As the vaccine distribution begins, it is a time to learn from each other and the pharmacy providers what works and what we could improve upon.
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The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued an update to memo QSO-20-31-ALL, a memo directed to state survey agencies related to survey activity.
CMS also announced changes to Focused Infection Control Survey frequency and practice.
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Late Monday, January 5, Wisconsin State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos introduced Assembly Bill 1, COVID-19 legislation with several provisions related to long-term care, further detailed below.
The future of the bill is bleak, as Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) today announced the Senate will not take up this version, and Governor Tony Evers has expressed serious reservations about the omnibus bill, indicating he would veto the bill in its entirety.
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Following a late fundraising frenzy and generous donations from WHCA/WiCAL members and
business partners, the WHCA/WiCAL Political Action Committee (PAC) met our $20,000 annual goal!
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2021 Bronze, Silver and Gold Quality Award applicants are encouraged to access free resources to help with a smooth writing and submission process. The Criteria Series are videos that applicants can access for free that cover application categories and technical writing for each award level.
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AHCA/NCAL launched a new #GetVaccinated campaign to encourage long term care staff and residents to get the COVID-19 vaccine. A communications toolkit with various materials have been created for providers and state affiliates to help communicate about the importance of vaccination as well as highlight progress.
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The Pharmacy Partnership for Long-term Care (LTC) Program will facilitate safe vaccination of this critical patient population, while reducing the burden on LTC facilities (LTCF) and health departments. The program provides end-to-end management of the COVID-19 vaccination process, including cold chain management, on-site vaccinations, and fulfillment of reporting requirements at no cost to facilities. LTCF staff who have not received COVID-19 vaccine can also be vaccinated as part of the program.
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Effective December 30, 2020, CMS issued CMS Memo QSO-21-08 NLTC revising the COVID-19 Focused Infection Control (FIC) Survey Tool for Acute and Continuing Care. CMS revised the non-long term care (NLTC) FIC survey tool to reflect COVID-19 guidance updates, provide clarifications to existing information, and update the appropriate CMS regulatory tag considerations if a citation is warranted. The FIC survey tool was also aligned with recent updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) related to screening and triage of those entering healthcare facilities.
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a memo on its intentions to update the Survey and Quality domains of Five-Star with the January 27, 2021 refresh of Nursing Home Compare data.
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Members have had questions and concerns about the impact of post-COVID-19-vaccination systemic signs and symptoms on healthcare staffing in LTCF.
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In an off-cycle update to the 2021 ICD-10-CM Coding Guidelines posted in December in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) implemented six new diagnosis codes into the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM), effective January 1, 2021.
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Join this Friday at 7:00 a.m. for a webinar on the current COVID-19 situation.
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WHCA/WiCAL, in collaboration with the Herzing University Practical Nursing Program, is working to help our members find creative solutions to the workforce crisis. The program would like to offer our members the opportunity to participate in a preceptorship program with their nursing students.
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In mid-December, 2020, a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was recognized to be spreading rapidly in London and southeast England. This strain of the virus is notable for having an unusually large number of genetic mutations, including a mutation in the receptor binding domain of the spike protein (N501Y), which is hypothesized to be associated with increased transmissibility. The new strain has been alternatively referred to as “variant of concern (VOC) 202012/01” or “B.1.1.7.”
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Nursing homes, assisted living communities, and centers for individuals with ID/DD are facing unprecedented challenges trying to prevent further spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is putting additional strain on their operations and bottom-line cash flow.
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The state’s Medicaid budget is projected to finish the current fiscal year with a $614.8 million surplus in state funding, up from the Department of Health Services' (DHS) previous projection of a $289 million surplus at the end of September.
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WHCA/WiCAL is excited to partner with Proactive Medical Review to present the Standards of Care: Driving LTC Clinical Quality webinar series. This 12-month webinar series focuses on nursing facility systems of care and managing common conditions treated in the LTC setting. Each session addresses standards of care, staff training/competency focus areas, critical nursing assessment/documentation principles, care planning guidance, recommended QA activities, and practical daily operations guidance with extensive use of case examples.
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On Thursday, January 14, 2021 at 2:00 p.m., WHCA/WiCAL will be holding a webinar on OSHA's COVID-19 policies and long-term care.
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