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January 13, 2022

NEW: Nurse Aide Training Opportunity for Facilities Under 2-Year NATCEP Prohibtion

Attention: nursing home providers who are currently under a two-year Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP) prohibition - there is a new opportunity for you to receive a temporary waiver from the two-year prohibition, potentially allowing your facility to serve as a site for training. Please note: as with the traditional NATCEP prohibition waiver, a granted waiver would allow a nurse aide training program to be held in, but not by, a nursing facility within that two-year period.
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BinaxNow Antigen Rapid Test Kit Expiration Extension

DHS recently reported that they were notified in the late afternoon on Tuesday, January 11, by Abbott of its decision on January 7 to extend by three months after the expiration date for certain BinaxNow antigen rapid test kits that were first extended for six months in May 2021.
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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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Quality Award Application Office Hours

The National Quality Award Program team will be available to help applicants submit their​ application and payment from 8:00.a.m.- 9:00 a.m. CST and 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m. CST every day beginning Tuesday, January 18 through Friday, January 21, 2022.
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Member Action Needed! 2022 Workforce Shortage Survey

In 2016, 2018, and 2020, WHCA/WiCAL, along with a coalition of LTC provider associations, joined together to gather data on direct care staffing vacancies in assisted living and nursing homes. As you know, the previous three reports proved to be extremely effective in our advocacy efforts over the last three biennial budgets and helped secure rate increases for SNFs and a continuation of the Direct Care Workforce Funding for assisted living facilities. Wisconsin’s LTC provider associations are now conducting the survey again in an effort to keep our workforce crisis front and center for state legislators.
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Family Care Rate Survey: Responses Needed!

WHCA/WiCAL has heard from providers and other provider associations that many Family Care MCOs still have not communicated with providers about the 3.51% increase approved by DHS in the summer of 2021. The MCOs must send out contract addendums to providers they do business with which must in turn be signed and returned before the funds can be issued.
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