UPDATE Weekly

UPDATE Weekly #1990 – October 17, 2018

On-Line & Mobile Version

This Week’s Table of Contents:

TRINITY OAKS NURSING HEALTH AND REHAB CENTER HOSTS CONGRESSIONAL VISIT

U.S. Congressman Ted Budd (NC-13) toured Trinity Oaks on Monday, October 15th, along with representatives of NCHCFA. The visit allowed the Congressman to see first-hand the care skilled nursing facilities provide to residents and to discuss issues facing the long-term care profession.

Matt Beam, Administrator, spoke with the Congressman about the unique challenges faced by skilled nursing facilities in today’s regulatory and financial climates. The discussion focused on the changes to the Requirements of Participation and the facilities efforts to comply with federal regulations while providing high quality skilled care to residents.

Congressional visits are an effective way to demonstrate the high quality, cost-effective and preferred care that North Carolina skilled nursing facilities provide. If you are interested in hosting a facility tour, please contact Adam Sholar, adams@nchcfa.org or Eric Kivisto, erick@nchcfa.org.

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CAPITAL NURSING AND REHABILITATION CENTER HOSTS CONGRESSIONAL VISIT

Representative Yvonne Lewis Holley (District 38) toured Capital Nursing and Rehabilitation on Wednesday, October 17th, along with representatives of NCHCFA. The visit allowed Representative Holley to see first-hand the issues that affect the skilled nursing profession, and most importantly, they see how her constituents are impacted by decisions in the state house.

Hawley Hunt, Administrator, and Paul Babinski, President of Long Term Care Division with Liberty Healthcare, NCHCFA Board of Directors District IV Vice Chair, spoke with Representative Holley about staffing challenges facing North Carolina’s skilled nursing facilities. Near-full employment and wage competition are challenging skilled nursing facility operators looking to fill out their ranks with steady, reliable employees. Additionally, as the North Carolina population has surged in recent years, nursing graduate rates have not kept pace, leading to a deficit in the number of available registered nurses, LPNs and CNAs.

Legislative visits have been ongoing throughout the years, as they are an effective way to demonstrate the high quality, cost-effective and preferred care that North Carolina skilled nursing facilities provide. If you are interested in hosting a facility tour, please contact Adam Sholar, adams@nchcfa.org or Eric Kivisto, erick@nchcfa.org.

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IMPORTANT NEW MEDICARE CARD MAILING UPDATE – WAVE 5 ENDS

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has finished mailing the updated Medicare cards to people with Medicare who live in North Carolina (included in Wave 5). If someone with Medicare who lives in North Carolina says they did not get a card, you should instruct them to:

  • Sign into MyMedicare.gov to see if CMS mailed their card. If so, they can print an official card. They will need to create an account if they do not already have one.
  • Call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) where CMS can verify their identity, check their address, and help them get their new card.

You can also print out and give them a copy of Still Waiting for Your New Card?, or you can order copies to hand out.

To ensure that people with Medicare continue to get care, you can use either the former Social Security number-based Health Insurance Claim Number (HICN) or the new alpha-numeric Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) for all Medicare transactions through December 31, 2019.

People with Medicare should continue to protect their new number to prevent medical identity theft and health care fraud, especially during Medicare Open Enrollment. View and share the new Guard your Medicare card video, which reminds people with Medicare to beware of scams. There are also new fraud prevention products on the new Medicare card Outreach & Education webpage designed for with people with Medicare.

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FIVE STAR: HEALTH INSPECTION RATING FREEZE UPDATE

In February 2018, CMS implemented a temporary “freeze” of the health inspection domain of the Nursing Home Five Star Quality Rating System by holding each facility’s health inspection rating constant for approximately one year. During the freeze, inspections conducted after November 28, 2017, are not included in facility’s star ratings calculation.

This action is part of CMS’s implementation of a new inspection process and Phase Two of the revised Requirements for Participation for Long Term Care Facilities (see S&C memorandum 18-04-NH). In October 2019, CMS will resume posting the average number of citations per inspection for each state and nationally. CMS is monitoring outcomes of the new inspection process and plans to resume health inspection rating calculations (i.e., end the freeze) in the spring of 2019. CMS will communicate more details about this prior to its implementation and NCHCFA will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

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UPDATED LIST OF EXCLUDED INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES (LEIE)

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 September 2018 has been posted. The updated files are posted on OIG’s Website 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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NOMINATION DEADLINE FOR THE NCHCFA 2019 ANNUAL AWARDS PROGRAM EXTENDED

The nomination deadline for the NCHCFA Annual Awards Program has been extended to Friday, October 26th. What a great way to recognize and celebrate someone who makes a significant difference in the lives of your residents and their families. Click here to download and print the nomination forms. To complete nominations online click here. If you have any questions about the Annual Awards, call the Association office at (919) 782-3827.

The Nurse Aide of the Year will be chosen per District (there are five districts) and the J.R. Garrett, Jr. Direct Care Worker of the Year Award winner chosen out of these five. In addition, a sixth recipient in a non-nursing discipline will also be chosen to receive the Riley W. Clapp Outstanding Service Award. These six recipients will be honored during the Awards Banquet at the Annual Convention and Expo in February of 2019. The Awards Banquet has become the highlight of our convention and is a wonderful and moving way to honor these outstanding individuals, their families, and co-workers. Pictures for nominations submitted online may be mailed to the Association office or may be emailed to karenL@nchcfa.org. Only one nomination may be submitted for each discipline, but we welcome nominations from more than one department of your facility.

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REGISTER TODAY FOR THE 7th ANNUAL AUTUMN CLASSIC BENEFITTING THE NCHCFA/PAC

The NCHCFA 7th Annual Autumn Classic scheduled in Southern Pines, NC has been rescheduled for Monday, October 29th at Pine Needles Lodge and Resort. The day will begin at 11:30 AM with the Golf Tournament & Day at the Spa (lunch will be provided). The Reception & Dinner will be held that evening and conclude at 9:00 PM. Breakfast will be served on Tuesday, October 30th from 6:30 AM-9:00 AM and conclude the activities for the 7th Annual Autumn Classic.

Click here for registration information. If you a have any questions please call Allison Dew at the Association office at (919) 782-3827.

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REGISTER FOR THE NCHCFA FALL DISTRICT MEETINGS

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 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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REGISTER YOUR MDS COORDINATORS FOR IMPORTANT SEMINAR

NCHCFA presents MDS and QRP- Section GG and Section N with speakers from RTI International. RTI International is one of the world’s leading research institutes, dedicated to improving the human condition by turning knowledge into practice and recently presented a national train-the-trainer presentation concerning the MDS and QRP changes at the CMS Quality Conference in Baltimore, MD this year. This conference was highly attended and highly recommended.

Seminar Summary

Section N – Drug Regimen Review

Section N of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) has been updated to include items for the Drug Regimen Review Conducted with follow-up for identified issues quality measure and Data collection that began on October 1, 2018. Section N includes standardized patient assessment data elements and was implemented in response to the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT Act).

Objectives:

  • Describe the intent of the new Section N data elements
  • Discuss the steps for assessment and coding the data elements
  • Describe the Drug Regimen Review (DRR) Quality Measure (QM)
  • Accurately code the Section N DRR scenarios

Section GG – Functional Abilities and Goals

Section GG of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) has been updated and data collection began on October 1st, 2018. Section GG includes standardized patient assessment data elements and was implemented in response to the IMPACT Act.

Objectives:

  • Describe the intent of Section GG
  • Define the assessment reference period for each data element
  • Discuss the steps for assessment
  • Accurately code Section GG scenarios

Click here to register online today!

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REGISTER TODAY FOR REVIEW AND UPDATES FROM THE STATE SURVEY AGENCY

Cindy DePorter, MSSW, State Survey Agency Director, Division of Health Service Regulation, will be teaching a full day session (two locations) on the following topics:

  • Upcoming changes/additions to the federal regulations for November of 2019
  • Review of the changes to the state nursing home regulations
  • Update on current CMS workgroups on area of transfer/discharge, Facility Reported Incidents
  • Revisions to Immediate Jeopardy language

The sessions will be presented at the following two locations:
November 7th – Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, NC
November 13th – Crowne Plaza Hotel, Asheville, NC

Click here to register online! Click here to download the brochure with registration form.

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SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP IN ASHEVILLE NOVEMBER 14TH

The Situational Leadership workshop is an interactive and dynamic developmental session where attendees will discuss how best to apply the effective principles and approaches of The Situational Leadership Model popularized by renowned leadership and management experts Ken Blanchard and Paul Hersey.

Our high demand and ever-changing work environment requires that leadership interactions with staff be as effective and efficient as possible. Additionally, the diverse experiences, skills, and needs of our employees must impact, more than ever, how we manage, lead and inspire our workforce. The Situational Leadership Model suggests that there is no “one size fits all” approach to leadership.

The four different styles of situational leadership to be discussed are:

1. Delegating
2. Coaching
3. Directing
4. Supporting

This workshop will be held at the NCHCFA office in Raleigh, NC. It will be facilitated by Mark Gogal, a Human Resources Leader with over 25 years of progressive, global, and diverse human resources experience, practical business partnering expertise, strong organizational and analytical skills, and proven strategic management experience. He has a multi-faceted background in developing and implementing core HR policies/practices to meet the changing business, legal, and labor compliance environment. He has worked in a variety of industries in the public and private sectors including healthcare.

For the brochure and registration information, click here!

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REGISTER TODAY FOR THE NEXT LUNCH AND LEARN WEBINAR

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, October 18th, from 12:00 NOON – 1:00 PM. Webinar details are below:

Title: Person and Family Engagement Project at KEPRO
Speaker: Tara Cooke, MSG, Outreach Specialist, KEPRO

KEPRO is the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care QIO (BFCC-QIO) for more than 30 states. They offer information and assistance to providers, residents, and families regarding beneficiary complaints, discharge appeals, Immediate Advocacy, and Patient Navigation. Bringing providers and beneficiaries together to improve health care for people with Medicare is the mission of KEPRO’s Person and Family Engagement (PFE) project. The focus is to encourage partnered decision-making, improved communication and engagement between people with Medicare and their providers.

Through their PFE project, KEPRO can help Medicare beneficiaries and families with the following:

  • Immediate Advocacy: Process to help beneficiaries quickly resolve a complaint or concern related to medical care or services.
  • Patient Navigation: Program to help patients navigate through their treatment and better understand their care.

Join our Webinar on October 18th at 12:00 NOON to learn more about free Patient Navigation services provided by KEPRO through this project. Click here to register today!

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2019 TRADE SHOW BROCHURE MAILING

The brochure for potential trade associate members and exhibitors at Expo 2019 is 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 exhibit at Expo 2019. The trade show will be held on Tuesday, February 26th during our Annual Convention and Expo in Greensboro, NC.

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NEED TO GO

Four roads we call customer service

Seth’s Blog Article

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DID YOU KNOW?

Hawaii produces about 1/3 of all pineapples in the world.

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North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association
5109 Bur Oak Circle | Raleigh, NC 27612
(919) 782-3827 Fax | (919) 787-8418 | NCHCFA.org

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