Last week, WHCA staff met with DQA officials for its regular meeting to discuss matters of general importance and concerns related with Wisconsin nursing facilities. The following items of note were discussed:
Read More
On Wednesday, WHCA/WiCAL members Spencer Beard and Jim Deignan advocated for Wisconsin nursing homes and health care facilities at the Joint Finance Committee public hearing in Ellsworth.
Read More
The Wisconsin Long-Term Care Workforce Alliance held a regular membership meeting on Wednesday, April 19 to discuss the state budget and the ongoing LTC workforce crisis.
Read More
Assessing, improving and implementing quality nursing home resident care is an ongoing effort for many professionals in the post-acute care industry. As a part of our ongoing quality initiative efforts WHCA/WiCAL is pleased to offer our 1st Quality Symposium on May 24, 2017.
Read More
DQA sent out a reminder to recipients on the listserv last week reminding LTC providers of DQA Memo 17-004, which relates to the Notice of Mandatory Requirement to Submit Four-Year Renewal of Licensee Background Check Information.
Read More
WHCA/WiCAL will nominate one member from Wisconsin to participate in the annual “Future Leaders of Long Term Care in America” program. Candidates will be selected for this professional training and mentorship program, which begins at the September 13-15 symposium in Washington, DC.
The nominees for the 2017/2018 class should be owners and operators who are up and coming leaders. If you know of a deserving individual, please send your recommendation to WHCA/WiCAL Executive Director John Vander Meer.
Read More
Quarterly case mix index (CMI) resident rosters for 1/1/17 nursing home rates (showing resident acuity for the picture quarter period 7/1/16-9/30/16) are now available on the ForwardHealth Portal. Rosters will remain available for download for a period of one year.
Read More
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has delayed the effective date of the Conditions of Participation (CoP) for Medicare-certified home health agencies (HHAs) by six additional months, to January 13, 2018. This delay only affects comprehensive licensed home care providers who are also Medicare-certified (HHA). In addition to the overall six-month delay, CMS provided the following two additional clarifications:
Read More
Members of Congress returning to Capitol Hill next week will face a tight budget deadline to come up with a solution for funding the government. The current budget resolution is set to expire April 28th, giving lawmakers only a few days to avert a government shutdown.
Read More
Join the American Health Care Association/National Health Care Association (AHCA/NCAL) in Washington, DC June 5-6 to take your concerns directly to the Hill.
Read More
Beginning in 2013 with the Affordable Care Act, SNFs are required to have a compliance program. As a part of a compliance program, a SNF should conduct regular audits to ensure services provided are necessary and that charges for Medicare services are correctly documented and billed. The Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Report (PEPPER) can help guide a SNF’s auditing and monitoring activities.
Read More
The theme underscores the bond between staff, volunteers, and residents that captures the American spirit and provides an opportunity to celebrate the role of nursing facilities in caring for America’s seniors and individuals with disabilities.
Read More
The submission deadline for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) is approaching. Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment data for October-December (Q4) of calendar year (CY) 2016 are due with this submission deadline. All data must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on May 15, 2017.
Read More
With the April 30th postmark date approaching for submission of WCCEAL Resident Satisfaction surveys, we want to remind all members of this date to assure that you have (a) circulated your resident/family satisfaction surveys, and (b) remember that these must be postmarked April 30, 2017. Recall, this annual effort is both extremely valuable for your performance improvement efforts, and is one of only two requirements of participation in WCCEAL.
Read More
The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) this week revealed “Family is Forever” as this year’s theme for National Assisted Living Week®. The National celebration will take place Sept. 10-16, 2017.
Read More
You're invited to attend the Public Provider Meeting: Updates to Methods of Implementation for Nursing Home Payment Rates on Monday, May 1st from 10 am - 12 pm.
Read More