E-News Update Articles

Mass Senior Care is once again offering AHCA/NCAL Quality Award workshops to help members better understand how to complete the application from beginning to end with coaching support along the way from expert trainers.

On October 1, 2024, The Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) released important information regarding the contribution amounts that need to be remitted by eligible employees and employers beginning on January 1, 2025.

Building on its 39-year legacy of assisting long term care staff in furthering their education, the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation is proud to announce its 2024 Foundation Scholars.

Re: Member Update: MassHealth Issues Provider Bulletin Listing Changes to MassHealth’s Accountable Care Organizations Effective January 1, 2025; COVID-19 Vaccination Reminder; Division of Insurance Stakeholder Listening Session – Prior Authorization for Post-Acute Services

Member Update: REMINDER: COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccination Requirement for Health Care Personnel (HCP); CHIA Extends Deadline for Nursing Facility Data Validation Template Review

Thousands of Massachusetts residents may soon lose access to their doctors due to a reimbursement dispute between their insurer Point32Health and Children’s Hospital, UMASS Hospital and Tenet Hospital.

Join clinicians, educators, policymakers, and healthcare organizations from across the state to share and problem-solve the needs of our healthcare system. There is no cost to attend.

The Boston Office of CMS will host a series of webinars focusing on the Medicare provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its impact on healthcare.

Register now for our 2024 Annual Meeting & Trade Show on Thursday, November 14th at the Wellsworth Hotel in Southbridge, MA!

Countdown to Compliance: Implementation Strategies for Meeting the Patient Billing Transparency Law; Best Practices for Filing Medicaid Applications: Steps You Need to Know About MassHealth Nursing Facility Eligibility; What’s Ahead for SNF QRP: Insights, Innovations, and Impacts; Successfully Navigating the Informal Dispute Resolution Process (IDR), and the Independent Informal Dispute Process (IIDR)

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. At the expiration of the PHE, DPH released guidance on Organizational Policies and Procedures for Mitigating Respiratory Illness.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association.

RTI International, on behalf of CMS, is seeking feedback on the possible expansion of collection and submission of Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment data used for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) to include all residents receiving short-term skilled care in a SNF regardless of payer.

Member Update: Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting; Don't Miss Out on Upcoming MSCA Webinars

Member Update: House Passes Closeout Bill to Cover Prior Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Gap; Register Now for Upcoming MSCA Webinars

Member Update: Employer Incentives and Supports for Hiring Work-Authorized New Immigrants; Secure Your Spot Today for Two New Webinars with MassHealth and Mass Senior Care

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.

Member Update: Current Technical Issues in NHSN; SNF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available

On October 11, CMS finalized the Medicare Program: Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status rule.

Member Update: Attorney General’s Office Seeking Community Feedback on ALR Consumer Protection Regulations; New CMS Resources on Mandatory Provider Enrollment Off-Cycle Revalidation; Free COVID-19 Test Kits

Member Update: OIG Releases Report on Massachusetts Nursing Homes; Upcoming AHCA/NCAL Webinars on Mandatory Provider Enrollment Revalidation; CMS to Host Next SNF/LTC Open Door Forum – Thursday, October 17, 2024; REMINDER: CHIA Issues Data Validation Template for Nursing Facility Review; IV Fluid Shortages and Supply Chain Disruptions; Honoring Choices Resource – Who is Your Health Care Agent?

Join us as we gather for our 2024 Annual Meeting & Trade Show on Thursday, November 14th at the Wellsworth Hotel in Southbridge, MA! Please visit our website to register.

AHCA encourages applicants who plan to apply for a 2025 Quality Award to submit an ITA by logging into the Quality Award Portal before the deadline on November 14, 2024. Applicants will receive an automatic discount on the overall application fee when submitting a 2025 application.

Limited sponsorship opportunities are remaining for Mass Senior Care Association’s November 14th Annual Meeting and Trade Show.

Register Now! Best Practices for Successfully Billing for Medicaid Nursing Facility Member Specific Billing Add-Ons: What All Facilities Should Know and Best Practices for Filing Medicaid Applications: Steps You Need to Know About MassHealth Nursing Facility Eligibility

Governor Maura Healey has appointed Michael Caljouw as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI), the state agency that monitors the solvency of its licensed insurance carriers to ensure a healthy marketplace for consumers who purchase insurance products.

Steward Health Care is abandoning the under construction Norwood Hospital and closing four affiliated clinics in November, according to a notice filed in bankruptcy court Monday.

Member Update: CHIA Issues Proposed Regulation Nursing Facility Cost Reporting Regulation: 957 CMR 7.00; Register Now for Upcoming MSCA Webinars and In-Person Life Safety Code Workshop

Member Update: Newly Arrived Immigrants Provide Important Source of Labor for Long Standing Vacancies; Exclusive Complimentary Webinar for Mass Senior Care Facility and Corporate Members Only; Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Member Update: CHIA Issues Data Validation Template for Nursing Facility Review

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) earlier this week issued the Rate Year 2025 (RY25) Medicaid Nursing Facility rate regulation.

Join the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) and the MassCyberCenter on October 10th at 10am for the monthly health care provider cybersecurity call.

CMS has announced that an updated Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice (SNF ABN) and accompanying instructions have been posted in the downloads section of the fee for service (FFS) SNF ABN webpage. The revised SNF ABN form is available for immediate use, and it becomes mandatory for Medicare Part A services on October 31, 2024.

CMS has issued Medicare billing guidance regarding the FDA-approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2024–2025 season and updated COVID-19 vaccine pricing.

Mass Senior Care Association is pleased to offer Associate Members sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor booths for the upcoming 2024 Annual Meeting & Trade Show on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at the Wellsworth Hotel in Southbridge, MA.

Register Now for Upcoming MSCA Seminars/Webinars

Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and ID/DD centers are required by OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134) to establish and maintain a respiratory protection program when employees are exposed to airborne hazards, including infectious agents such as COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

Honoring Choices has developed a new consumer handout to help consumers in the community complete a health care proxy.

Mass Senior Care congratulates The Terraces Orleans, owned and operated by EF Senior Care, on its 55th Anniversary Celebration.

Member Update: Supply Chain Concerns; Baxter International Inc. Manufacturing Facility Damage and International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) Strike

To assist nursing facility members in complying with the CMS regulation mandating that each nursing facility have a designated and specially trained Infection Preventionist, AHCA is offering new registrants discounts on its IPCO training program.

DPH has issued new guidance to provide recommendations and resources to support the integration of harm reduction services in healthcare settings to people who use drugs (PWUD).

CMS has released a new document titled the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) User’s Manual version (v) 1.19.1R Hyperlink Update Supplement.

Member Update: EOHHS Issues Rate Year 2025 Medicaid Nursing Facility Rates

Member Update: Honoring Choices Resource - Who is Your Health Care Agent?; DPH Issues Guidance on Harm Reduction and the Protection of Caregivers; Register Now for Upcoming Webinars and In-Person Life Safety Code Workshop

Member Update: SNF ABN Notice Form Change; Register Now for Upcoming Webinars and In-Person Life Safety Code Workshop

Mass Senior Care Association is pleased to offer Associate Members sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor booths for the upcoming 2024 Annual Meeting & Trade Show on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at the Wellsworth Hotel in Southbridge, MA.

Member Update: New AHCA LTC Facility Assessment Recruitment and Retention Tool Now Available; Up-to-Date Definition Changes for NHSN COVID-19 Vaccination Reporting; New Combined Respiratory Pathogen Reporting Form for Residents; NHSN Webinars

Where Safety Meets Standards: Join DPH and MSCA for the Annual Life Safety Code In-Person Workshop! Tuesday, October 22, 2024 9:00 am – 12:00 pm enVision Hotel & Conference Center Mansfield-Foxboro 31 Hampshire Street, Mansfield, MA 02048

CMS has released an updated series of web-based training courses that provide an overview of the assessment and Section GG guidance found in the Long Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) 3.0 User’s Manual, Version 1.19.1. These courses are designed to promote accurate coding of the post-acute care (PAC) cross-setting data elements.