Member Resources

Member Update: 2024 Medicaid Nursing Facility Rate Package

MSCA celebrates all the dedicated employees who keep our nursing facilities safe and clean during the upcoming International Housekeeping and Environmental Services Week - September 10-16, 2023.

Mass Senior Care is looking forward to celebrating National Assisted Living Week, happening this Sunday, September 10, through Saturday, September 16, 2023!

The Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) is hosting a new online listening session "Echoes from Administrators" on Thursday, September 14 at 12:15 pm

Fall Education Programs Now Available - Register at www.maseniorcare.org

Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder today announced that preliminary revenue collections for August totaled $2.429 billion, $172 million or 6.6% less than actual collections in August 2022.

As previously reported, Governor Healey on March 29, 2023 signed an authorization to continue to allow nursing practice by graduates and students in their last semester of nursing education programs.

CMS has released the proposed minimum staffing rule.

Member Update: Hospital Capacity & Discharges to Skilled Nursing Facilities

Member Updates: CMS Issues Proposed HPPD Rule; Use of Graduate Nurses and Nursing Students in Last Semester of School; MassHealth Provider Profile Update Instruction Guide Now Available; MassHealth PASRR Portal Update

As Labor Day weekend approaches, our member facilities are making every effort to ensure their residents enjoy the last few weeks of warmth and sunshine!

Massachusetts is experiencing a steady and concerning rise in COVID-19 cases in long-term care facility residents and staff.

With Fall right around the corner, now is the time to register for important clinical and regulatory programs.

In August 2023, CMS released the updated final Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Item Sets version (v)1.18.11 and it is now available.

Member Updates: CMS SNF LTC Open Door Forum; Register Now for Fall Education Programs

Mass Senior Care is looking forward to celebrating National Assisted Living Week from September 10-16, 2023!

With Fall right around the corner, now is the time to register for important clinical and regulatory programs. Mass Senior Care has a robust calendar of webinars/seminars planned for the planned for the upcoming months, please see the program offerings below and register now.

Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced the creation of a new Elder Justice Unit within the agency and has appointed Mary Freely to lead the Unit, which will focus on promoting the safety and welfare of the state's elderly population

Member Update: Rise in COVID-19 cases in LTC Facility Residents and Staff

Member Update: Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting

Register Now! Best Practices to Ensure a Successful MMQ to PDPM Conversion

Nursing facilities will need to create logins to access the new PASRR portal which will launch on August 28th.

The CDC has released new resources to assist nursing home staff with understanding the benefits of and implementing Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBPs).

Acumen LLC, on behalf of CMS is hosting a public, virtual listening session on Tuesday, August 29 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

In August 2022, CMS created an additional pathway for the Director of Food and Nutrition to qualify for the position.

Yesterday, EOHHS issued a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit relevant information from current licensed long-term care facilities

Member Update: EOHHS Issues Request for Information (RFI) for Creating Rates to Enable Nursing Facilities to Meet the Specialized Needs of Certain Populations: Deadline to Respond is September 29, 2023

Member Updates: Nursing Facility Access to the New PASRR Online Portal – Logins Required; Listeria Associated with Soft Serve Ice Cream in LTC Facilities

Member Updates: DPH COVID-19 Cluster and Outbreak Recommendations and Resources; Register Now for MMQ Transition Webinar

Nursing facility’s August Performance Score Reports for the Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program are available to download from iQIES, including the incentive payment multiplier CMS will apply to Part A claims in FY 2024.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) has released the Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model aimed at improving the way dementia care is delivered and supporting unpaid caregivers.

Mass Senior Care is offering a variety of education programs on regulatory, human resource, and clinical topics. Please review the list of programs below and click on the appropriate registration link.

The Department of Public Health yesterday issued a memo regarding Legionnaires’ disease in long-term care facilities (LTCFs).

On Tuesday August 8, 2023, Governor Maura Healey declared a State of Emergency exists in Massachusetts due to rapidly rising numbers of migrant families arriving in Massachusetts in need of shelter and services and a severe lack of shelter availability in the state.

We are pleased to report that Governor Healey has signed into law the FY2024 budget totaling $56 billion and includes $283 million over the current FY 2023 Medicaid nursing facility budget appropriation.

Member Updates: Legionnaires’ Disease in Long-Term Care Facilities; MassHealth Implements LTSS Provider Self-Service Online Inquiry Form; Register Now for MMQ Transition Webinar

Member Updates: Governor Healey Signs FY 2024 Budget Into Law; Governor Healey Declares State of Emergency Due to Rising Numbers of Migrant Families In Need of Shelter and Services; Reminder: SNF Quality Reporting Program: Non-Compliance Notifications

Member Updates: MassHealth Webinar on Enhanced Care Coordination and Transition Support: August 21st; Reminder: MassHealth Trading Partner Testing (TPT) for transition to MDS 3.0: Update; MassHealth Adds PASRR Training Webinar; Register Now for Members Only MMQ to MDS Conversion Webinar

Member Update: MassHealth PASRR Update: August 28 Launch Date for New PASRR Portal

Endless summer fun continues at our member facilities! Even though August is here, members are participating in exciting activities and events that keep the good times rolling all season long.

In a blog published in Health Affairs Forefront, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services described its progress to date in the CMS accountable care strategy, and outlined areas CMS is exploring in 2023 to build on these efforts to accelerate the growth of and access to Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) that can support improved care experience and quality for beneficiaries, especially those in rural and underserved areas.

The Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2023 awards. Scholarships from $500 to $2,000 will be awarded to selected applicants to cover direct, out of pocket expenses for tuition, fees, books, and supplies incurred during the period January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023.

Skilled nursing facilities must report their 2023 Quarter 1 (December 26, 2022 - March 26, 2023) Weekly Healthcare Personnel COVID-19 Vaccination Summary data to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) by August 15, 2023.

On August 2, 2023, the Healey-Driscoll Administration posted for public comment a proposal to amend Massachusetts’ Section 1115 Demonstration (“1115 Demonstration”). The amendment proposes additional innovative flexibilities under the 1115 Demonstration that was approved on September 28, 2022.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this week issued its federal fiscal year 2024 (FFY 2024) Medicare SNF PPS rule, covering October 2023 through September 2024.

The Legislature this week enacted and sent to Governor Healey its FY 2024 state budget recommendation totaling $56 billion, which includes $283 million over the current FY 2023 Medicaid nursing facility budget appropriation.

Member Update: CMS Issues FFY 2024 Medicare SNF PPS Rule; MassHealth Trading Partner Testing Update