E-News Update Articles

Member Update: Critical Action Alert – We Need All Facilities to Participate and Help Us Secure Funds Necessary to Support Nursing Facility Workforce and Resident Care; Hospital Capacity Constraints; REMINDER: COVID-19 Health Care Personnel Vaccination; MassHealth Nursing Facility Occupancy and Specialty Services Survey; POLST Stakeholder Meeting

Please call Governor Maura Healey today at (617) 725-4005 to thank her for signing the Long Term Care Reform Law - Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024 and to urge her to invest the $280 million necessary to implement the historic reforms in her FY 2026 budget recommendation, which will be released next month.

AHCA/NCAL is offering a new webinar, Preparing for Upcoming CMS Guidance Changes: Key Updates and Action Items for Compliance, to provide important information about updated surveyor guidance recently released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association. Our members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and we are grateful for their support.

Register Now!

Nursing facilities are reminded to remain diligent in their infection control practices to limit the spread of COVID-19 to residents and staff especially during respiratory virus season.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently posted its latest update to its sub-regulatory guidance for the SNF Mandatory Off-Cycle SNF Provider Enrollment Revalidation process.

Member Update: Nursing Home MDS Section S Updated Guidance Effective 10/1/2024; Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting – December 18, 2024; Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program: December 2024 Confidential Feedback Reports; Death Certificate Registration System Delayed Until Early 2025; Register Now for Important Upcoming Webinars!

As Mass Senior Care previously reported, beginning on January 1, 2025, nursing homes will be required to electronically report information about COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

This week, Governor Maura Healey, lawmakers and stakeholders attended a signing ceremony to celebrate the passage of the Massachusetts Economic Development Bill, H.5100, An Act relative to Strengthening Massachusetts’ Economic Leadership. The law authorizes the Governor to seek bonds totaling $4 billion to fund capital projects and programs throughout the Commonwealth. We are pleased to report that the law includes a provision authorizing $50 million to fund nursing facility capital improvements.

Register Now for Upcoming Seminars/Webinars!

MassHealth has issued a new online form for MassHealth Education and Community Outreach Support: the MassHealth Education and Information Request Form.

CMS has posted the updated Nursing Home Care Compare Technical Users’ Guide on the CMS Five Star Quality Rating System Page.

Governor Maura Healey recently signed the Long Term Care Reform Law - Chapter 197 of the Acts of 2024. The law includes many critical resident care and workforce sections, including a requirement for MassHealth to update its Medicaid funding formula using more current costs for resident care and workforce wages.

Member Update: Revised Long-Term Care Surveyor Guidance – Appendix PP; Register Now for Important Upcoming Webinars!

Member Update: Governor Healey Signs Into Law the FY2024 Closeout Bill to Cover Prior Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Gap: Includes Provision Further Delaying Until 2027 the Patient Billing Transparency Law; DPH Launching Recovery and Monitoring Program for Healthcare Professionals; Register Now for Informative Webinar: Revolutionize Wound Care in Your Nursing Facility; Registration Open for AHCAs Free Building Trust Leadership Academy

The NHSN Long Term Care Team and Vaccination Team will provide a refresher training about the newly combined reporting form for Respiratory Pathogens and Vaccination, which went into effect September 30, 2024 as well as the upcoming required reporting fields beginning January 1, 2025.

The Legislature sent to Governor Healey its FY 2024 closeout bill which includes a $502 million transfer from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to cover the FY2024 deficit. The Legislature rejected a series of proposals to add new program funding, including additional revenue for nursing facility care, to the closeout budget as its focus was on eliminating the deficit.

As previously reported, during the Baker administration Massachusetts incorrectly used $2.5 billion in federal money to provide unemployment benefits that should have been drawn from the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund. The error occurred during the Covid-19 Pandemic at a time when unemployment had escalated.

Last week, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) published the updated Nursing Facility Industry Segment Specific Compliance Guidelines (Nursing Facility ICPG).

Revolutionize Wound Care in Your Nursing Facility Tuesday, January 14, 2025 12:30 pm –1:30 pm VIRTUAL

AHCA/NCAL will host a free webinar Encouraging Vaccinations This Season – So You and Your Residents Can Risk Less and Do More on Monday, December 9 at 4:00 EST for all members and non-members to gain insights about how to overcome vaccine reluctance and help increase vaccine uptake among the long term care population.

Member Update: Legislature Sends to Governor Healey the FY2024 Closeout Bill to Cover Prior Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Gap: Includes Provision Further Delaying Until 2027 the Patient Billing Transparency Law; Health Policy Commission 2024 Health Care Cost Trends Hearing; OIG Publishes Updated Nursing Facility Industry Segment Specific Compliance Guidelines; Overcoming Vaccine Reluctance Webinar; NHSN LTCF Component: Respiratory Pathogens and Vaccination Updates

Through a collaboration with the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), the Center of Health for Behavioral Health in Nursing Facilities (COE-NF) is here to better equip nursing facility staff with the knowledge and techniques needed to work with residents who have mental health and substance use conditions.

CMS has updated certain Medicare beneficiary non-coverage notice forms that apply to both Medicare Fee-for-Service and Medicare Advantage covered beneficiaries. These forms will become effective January 1, 2025.

At Mass Senior Care’s November 14th Annual Meeting in Southbridge, a standing room only crowd listened to remarks from Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner, Dr. Robbie Goldstein, MSCA Board of Directors Chair, Tom Lavallee, former New England Patriot Joe Andruzzi, and MSCA President Tara Gregorio.

We are grateful for your support and your extraordinary dedication to providing compassionate care to the older adults and individuals with disabilities who live in our skilled nursing facilities.

As a reminder, per 105 CMR 150.000 Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities, all health care personnel (HCP) must be up to date with the most current COVID-19 vaccine no later than December 31, 2024, unless the HCP is exempt from vaccination.

Please join us on Tuesday, December 3rd, in supporting the Mass Senior Care Foundation’s mission to promote workforce quality and to provide our compassionate caregivers with scholarships as they pursue advanced training and higher education.

Member Update: CMS Issues Proposed 2026 Medicare Advantage Program Rule: Includes Measures to Improve Beneficiary Access to Care; Nursing Facility TNS Agency Usage Data Trend; CMS SNF LTC Open Door Forum – December 5; UPDATE: MassHealth MMIS POSC AWS Migration DELAY

The next CMS SNF Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum is scheduled for Thursday, December 5, 2024, from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Eastern Time (ET).

On November 21, 2024, Mass Senior Care member Oriol Health Care marked a significant milestone, celebrating 60 years of exceptional service and commitment to the health and well-being of the Wachusett region and beyond.

Member Update: EOHHS Issues REVISED Request for Applications (RFA) for Nursing Facility Specialized Behavioral Unit; REMINDER: COVID-19 Health Care Personnel Vaccination

Vaccination rates for the 2024-2025 COVID-19 vaccine remain extremely low for residents in Massachusetts’ nursing facilities. NHSN data from the week ending November 10, 2024, indicate only 30.7% of nursing facility residents have received the updated COVID-19 vaccine, ranking Massachusetts as 26th out of 50 states and slightly higher than the national average of 30.4%.

This week, Governor Maura Healey signed into law the Economic Development Bill, H.5100, An Act relative to Strengthening Massachusetts’ Economic Leadership. The law authorizes the Governor to seek bonds totaling $4 billion to fund capital projects and programs throughout the Commonwealth. We are pleased to report that the law includes a provision authorizing $50 million to fund nursing facility capital improvements.

Late last week, a federal judge in Texas struck down the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Overtime Rule which was originally released on April 23, 2024. The Overtime Rule would raise the minimum salary threshold for employees who are classified as exempt from payment of overtime wages under the “white-collar” exemptions to the Fair Labor Standards Act.

Nursing facilities are reminded to remain diligent in their infection control practices to limit the spread of COVID-19 to residents and staff especially as we enter respiratory virus season.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to report that Governor Healey also signed into the law a provision adding the Commonwealth to the national Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) which is vital to continued efforts to address the nursing workforce shortage.

Member Update: DPH Webinar on Respiratory Virus Illnesses

The MAVRIC electronic death registration system go live date has been delayed. The final code testing led to further adjustments for funeral home staff, burial agents, and medical examiners.

Please join us on Tuesday, December 3rd, in supporting the Mass Senior Care Foundation’s mission to promote workforce quality and to provide our compassionate caregivers with scholarships as they pursue advanced training and higher education.

The Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA) has launched an electronic payment service available for Assisted Living Residences (ALR) to pay the application and certification fees required to be certified as an Assisted Living Residence (ALR) in MA. The optional electronic payment service became effective November 1, 2024.

Member Update: MassHealth LTSS Best Practices - Verifying Eligibility and Claim Status; MassHealth Informational Webinars on MMIS Migration to Cloud System

Member Update: Governor Healey Signs Into Law the Economic Development Bill: Includes $50 Million Authorization for Nursing Facility Capital Loan Program; Massachusetts Joins National Nurse Licensure Compact and Facilitates Licensure of Foreign Physicians for Underserved Regions; Governor Healey Names Robin Lipson as Permanent Head of Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA)

Member Update: Legislature Enacts Consensus Economic Development Bill and Sends To Governor Healey: Includes $50 Million Authorization for Nursing Facility Capital Loan Program; IMPORTANT MASSHEALTH NOTICE FOR NURSING FACILITY BILLING - MassHealth Final Submission Deadline Claims Process for Issues Relating to the October 2023 Transition from MMQ to MDS; US Department of Labor’s Overtime Rule Struck Down by Federal Judge; MAVRIC Webinar for Registered Nurse/Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant Pronouncers; Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting; Mass Senior Care Clinical & Regulatory Committee Meeting; CMS Leadership National Call

Member Update: MassHealth MMIS Amazon Web Services (AWS) Migration: November Billing Deadline

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Nurse Aide Registry Services (NARS) announced its testing vendor, D & S Headmaster (“D&S”), will begin offering the nurse aide certification exam in Haitian Creole, in addition to Spanish, Chinese, and English.

The SNF Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the January 2025 refresh.

Join DPH and Mass Senior Care for a webinar on Successfully Navigating the Informal Dispute Resolution Process (IDR), and the Independent Informal Dispute Process (IIDR) Tuesday, November 19, 2024 1:00 pm –3:00 pm

The CDC has endorsed two new recommendations from the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) regarding the COVID and pneumonia vaccines.