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 the relevant information contained in this week s edition of the Weekly Roundup to the appropriate department. Administration Nursing Dietary Activities Social Services Rehabilitation Housekeeping Maintenance Laundry ANHA NEWS Friday, September 16, 2011 ANHA Office Schedule for September The ANHA office will be closed Monday, September 19 through Thursday, September 22 for the American Health Care Association Annual Convention. The ANHA office will re-open at 8:00 a.m. on Friday, September 23. Early Bird Registration Prices End September 23: 2011 ANHA Annual Convention & Trade Show Early bird registration prices end next Friday, September 23 for the 2011 ANHA Annual Convention & Trade Show to be held October at The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham. Register early and save! The convention will feature timely educational offerings for all nursing home personnel, social events and officers for 2012 will be elected at the Annual General Business Session. Continuing education credits have been approved for nursing home administrators, assisted living facility administrators, nurses, social workers and certified risk managers. The Pink Flamingos will bring its high energy show to the Dinner/Dance. Please see the attached brochure and registration forms for more information. Host Hotel Reservations for 2011 ANHA Annual Convention The Wynfrey Hotel will be the host hotel for this year s convention. Reservations can be made by calling the hotel at (800) or (205) The following rates have been negotiated for 2011 Annual Convention Attendees: $155 per Standard/Double Room $185 per Double Concierge Level Based on space availability, these rates will be offered one day before and following the meeting dates. To ensure availability of reservation space, all participants are encouraged to make their overnight reservations by September 25. After this date, rooms from our block which are not reserved will be released for general sales to the public and availability cannot be guaranteed. Please make your plans now to attend. Page 1 of 11

2 Donations Needed for ANHA Education Foundation Silent Auction The ANHA Education Foundation is gearing up for its 4 th Annual Silent Auction. This exciting event will be held on Monday, October 10 at The Wynfrey Hotel during the President s Reception at the ANHA Annual Convention and Trade Show. The foundation needs your help to make this event a success and to raise funds for its worthy causes. The foundation supports Alabama s Best Practices, nurse scholarships and other worthwhile activities. Over the years, members and associate members have generously supported the ANHA Education Foundation, and we want to offer you an opportunity to make this silent auction a success by donating an item. Some ideas include tickets to sporting events, vacations, art work, gift certificates, etc. If you don t have time to shop for a prize, please consider a cash donation of $250 or more and we ll select a nice prize for you. Everyone that donates a prize or cash will receive appropriate recognition. Please fill out the attached form indicating your willingness to contribute to the auction and return the form to the Association office. If you have any questions or would like some suggestions for prizes, please contact John Matson at (334) or jmatson@anha.org. Remember, the Alabama Nursing Home Association Education Foundation is a public charity under IRS Section 501(c)(3), so your donation will be tax deductible. Thank you to the following individuals/groups that have donated to date: Beau Rivage Diversicare Management Services/Barbara Adamson Health Care, Inc. IP Casino & Resort Pearl River Resort Perdido Beach Resort Therapy Management Corp. The Wynfrey Hotel Update: My InnerView Satisfaction Survey Complete Facility Profile by September 19 Facilities interested in participating in the 2011 ANHA My InnerView Satisfaction Survey should update their facility profile on MyInnerView s website by Monday, September 19. Order Surveys by September 30 Facilities must order surveys by September 30. My InnerView will allow facilities the option of having the resident and family surveys sent to the facility in bulk so you may hand deliver the surveys and ask the resident or family member to fill it out and mail it back. My InnerView said this method greatly increased the response rate for the 2010 survey. You may also choose to have the resident and family surveys mailed individually. No Cost to Your Facility to Particiapte! ANHA is providing the My InnerView employee, resident and family satisfaction surveys free of charge to member facilities. ANHA will pay for resident and family surveys up to the number of licensed beds in your facility. ANHA will pay for employee surveys up to the number of licensed beds multiplied by The data from this valuable ANHA member benefit can help Page 2 of 11

3 you address concerns, defend against false claims or promote your facility. The results of each facility are confidential and ANHA only receives a statewide summary. My InnerView can be reached at or surveys@myinnerview.com. You will need to call My InnerView and set up an account if your facility is a first time user. You may also contact John Matson at the Association Office at (334) or jmatson@anha.org. The attachment includes a timeline and instructions for participating in this year s survey. ANHA Regional Directors Elected Elections in five of ANHA s regions were recently held. Congratulations to the following individuals were elected to serve a two-year term on the Association s Board of Directors. Region I: Cindy Lewis, Woodland Village, Cullman Region III: Kevin Ball, Arlington HealthCare Center, Birmingham Region V: Eldridge Stewart, Camden Nursing Facility, Camden Region VII: Gail McInnish, Oakwood North Baldwin Center for Living, Bay Minnette Region IX: John Burchfield, NHS Management, Tuscaloosa ANHA Nominating Committee Requests Nominations for ANHA Officers The ANHA Nominating Committee is charged with the task of collecting the names of individuals interested in serving our Association in a leadership role. The Committee is accepting nominations for the following positions: Page 3 of 11 Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer Our nursing homes are blessed with countless people passionate about caring for our state s elderly. Please do not assume that pursuing a leadership position within this Association is a waste of time. Your insight and expertise are needed. If you are interested in one of the above positions, or if you have additional questions, please contact a member of the Nominating Committee. Members of the Committee are: Sal.Lee Sasser-Williams, Chair, Sasser Enterprises, (334) Pam Penland, Member, Health Care, Inc., (205) Eldridge Stewart, Member, Camden Nursing Facility, (334) Elections will be held during the General Business Session of the Annual Convention on Monday, October 10, 2011, at 5:00 p.m. at The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham Membership Assignments on ANHA Standing Committees It s that time of year for ANHA members to indicate their committee preferences. Your participation on one or more of ANHA s committees will allow you the opportunity to be a viable voice in association decisions. Please review the attached committee form and express your desire for yourself and/or key members of your staff to work with a particular (or several) committees. As you will see on the attached form, we ask that you indicate your preferences on a scale from 1 to 3 (1 being your first choice and 3 your third choice). Please note that those committees marked with an asterisk meet on an as-needed basis. Feel free to copy this form if you have more staff interested in serving than there are spaces available.

4 So that we will have time to prepare for the coming year, we ask that you complete and mail, fax or the form to the Association office by Thursday, October 3, If you have any questions, or if you have items relating to the committee which you wish to discuss, please contact Kerri Parker at the Association office at (334) or ANHA Webinar MDS 3.0 October 1 st Changes Registration Closed! The ANHA webinar registration for Integrating the MDS 3.0 October 1 st Changes is closed! Reminder This webinar will be recorded in its entirety and available to the membership shortly after the September 27 th presentation date! Please note that there will be NO CEUS offered for this event. Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) The Alabama Medicaid Agency is adding a new chapter to their Administrative Code to include the new PACE Program in the Long Term Care Division effective October 1, A copy of the proposed rules is attached. Deadline for comments is November 4 th. ANHA 2011 Activity/Social Services Annual Convention: Brochure & Registration Form Attached! Join ANHA as we present the 2011 Activity/Social Services Annual Convention October at The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham. This year s convention is packed with great educational offerings for ALL nursing home staff. Continuing education will be offered for activity professionals (12 hours), social workers (12 hours), nursing home administrators (12 hours) and nurses (14.4 hours). During the convention, we will hold the Annual Activity/Social Services Auxiliary General Business Session and officers will be elected for The Activity/Social Services Auxiliary Nominating Committee is charged with the task of collecting the names of individuals interested in serving the Auxiliary Association in a leadership role. The Committee is accepting nominations for the following positions: Vice President Secretary Treasurer If you are interested in one of the above positions, or if you have additional questions, please contact Mary Ann Parsons (parsons220@hotmail.com) or Gail Gunn (mona.gunn@eamc.org). Elections will be held during the General Business Session of the Activity/Social Services Auxiliary Annual Convention on Thursday, October 20 at 1:30 p.m. at The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham. The Wynfrey Hotel is the host hotel for this event, and reservations can be made by calling the hotel at (800) or (205) The following rates have been negotiated with The Wynfrey Hotel for our 2011 Activity/Social Services Annual Convention Attendees: $141 per Standard/Double Room Page 4 of 11

5 Based on space availability, these rates will be offered one day before and following the meeting dates. To ensure availability of reservation space, all participants are encouraged to make their overnight reservations by OCTOBER 7. After this date, rooms from our block which are not reserved will be released for general sales to the public and availability cannot be guaranteed. Medicaid Cost Reports Due September 15 th The Alabama Nursing Home Association will once again collect cost reports for analysis by our independent reimbursement consultant, Dave Bishop. As in the past, our reimbursement consultant will provide you a detailed analysis of your costs compared to the costs of other facilities of a similar size. We cannot stress enough the importance of sending in your cost report. In order to negotiate with Medicaid on various issues, we need to have accurate information concerning the profession. This information has proved very beneficial in the past. Please send a copy of your 2011 Medicaid Cost Report to: Alabama Nursing Home Association 4156 Carmichael Road Montgomery, Alabama, ATTN: Katrina Magdon FACILITY NEWS Ms. Alabama Nursing Home Meets Gov. Bentley Ms. Alabama Nursing Home, Felma Schrimshire, recently met with Gov. Robert Bentley when he visited Andalusia. Gov. Bentley was in town to talk with local leaders and spoke with Ms. Schrimshire about the importance of Alabama nursing homes. If you would like Ms. Schrimshire to visit your facility or if you have a function she could attend, please contact Andalusia Manor Activity Director Jan Bowers at (334) , ext You may also call Sal.Lee Sasser-Williams at (334) Several Facilities Earn My InnerView s Excellence in Action Awards Twenty-three Alabama nursing homes received My InnerView s Excellence in Action Award based on the 2010 satisfaction survey results. To earn the award, facilities must rank within the top 10% of My InnerView s database for 2010 in customer and workforce satisfaction levels. Congratulations to each facility on achieving this high honor! Customer and Workforce Awards: Brown Nursing Home, Alexander City Lauderdale Christian Nursing Home, Killen Page 5 of 11

6 Madison Manor Nursing Home, Madison Customer Satisfaction Award: Albertville Nursing Home & Rehab Select, Albertville Allen Memorial Home, Mobile Columbiana Health & Rehabilitation, Columbiana El Reposo Nursing Facility, Florence Florala Health & Rehabilitation, Florala Hendrix Health & Rehabilitation, Double Springs Little Sisters of The Poor, Mobile Lynwood Healthcare & Rehab Center, Mobile Millennium Health Care & Rehab, Huntsville NHC Healthcare Anniston, Anniston Northside Health Care, Gadsden Orchard Healthcare Center, Hayneville Robertsdale Healthcare Center, Robertsdale Westside Terrace Health & Rehab Center, Dothan Workforce Awards: Burns Nursing Home, Russellville Cottage of The Shoals Care & Rehab Center, Tuscumbia Cullman Long Term Care & Rehab Center, Cullman Marshall Manor, Guntersville Montrose Bay Health & Rehab Center, Montrose Parkwood Health Care Facility, Phenix City For more information about participating in the 2011 My InnerView Satisfaction Survey, please see the article on page 2. NATIONAL NEWS CMS Issues Medicaid RAC Final Rule On September 14, 2011, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued the Medicaid RAC final rule that the agency expects will save $2.1 billion in waste over the next five years, of which $900 million will be returned to states. This final rule implements section 6411 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the Affordable Care Act), and provides guidance to States related to Federal/State funding of State start-up, operation and maintenance costs of Medicaid Recovery Audit Contractors (Medicaid RACs) and the payment methodology for state payments to Medicaid RACs. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) will be analyzing the final rule in light of their comments submitted earlier this year and will report back to AHCA members. In addition, with the assistance of our State Executives and other members, they will stay informed as to the actual development and operation of this program in the states. We will Page 6 of 11

7 learn how the program is being implemented and, if necessary, develop, and provide to CMS, improvements in procedures and processes to assure fair implementation. The rule was released on the same day Vice President Joe Biden convened a Cabinet meeting at the White House to discuss the Obama administration's Campaign to Cut Waste. Vice President Biden, joined by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, discussed this new initiative to fight waste and fraud in Medicaid. In addition to announcing the Medicaid RAC initiative the Vice President also unveiled new efforts to track state progress in reducing improper unemployment insurance payments, and directed each Cabinet secretary to undertake a waste and efficiency review that will target unnecessary, wasteful, and inefficient federal spending. An attachment contains the press release, fact sheet and 140 page desk copy of the final rule. Please note that the rule is not yet in the Federal Register. CMS Issues Surveyor Guidance for Changes for F322 Feeding Tubes The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an advance copy of the surveyor guidance for F322 Feeding Tubes. The revision will be implemented on November 30, It is important to note that revisions to this guidance are extensive and F321, which contained language about not using feeding tubes unless unavoidable, has been deleted and the language incorporated into F322. A copy of Transmittal is attached. ANHA is working on a seminar or webinar regarding this change. CMS Issues Memorandum on Use of Home-Grown Vegetables The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Survey & Certification Memorandum clarifying that nursing home residents/patients may consume vegetables grown in the home s gardens. Facilities are expected to follow safe food handling practices once foods are harvested and brought to the kitchen for preparation. A copy of Transmittal is attached. OSHA Issues Compliance Directive to Address Workplace Violence The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a new directive, Enforcement Procedures for Investigating or Inspecting Incidents of Workplace Violence, that establishes uniform procedures for OSHA field staff for responding to incidents and complaints of workplace violence and conducting inspections in industries considered vulnerable to workplace violence, such as healthcare and social service settings, and late-night retail establishments. Workplace violence is a serious recognized occupational hazard, ranking among the top four causes of death in workplaces during the past 15 years. More than 3,000 people died from workplace homicide between 2006 and 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). BLS data also shows that more than 15,000 nonfatal workplace injury cases were reported annually during this time. OSHA launched a new Workplace Violence Web page ( and has published several workplace violence guidance documents including Recommendations for Workplace Violence Prevention Programs in Late-Night Retail Establishments and Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care and Social Service Workers. Please visit the website for more details. Page 7 of 11

8 CMS Updates Questions and Answers Relating To Emergencies Over the weekend, in a number of states in the Northeast, long term care facility evacuations continued as rivers overflowed. Thankfully, most reported successful evacuations. In response to questions about Medicare payment for evacuees, we provide the following information that comes from CMS Provider Survey and Certification Frequently Asked Questions, which was last updated on September 2, It is important to understand, however, that these Q&As are focused on emergencies in which a Section 1135 waiver has been granted and that is not the case for the recent flooding. That said, the answer below is responsive to any facility that has evacuated or received evacuees due to emergency conditions. When residents are transferred to the receiving facility with an anticipated return to the evacuating facility within 30 days, the evacuating facility may bill Medicare for the services that were provided at the receiving facility. The evacuating facility is responsible for payment to the receiving facility for the services that the receiving facility provides to the evacuated residents. In these cases, the fiscal intermediary will process these claims using the evacuating facility s provider number as if the patients had not been transferred (i.e., are being provided services under arrangement ). Specific methods for transfer of funds from one facility to another are not determined by Medicare or the fiscal intermediary; these financial arrangements should be made by the facilities among each other. Most of the other answers in the CMS Frequently Asked Questions are specific to a public health emergency in which an 1135 waiver was granted again, not the case in the Northeast states. Section 1135 authorizes the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to waive or modify certain Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, and HIPAA requirements. However, two prerequisites must be met before the Secretary may invoke the 1135 waiver authority. First, the President must have declared an emergency or disaster under either the Stafford Act or the National Emergencies Act. This has been done for all the states impacted by the flooding. Second, the Secretary must have declared a Public Health Emergency under Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act. This has not been done in the Northeast states. For additional information, please visit the CMS website. A copy of the FAQs regarding this issue is attached. Notice of Workers Right to Organize must be Posted by November 14 The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has published a final rule requiring employers to post a notice containing information about an employee s right to union organizing. Employers must begin posting these notices by November 14, The NLRB has created a fact sheet describing where the poster has to be posted, along with other requirements including the size of the poster, and requirements for employers if they download the poster from NLRB s website. Some employers will have to provide the rule in multiple languages. In workplaces where 20 percent of workers are not proficient in English and speak another language, the employer must provide the notice in the language the employees speak. If the workforce includes two or more groups totaling at least 20 percent of employees who are not proficient in English, the employer must either post the notice in both languages or post the notice in the language spoken by the greater number of employees while providing copies in the second language to employees who Page 8 of 11

9 are not proficient in English. The rule implies that an employer must monitor the languages spoken by employees and the English proficiency of its employees. Copies of Notices will be available from the NLRB, in multiple languages. Failure to comply with this rule is an unfair labor practice (ULP) violation. Although there is no civil penalty attached, if an employer is not in compliance during a union organizing drive, there could be other consequences to an employer. The NLRB will provide the notice at no cost to employers on or before November 1, 2011 by contacting NLRB Washington, D.C. headquarters. Employers can also download the notice from the Board s website. Or employers can purchase the workplace posters from a commercial supplier. Employers are also required to post the notice on its internet or intranet sites if personnel rules and policies are customarily posted there. Please visit to obtain a copy of the fact sheet. STATE NEWS Nurse Aide Abuse Registry Please note that the following individual has been placed on the Alabama Nurse Aide Abuse and/or Sanction Registry. This individual is prohibited from working in any long-term care facility. To check nurse aides, you can use the nurse aide web site at (Click on Contents A-Z - located in the dark blue at the top of the screen - then Click on Nurse Aide Registry - then Click in the white box and type in the Social Security Number of the person you are trying to find. Be sure and include the dashes in the SSN.) Name Effective Date Samantha Cleveland 9/8/2011 SAVE THE DATES: EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS 2011 Nursing Home Survey Process Update Educational Seminar: November 29 Please mark your calendars for November 29, 2011, as ANHA will present a seminar entitled 2011 Nursing Home Survey Process Update. This seminar will be held at The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham. More information regarding this seminar will be provided in the following weeks. Restorative Nursing in Nursing Homes Educational Seminar: November 30 Please mark your calendars for November 30, 2011, as ANHA will present a seminar entitled Restorative Nursing in Nursing Homes. This seminar will be held at The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham. More information regarding this seminar will be provided in the following weeks. Page 9 of 11

10 Legal Compliance in Nursing Homes Educational Seminar: January 19 Please mark your calendars for January 19, 2012, as ANHA will present a seminar entitled Legal Compliance in Nursing Homes. This seminar will be held at The Wynfrey Hotel in Birmingham. More information regarding this seminar will be forthcoming. OTHER NEWS The MDS 3.0 and Quality Improvement Webinar Sign up now for the webinar Integrating the MDS 3.0 into Daily Practice: The MDS and Quality Improvement. Join quality improvement experts and practitioners, including Dr. David Gifford, to explain dynamic processes to maximize the use of the MDS to drive high quality person-centered care. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) sponsored webinar, which will occur on September 15 from 1:00 2:00 pm CT, is the third in a series of webinars presented by the Pioneer Network s National Learning Collaborative on the MDS. Register now ( for this webinar and receive 5 free viewings of the archived program. The cost of the webinar is $ CALENDAR OF EVENTS Date Event Location Time September 16 ANHA Region VIII ACT/SS Enterprise Health & Rehab 2:00 p.m. Auxiliary Meeting Enterprise RSVP: Shelia Dunn (334) Topic: Hard to Handle Patients by Mizell Memorial Hospital September AHCA Annual Convention Mandalay Bay & Trade Show Las Vegas, NV September 29 ANHA Region VIII Meeting Enterprise Health & Rehab 2:00 p.m. RSVP: Sal.Lee Sasser-Williams Enterprise (334) , sallee@andalusiamanor.org September 30 ANHA Region IV ACT/SS Western Sizzlin 12:00 p.m. Auxiliary Meeting Oxford RSVP: Brittney Denny (256) October ANHA Annual Convention The Wynfrey Hotel Birmingham October 11 ANHA Executive Board Meeting The Wynfrey Hotel 9:30 a.m. Birmingham Page 10 of 11

11 October 11 ANHA Trade Show The Wynfrey Hotel 11:30 a.m. Birmingham Alabama Nursing Home Association 4156 Carmichael Road Montgomery, AL PH: (334) FAX: (334) WEB SITES: Alabama Nursing Home Association AL Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators AL Dept. of Public Health CMS Page 11 of 11