Member Resources

To assist members to take action in regard to the unwinding of the Public Health Emergency (PHE), we are notifying members that starting April 1, 2023 and continuing for 12 months, all current MassHealth members will need to renew their health coverage to ensure they still qualify for their current benefits. DPH will be holding a conference call for long-term care facilities on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. Communities of Practice webinar focusing on promoting COVID-19 bivalent vaccinations for older adults and residents/staff in LTC settings.

Yesterday, the Biden Administration announced its plans to end the COVID-19 national and public health emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. This administration guidance meets the Administration’s promise of 60 days’ notice of the end of the PHE. MSCA offers new virtual education sessions.

This week we celebrate all the dedicated and creative activity professionals who improve quality of life every day for residents living in nursing facilities across the Commonwealth. Activity professionals engage the body, mind and spirit in activities that enable residents to live the richest and fullest lives possible and we extend our sincere appreciation to all who serve in resident engagement activities.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association. Our members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and we are grateful for their support.

AHCA/NCAL recently hosted a webinar to discuss the importance of and tips on contacting CMS to weigh in on proposals the agency is writing for SNF minimum staffing requirements. Presenters included AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson and Senior Director, Grassroots Program Matthew Smyth.

The Mass Chapter of ACHCA invites all practicing administrators to attend their second listening session, Echoes from Administrators virtually on Thursday, February 23 at 2:00 for one hour. ACHCA MA Chapter welcomes practicing administrators to an ongoing virtual community of peers leading facilities across the Commonwealth. After over two years of constantly changing demands from every corner, you are invited to convene with an opportunity to hear what colleagues have happening in their buildings. Share your thoughts and hear from

Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBP) are a new infection prevention and control recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to protect residents from multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).

CMS recently released the third edition the SNF QRP Public Reporting (PR) Tip Sheet. The tip sheet provides the following updates:

The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated by the CMS and are now available for review. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the April 2023 refresh. The data contained within the Preview Reports are based on: Quality MDS assessment data submitted by SNFs from Quarter 3, 2021 through Quarter 2, 2022. ​ CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) measure reflecting data

Register now for these upcoming sessions. Please note the February 10th session is offered exclusively to MSCA members at no charge.

The Cambridge Community Learning Center (CLC) offers a free 16-week CNA training course uniquely designed to support English language learners. Individuals who sign up for this CLC course should have intermediate English language ability.

Governor Maura Healey has appointed Kate Walsh, the CEO of Boston Medical Center Health System, as secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the CMS has announced new actions to reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications and to bring greater transparency about nursing home citations to families. In addition, EOHHS Issues SUD training update and reminders.

The Biden administration is “growing frustrated” with the low vaccination rates among residents in nursing facilities and has begun forwarding to state regulators lists of nursing facilities with few residents vaccinated. On January 24, 2023, from 1:00 pm -2:00 pm CMS will host a national stakeholder call to highlight CMS’ key 2022 accomplishments and look ahead to how CMS’ 2023 priorities will advance the CMS Strategic Plan.

The Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech (MeHI) is seeking digital health startups to compete in the Massachusetts Digital Health Sandbox Challenge Program. The first Challenge is aimed at finding unique digital health solutions that improve the lives of older adults and help them remain active, productive, independent, and socially connected.

Did you know? MSCA has a member program with Incite Strategic Partners, the exclusive Group Purchasing Organization of AHCA/NCAL. Members across the country have been saving on their everyday purchases on many products and services including Dining, Medical, Supplies, and Technology through their Incite membership. MSCA member communities of all sizes are eligible to participate in the Incite program. It’s free to join Incite and takes about 5 minutes using their online enrollment tool: Incite Member Enrollment . Incite recently

AHCA has a released a new life safety compliance webinar for new facilities managers. This 1-hour educational webinar walks through the CMS nursing home life safety inspection process, provides an overview of the applicable codes and standards, addresses how to access and navigate the codes, identifies CMS survey tools and reports, and discusses some of the most commonly cited life safety deficiencies

The DPH is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the development of infection control trainings for frontline healthcare personnel.

Register Now for MSD webinars, discounted rate available for attending both webinars.

​​​​Yesterday, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra renewed the declaration​ that a public health emergency (PHE) exists.

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) recently announced the launch of “Careers in Caring”, a national campaign to educate job seekers about the career opportunities in long term care and equip nursing facilities and assisted living communities with the resources they need to successfully recruit new caregivers to the field.

​​​​Today, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra renewed the declaration​ that a public health emergency (PHE) exists. Also, register for upcoming educational webinars.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) will be holding a conference call for long-term care facilities on Wednesday, January 11 at 11:00 a.m.

The Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech (MeHI) is seeking digital health startups to compete in the Massachusetts Digital Health Sandbox Challenge Program. The first Challenge is aimed at finding unique digital health solutions that improve the lives of older adults and help them remain active, productive, independent, and socially connected.

Many nursing homes and rest homes successfully participated in the MA Department of Public Health (DPH) training and technical assistance program, Caring for Residents with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in Long-Term Care (LTC).

Prepare now for the upcoming changes to MDS!

With sustained reliance on TNS we are providing an important reminder to members of the need to obtain and maintain current Certificates of Workers’ Compensation Insurance from TNS agencies prior to utilizing TNS employees.

Building on its 38-year legacy of assisting long term care staff in furthering their education, the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation is proud to announce its 2022 Foundation Scholars.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a sharp jump in a new XBB variant level, particularly in the Northeast. Information on prior authorization for SNF admissions waived. Massachusetts regulations 105 CMR 721.000: Standards for Prescription Format and Security provided an exception to the ePrescribing mandate for prescriptions written for long term care (LTC) residents.

As we get closer to the January 1, 2023, deadline for meeting the MassHealth eligibility criteria for COVID-19 preparedness payments related to “at least 90% of the nursing facility’s staff are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination”, Mass Senior Care would like to remind members that this data used to determine eligibility will be pulled from the NHSN data submitted by each nursing facility. Also, AHCA/NCAL has developed a new #GetVaccinated handout to help long term care staff discuss the value of the bivalent booster with their residents.

DPH released information for Massachusetts long-term care facilities on the steps needed to fulfill the DPH requirement to submit healthcare personnel (HCP) influenza data by May 15, 2023. In addition, long-term care facilities that are required to report annual healthcare personnel influenza vaccination data into NHSN must do so using the Healthcare Personnel Safety (HPS) Component.

Six people with disabilities residing in nursing facilities have filed a class action lawsuit in federal district court in Boston that Governor Charlie Baker and other state officials have failed to provide community residential services and supports, claiming that this failure has forced thousands of people with disabilities to live in segregated nursing facilities rather than in the community.

As a reminder, all Massachusetts temporary nursing licenses will expire on December 31, 2022.  To continue to practice in Massachusetts after December 31, 2022, nurses now practicing with a temporary license, who have not already submitted an application for permanent licensure within the last year, must apply right away.    

Earlier this week, Governor-elect Maura Healey announced her first three senior staff Cabinet appoints to fill out her Administration. University of Massachusetts finance administrator Matthew Gorzkowicz will serve as secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, the state’s top budget official. Gorzkowicz previously served as the Senate’s budget director and he also served as assistant secretary for budget in Governor Patrick’s Administration.

The Biden Administration announced a COVID-19 Winter Preparedness Plan. The plan expands access to testing, vaccines and treatments, preparing for the impact of variants, cases and hospitalizations in local communities, and protecting the most-high risk Americans, including residents of nursing homes and other congregate living facilities.

The next 90 days are critical for the healthcare system due to the prevalence of three viruses, workforce shortages and hospital capacity issues. Governor Baker and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mary Lou Sudders have asked all providers in the Commonwealth’s health care system to assist in building capacity and ensuring timely throughput.

On Thursday, December 15, 2022, Mass Senior Care along with several members and other stakeholders held a roundtable discussion with Department of Health and Human Services Region 1 as well as central office representatives from HHS and CMS.

We are very pleased to report that EOHHS last Friday officially updated the Rate Year 2023 Medicaid Nursing Facility STANDARD case-mix rates and Medicaid nursing facility regulation to invest an additional $165 million in vital funding for a cumulative total investment of $306 million for Rate Year 2023, for the purpose of investing in our workforce and ensuring access to quality nursing facility care.

After a three year hiatus due to COVID-19, providers and associate members were happy to gather in-person at the Mass Senior Care Foundation’s Annual Fundraising Event held recently at Gore Place in Waltham.

As a reminder, all Massachusetts temporary nursing licenses will expire on December 31, 2022. The US Department of Health & Human Services has launched We Can Do This, a national COVID-19 public education campaign. MassHealth has re-issued the COVID-19 Preparedness Program Payments Bulletin with a technical amendment on the attestation form filing procedure for nursing facilities interested in filing for the incentive payment.

Yesterday, the DPH sent out additional information related to their request to CMS for an extension of the 1135 waiver of the requirements contained in 42 CFR §483.35(d) Training and Certification of Nurse Aides for Massachusetts SNF/NFs.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health will be holding a conference call for LTC facilities on Wednesday, December 14 at 11:00 a.m. As a reminder, MassHealth last month issued the COVID-19 Preparedness Program Payments Bulletin specifying the criteria for nursing facilities to qualify for a one-time quality improvement supplemental payment in February 2023. Also, you are invited to join the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Massachusetts Assisted Living Association, and the Massachusetts Senior Care Association for a Roundtable Discussion on Strategies to Increase Bivalent Booster Rates in the Commonwealth’s Assisted Living Residences and Skilled Nursing Facilities.

CMS will host the next open forum on Thursday, December 8 at 1:00 p.m. ET. DPH released an important update regarding COVID-19 Therapeutics. Members are reminded of the October 13, 2022, DPH Guidance for Health Care Personnel with SARS-CoV2 Infection or Exposure.

On December 2, 2022 the DPH released revisions to the LTC Surveillance and Outbreak Testing Guidance, and a reminder that all Massachusetts temporary nursing licenses will expire on December 31, 2022.

Mass Senior Care is reminding all nursing facilities that have nurse aides that require testing to meet the December 31, 2022, deadline to get them scheduled as soon as possible.

The Biden Administration announced a 6-week campaign to improve COVID-19 booster uptake rates including a focus on nursing homes. The CDC National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) Vaccination Unit is providing a refresher webinar on Tuesday, November 29, 2022. DPH has updated their Paxlovid Treatment Guide as a resource for providers to strongly consider administering it when evaluating COVID-19 patients.