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February 17, 2022

Early Bird Registration Ends Tomorrow! Register for the Spring Conference & Expo TODAY!

Registration for WHCA/WiCAL's Annual Spring Conference & Expo is now open! Spring Conference will be a fun, engaging, and in-person experience for attendees with opportunities to network with long-term care professionals held at the Hyatt Regency & KI Convention Center in Green Bay, Wisconsin from April 6-8, 2022. Register before Friday, February 18 to be entered into a $500 CASH prize drawing. Winner will be announced during the Expo on Thursday, April 7.
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CMS Posts Updated SNF QRP Public Reporting Tip Sheet

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted a second edition of the COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheet. This resource will help providers understand CMS’ public reporting approach to the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) to account for CMS quality data submissions that were either optional or excepted from public reporting due to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).
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iHealth Rapid Antigen Test Kit Supply

According to a bulletin sent out last week, DHS has procured a supply of iHealth rapid antigen tests. Please note, future orders placed for BinaxNOW rapid antigen tests might be fulfilled with iHealth tests. You will be notified via email when your antigen order is filled with iHealth tests. They anticipated beginning to distribute these tests this week.
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Vaccination Expectations for Surveyors Performing Federal Oversight

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued memo QSO-22-10-ALL to all State Survey Agency Directors, requiring onsite surveyors - including CLIA and Life Safety surveyors - to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or have an acceptable medical or religious exemption.  Surveyors who are not fully vaccinated should not participate as part of the onsite survey team performing federal oversight of certified providers and suppliers (including accreditation surveys performed under an AO’s deeming authority).
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AHCA/NCAL Releases 2022 Education Product Guide

AHCA/NCAL recently released the 2022 education product guide, which features all ahcancalED offerings in the new year, including the Revenue Cycle Management Academy, Behavioral Health & Trauma Informed Care, Gero Nurse Prep, the Infection Preventionist Specialized Training, and much, much more!
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UW System Renews Student Health Care Worker Initiative for 2022!

The UW System has renewed its very successful Student Health Care Worker initiative through February 28, 2022. During the winter of 2020 -2021, over 2000 students worked in Wisconsin’s health care facilities. Nursing facilities, assisted living centers and residences for folks living with disabilities, as well as other clinical and health care settings, are eligible to employ the students.
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Upcoming WHCA/WiCAL Seminar Series Webinar! Perfect Partners: How to Train Your Nurses to Collaborate with Remote Physicians to Deliver Optimal Care

Access to a physician via telemedicine can empower skilled nursing facility nurses to treat more residents in place, avoiding a stressful return to the emergency department. But connecting with a physician on video can be uncomfortable, and most nurses have never received telemedicine training. What conditions warrant a telemedicine visit? What is the best way to prepare for a telemedicine assessment? What types of conditions can be treated with the support of a telemedicine physician? And, most importantly, how can you train your frontline nurses to embrace telemedicine to deliver better care for residents when a doctor is not in the building? Get your questions answered and find out how you can support frontline nurses to partner with remote physicians to deliver optimal care.
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EMResource Tracking System: Reporting Strongly Recommended for Providers

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is strongly encouraging nursing homes to report the number of skilled nursing facility (SNF) beds available in their location each day to EMResource as part of a bed tracking system. With the daily reports from nursing homes, DHS hopes the “SNF bed tracker” will provide a real time picture of bed availability across the state, which hospitals can use as they work to identify potential post-acute care placements for their patients.
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