E-News Update Articles

This week, the Baker Administration announced that 26 health care organizations statewide will participate as Community Partners, in the next step of the rollout of MassHealth’s Accountable Care Organization (ACO) program. The intent is for community-based health care and human service organizations to partner with the ACOs to integrate and improve member health outcomes of approximately 60,000 MassHealth members with complex long term medical and/or behavioral health needs. The ACO program is funded in part by $1.8 billion in federal

“It is my dream to provide the same loving and compassionate care that my grandmother received in a nursing home to my future patients.” Katherine St. Onge, an Activities Assistant at Orchard Cove, credits her beloved grandmother as the reason she is now pursuing a career in occupational therapy, after witnessing the key role that occupational therapists played in returning her grandmother’s life back to normal after a knee amputation. She chose a concentration in Motor Development Therapy in her

With the hearing for the Nursing Home Stabilization bill quickly approaching on September 11, 2017 at 1:00pm in State House Hearing Room A-1, the Association is mobilizing a grassroots campaign. We urge members to participate in our efforts by asking staff, residents, and family members to make calls to their Representatives and Senators and urge them to cosign written testimony in support of the bill. These calls have been incredibly helpful in the past and resulted in 120+ cosponsors. Please

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released new forms, including a new entrance conference worksheet and facility matrix, as well as new and updated investigative protocols, referred to as pathways that will be used for the new long term care (LTC) survey process starting on November 28, 2017. These forms are posted on the CMS Nursing Homes webpage here. Our national association, AHCA, has prepared a memorandum on this topic. Please click here to access it. For

On August 28, 2017, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services through its Contractor (UMASS) issued guidance on preparing for the filing of the Final Direct Care Add-on Compliance Report. The agency notes that the webform to submit the Final Direct Care Add-on Compliance report will be available for use as of 9/4/17. Facilities will receive a second e-mail announcing when the form is live; please do not attempt to log in until you have received that second e-mail

Best Practices in Person-Centered Care at the End of Life The Massachusetts Culture Change Coalition invites you to participate in a new round of regional forums, designed to bring together long term care providers and other stakeholders interested in pursuing person-centered care. Regional forums serve as venues to share information and ideas about culture change and provide resources to help you get started or expand on your culture change journey. We encourage facilities to send members of the team that

The following forms and notices that are issued by providers to Medicare patients are now available in a large print Word version as well as the PDF and original Word format in English and Spanish. CMS-R-131 - Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage CMS-10124 - Detailed Explanation of Non-Coverage CMS-10123 - Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage For more information see the Beneficiary Notification Initiative website. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/BNI/

CareOne at Millbury welcomed local officials, staff, residents, families, and community seniors to its 8th Annual Senior Appreciation Luau on August 22nd. The luau brought in their largest crowd of over 350 guests who enjoyed the fun festivities with great food, live entertainment and raffle prizes. Attendees heard from State Senator Michael Moore, Worcester County Sherriff Lew Evangelidis, Millbury Town Manager Francis King and Mass Senior Care’s Jennifer Chen. Pictured: State Senator Michael Moore and Administrator Kristine Binette

The Joint Committee on Elder Affairs announced its public hearing on H.2072/S.336, Acts Relative to Stabilizing the Commonwealth's Nursing Facilities will be on Monday, September 11th at 1:00 p.m. in Room A-1 at the State House. The Nursing Home Stabilization Bill filed by Representative Tom Golden, Jr. (D-Lowell) and Senator Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) and 124 additional legislative co-sponsors would provide critically needed funding for quality resident care and frontline staff wages. We urge Mass Senior Care members to please join

Research conducted by AHCA/NCAL last year found that the rehospitalization rates in nursing facilities with at least one RN certified in gerontological nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) consistently have run at least two percentage points lower than the national average since 2011. Lower rehospitalization rates will be key to success under the new CMS Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program. CMS currently is tracking skilled nursing rehospitalization rates on for the new SNF VBP program. Under the VBP program

AHCA (American Health Care Association) received notification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that it is making significant changes to the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) reporting deadlines, as well as report availability, due to system coding issues. The specific reports impacted are the Review and Correct Report and Confidential Feedback Report that SNFs use to help monitor compliance with MDS 3.0 assessment-based quality measures, and identify assessments that may need updating. Please click here

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched a new Jimmo Settlement Agreement webpage for the Medicare community. The webpage includes: Background on the settlement Links to resources Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) It also includes the following Important Message About Jimmo Settlement from CMS. Source: CMS’s Jimmo Settlement Webpage

While a relative newcomer to long term care, Layla Rougeau is following in her family’s footsteps in pursuing a nursing career. She was accepted into Southern Vermont College’s pre-nursing program, and after completing a psychology class focused on Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementia, was drawn to working in long term care. As a CNA in training at Williamstown Commons, Layla loves her job and the bonds she has forged with residents and staff. In turn, facility staff praise her work

On Thursday, September 28th, the Mass Senior Care Foundation will honor its long time President, Marva Serotkin. The event will be held at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley from 6-9 pm and we invite all members to join us as we honor Marva and raise funds for our flagship scholarship program. During her 10 years as President of the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation and her previous tenure as Chair of the Mass Senior Care Association, Marva has championed the annual

An audio recording and transcript are available for the July 25 call on the Revised Interpretive Guidance for Nursing Homes and New Survey Process, effective November 28, 2017. Learn about the major components of Phase 2 implementation, changes to the survey process, and training resources available to the public.

On July 31, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule [CMS-1679-F] outlining fiscal year (FY) 2018 Medicare payment rates and quality programs for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). In that rule, CMS finalized some key components of the SNF Value Based Purchasing (VBP) program, which impacts reimbursements starting next year. The SNF VBP Program has adopted scoring and operational policies for its first year (FY 2019) and has specified measures and program features as required

The New England QIN-QIO's Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative (NHQCC) is pleased to offer a one day in-person educational event, " Assessing and Managing Pain Seminar" with Carol P. Curtiss, MSN, RN-BC, a Clinical Nurse Specialist Consultant and national expert speaker on pain management. This event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 26, 2017 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Mass Senior Care office. To register, please click here. Space is limited.

“My strong drive of perseverance and success gave me the courage and strength to work hard to achieve my goal of becoming a nurse.” Ever since she was a young girl growing up in Uganda, Aisha knew she wanted to be a nurse. In secondary school, she began working as a caregiver in peoples’ homes during school holidays, a part-time job that enabled her to raise money to help cover her school expenses. After years of hard work, her lucky

On August 15 th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule to cancel the Episode Payment Models and the Cardiac Rehabilitation incentive payment model, which were scheduled to begin on January 1, 2018. Additionally, this proposed rule would reduce the number of mandatory geographic areas participating in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s (Innovation Center) Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model from 67 to 34. In addition, CMS proposes to allow CJR participants

On July 28, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Survey & Certification Memorandum 17-38 Fire and Smoke Door Annual Testing Requirements in Health Care Occupancies. This memorandum clarifies conflicting information released earlier this year. CMS has provided the following clarifications to the Life Safety Code® requirements for fire and smoke door assembly inspections: Fire door assemblies should be tested in accordance with the 2010 edition of NFPA 80 (the original email, dated 8/2/2017, mistakenly referenced NFPA

At the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs hearing on July 31 st, Mass Senior Care provided oral testimony in support of H.2079 An Act Relative to Promoting Innovation in Elder Care Services filed by Representative Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). The legislation would establish a zero-interest loan trust fund administered by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. The funds would allow for innovative solutions to the care and housing needs of our growing elder population. Skilled nursing facilities could access

The Boston Home recently celebrated a groundbreaking for their Harmon Apartments project, which will create 36 units of accessible mixed-income housing with supportive services designed to promote independence for adults with progressive neurological diseases. Marva Serotkin, President of Mass Senior Care Foundation and President & CEO of The Boston Home was joined by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, State Rep. Dan Cullinane, developers and members of the disability community for this exciting milestone.

The Medicare Learning Network (MLN) will host a call on Thursday, September 7, 2017 from 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm regarding a new Facility Assessment Tool to help identify and develop the specific assessment of your facility. Also, find out about frequently asked questions related to revision of the State Operations Manual Appendix PP for Phase 2 of the Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities final rule. A question and answer session follows the presentation. Register for Medicare Learning

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 July 2017. This new file( https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/exclusions_list.asp) is meant to replace the updated 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 on the OIG’s

“One of my favorite parts of working as a nurse is the constant learning process, and seeing the smiles on patients’ faces and knowing that I am making a positive difference in their lives.” Following in her aunt’s footsteps, Holli Doherty had always dreamed of becoming a nurse. While she deferred pursuing this goal until her children were older, she eventually became an LPN and later obtained her RN degree to further her nursing education and career. Holli is the

On Thursday, September 28th, the Mass Senior Care Foundation will honor its long time President, Marva Serotkin. The event will be held at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley from 6-9 pm and we invite all members to join us as we honor Marva and raise funds for our flagship scholarship program. During her 10 years as President of the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation and her previous tenure as Chair of the Mass Senior Care Association, Marva has championed the annual

This is a really interesting topic!

On July 28, 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Division of Epidemiology and Immunization issued an Advisory to Long Term Care Facilities (LTCF) noting that the Division has received a number of recent reports of outbreaks of scabies occurring in LTCFs. The Advisory notes that Department staff is available to work with LTCFs on infection control procedures, including treatment recommendation, environmental sanitation in response to single cases of scabies as well as outbreaks 24/7 by calling (617) 983-6800. While

Governor Charlie Baker on August 1 st signed into law legislation that would establish a $200 million, temporary two-year employer health contribution program in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2018, along with a reduction in a planned unemployment insurance rate hike. The legislature earlier had rejected the Governor's request to include in his re-filed legislation a series of Medicaid health reforms designed to manage the MassHealth program to make it sustainable over the long term, believing that the proposed reforms would

Beginning August 1, 2017, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) new electronic portal, the Injury Tracking Application (ITA), will be accessible for employers to file web-based reports of workplace injuries or illnesses. OSHA’s secure website offers several different options for how employers submit the data electronically. Under OSHA’s electronic record keeping rule, covered companies with at least 250 employees must submit information electronically from: •OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) •OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related

On July 27, 2017, Governor Baker signed into law new protections for pregnant workers that would ban discrimination in the workplace and require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to workers before and after pregnancy. The law will take effect on April 1, 2018. The law, An Act Establishing the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, makes it unlawful for an employer to refuse to employ or discharge from employment, an individual due to pregnancy or a condition related to said pregnancy

On July 31, 2017, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (“Mass Tech Collaborative”), on behalf of Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI), issued a Request for Information for Sharing of Advanced Care Planning (ACP) Documents to solicit responses from interested parties in the field of capturing and sharing advanced care planning documents electronically. MeHI is working in collaboration with other stakeholders, including the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care (the Coalition), to examine architectures and technologies

Memorandum To: Mass Senior Care Members From: Tara Gregorio, President RE: CMS Issues FFY 2018 Medicare SNF PPS Final Rule Rates Date: August 1, 2017 On July 31, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule for the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) governing Medicare rates for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2018 (October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018). Below are the highlights of the final rule: Market basket (i.e. cost-of-living) adjustment

Thank you for the tremendous support in Mass Senior Care’s recent Legislative Action Alert urging lawmakers to override Governor Charlie Baker’s veto of $7.5 million in Medicaid funding for nursing home care. Mass Senior Care has been in contact with legislative leaders, and has learned the veto override vote on our item will likely be on the docket for September. In order to override the Governor’s veto, both members of the Senate and the House of Representatives will need to

The Legislature yesterday returned to Governor Charlie Baker separate legislation that would establish a $200 million, temporary two-year employer health contribution program in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2018, along with a reduction in a planned unemployment insurance rate hike. The legislature rejected the Governor’s request to include in its re-filed legislation a series of Medicaid health reforms designed to manage the MassHealth program to make it sustainable over the long term, believing that the proposed reforms would have had a

On July 21, 2017, UMass, the agent EOHHS has contracted with to manage the SFY 2017 Direct Care Add On web-based application and the website URL for Compliance Form, issued an e-mail notification to nursing homes providing guidance in regard to the Final Compliance filing schedule. Please note that the memo indicates that the filing deadline is September 30 th. UMass notes that it expects the final form will be very similar to the Interim Form and that it will

On Wednesday afternoon the Senate again rejected, on a vote of 45-55, a proposal to repeal significant portions of the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. Seven Republican Senators bucked their leadership and voted with all of the Senate Democrats in rejecting an amendment that would have repealed most of the heath care law with a two-year delay to develop a replacement plan. Similar legislation passed both chambers on reconciliation instructions in 2015, but was vetoed by then-President Obama. It

MassHealth electronically collects nursing facility census data information quarterly and is currently collecting census form filings for July 1, 2017. If your facility has not yet filed the July 1, 2017 census form with MassHealth, we urge you to complete the census form and file electronically. Please note that the census survey provides important information on utilization trends, which we share with members in aggregate form. The MassHealth census form should be filed electronically with Matthew Martin of MassHealth at

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell postponed indefinitely bringing to the Senate Floor the Senate’s version of the Affordable Care Act ‘Repeal and Replace’ Bill – The Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). Majority Leader McConnell had planned to bring the bill up for a vote but the combination of Senator John McCain’s medical absence and the announcement that Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) would not support the bill forced McConnell to pull the BCRA

CareOne at Brookline welcomed local officials, staff, residents, families, and community members to a community barbecue at St. Mark's Park on July 13 th. Nearly 300 guests celebrated the summer weather with food, refreshments and raffle prizes. Pictured below is Chad Waterman, Administrator at CareOne Brookline and Breanna Wu, Volunteer.

Building on its 32 year legacy of assisting long term care staff in furthering their education, the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation is proud to announce its 2017 Foundation Scholars (click here to see a list of scholarship recipients by last name). This year’s class of 35 exceptional awardees include Certified Nursing Assistants, nurses, human resource, dietary and other facility staff who will use their scholarships to further their professional development and leadership in the long term care profession. The 2017

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on a nationwide quality improvement initiative aimed at assessing and strengthening current infection control capacity and competency in Massachusetts health care facilities. DPH is currently seeking LTCFs to participate in the non-regulatory assessment of their infection prevention program and practices. Participation in this quality improvement initiative is voluntary and this initiative is not part of DPH’s health care facility licensure regulations. A

On Tuesday, July 25, 2017 from 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm, CMS experts will discuss the revised Interpretive Guidance for Nursing Homes and the new Survey Process effective November 28, 2017. Learn about the major components of Phase 2 implementation, changes to the survey process, and training resources available to the public. A question and answer session follows the presentation. You may email questions in advance of the call to NHSurveyDevelopment@cms.hhs.gov. Questions received in advance of the call may be

We are pleased to report that as a result of tremendous member outreach and advocacy the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Public Health have notified Mass Senior Care that the Department will be re-proposing the long term care licensure regulations later this summer. On July 19, 2017, EOHHS Secretary Marylou Sudders indicated in a letter to Mass Senior Care President Tara Gregorio the revised regulations will r etain both the current construction grandfather

Governor Charlie Baker earlier this week took the following actions on the State Fiscal Year 2018 budget recommendation that was sent to him by the Legislature

On Tuesday, July 25, 2017 from 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm, CMS experts will discuss the revised Interpretive Guidance for Nursing Homes and the new Survey Process effective November 28, 2017. Learn about the major components of Phase 2 implementation, changes to the survey process, and training resources available to the public. A question and answer session follows the presentation. You may email questions in advance of the call to NHSurveyDevelopment@cms.hhs.gov. Questions received in advance of the call may be

Massachusetts Senior Care Association’s 2017 Nursing Facility Employment Survey has been mailed out to Nursing Facility Administrators. The deadline to return the survey has been extended to tomorrow, Friday, July 14, 2017. Mass Senior Care member providers have traditionally used the results of this survey to help them assess their wage and benefit packages. The aggregate survey data also enable us to document the costs associated with staff recruitment and retention, health insurance coverage and other factors as we continue

On July 7 th, the Legislature approved its state fiscal year 2018 budget recommendation and sent it to Governor Charlie Baker for his action. The $40.2 billion budget mostly level funds state agency budgets due to the challenging state revenue picture. The final budget also imposed $400 million in reductions from the original House and Senate recommendations. Notwithstanding the deteriorating revenue outlook, we are grateful to Legislative leaders and the Conference Committee members for including $7.5 million in additional funding

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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 June 2017. This new file is meant to replace the updated 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 on the OIG’s website