UPDATE Weekly

Per the September 12, 2018, South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) Medicaid Bulletin, SCDHHS will, in good faith, reimburse North Carolina qualified providers not currently enrolled with or otherwise pre-approved by the South Carolina Medicaid program for medically necessary and time-sensitive services rendered to South Carolina Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) beneficiaries. Provisions approved by SCDHHS under the September 11, 2018, federal Health and Human Services 1135 waiver authority include:

• Reimbursement for services provided by individuals not certified or licensed in the State of South Carolina, if the rendering provider holds an equivalent license in another state and is not specifically prohibited from practicing in the State of South Carolina.
• Suspension of civil sanctions under 1877(g) of the Social Security Act, relating to prohibited physician referral, only to ensure the timely provision of necessary services during the emergency response.

Provider obligations under state and federal licensing and certification requirements not specifically addressed by this waiver authority remain unchanged. Also, SCDHHS is not waiving determination and certification of medical necessity for services requiring such a determination; only their review and prior authorization.

Providers rendering services to South Carolina Medicaid or CHIP beneficiaries must complete the South Carolina Health & Human Services Emergency Response Provider Registration form. SCDHHS plans to issue further guidance on its Medicaid enrollment process and reimbursement for providers who do not participate in the South Carolina Medicaid program. Direct questions about these provisions to the South Carolina Provider Service Center at (888) 289-0709.

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North Carolina Medicaid will be transitioning to a managed care system beginning November of 2019. Nearly two-thirds of nursing home residents are covered by Medicaid. This will be the biggest change in the history of the North Carolina Medicaid program. Don’t miss David Richard, Deputy Secretary for the Division of Medical Assistance (DMA) and Jay Ludlam, Assistant Secretary for Medicaid Transformation with the NC Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), as they present on Medicaid Managed Care transformation on September 26th during the NCHCFA Financial Summit.

Their presentation will be followed by a panel discussion featuring five of the organizations which are competing for North Carolina’s managed care contract. Click here to download and view the NCHCFA Financial Summit brochure or click here to register online today! Don’t miss out on this important information.

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This quality measure derived from the MDS, reports the percentage of long-stay residents who are receiving antipsychotic drugs in a 7-day look-back period. The exclusions are: diagnosis of schizophrenia, Tourette’s syndrome, or Huntington’s disease.

There are many helpful, common-sense strategies people can use to ease distress and relate to individuals experiencing dementia rather than using antipsychotic medications. These strategies include:

• Using the person’s name with a calm, unhurried approach and relaxed body language
• Using short simple words and sentences and minimizing questions
• Speaking slowly and clearly without raising your voice
• Allowing plenty of time for an answer before repeating yourself
• Using good eye contact and a smile, showing the person that you are friendly and that you care
• Refraining from arguments or criticism
• Keeping the environment familiar and minimizing distractions
• Providing conversation or activities that are relaxing and relevant to the individual’s past interests and strengths

Additional tips for reducing antipsychotics can be found by clicking here.

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“Your Quality Initiative Progress” is a LTC Trend Tracker publication that includes metrics and graphics outlining a facilities progress through the four goals of both the AHCA and NCAL Quality Initiative. Distributed semi-annually, the report also includes links to member resources that help with specific goals.

“Your Quality Initiative Progress” is available any time.

LTC Trend Tracker stores these publications under a facility account. Just log into LTC Trend Tracker, go to “Manage Publications” and then select “Your Quality Initiative Progress“. Members can either download multiple PDFs by division, or view or download single PDFs by building.

If wishing to change which buildings to review, compare to different peer groups, or monitor trends over time, log into LTC Trend Tracker and then “Run a Report” from the left-hand menu bar to start customizing.

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The Quality Award Portal allows for the following:

• Review of the 2019 Quality Award Application Packets (Bronze, Silver and Gold)
• Submission of an Intent-to-Apply payment
• Submission of a 2019 Quality Award Application and application fee
• Review and completion of a 2019 Quality Award Examiner application

Also, serving as an Examiner is a great way to get involved in the Quality Award Program, and benefits include CEUs, in person and virtual Baldrige Criteria training, and discounted registration rates for AHCA/NCAL’s annual Quality Summit or Convention.

For more information on the National Quality Award Program and the Examiner process please visit AHCA’s website, or email us at qualityaward@ahca.org.

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The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to thank our 2018 NCHCFA Financial Summit Exhibit Partners for supporting the upcoming Financial Summit in Chapel Hill, NC. Stop by and see our Exhibit Partners on Wednesday, September 26th and Thursday, September 27th!

NCHCFA would also like to thank the following 2018 Trade Associate Members for sponsoring an event or item during the upcoming Financial Summit. We appreciate your support!

BOK Financial – Event Lanyards
Berkeley Point Capital – Event Pens/Highlighters
Carolina Complete Health – Hotel Keycards
Pinnacle Bank – Wednesday’s Beverage Stations
Poyner Spruill, LLP – Wednesday’s Afternoon Break
QMX Mobile Health – Event Junior Portfolios
Senior Dental Care – Thursday’s Afternoon Break
Trident Care Rx – Breakfast
WellCare – Thursday’s Beverage Stations
Young Moore & Henderson, P.A. – Event Messenger Bags

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NCHCFA has an additional benefit of membership, a one-hour Webinar on a timely and relevant topic to its members at no additional charge. There will be no CEUs offered for these Webinars.

The next Webinar is scheduled for Thursday, September 20th, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. Webinar details are below:

Title: Advance Directives
Presenter: Ken Burgess, Poyner Spruill, LLP

Over the years, the NCHCFA has provided training to its members on end of life healthcare planning for residents, including the various Advance Directives forms available under North Carolina law, the purpose and function of each, and differences among them. This Webinar will be presented by Ken Burgess of Poyner Spruill, LLP and will focus on the most common questions and answers providers ask about Advance Directives in SNFs, and key issues surrounding the implementation of residents’ end of life wishes and advance directives, based on Ken’s experience assisting providers with this sometimes confusing topic for the past decade. The entire Webinar will be presented in a Q & A format, consisting of questions Ken always gets and any further questions Webinar participants want to pose. Click Here to register today!

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The NCHCFA 7th Annual Autumn Classic scheduled in Southern Pines, NC last week was postponed to allow attendees to prepare for Hurricane Florence. The Association is working with Pine Needles Lodge and Resort to reschedule the event later this year. Details will be provided as soon as they are available.

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NCHCFA has scheduled the Fall district meetings. District meetings allow participants to interact with peers in a comfortable atmosphere, promoting valuable and productive conversation. Each space will be limited to 40 individuals. The registration fee is $75.00. Lunch will be provided. Click here to download and print the brochure and registration form. This program will offer 3.5 contact hours for nursing home administrators. The agenda will include the following topics/presentations:

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM
Alliant Quality (QIN-QIO)
Alliant Quality will present updates on the Nursing Home Quality Measures for each District with state and national benchmarks. Additional updates on QAPI, readmissions, and the Change Package (if available) will be discussed as the current status of CDI monthly reporting to NHSN with state rankings.

10:30 AM – 2:00 PM
The Multi-Faceted Staffing Crisis
NCHCFA Executive Vice President, Polly Welsh, will discuss the first step in any “improvement process” – When all you are certain of is undesirable reality. As the health workforce shortage becomes more severe – studies, theories, and commentary are abundant. This session promises to be outside the box in its discussions of how to examine a different kind of culture, the individual facility’s workforce culture. Topics will include:

• Explore potential recruitment and workforce development through connections with health occupations and career technical high school students (as well as nursing students within communities).
• Identify how to achieve a culture of retention through person-centered managerial techniques.
• Brainstorm ways to solidify a positive correlation between staff satisfaction and resident satisfaction.

District I
October 2, 2018
Givens Health Center
600 Barrett Lane
Asheville, NC 28803

District II
October 11, 2018
Abernethy Laurels
102 Leonard Avenue
Newton, NC 28658

District III
October 16, 2018
Pennybyrn at Maryfield
1315 Greensboro Road
High Point, NC 27260

District IV
October 23, 2018
Trinity Grove
631 Junction Creek Drive
Wilmington, NC 28412

District V
October 25, 2018
The Solutions Center
Suite 200, Brighton Hall
1101 Slater Road
Durham, NC 27703

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Thursday, September 27, 2018
2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Presenter:
Libby Massiah, MPA
Task Lead: Immunization and Cardiac Health
Register HerePhone: (800) 747-5150
Access: 2323667#

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After this Friday, you must register onsite at convention. Register now and save up to $100! Numerous packages are available. Find the one that meets your needs. The AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo has so much to offer, and AHCA can’t wait to host you. From the exciting speakers to the invaluable education sessions, you’ll enjoy every minute of the learning, networking, idea sharing, and just plain fun that is set to take place at the San Diego Convention Center next month. Register to attend, and bring your staff!

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This DVD, Mobility and Safe Movement of the Elderly, Improving Your Skills to Prevent Injuries and Reduce Falls, by Teepa Snow, MS, OTR/L., FOTA, Dementia Care & Training Specialist, was developed in conjunction with Wake Allied Health Education Center, Durham Technical Community College and the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Office of Information Systems. The content is formatted in separate segments in order to customize the delivery of content to your learning objective. Handouts developed by Teepa accompany each video and may be reproduced. To order, e-mail your request to Donna Snyder at donnas@nchcfa.org. The price is $35.00 (tax and shipping included).

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The importance of big-picture thinking

Smart Brief Article

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For the first 25 years of the car, zinc oxide was added to the rubber used to make tires for strength, making all tires bright white.

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