Weekly Roundup Reporting the state and national long term care news

Transcription

1 @ Weekly Roundup Reporting the state and national long term care news Please disseminate relevant information to the appropriate department. Administration Nursing Dietary Activities Social Services Rehabilitation Housekeeping Maintenance Laundry ANHA NEWS Friday, January 30, 2015 Online Registration Open for The Art of Risk Management: Regulatory Compliance and Root Cause Analysis Seminar Please mark your calendars for February 3, 2015, as ANHA will present a seminar entitled The Art of Risk Management: Regulatory Compliance and Root Cause Analysis. This seminar will be held at The Hyatt Regency - Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham. The seminar will begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 4:30 p.m. This seminar has been approved for 6 hours of continuing education for nursing home administrators. It has also been approved for 7.2 contact hours for nurses. Please see the attached flyer for more information. Attendees should check approximately one week prior to the seminar to download the handouts. National Nursing Home Week Theme Announced The American Health Care Association announced Bring on the Fiesta! is the theme for National Nursing Home Week You can read more about the theme on ANHA s website: Associate Member Committee Meeting February 4 ANHA s Associate Member Committee will meet Wednesday, February 4 at 10:00 a.m. at the Association office in Montgomery. The committee will discuss the trade show, convention plans and sponsorship opportunities for All current Associate Members are welcome to attend. For more information, contact Kerri Parker at kparker@anha.org. Call for Nominations: Alabama s Best Practices Will you share your Best Practice? You re invited to share your knowledge, positive ideas, creativity and communicate with other professionals as we continue to strive to meet the needs of our long-term care residents. Attached is the 2015 Alabama s Best Practices Call for Nominations. We encourage each of you to look over the nomination form and submit your Best Practice. This year s Best Practices Program is scheduled for Thursday, August 27, Nominations are due April 17, Page 1 of 6

2 NATIONAL NEWS CMS Updates F-155 in Regards to CPR Late last week the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated guidance at F Rights Regarding Refusal of Treatment and Participation in Experimental Research and Advance Directives. The updated guidance makes changes related to one area: CPR Certification. According to the memo summary: CPR Certification - Staff must maintain current CPR certification for healthcare providers through CPR training that includes hands-on practice and in-person skills assessment. Online-only certification is not acceptable. The content of the memo provides additional detail about the certification. Please see the attachment regarding this CMS update. Reminder: Post OSHA Illness & Injury Forms on February 1 until April 30, 2015 February 1 is the deadline for employers to post the Summary of Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) Occupational Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses Summary Form 300A, which must remain posted until April 30, The injuries and illnesses being reported are for calendar year Work-related injuries and illnesses that must be reported are those that occur in a work environment and results in one of the following conditions: a loss of consciousness, sick days, medical treatment beyond first aid, restricted work activities, a job transfer, and death. Other conditions that must be recorded are needle stick injuries or cuts from sharp objects as well as sprain and strain injuries to muscles joints and connective tissue according to the OSHA Form 300. For a complete list of injuries and illness that need to be recorded, go to There are forms that can be completed by printing a blank form or forms can be filled out online. An employer must keep the OSHA s log and summary for five years after the reported year. For example, 2013 must be retained through STATE NEWS epoc Update: A Note from ADPH Ninety-three percent of Alabama s certified nursing homes have been activated for electronic plan of correction (epoc) submission. All nursing homes need to get registered to use epoc. Nine of the homes which have been activated no long have registered web users. Please make sure to update your account and passwords when prompted to prevent delays in receiving and Page 2 of 6

3 submitting your plans of corrections electronically following a survey. By updating this information, ADPH will be able to ensure that epoc information to be submitted electronically is promptly sent and there are no delays in the registered user in each facility getting the information timely. Should you need assistance, you may contact Pamela Carpenter at or contact the QIES Technical Support Office (QTSO) Help Desk at call Written instructions are available on the website for CMSNet Online registration and epoc User Account Request form completion. New Telephone Numbers for HP Provider Representatives Effective Monday, January 26, 2015, HP Provider Representatives may be reached by dialing , then dialing a 7-digit extension. Revised telephone numbers are provided below: HP Representative Extension Catherine Jackson Jim Allen Karita Patillo Tori Tillery-Dennis Gayle Simpson-Jones Misty Nelson Melissa Gill Aleetra Adair Debbie Smith Lauryn Morgan Whitney Anderson New Online Registration Process for OBRA PASRR Courses The Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) announces online registration for OBRA PASRR courses will begin in January While everyone acclimates to the new system, ADMH s training team will waive the registration fee for the January course. ADMH will begin charging in February. The cost $20 per participant, which includes opportunities for nursing, social Work, and nursing home administrator continuing education credits. On the OBRA-PASRR web-page ( there are two links regarding online registration. The first link will connect you to the online registration process. The second link will offer a printable how to document that includes helpful picture cues that simplify the registration process. Here are some helpful tips. Please visit the website this month at where you will find a link entitled New Online Registration for Understanding the PASRR Process. The registration process and the training schedule will be a part of the new system. You will no longer receive s announcing training sessions. Instead, you will go to the registration site to see any available trainings. Page 3 of 6

4 During the registration process, ensure that you use the name of the person who will be attending the PASRR Training Course. During the online process, you must use a debit or credit card to pay the $20 registration fee. The fee is waived for the January 16, 2014 class only. With the new system, if a class is full, you will have the option of enrolling in another scheduled PASRR training session if one is available. Classes may fill quickly and ADMH anticipates that the new system will allow it to manage attendance more effectively. Not only does the new system allow you to enroll online, but you will also have the opportunity to get your continuing education credits electronically too. A few hours after the conclusion of the course, you can log on to the account you created during registration, complete a brief evaluation of the training and print out your certificate. For nurses: please bring your nursing license to the class. ADMH will record your CEU credit electronically. Important Reminder! The current CEU standard still applies. If you are late, you will not receive CEU credit. If you have any questions about the registration site, please contact ADMH s Staff Development Office at or Editor s Note: This article was provided by the Alabama Dept. of Mental Health. OTHER NEWS Register Now for AHCA s 2015 Independent Owner (IO) Leadership Conference The IO Leadership Conference is a fantastic opportunity to network, learn new strategies that will help you meet your 2015 goals and earn CEUs. Register today, and take advantage of the early bird savings. Enjoy special savings when you register early, or if you are attending for the first time. The registration deadline is February 9, This year s theme is How to Survive Medicaid Managed Care as an Independent Owner. Take part in a range of education sessions and get inspired to tackle your greatest challenges in new and successful ways. Now run entirely in the popular Town Hall format, you ll hear more from each other, share ideas, and engage in lively, facilitated discussions. Additional networking and social opportunities include a reception on Wednesday evening, and a networking lunch and spectacular dinner on Thursday, all in the relaxing atmosphere of the Westin Beach Resort & Spa. Visit io.ahcancal.org to see the complete agenda and register. Hotel rooms are going fast so reserve yours today! The special AHCA group rate is $209 per night single or double occupancy plus 11% occupancy tax. This rate will be extended for three days before the conference based on hotel availability. Hotel reservations must be made by February 9, Page 4 of 6

5 Recorded Webinar Link Now Available: Update on VA Contracts and $10.10 Issue with DOL and VA Officials On Thursday, January 15, 2015, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) held a webinar for its members that provided information from officials from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) relating to the $10.10 wage issue and VA contracts. The link for the recorded webinar is now posted, and can be found at for AHCA members. AHCA Kicks Off 2015 with Brand NEW Resources Start 2015 by making sure your center is prepared for surveyor visits, providing quality resident care, training of new nurses and so much more! This resource can help you do all of these things by providing you with 395 expertreviewed, regulatory-compliant procedures. The book is product #8355 and costs $ Check out this and other new releases at the AHCA online bookstore: AHCA Releases Fraud and Abuse Toolkit The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is pleased to release the Fraud and Abuse Prevention Toolkit (posted on AHCA website at It is designed to help nursing care centers untangle the complex web of federal and state agencies, regulations and laws related to fraud and abuse. The Toolkit will help AHCA membership better understand the legal environment they operate within; however, it is not a Compliance Program or Compliance Plan. Instead, this Toolkit was specifically developed to help members improve their compliance with federal fraud and abuse laws and regulations. To obtain a copy of the Toolkit go to Although the Toolkit focuses on nursing care centers (NCCs); much of the information within also applies to other settings, such as assisted living communities (ALCs) and centers for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD). In all of those settings, for example, the federal anti-kickback and Stark laws will apply (e.g., those laws are relevant to all health care programs including both the Medicare and Medicaid). The toolkit was prepared by Reed Smith attorneys, Susan Edwards and Carol Loepere; reviewed by AHCA s Legal Committee; and edited by AHCA Public Affairs staff, Tom Burke. Page 5 of 6

6 Track Hospitalizations with Advancing Excellence Tracking Tools The Advancing Excellence (AE) hospitalization tracking tools allow you to document your work, monitor outcomes and processes related to those outcomes. Data-driven quality improvement projects require ongoing data collection and analysis. It is important to start collecting data to establish a solid baseline and set a target for improvement. Keep your workbook up-to-date on a daily or weekly basis and look at data often to support a rapid cycle quality improvement project. This website allows you to download the data tracking tool. Contact the AE Helpdesk with any questions at: help@nhqualitycampaign.org CALENDAR OF EVENTS Date Event Location Time February 3 The Art of Risk Management: Hyatt Wynfrey 8:30 a.m. Regulatory Compliance & Root Birmingham Cause Analysis Seminar February 4 Associate Member Committee ANHA Office 10:00 a.m. Meeting Montgomery RSVP: Kerri Parker kparker@anha.org February 5 Facility Standards Committee ANHA Offices 10:00 a.m. Meeting Montgomery February 11 Bylaws Committee Meeting ANHA Offices 10:00 a.m. Montgomery Alabama Nursing Home Association 4156 Carmichael Road Montgomery, AL PH: (334) FAX: (334) Links: Alabama Nursing Home Association AL Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators AL Dept. of Public Health CMS Page 6 of 6