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December 29, 2017

DHS Convenes Family Care Workforce Funding Workgroup

Wisconsin Department of Health Services officials recently convened a Direct Care Workforce Funding Workgroup designed to advise DHS on the method the Department will use to provide funding to support caregivers funded through Family Care program included in the 2017-19 Biennial State Budget.
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A Year-End Message from Mark Parkinson

We faced the biggest threat to Medicaid in the history of the profession. Congress came close to approving cuts that would have been lights-out for most of us. The cuts were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars per building in a profession that is just scraping by right now. But we fought - and we fought hard. And we won. Each of us should be proud of the effort of this profession in refusing to quit and prevailed over this incredible challenge.
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PBJ: Comparing Wisconsin, National Data

Based on reported PBJ data, Wisconsin is above the national median for staff hours per resident day (HPRD) in skilled nursing facilities. The national median is 3.681 and Wisconsin's is 3.806. 
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Impact of Congressional Delay on Medicare Extenders Including Part B Therapy Caps Starting Jan. 1

Congress has adjourned for 2017 and did not enact legislation to address what is often referred to as Medicare "extender payment policies." These policies expire on December 31 and include the Part B therapy cap exception process. This means that effective January 1, 2018, SNFs will operate under prior therapy caps without any exceptions based on patient need. It is highly likely that Congress will fix this issue when they return in January and our hope is that they will fix it by the time they must address the current Continuing Resolution that expires on January 19. 
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Less than four months until the new Medicare card transition begins

According to a recent Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) communication, on April 1, 2018, CMS will start mailing Medicare cards with new Medicare Beneficiary Identifiers (MBIs) to everyone with Medicare. The MBI will replace the Social Security Number (SSN)-based Health Insurance Claim Number for transactions like billing, eligibility status, and claim status after a transition period. You must be ready to accept the MBI beginning April 1st. People new to Medicare after April 1st will only get a card with the MBI.
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January = PEAL/WCCEAL Quality Variables + Resident Satisfaction Survey Generation

An important part of internal quality assurance and improvement is to know data about key aspects of your operations and how this data changes over time and how you compare to other assisted living communities.  Members of WiCAL PEAL program are a part of the larger WCCEAL (Wisconsin Collaborative Coalition for Excellence in Assisted Living) initiative. 
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NCAL Releases New Checklist on Resident Sexual Consent

NCAL’s Risk Management Work Group created a checklist for assisted living communities to be prepared in managing issues that may arise regarding resident sexual consent. Sexual consent for assisted living residents requires ensuring resident rights regarding confidentiality, the right to make independent choices, and the right to private unrestricted communications with others, which must be balanced with concerns about resident capacity to give consent.
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Video: 2017 AHCA-NCAL Annual Report and 2018 Focus Areas

AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson and SVP of Quality and Regulatory Affairs David Gifford would like to share some highlights from 2017 and areas to focus on in the new year. Take a few minutes to watch and share their video. Happy New Year from AHCA/NCAL!
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