Member Updates: Revised Infection Control Reporting Requirements Grid; Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting; Final Chance to Register for June 28 CNA to LPN Pipeline Webinar
The Disaster Distress Helpline (DDH) has started Online Peer Support Communities (OPSC), which is a national, peer focused program that provides individuals, who have experienced a natural or human-caused disaster, opportunities to come together for mutual aid, to share trusted resources, and to help one another heal from the effects of a traumatic event.
During the public health emergency (PHE), the CMS utilized enforcement discretion to allow entities, such as long-term care pharmacies, that provide vaccinations to nursing facility residents to directly bill and receive payment for the administration of COVID-19, influenza, and pneumococcal vaccines.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced the start of the SNF (skilled nursing facility) 5-Claim Probe & Educate Review program.
Since their release on April 3, 2023, MDS 3.0 version v1.8.11v2 final item sets and draft RAI guidance were updated and substantial changes were made to several sections.
The NHSN Vaccination team will be hosting upcoming trainings to review important changes and information regarding reporting person-level resident and health care personnel COVID-19 vaccination data through the NHSN Long-Term Care (LTC) Facility Component.
Mass Senior Care member facilities celebrated their CNAs during National Certified Nursing Assistants Week from June 15-21, 2023 in creative and thoughtful ways.
Six Mass Senior Care member facilities are being recognized with a 2023 Silver – Achievement in Quality Award by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL).
To support the needs of nursing home residents with behavioral needs, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) today issued a memo noting that this summer the agency will be enhancing the Behavioral Health Community Partners (BHCP) Program, expanding support provided by the DMH Case Management Team, and expanding the Community Transitions Liaison Program (CTLP).
Mass Senior Care Testifies at Elder Affairs Committee and Health Care Financing Legislative Hearings: Includes Nursing Facility Stabilization Bill, Quality Jobs and SCO Accountability
Celebrate CNA Week – June 15 – June 21, 2023
Register Now for Important Mass Senior Care Webinars
MassHealth Issues Notice on Enhancements to Its Behavioral Health Community Partners Program: Webinar on June 22nd
The Joint Committee on Elder Affairs and Joint Committee on Health Care Financing earlier this week held separate public hearings on a combined 51 bills related to senior care, including The Nursing Home Stabilization bill, The Nursing Home Quality Jobs bill and The Senior Care Options Quality and Transparency bill.
Since their release on April 3, 2023, MDS 3.0 version v1.8.11v2 final item sets and draft RAI guidance were updated and substantial changes were made to several sections.
MassHealth will be hosting Trading Partner Testing (TPT) beginning in mid-August 2023 to support the transition to MDS 3.0 for payment purposes effective October 1, 2023, for nursing facilities.
AHCA/NCAL’s Infection Preventionist Specialized Training (IPCO) is recommended for individuals responsible for infection prevention and control in all long term care settings and is specifically tailored to train Infection Preventionists (IPs) in nursing facilities.
Mass Senior Care is proud to celebrate National Certified Nursing Assistant Week in recognition of the incredible care our compassionate and dedicated CNAs provide to residents every day.
Member Updates: CMS Reminds Hospitals of Discharge Requirements to Post-Acute Care Providers; Register Now for Important Workforce and MMQ Conversion Webinars
Member Updates: Conferring Rights to NHSN Health Care Personnel Influenza Data to DPH; Graduated Nursing Students/Senior Nursing Students Authorization Extension; Register Now for Ready, Set, Go...away MMQ! Part 2 Webinar.
Ready, Set, Go...away MMQ! Join Us for Part 2: Operationalizing Massachusetts MMQ transition to Medicaid PDPM Case Mix Zoom Webinar Wednesday, July 12, 2023 11:00am – 1:00pm Member Fee: - $60.00 CEUs – 2.0 Click here to register. Effective July 2023, nursing facilities are tasked with completing the final Management Minutes Questionnaire (MMQ) turnaround, as we simultaneously transition to a MDS based reimbursement system on October 1, 2023. The Medicaid reimbursement system will be based on a Medicaid Patient Driven
This week, Mass Senior Care members and staff took part in the AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing in Washington D.C., to advocate for nursing facility care and bring the profession’s legislative priorities to Capitol Hill.
Nursing facility June quarterly feedback reports for the FY 2024 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Value-Based Purchasing Program from iQIES are now available.
This week, CMS updated the Infection Control Critical Element (CE) pathway related to the end of the Healthcare Provider COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate announced May 31, 2023.
Since their release on April 3, 2023, MDS 3.0 version v1.8.11v2 final item sets and draft RAI guidance were updated and substantial changes were made to several sections.
As reported previously, with the end of the PHE, certain data elements will be removed from the NHSN reporting requirement. The CDC is hosting a series of webinars on the changes to the COVID-19 Module Surveillance changes starting June 1st. The next DPH Monthly Stakeholder call is scheduled for Wednesday, June 14th at 11:00 AM EST.
MassHealth has announced that it intends to issue COVID-19 Preparedness payments on June 6th to eligible nursing facilities. Register Now: The CNA to LPN Pipeline: Steps to Growing Your Own Nurses Webinar.
The Marcum Healthcare Symposium, Navigating Change in Senior Living, brings together industry leaders and providers from the healthcare community with the goal to bring awareness to the challenges within the senior living arena.
To address our historic nursing shortage, it is critically necessary that facilities invest in strategies to grow your own workforce, including upskilling CNAs to become LPNs.
Adam Ernst, Executive Director of the Leonard Florence Center for Living, has been selected as one of 38 long term care professionals from across the country to participate in the nineteenth annual "Future Leaders of Long Term Care (LTC) in America" program hosted by the American Health Care Association (AHCA)/National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL).
CMS has reissued transmittal instructions for Medicare Administrative Contractors (MACs) to perform a 5-claim probe and educate medical review on every SNF in their jurisdiction.
The call summary, recording and transcript of the April 25, CMS National Stakeholder Call with the CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure and her leadership team is available.
CMS has released updates to several survey resource documents, including the Entrance Conference form and the Infection Prevention, Control, and Immunization Critical Element (CE) pathway.
The CMS Quality, Safety & Evaluation Portal (QSEP) provides the full curriculum of surveyor training and guidance on health care facility regulations. QSEP is an online platform, and all training is available on-demand.
On May 22, 2023, EOEA Secretary Elizabeth Chen released guidance for assisted living facilities on Best Practices for Preventing the Transmission of Respiratory Viruses, such as COVID-19 and Seasonal Influenza.
On May 18th, the U.S. Senate Special Committee issued a new report, titled “Uninspected and Neglected,” detailing the results of a year-long investigation into the capacity of state survey agencies to oversee health and safety standards at the Nation’s 15,000 nursing homes.
Administrative, clinical and operations staff from nursing facilities across the state attended Mass Senior Care’s May 17th Spring Conference & Trade Show at the DCU Center in Worcester.
With the theme of Cultivating Kindness, nursing facilities across the state found creative and fun ways to celebrate National Skilled Nursing Home Week (May 14-20), including box car races, Elvis impersonators, hosting tea parties, planting gardens and donating to local food pantries.
Legislative leadership has appointed the 6-member FY2024 Budget Conference members to reconcile differences between the branches’ separate recommendations.
Four Mass Senior Care member facilities are being recognized with a 2023 Bronze – Commitment in Quality Award by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL).
This year, National Certified Nursing Assistants Week is from June 15th to June 21st, 2023. This week aims to celebrate and recognize the incredible work that CNAs do everyday in our nursing facilities and assisted living residences.