Member Resources

This week AHCA’s CMS Requirements of Participation focus F-tag of the week is Activities of Daily Living.

In the wake of the expiring public health emergency and persistent capacity constraints within healthcare facilities, a coalition of leading organizations is coming together to promote proactive care decision-making by calling on patients to designate a healthcare agent and complete a health care proxy document.

Identification of individuals infected or colonized with Candida auris is increasing in Massachusetts. Ongoing efforts to contain the spread of C. auris in healthcare settings rely on primary infection control measures and screening of contacts to identify C. auris colonization.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that the Notifications of Enforcement Discretion issued under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act during the COVID-19 public health emergency will expire at 11:59 pm on May 11, 2023, due to the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.

Mass Senior Care has long supported and advocated for the conversion of the Medicaid MMQ payment system to the Federal MDS acuity system thereby eliminating the administrative burden of operating 2 acuity systems and to better capture the cost of resident care, which will become effective on October 1, 2023.

The House Ways and Means (HWM) Committee this week released its FY 2024 budget recommendation totaling $56.2 billion. We are pleased to report that the Committee’s recommendation includes MSCA’s funding request proposing a $112 million increase over current reimbursement rates.

Member Updates: House Ways & Means Committee Budget Recommends $112 Million Over Current Nursing Facility Rates; MassHealth Re-Issues COVID-Preparedness Program Bulletin; Register for MassHealth April 26th Training Webinar.

Member Updates: DPH Conference Call for Long Term Care Providers on Wednesday, April 12, 2023; Webinar Recording Now Available: FY24 SNF Proposed Payment Rule.

The Board of Registration of Nursing Home Administrators has verified that all Nursing Home Administrator licensees are required to complete 20 CEUs for this renewal period ending 6/20/2023.

The Betsy Lehman Center will introduce the new Roadmap to Health Care Safety at the Massachusetts Health Policy Forum in Boston on April 26.

The draft Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual is now available. The MDS 3.0 RAI User’s Manual v1.18.11 will be effective beginning October 01, 2023.

CMS Center for Clinical Standards and Quality/Quality Safety Oversight Group has issued a revised 21-page Guidance and Survey Process for Reviewing Home Dialysis Services in a Nursing Home (Rev QSO-18-24-ESRD) to State Survey Agency Directors. This is effective immediately.

The next CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)/Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum is scheduled for Thursday, April 13, 2023, from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET.

As the October deadline draws closer for compliance with the food and nutrition director requirements, a reminder that CMS added to the requirements for the director of food and nutrition services at § 483.60(a)(2)(E) as part of the 2023 SNF PPS rule published in August 2022.

The Massachusetts Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) has issued its Spring Data Matters newsletter highlighting the agency’s recent actions.

CMS is preparing to move to the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) for Minimum Data Set (MDS) submissions.

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) continues to develop resources and tools to assist nursing facilities with maintaining compliance with the CMS Requirements of Participation (RoPs).

The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Elder Affairs has scheduled a public in person and virtual hearing on Monday, April 10th at 9:30 am on the Omnibus Nursing Home reform bill: An Act to Improve Quality and Oversight of Long-Term Care.

Member Updates: Reminder: 3 Day Stay Waiver Ends May 11; Letters of Support Needed for MSCA Workforce Grant Application; HPC Convenes Health Care Workforce Forum.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) yesterday issued its proposed federal fiscal year 2024 (FFY 2024) Medicare SNF PPS rule, covering October 2023 through September 2024. CMS is proposing an overall net market basket increase of 3.7%.

Information Distributed to Physicians on Inappropriate Use of Antipsychotic Medications and Erroneous Diagnosis of Schizophrenia; CMS Rescinds QSO-20-31-ALL and Issues Updated Guidance for Enhanced Enforcement for Infection Control Deficiencies; MassHealth Issues Provider Bulletin Announcing Update to COVID-19 Surveillance Testing Supplemental Payments for NFs: Payments Ending On April 30, 2023.

Audits & Investigations: What To Do When The Government Comes “Knocking” Tuesday, April 4, 2023 2:00PM - 3:30PM Via Zoom 1.5 CEUs It can be both daunting and overwhelming for providers to confront audits and investigations initiated by government agencies, particularly when significant demands are made without much, if any, notice and little time to respond. It is essential to understand the rights and obligations of providers encountering these circumstances and what can be done to best protect your interests

We are saddened to let you know about the passing of Larry Gerber on March 25th after a brief illness. Larry was the founder and Chief Executive Officer of EPOCH Senior Living.

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is excited to announce that the 2023 National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW) Planning Guide and products are now available at www.nsncw.org.

Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell this week issued an advisory to reinforce the regulatory requirements temporary nursing agencies must follow regarding the permissible rates that may be charged to long-term care facilities.

Governor Healey yesterday signed into law a $1.1 billion fiscal year 2023 Supplemental Budget to provide additional funding for core state programs.

Last week the Massachusetts Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Disease and all other Dementias approved and submitted to the legislature it’s 2022 Annual Report. The annual report includes the Council’s progress during 2022 and its next steps for 2023.

The RCA to CNA Pipeline: Leveraging Rapid Upward Mobility Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:30 am to 11:30 AM To address our historic, frontline worker shortage, it is critically necessary that facilities adopt the Resident Care Assistant (RCA) to Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) pipeline as a key strategy to grow your own workforce. The RCA position was designed specifically to support existing nursing staff, assist with resident care, and create an accessible path for career advancement to CNA. Learn how to

Massachusetts of Department of Public Health Registry of Vital Records and Statistics (RVRS) has embarked on a 21st Century Modernization Project. Included in this project is streamlining the death pronouncement process and creating an on-line feature through their newly developed and implemented electronic system.

Beginning today, March 24th at 9:00 p.m. ET, there will be a planned upgrade to the Secure Access Management Service (SAMS) database.

Candida auris (C. auris) was recently named one of five urgent threats in the CDC Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States. There are active cases of C. auris in long term care facilities in Massachusetts and across the country.

Mass Senior Care has long supported and advocated for the conversion of the Medicaid MMQ payment system to the Federal MDS acuity system thereby eliminating the administrative burden of operating 2 acuity systems and to better capture the cost of resident care.

The Legislature yesterday enacted and laid before the Governor a $1.1 billion fiscal year 2023 Supplemental Budget to provide additional funding for core state programs.

The Healey-Driscoll Administration has filed a FY23 Supplemental Budget to provide additional funding for core programs. Beginning Friday, March 24th at 9:00 p.m. ET, there will be a planned upgrade to the Secure Access Management Service (SAMS) database. Register Now for upcoming Webinars.

MassHealth has scheduled a Redetermination Presentation for Long Term Care Facilities on March 28, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am. MassHealth will allow for Questions and Answers at this meeting.

New workshops just added on MassHealth Redeterminations and RCA to CNA Pipeline

March 13th -17th is Long Term Care Administrator’s Week, a time for us to appreciate and celebrate the critical role administrators have in providing leadership for the delivery of quality, resident-centered care and a supportive work environment.

The NIPF is a national forum for any infection preventionist (IP) or infection prevention champions in long term care (LTC) to share lessons learned and resources and get questions answered.

CMS is preparing to move to iQIES for MDS submissions and it is important to create an account and establish credentials in the HCQIS Access Roles and Profile (HARP) System.

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), a non-partisan legislative branch agency that provides policy and data analysis and makes recommendations to Congress, yesterday issued its 2023 annual report.

To address our historic, frontline worker shortage, it is critically necessary that facilities adopt the Resident Care Assistant (RCA) to Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) pipeline as a key strategy to grow your own workforce.

We are pleased to announce our collaboration with Academic Platforms, the creator of CNAOnline.com, a nationally renowned on-line training program for nursing assistants.

The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) released its Annual Report on the Performance of the Massachusetts Health Care System.

The Healey administration has announced that effective May 11, the state's modified COVID-19 public health emergency will be lifted in alignment with the end of the federal public health emergency.

The Healey administration has announced that effective May 11, the state's modified COVID-19 public health emergency will be lifted in alignment with the end of the federal public health emergency.

The RCA to CNA Pipeline: Leveraging Rapid Upward Mobility Wednesday, March 29, 2023 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM In order to work toward being fully staffed for Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) in Massachusetts’ nursing homes, an additional 4,000 CNAs need to be hired. As the demand for CNAs clearly exceeds supply, facilities must embrace strategies to grow their own workforce. Learn how to recruit employees who are not yet certified, onboard them as Resident Care Assistants (RCAs), and quickly Upskill