as an Occupational Therapist, Kris became familiar with the Medicare, Medicaid and HMO reimbursement systems. Her position evolved into the management of rehabilitation programs to Vice President of Operations for a national consulting company to Vice President of Reimbursement. Her experience includes the development and presentation of training modules (C.A.R.E.- Compliance, Audit, Analysis, Reimbursement and Regulatory and Efficiency) for independent owners to national organizations. She proclaims that “Our on-site and off-site medical record review process is the platform for C.A.R.E. optimization and systems improvement.” She is an integral player in the Payment Reform with significant contributions to the policy process. Kris was appointed to and serves on the AHCA’s Clinical Practice Committee (CPC).

This session will be offered in two locations:
April 10th, 2018 – Durham, NC
April 11th, 2018 – Charlotte, NC

Click here to view and print the brochure with registration form. Click here to register on-line now!

[Return to top]

NCHCFA Districts have scheduled their spring meetings. District meetings allow participants to interact with peers in a comfortable atmosphere, promoting valuable and productive conversation. Each space will be limited to 50 individuals. There will be a small registration cost of $35.00 to help with the speaker fee. Lunch will be provided.

This program will offer 4.0 contact hours for nursing home administrators. The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association is a Registered Sponsor of continuing education with the NC State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators. Comments regarding the Registered Sponsor Course may be addressed to: NCBENHA, 3733 National Drive, Suite 110, Raleigh, NC 27612.

The agenda will include the following topics/presentations:

Agenda

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Alliant Quality (QIN-QIO) –Alliant Quality will present an update on NC’s facilities’ quality measures.

10:30 AM – 2:30 PM
All Clear Emergency Management Group, LLC – Will Moorhead, President and Owner of All Clear Emergency Management Group, LLC, will dive into the “how to” of the exercise requirement of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services emergency preparedness rule. Learn how to design, conduct, and evaluate an exercise in a nursing home environment. The session will briefly review the CMS requirements, provide practical tips for efficiently completing a useful risk assessment, and examine the contents of a CMS compliant and practically applicable emergency plan. This review of the CMS requirements will demonstrate how exercise design is more easily accomplished when utilizing the best practices for risk assessment and emergency planning. Participants will be guided through information and steps that can be utilized for exercise design within their facility.

District I
April 25th
Silver Bluff Village
100 Silver Bluff Drive
Canton, NC 28716
Click here for District I registration form

District II
May 8th
Wilkes Senior Village
204 Old Brick Yard Road
North Wilkesboro, NC 28659
Click here for District II registration form

District III
May 22nd
Clapp’s Mountain Top Living Apartments
450 Mountain Top Drive
Asheboro, NC 27203
Click here for District III registration form

District IV
May 9th
Bradley Creek Health Center at Carolina Bay
630 Carolina Bay Drive
Wilmington, NC 28403
Click here for District IV registration form

District V
May 23rd
Cypress Glen Retirement Community
100 Hickory Street
Greenville, NC 27858
Click here for District V registration form

[Return to top]

NCHCFA has a new benefit of membership in 2018—a monthly Lunch and Learn Webinar Series. NCHCFA will offer a one-hour Webinar on a timely and relevant topic to its members for no additional charge. There will be no CEUs offered for these Webinars.

The next Webinar in the series is scheduled for April 19th, from 12 noon-1:00 PM. Mark your calendar today! Webinar details are below:

Title: Resident Opioid Use – Risks and Legal Obligations of Long Term Care Pharmacies, Facilities and Medical Directors

Presenter: Smith Moore Leatherwood, LLP

The Opioid crisis is in the news on a daily basis. Combatting the crisis is a primary government focus at the national and state levels. Litigation is filed weekly seeking to hold manufacturers, distributors, pharmacies, and prescribers responsible for addiction and the cost to government of dealing with the crisis. In this Webinar, you will learn about NC’s opioid legislation and action plan, how issues could arise during surveys, current trends in litigation, dangers within your own facility and workforce, and practical ways to seek to reduce your risk of government enforcement or resident claims. Responsibilities of and preventive strategies for long term care pharmacies, facilities, and medical directors will be addressed. Click here to register today!

[Return to top]

The NC State Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators (NCBENHA) will offer the 2018 Preceptor Seminars on April 23-24, 2018 and April 24-25, 2018 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 2018 by NCBENHA. The deadline to register is April 13th! Click here to download more information along with the registration form.

[Return to top]

Since January 1, 2018, NCHCFA has allowed Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) in North Carolina to join the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) through NCHCFA’s affiliation with AHCA/NCAL. Any ALF that elects to join NCAL will be a member facility of NCAL but will not be a member of NCHCFA. Click here to review NCAL membership benefits!

If an ALF wishes to join NCAL, please e-mail Karen Lennon for membership dues information at KarenL@nchcfa.org or phone at (919) 782-3827.

[Return to top]

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW) is May 13-19, 2018! NSNCW, formerly known as National Nursing Home Week, provides an opportunity to recognize the role of skilled nursing care centers in caring for America’s seniors and individuals with disabilities. This year’s theme, “Celebrating Life’s Stories”, serves as a tribute to life’s most significant events, relationships and experiences that shape the unique perspectives of residents, families, staff, and volunteers in long term and post-acute care.

Are you ready to start “Celebrating Life’s Stories”? AHCA is excited to release the 2018 NSNCW Planning Guide and Product Catalog! Visit the NSNCW Website to download the guide and purchase 2018 products now http://bit.ly/2hFJAjr. Members are encouraged to place orders early for best product selection (color, size, and available quantities). NSNCW items are very popular and will sell out.

Don’t forget to “Like” the NSNCW Facebook page here for updates and to see what centers are planning during this special week, May 13-19, 2018, and be sure to use the hashtag, #NSNCW in any social media posts related to the observance.

[Return to top]

How can you measure the effectiveness of quality improvement efforts? Read this book and find out! Chapters cover preparing to collect data, data collection, understanding variation, run and control charts, control chart case studies, developing improvement strategies, and using patient surveys for CQI. An appendix shows five ways to calculate control limits.

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

Product #6912
AHCA MEMBERS $58.00

[Return to top]

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]

The High Costs of Alzheimer’s

Consumer HealthDay Article

[Return to top]

The average bolt of lightning contains enough energy to toast 100,000 pieces of bread.

[Return to top]