UPDATE Weekly

Earlier this week, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services announced the entities who have received contracts to participate as Prepaid Health Plans (PHPs) in Medicaid Managed Care when the program launches in November 2019.

Statewide PHP contracts were awarded to the following entities, which will offer Standard Plans in all regions in North Carolina:

• AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina, Inc.
• Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina
• UnitedHealthcare of North Carolina, Inc.
• WellCare of North Carolina, Inc.

A regional PHP contract was awarded to Carolina Complete Health, a provider-led entity, which will offer plans in two of the six regions in the state.

For additional information on this decision, please click here.

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The new Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) begins October 1, 2019. Developed and presented by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), the PDPM Academy is a 10-month training effort to help centers prepare for this massive change. It offers both the in-person training and continuing updates and support. Provider members of AHCA and NCHCFA who register for the PDPM Academy will have access to a PDPM 101 workshop Webinar, a full day in-person training, monthly workshop Webinars on key topics and emerging PDPM issues, and “how to” Webinars on implementing additional tools developed by AHCA.

North Carolina’s in-person training will be March 26, 2019, in Greensboro, NC. Click here to view more information on the PDPM Academy. Brochures and registration will be made available next week!

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Last month, multiple staff in the NC Medicaid Program have relocated their offices. They are progressively updating all relevant information on the Division of Health Benefit (DHB) Website; however, with all of the 9/30 provider cost reports due February 28, 2019, DHB wants to make sure that providers have the correct address so that cost reports arrive at the proper location.

For Medicaid Cost Reports and DSH Information, the following is the new overnight delivery address:
Division of Health Benefits – Provider Audit
820 South Boylan Avenue – McBryde South
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603

For Provider Reimbursement information, the following is the new overnight delivery address:
Division of Health Benefits – Provider Reimbursement
1985 Umstead Drive – Kirby Bldg.
Raleigh, NC 27603

For Standard USPS Mail, the Mail Service Center remains unchanged for both of the above:
Division of Health Benefits – Provider Audit
2501 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-2501

Division of Health Benefits – Provider Reimbursement
2501 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-2501

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The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to thank our 2019 Gold Corporate Convention Sponsors for supporting the upcoming Annual Convention & Expo. Be sure to visit them on Tuesday, February 26th during EXPO 2019 – Casino Royale: Carolina Complete Care in booth 308 and QMX Mobile Health in booths 401 and 500!

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Register today and save to attend the NCHCFA Annual Convention and Expo February 24 – 27, 2019, at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC! The National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards/National Continuing Education Review Service (NAB/NCERS) has approved 13.5 Administrator Continuing Education Hours. Don’t miss the opportunity to also earn up to 16.5 hours of educational credit for North Carolina Nursing Home Administrators, as well as up to 15.5 hours of Nursing CE credit! The advanced registration deadline is Friday, February 8th. Click here to register.

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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 January 2019 has been posted. The updated files are posted on OIG’s website at https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/exclusions_list.asp. To prevent significant fines, healthcare providers have an “affirmative duty” to check to ensure that excluded individuals are not working in their facilities.

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To obtain a copy of the minutes from the Business Meeting held on Monday, January 29, 2018 at the Sheraton Four Seasons/Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, Greensboro, NC, please click here.

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Don’t miss the opportunity to bring a staff member to the 2019 Annual Convention & Expo for free! If a facility registers two staff for Package Two, a third staff member may register for Package Two at no charge. Register your staff today for Section GG – Functional Abilities & Goals during Nurses, Nurse Aides, Social Workers, & MDS Coordinators Day, or Medicaid Reimbursement and Eligibility: Producing Better Outcomes with Less Expense during Operations & Admissions Directors, Social Workers, and Business Office Staff Day. Click here for additional details.

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The North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association would like to thank our 2019 Silver Convention Hosts for supporting the upcoming Annual Convention & Expo. Be sure to visit them on Tuesday, February 26th during EXPO 2019 – Casino Royale: Healthcare Services Group in booths 412 and 414, Medipack Pharmacy in booths 415 and 514, Medline in booth 406, NH Med Services in booths 519 and 618, and Poyner Spruill LLP in booth 302.

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The next Lunch and Learn Webinar is scheduled for Thursday, February 21st, 2019 at 12:00 pm. Jen Salter, MS, LNHA, with Crystal Bluffs Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Morehead City, NC will offer a fantastic presentation on her experience during Hurricane Florence. Leaders in Skilled Nursing Facilities are faced with difficult decisions daily. Crisis and Emergency Preparedness are essential aspects to any high performing organization. As North Carolina continues to experience more weather-related events, facilities must be prepared with effective Shelter-In-Place plans. This Webinar will cover the Decision Process for Evacuation versus Shelter-In-Place, the Tools Utilized to Shelter-In-Place and How to complete an Emergency Response Plan Post Event.

Presenter Bio
Jen Salter, MS, LNHA
Jen Salter has been the Executive Director of Crystal Bluffs Rehabilitation and Health Care Center in Morehead City, North Carolina, for eight years. After obtaining a BS from the University of Tennessee in Political Science and Anthropology, Jen attended the University of North Carolina-Wilmington to obtain an MS in Gerontology. Jen serves on the Standards and Ethics Committee, as well as the IDR Panel for North Carolina Health Care Facilities Association. A Senior Examiner for American Health Care Association, Jen also serves on several local charity boards.

Click HERE to register now!

Date: Thursday, February 21st, 2019
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Title: Sheltering in Place: The Decision Process
Presenter: Jen Salter, MS, LNHA – Crystal Bluffs Rehabilitation and Health Care Center

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The AHCA/NCAL 2019 Independent Owner Leadership Conference will be in Tampa, FL March 20-22, 2019, immediately following the Quality Summit. It’s a great way to learn something new and gain insights into some of your toughest challenges. The registration deadline is March 5, 2019. Get all the details and register today.

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The 2019 AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit will be in Tampa, FL on March 18-20, 2019. From sessions showcasing the innovative practices of providers across the county, to short, targeted LED talks designed to challenge your thinking, to peer-to-peer idea exchanges, new solutions from sponsor partners, and informative keynote speakers; you will leave with information and ideas that you can implement as soon as you return to your centers and communities. REGISTER NOW and attend sessions, connect with sponsors and network and share your successes and your challenges with like-minded colleagues from across the country.

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This program is a CMS and State of North Carolina Endorsed Workshop for North Carolina Nursing Homes and LTC Partners. The Workshop will explain how this Resident and Family Guide can be used to reduce hospital readmissions and how you can participate.

Be part of this Medicare Region IV research initiative to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions offered at three locations throughout North Carolina.

EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA
Tuesday – April 23, 2019
Nash Community College
Brown Auditorium
Rocky Mount, NC
9:15 AM to 12:30 PM

CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA
Wednesday – April 24, 2019
Davidson County Community College
Mary Rittling Conference Center
Thomasville, NC
9:15 AM to 12:30 PM

WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA
Thursday – April 25, 2019
Western Carolina University
University Center Grand Room
Cullowhee, NC
9:15 AM to 12:30 PM

NAB & Nursing CEUs for Attendees

Please register at http://decisionguide.org/workshop.

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Join the North Carolina Culture Change Coalition for a symposium that features guest speaker Susan Gilster, PhD, RN. She has presented more than 150 national and international talks on Alzheimer’s care and treatment, organizational change, leadership, and employee satisfaction and retention. She served as co-facilitator of the Leadership and Culture training for the Practice Change Fellowship program. Dr. Gilster has published more than 50 professional articles and has written two books, “A way of Life: Developing and Exemplary Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia Program” and “SERVICE First: Changing Culture, Changing Care”.

Target Audience: Nursing Facility staff, Management, Ownership

Conference Topics:

• Sustaining culture change through leadership
• Panel members present to discuss culture change in their facilities
• Just Culture
• Regulatory perspective on culture change from Cindy Deporter, State Survey Agency

Click here to register.

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If you were unable to attend one of our sessions with Cindy DePorter, Review and Updates from the State Survey Agency, the notebook used in the training is now available for purchase. Email Donna Snyder to order a notebook for your facility at donnas@nchcfa.org. The cost is $25.00 plus tax and shipping.

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Why Ford Hired a Furniture Maker as CEO – In the car of the future, you may care more about how the driver’s seat swivels than how the engine purrs.

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When a blue whale feeds, a single mouthful can contain 457,000 calories, or 240 times as much energy as they burn when grabbing that mouthful.

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