Surveyors will continue to survey for compliance with the staff vaccination requirement for Medicare and Medicaid-certified providers and suppliers during initial and recertification surveys. However, again, for complaint surveys, surveyors will now only review vaccine mandate compliance in response to complaints alleging non-compliance with this requirement.
Read More
DMS clarified that providers should take action to come into HCBS compliance, but providers do not have to be fully compliant by the original June 15, 2022 date.
Read More
Last week, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced the Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study Act. This legislation, which AHCA/NCAL endorses, requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study and report to Congress on the business practices and the effects of hiring agencies across the health care industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Read More
The Care Classic benefits the George F. MacKenzie scholarship fund, supporting those pursuing a career in long term care, and those advancing their career path and education practicum within long term care.
Read More
Assisted living providers and stakeholders are invited to attend the Assisted Living Forum on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m. The Bureau of Assisted Living (BAL) will provide information on several topics, including regulatory updates, Wisconsin Community-Based Care and Treatment Training Registry updates, and additional information related to COVID-19.
Read More
Bipartisan legislation was recently introduced to expand veterans’ access to assisted living services. The Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act would create a pilot program for eligible veterans to receive assisted living care paid for by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Read More
It was September of 2016 when CMS published its final rule on Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Providers and Suppliers. That action commenced a new focus and priority around disaster preparedness for all healthcare occupancies, including nursing homes. Program “testing" was one Emergency Preparedness Program (EPP) component with very detailed and prescriptive requirements.
Read More
As cases of COVID-19 continue to rise throughout the country, it’s important that long term care facilities and communities encourage staff and residents to stay up to date on their vaccination status.
Read More
The Office of the National Coordinator, (ONC) for Health Information Technology (HIT) within the Department of Health and Human Services(HHS) is currently conducting a national phone-based survey to better understand the state of health IT use and interoperability among skilled nursing facilities(SNFs) and hospice facilities.
Read More
Most people are more comfortable with old problems than they are with new solutions. Just like a football coach makes strategic “half time adjustments” in a game, leaders navigating through change know how to change the direction of an organization overnight. They know, that destination cannot be changed overnight, direction can be shifted overnight. Is it time to make a half time adjustment in your software program, in confronting that co-worker, ending the behind the scenes games at work that’s driving the good employees to leave? Leaders navigating through change realize that sound emotional intelligence skills are now, more important than ever in tackling the difficult people related problems.
Read More
Last Friday, the Division of Medicaid Services (DMS) within the Department of Health Services (DHS) held it’s first public
Methods of Implementation meeting for SFY23 via Zoom.
Read More
Nursing Home providers and stakeholders are invited to attend a webinar hosted by the Division of Quality Assurance (DQA). During this webinar, the DQA will provide information and updates related to COVID-19 and long-term care facilities.
Read More
AHCA/NCAL is hosting a two part webinar series focused on PHM and how independent operators (IOs) with 10 or fewer skilled nursing facilities can engage.
Read More
AHCA’s online training program titled
Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Academy takes a holistic interdisciplinary approach toward SNF revenue management. RCM Academy helps develop concrete strategies to secure earned dollars and to “stay paid” when thinking about Managed Care payment recoveries. RCM Academy helps SNFs:
Read More
The Division of Quality Assurance (DQA) is hosting its first Minimum Data Set (MDS) 101 - Session 1 educational training on Tuesday, June 28, 2022, from 1-2 p.m. The focus of this session is
Interpreting the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual. Read More
The Education Committee is looking for programs that may be of interest to all long-term care disciplines so please forward program information at your very earliest convenience. Potential topics could be related to reimbursement, Requirements of Participation, workforce Issues, resident-focused issues, leadership, technology/innovation, survey management, use of social media, and more!
Read More