E-News Update Articles

On March 30th, Tara Gregorio, President of Mass Senior Care, presented testimony to the House Committee on Ways and Means urging the Legislature to update MassHealth funding for nursing facility care in State Fiscal Year 2020 using more current 2017 labor and resident care costs. Gregorio noted that the funding is critically needed to protect access to quality resident care and to address the growing nursing facility financial and workforce crisis. The Commonwealth’s nursing facilities are facing an unprecedented financial

On March 29th, the Department of Family and Medical Leave updated its draft Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) regulations. The revised draft is posted on the Department's website. The Department plans to hold at least two public hearings beginning in May. The Department expects to promulgate the final regulations ahead of the statute’s July 1stimplementation date. Additional information on the PFML, including a Q &A for employers and employees can also be found on The Department of Family and

This event is sold out. We look forward to seeing members next Wednesday in Boxboro!

Hats off to the facilities listed below for Answering the Call to Care! These facilities hosted state legislators who who toured and spent time meeting with staff and residents discussing the issues that are impacting long term care workers and residents. Keystone Center, Leominster Senator Dean Tran Southbridge Rehab Senator Ryan Fattman and Representative Peter Durant South Cove Manor at Quincy Point State Senator John Keenan, Helen Chin Schlichte, Board of Directors, CEO Bill Graves, Administrator Li Chen Hancock Park

The Joint Committee on Elder Affairs will be accepting public testimony on Senate Bill 352 and House Bill 610, Acts Relative to Stabilizing the Commonwealth’s Nursing Facilities on Monday, April 8, 2019 at 1:00 PM at the Massachusetts State House in hearing room A-1. This important legislation filed by Representative Tom Golden, Jr. (D-Lowell), Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) and scores of co-sponsors would modernize the state’s funding formula for nursing home care. There will be panels of nursing

The Massachusetts House of Representatives is currently working on its FY 2020 state budget and your local state representative has an opportunity to make budget decisions that will prioritize nursing home care. To build awareness and support for our Answering the Call to Care Campaign , please contact your local legislator to make nursing home care a priority in the state budget. Take Action and Call Your Local State Representative at 617-410-5227 To be connected to your local State Representative’s

The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave has posted on its website an employer and employee toolkit. The toolkits include contribution rate calculators, informative videos, workplace posters, and other useful information designed to assist people with planning for the implementation of the Commonwealth's Paid Family and Medical leave law. The law takes effect on July 1, 2019. To sign up for email updates and news from the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave, please click here.

MassHealth has posted on its website an updated payment amount for the 3rdinstallment of the SFY 2019 Direct Care Staff Payment. The payment, scheduled to be issued in April, has been revised slightly upward.

Here are some of the latest resources that are available for people who attended Mass Senior Care’s January 22nd PDPM Academy: The recording of the PDPM March 26th webinar is available for you to view at your convenience, and The Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) – Compliance Tool Kit Version 1.0, March 2019 Publication To quickly refer to these new items please follow the steps below: Log in to https://educate.ahcancal.org/ Click "my dashboard" Scroll to the bottom of the page and

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reminds all licensed adult day health programs, non-ambulatory surgical center clinics, nursing homes, and rest homes of the deadline for the mandatory reporting of healthcare personnel influenza data. The reporting deadline is April 15, 2019, at 5:00 pm. All licensed adult day health programs, non-ambulatory surgical center clinics, nursing homes, and rest homes must submit influenza vaccination reports through the web-based application SurveyMonkey.® . Please review the Detailed Directions for 2018-2019 Data Reporting for

Tara Gregorio, President of Mass Senior Care, presented testimony to the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development in support of House Bill 1647 which would repeal the Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC) Tax.

Hat's off to the Keystone Center in Leominster for Answering the Call to Care! On March 22nd, staff from the facility hosted State Representative Natalie Higgins who toured the facility and spent time meeting with staff and residents discussing the issues that are impacting long term care workers and residents. In addition, an op-ed column “ Ferency: Don’t balance a budget at the elderly’s expense ” by Cathy Ferency, a family member of a resident at Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled

Mass Senior Care will be having an art exhibit featuring long term care resident artists at the Massachusetts State House from May 20-24th. We urge facility members to loan residents’ artwork to be displayed at the art exhibit which will coincide with Mass Senior Care’s State House Advocacy Day on Tuesday, May 21st. Please mark your calendars as we will need the full support of the long term care community to rally for critically needed state funding to protect quality

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Forsyth Institute and the New England Healthcentric Advisors QIN/QIO is proud to promote best practice antimicrobial guidelines for providers in the settings of long term acute care, dialysis, ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient clinics and dentistry. Continuing education credits are available for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners and dentists. This program will be held on April 5, 2019 at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference

The House of Representatives is currently working on its FY 2020 state budget and your local state representative has an opportunity to make budget decisions that will prioritize nursing home care. Please urge your State Representative to Answer the Call to Care by making nursing home funding top priority in their request to the Committee on House Ways and Means. The Committee’s budget recommendation is expected to be released on April 10th. Your advocacy will be critical to help reinforce

Legislators from across the state visited Mass Senior Care facility members on the need to invest in quality resident care and staff for the FY 2020 budget. Mass Senior Care continues to encourage members to host legislative events which will allow elected officials to see firsthand the valuable services your facility provides. The Answering The Call To Care Campaign Toolkit provides a step-by-step guide on how your facility can host a successful event. State Representative William Crocker visited The Pavilion

Honoring Choices Massachusetts is a consumer oriented non-profit organization focused on the rights of every adult to direct their health care choices and make a plan to receive the best possible care that honors their values & choices, all through their lives. In celebration of National Healthcare Decisions Day (April 16, 2019), visit the Honoring Choices website for tools and resources.

The new Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Threshold Report (PTR) is now available. This PTR is a user-requested, on demand report which enables users to obtain the status of their data submission completeness related to the compliance threshold required for the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP). This report is available in the ‘SNF Quality Reporting Program’ category in the CASPER Reporting application. Please refer to Section 13-SNF Quality Reporting Program in the CASPER Reporting MDS Provider User’s Guide for additional

On March 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued S&C Ref: QSO-19-07-NH memorandum, " Enhanced Oversight and Enforcement of Non-Improving Late Adopters." This memo details additional enforcement measures for approximately 235 nursing centers that have been cited for noncompliance with federal regulations related to the use of unnecessary or psychotropic medications two or more times and have not shown improvement in their long-stay antipsychotic medication rates. CMS refers to these providers as "late adopters." The memo

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), just launched a new Nursing Home Infection Preventionist Training course. This specialized nursing home training is designed for individuals responsible for infection prevention and control (IPC) programs in nursing homes. The course introduces and describes how to use IPC program implementation resources including policy and procedure templates, audit tools, and outbreak investigation tools. The course is made up of 23 modules

On March 5, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released S&C: QSO-19-09-ALL memorandum entitled " Revisions to Appendix Q, Guidance on Immediate Jeopardy”, which includes revisions to the guidance on citing immediate jeopardy (IJ) in Appendix Q of the State Operations Manual (SOM). These revisions to Appendix Q apply to all provider and supplier types and go into effect immediately. CMS intends for this guidance to increase clarity and consistency in identifying and citing IJ. The revised

The US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released its updated list which reflects all OIG exclusions and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in February 2019. This new file is meant to replace the updated List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE) database file available for download last month. Individuals and entities that have been reinstated to the federal health care programs are not included in this file. The updated files are posted

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Forsyth Institute and the New England Healthcentric Advisors QIN/QIO is proud to promote best practice antimicrobial guidelines for providers in the settings of long term acute care, dialysis, ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient clinics and dentistry. Continuing education credits are available for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners and dentists. This program will be held on April 5, 2019 at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference

Mass Senior Care facility and associate members continue to urge lawmakers protect quality resident care by updating funding using 2017 labor and resident care costs.

MassHealth has provided the registration link for the upcoming MMQ Audit Quality Forums in March. For any issues with registration or if you are experiencing any technical difficulties with the registration process please contact support@masshealthltss.com or call (844) 368-5184. Please see below for the information provided previously on these Forums. MassHeallth, through its contractor Optum, has scheduled upcoming Quality Forums (trainings) on MMQ audits. The forums are scheduled for March 27th, 28th and 29th, and are designed to help educate

On March 5, 2019 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released S&C QSO-19-08-NH April 2019 Improvements to Nursing Home Compare and the Five Star Rating System . In April 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will end the freeze on the health inspection domain of the Five Star Quality Rating System and resume the traditional method of calculating health inspection scores by using three cycles of inspections. Inspections occurring on or after November 28, 2017

Mass Senior Care invites staff at member facilities to participate in various committees designed to share information on the topics of clinical quality, regulatory, human resources and finance and reimbursement. This information and feedback will assist MSCA staff with developing policy positions and prioritizing strategic initiatives. Committee meetings are held in Mass Senior Care’s office in Waltham. Facility members are invited to participate. If you are interested in attending one of the upcoming committee meetings, please contact Jennifer Chen. Upcoming

This week, CommonWealth Magazine published a podcast and article “Nursing home industry sounds alarm” highlighting the financial and workforce crisis impacting Massachusetts nursing homes.

CMS will host a call on Wednesday, March 20 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm on SNF Value-Based Purchasing Program: Phase One Review and Corrections. During this call, participants learn about the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program Review and Corrections process and get answers to frequently asked questions about Phase One of the process. During the Review and Corrections period, SNFs have an opportunity to review and submit correction requests to quality measure information. Deadline for correction submission

Phase III Requirements of Participation (ROP) take effect November 28, 2019 and mandate that every nursing facility have a designated and specially trained Infection Preventionist who is running a comprehensive infection prevention and control program. AHCA’s Infection Preventionist Specialized Training (IPCO) program is specifically designed to prepare individuals to effectively implement and manage an Infection Prevention & Control program in nursing facilities. AHCA’s course is an online, self-study program with 23 hours of training that meets the educational requirements outlined

Legislators from across the state heard from Mass Senior Care members on the need to invest in quality resident care and staff for the FY 2020 budget.

The MassMAP Annual Education Sessions will be held at various venues in Massachusetts in May. The focus for these workshops is to bring each region together in their respective areas to improve each facility’s overall capability to prepare for, respond to and recover from a disaster. This year’s education sessions will be full-day and include a table top exercise. Please click here for details and to sign up today. This program is for MassMAP members only and all members must

The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA), Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, and Collaborative Healthcare Strategies have partnered to offer a webinar about CHIA's Hospital-Specific Readmissions Profiles . The profile series provides key insights into all-payer all-cause unplanned readmissions for each of the 58 acute care hospitals in Massachusetts through the most recent state fiscal year for which data is available (SFY17). All-payer all-cause readmission analyses may be of interest to hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, accountable care organizations, community

Join your colleagues from across the state at our 2019 Spring Conference & Trade Show on Wednesday, April 10th at the Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center in Boxborough. This year's theme, “PDPM: the Journey Continues”, features experts in the clinical, legal and compliance aspects of the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) who will share their knowledge and provide best practices to prepare you for a successful implementation of PDPM in your facility this October. Program speakers include Jennifer Gross

Mass Senior Care invites staff at member facilities to participate in various committees designed to share information on the topics of clinical quality, regulatory, human resources and finance and reimbursement. This information and feedback will assist MSCA staff with developing policy positions and prioritizing strategic initiatives. Committee meetings are held in Mass Senior Care’s office in Waltham. Facility members are invited to participate. If you are interested in attending one of the upcoming committee meetings, please contact Jennifer Chen. Upcoming

THE MASSACHUSETTS NURSING HOME INDUSTRY says inadequate state funding caused 20 facilities to close last year and is putting another 39 at risk of going out of business this year. Tara Gregorio, the president of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, and Naomi Prendergast, president and CEO of D’Youville Life and Wellness Community in Lowell, sounded the alarm on the Codcast, saying rates provided by MassHealth are way too low because they are based on cost benchmarks from 2007. There are

On February 22nd, Mass Senior Care Board Member Bill Graves, President/CEO of South Cove Manor at Quincy Point invited local elected officials including State Representative Tackey Chan and State Representative Daniel Hunt to visit the facility to discuss the importance of funding quality nursing home care. Mass Senior Care encourages members to host a legislative event in their own community which will allow elected officials to see firsthand the valuable services you provide to residents. The Answering The Call To

On February 20, 2019, The Department of Public Health Complaint Unit presented a webinar for Mass Senior Care members on “Best Practices when Reporting through the Health Care Facility Reporting System”. This webinar provided guidance to member facilities on information that should be included on an initial and follow up incident report submitted through the HCFRS. To access the recording and hand-outs from this presentation, click here .

On October 1, 2019, the new Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) is replacing Resource Utilization Group, Version IV for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS). Based on stakeholder feedback, CMS has revised resources on the PDPM webpage to help you prepare for implementation, including: FAQs, Fact sheets , Presentation and a Classification walkthrough .

MassHeallth, through its contractor Optum, has scheduled upcoming Quality Forums (trainings) on MMQ audits. The forums are scheduled for March 27th, 28th and 29th, and are designed to help educate and inform nursing facility administrators and MMQ nurses regarding Management Minute Questionnaire (MMQ) and Audit processes. Key subjects to be discussed at each forum include: Preparing for your MMQ Audit and what to expect Quality Improvement MMQ Audits Results and Trends Corrective Action Plans and Reconsiderations See below for dates

Please make your voice heard by joining Mass Senior Care and thousands of other residents, their family members and staff by answering the call to care by visiting www.MACallToCare.org and sending your legislators an email asking them to support quality resident care and staff by closing the Medicaid funding gap.

On February 20, 2019, The Department of Public Health Complaint Unit presented a webinar for Mass Senior Care members on “Best Practices when Reporting through the Health Care Facility Reporting System”. This webinar provided guidance to member facilities on information that should be included on an initial and follow up incident report submitted through the HCFRS. You can find a copy of the slides here and to access the recording, please click here.

Mass Senior Care has issued a statement and anticipate that family members and staff may have questions related to the news report. Please find our statement and talking points which may be helpful in assisting you in these discussions.

Advocacy Bootcamp: Engage Your Community in Answering the Call to Care Wednesday, March 6, 2019 1:00 pm -3:00 pm Mass Senior Care Office, Waltham COMPLIMENTARY WORKSHOP Top Three Reasons You Should Attend: 1.Be a leader in advocating for your residents and staff 2.Expand your skills to effectively communicate with policymakers 3.Network with your peers and share successful advocacy strategies Workshop Description: Mass Senior Care recently launched the “Answering the Call to Care” campaign to protect quality resident care and fund

Nursing Homes and Rest Homes are required by regulation to report healthcare personnel (HCP) influenza data to the Department of Public Health by April 15, 2019. The Department of Public Health has provided guidance for facilities to fulfill the requirement. The Department of Public Health has also provided a Facility Health Care Personnel Flu Tracking Tool to assist facilities in documenting, monitoring, and tracking HCP influenza data throughout the flu season as well as Health Care Personnel Influenza Vaccination References

Phase III Requirements of Participation (ROP) take effect November 28, 2019 and mandate that every nursing facility have a designated and specially trained Infection Preventionist who is running a comprehensive infection prevention and control program. AHCA’s Infection Preventionist Specialized Training (IPCO) program is specifically designed to prepare individuals to effectively implement and manage an Infection Prevention & Control program in nursing facilities. AHCA’s course is an online, self-study program with 23 hours of training that meets the educational requirements outlined

Join your colleagues from across the state at our 2019 Spring Conference & Trade Show on Wednesday, April 10th at the Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center in Boxborough. This year's theme, “PDPM: the Journey Continues”, features experts in the clinical, legal and compliance aspects of the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) who will share their knowledge and provide best practices to prepare you for a successful implementation of PDPM in your facility this October. Program speakers include Jennifer Gross

The Gerontological Society of America is celebrating its Careers in Aging Week (CIAW) which will take place March 3-9. The goal of CIAW is to bring awareness to the numerous career opportunities in aging. Please click here to find ways you can celebrate Careers in Aging Week in your community.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association. Our Associate Members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and participating as exhibitors and sponsors for events and educational conferences. Mass Senior Care members are encouraged to contact Associate Members when they are in need of long term care products and services. You can find all of our Associate Members listed on our website, www.maseniorcare.org/preferred-vendors . Facility Member: Franklin

At the recent February 7th Associate Member meeting, Tara Gregorio, Mass Senior Care’s President, provided an update on the financial and workforce challenges threatening the continued viability of the nursing facility sector. To address this unprecedented crisis, she urged the nursing facility community including staff, residents, family members and vendors to participate in the Answering the Call to Care campaign to educate elected officials and the public on the urgent need to invest in quality nursing home care. Mass Senior