Member Resources

Acts of kindness, compassion and generosity happen every day in the 400 skilled nursing facilities that serve our frail elderly and disabled residents in Massachusetts, but we take time every year to celebrate our residents and staff for one week during National Skilled Nursing Care Week that begins on Mother’s Day, May 12. We celebrate the lives that our residents live, their history and their future. We celebrate the time spent by our staff with our residents, the nurses and

The Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) for the Provision of Human Service Transportation (HST) on the Commonwealth’s eProcurement website, COMMBUYS. The purpose of the RFI is to strengthen the current HST Brokerage System’s coordinated approach to providing transportation to multiple health and human service agencies. Please note that as part of the RFI, EOHHS is exploring the possibility of expanding its HST Brokerage System to include non-emergency transportation services

On April 5, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) posted on their MDS 3.0 Technical Information web page the final version of the MDS 3.0 Item Sets (Version 1.17.1) which will be effective October 1, 2019. These changes will correspond with and support the implementation of the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) that is replacing the Resource Utilization Groups, version four (RUG-IV) model for determining the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system (SNF PPS) per-diem case-mix payment

The Department of Family and Medical Leave has posted on its website the notice employers and covered business are required to provide to their current workforce notifying them about the state's Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) law. This includes information about contributions, benefits, and protections as outlined in the law (M.G.L. c. 175M sec. 4) on or before May 31, 2019. The notice, which may be provided electronically, must include the opportunity for an employee or self-employed individual to

AHCA has issued the following memorandum in regard to Guidance on Emerging Infection Candida Auris . C. auris is an emerging yeast that can be misidentified as other organisms, is multidrug-resistant, and can spread in health care settings. The April 14th edition of the New York Timesincluded an article here . It is important to know how to identify, treat, and control the spread of this organism. The resources on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website meant for

Please join hundreds of us at the State House for Mass Senior Care's Advocacy Day on Tuesday, May 21st at 10:00 a.m. Advocacy Day is one of the Association's most important events of the year.

The Massachusetts Senate GOP Caucus conducted listening sessions at three Mass Senior Care member nursing facilities. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, Senator Vinny deMacedo, Senator Dean Tran, Senator Ryan Fattman and Senator Patrick O’Connor heard directly from front-line operators and staff on the current nursing facility financial, workforce and regulatory challenges facing the sector.

On April 10th, the Committee on House Ways and Means (HWM) released its version of the state FY2020 budget. The Committee's recommendation includes an additional $30 Million in funding for nursing home care and establishes a Nursing Facility Emergency Task Force to make recommendations on long term sustainability of the nursing facility sector.

Mass Senior Care invites staff at member facilities to participate in various committees designed to share information on the topics of clinical quality, regulatory, human resources and finance and reimbursement. This information and feedback will assist MSCA staff with developing policy positions and prioritizing strategic initiatives. Committee meetings are held in Mass Senior Care’s office in Waltham. Facility members are invited to participate. If you are interested in attending one of the upcoming committee meetings, please contact Jennifer Chen. Upcoming

The enhanced Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) review and correct reports are now available, on demand in the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reporting (CASPER) application. In addition to enhanced sorting functionality, this report now includes patient level data and automated CSV file creation functionality that contains patient level results. Providers can access these reports by selecting the CASPER Reporting link on the “Welcome to the CMS QIES Systems for Providers” webpage.

In its latest guidance on the ongoing transition to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) set to occur October 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a number of materials for stakeholders to review, including updates to its PDPM-related frequently asked questions (FAQs). In addition to the FAQs, CMS also released additional updated resources relevant to PDPM implementation, including various coding crosswalks and classification logic.

The Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation's annual scholarship program assists long term care staff in meeting their personal and professional goals through furthering their education. Since 1985, the Foundation has awarded $2.9 million in scholarships to help nearly 1,600 long term care staff to advance their educational and professional development in long term care. The Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2019 scholarship awards. Scholarships from $500 to $2,000 will be awarded to selected applicants to help cover direct, out

On April 8th, AHCA hosted a webinar summarizing the new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Five-Star Rating System changes that will be updated on Nursing Home Compare later this month. The webinar is now available for viewing here . A member toolkit that includes talking points, a letter to families and a letter to payors is available to download on ahcancalED here . As a reminder, you can view the CMS announcement on the changes here and the

More than 600 long term care providers from across the state gathered this week at the Mass Senior Care Association Spring Conference & Trade Show at the Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center. With a focus on PDPM: The Journey Continues, attendees learned strategies and techniques to help them successfully implement PDPM from Jennifer Gross, Senior Healthcare Specialist at PointRight and Mark Reagan, Managing Partner at Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, PC. Tara Gregorio, Mass Senior Care Association President, updated members

On Monday, the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs held a hearing on long term care services and supports including Senate Bill 352 and House Bill 610. Nursing home operators, vendors, caregivers, residents and family members testified at the hearing on the critical need to update funding for nursing facility care to stabilize the sector.

On April 10th, the Committee on House Ways and Means (HWM) released its version of the state FY2020 budget. The Committee's recommendation includes an additional $30 Million in funding for nursing home care; establishes a Nursing Facility Emergency Task Force to make recommendations on long term sustainability of the nursing facility sector.

On March 29th, the Department of Family and Medical Leave updated its draft Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) regulations. The revised draft is posted on the Department's website. The Department plans to hold at least two public hearings beginning in May. The Department expects to promulgate the final regulations ahead of the statute’s July 1stimplementation date. Additional information on the PFML, including a Q &A for employers and employees can also be found on The Department of Family and

Here are some of the latest resources that are available for people who attended Mass Senior Care’s January 22nd PDPM Academy: The recording of the PDPM March 26th webinar is available for you to view at your convenience, and The Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) – Compliance Tool Kit Version 1.0, March 2019 Publication To quickly refer to these new items please follow the steps below: Log in to https://educate.ahcancal.org/ Click "my dashboard" Scroll to the bottom of the page and

Hats off to the facilities listed below for Answering the Call to Care! These facilities hosted state legislators who who toured and spent time meeting with staff and residents discussing the issues that are impacting long term care workers and residents. Keystone Center, Leominster Senator Dean Tran Southbridge Rehab Senator Ryan Fattman and Representative Peter Durant South Cove Manor at Quincy Point State Senator John Keenan, Helen Chin Schlichte, Board of Directors, CEO Bill Graves, Administrator Li Chen Hancock Park

This event is sold out. We look forward to seeing members next Wednesday in Boxboro!

On March 30th, Tara Gregorio, President of Mass Senior Care, presented testimony to the House Committee on Ways and Means urging the Legislature to update MassHealth funding for nursing facility care in State Fiscal Year 2020 using more current 2017 labor and resident care costs. Gregorio noted that the funding is critically needed to protect access to quality resident care and to address the growing nursing facility financial and workforce crisis. The Commonwealth’s nursing facilities are facing an unprecedented financial

The Joint Committee on Elder Affairs will be accepting public testimony on Senate Bill 352 and House Bill 610, Acts Relative to Stabilizing the Commonwealth’s Nursing Facilities on Monday, April 8, 2019 at 1:00 PM at the Massachusetts State House in hearing room A-1. This important legislation filed by Representative Tom Golden, Jr. (D-Lowell), Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) and scores of co-sponsors would modernize the state’s funding formula for nursing home care. There will be panels of nursing

Here are some of the latest resources that are available for people who attended Mass Senior Care’s January 22nd PDPM Academy: The recording of the PDPM March 26th webinar is available for you to view at your convenience, and The Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) – Compliance Tool Kit Version 1.0, March 2019 Publication To quickly refer to these new items please follow the steps below: Log in to https://educate.ahcancal.org/ Click "my dashboard" Scroll to the bottom of the page and

The Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave has posted on its website an employer and employee toolkit. The toolkits include contribution rate calculators, informative videos, workplace posters, and other useful information designed to assist people with planning for the implementation of the Commonwealth's Paid Family and Medical leave law. The law takes effect on July 1, 2019. To sign up for email updates and news from the Massachusetts Department of Family and Medical Leave, please click here.

Hat's off to the Keystone Center in Leominster for Answering the Call to Care! On March 22nd, staff from the facility hosted State Representative Natalie Higgins who toured the facility and spent time meeting with staff and residents discussing the issues that are impacting long term care workers and residents. In addition, an op-ed column “ Ferency: Don’t balance a budget at the elderly’s expense ” by Cathy Ferency, a family member of a resident at Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reminds all licensed adult day health programs, non-ambulatory surgical center clinics, nursing homes, and rest homes of the deadline for the mandatory reporting of healthcare personnel influenza data. The reporting deadline is April 15, 2019, at 5:00 pm. All licensed adult day health programs, non-ambulatory surgical center clinics, nursing homes, and rest homes must submit influenza vaccination reports through the web-based application SurveyMonkey.® . Please review the Detailed Directions for 2018-2019 Data Reporting for

MassHealth has posted on its website an updated payment amount for the 3rdinstallment of the SFY 2019 Direct Care Staff Payment. The payment, scheduled to be issued in April, has been revised slightly upward.

The Massachusetts House of Representatives is currently working on its FY 2020 state budget and your local state representative has an opportunity to make budget decisions that will prioritize nursing home care. To build awareness and support for our Answering the Call to Care Campaign , please contact your local legislator to make nursing home care a priority in the state budget. Take Action and Call Your Local State Representative at 617-410-5227 To be connected to your local State Representative’s

Tara Gregorio, President of Mass Senior Care, presented testimony to the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development in support of House Bill 1647 which would repeal the Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC) Tax.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Forsyth Institute and the New England Healthcentric Advisors QIN/QIO is proud to promote best practice antimicrobial guidelines for providers in the settings of long term acute care, dialysis, ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient clinics and dentistry. Continuing education credits are available for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners and dentists. This program will be held on April 5, 2019 at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference

Mass Senior Care will be having an art exhibit featuring long term care resident artists at the Massachusetts State House from May 20-24th. We urge facility members to loan residents’ artwork to be displayed at the art exhibit which will coincide with Mass Senior Care’s State House Advocacy Day on Tuesday, May 21st. Please mark your calendars as we will need the full support of the long term care community to rally for critically needed state funding to protect quality

Legislators from across the state visited Mass Senior Care facility members on the need to invest in quality resident care and staff for the FY 2020 budget. Mass Senior Care continues to encourage members to host legislative events which will allow elected officials to see firsthand the valuable services your facility provides. The Answering The Call To Care Campaign Toolkit provides a step-by-step guide on how your facility can host a successful event. State Representative William Crocker visited The Pavilion

The House of Representatives is currently working on its FY 2020 state budget and your local state representative has an opportunity to make budget decisions that will prioritize nursing home care. Please urge your State Representative to Answer the Call to Care by making nursing home funding top priority in their request to the Committee on House Ways and Means. The Committee’s budget recommendation is expected to be released on April 10th. Your advocacy will be critical to help reinforce

Honoring Choices Massachusetts is a consumer oriented non-profit organization focused on the rights of every adult to direct their health care choices and make a plan to receive the best possible care that honors their values & choices, all through their lives. In celebration of National Healthcare Decisions Day (April 16, 2019), visit the Honoring Choices website for tools and resources.

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 February 2019. This new file is meant to replace the updated List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (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

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), just launched a new Nursing Home Infection Preventionist Training course. This specialized nursing home training is designed for individuals responsible for infection prevention and control (IPC) programs in nursing homes. The course introduces and describes how to use IPC program implementation resources including policy and procedure templates, audit tools, and outbreak investigation tools. The course is made up of 23 modules

The new Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Threshold Report (PTR) is now available. This PTR is a user-requested, on demand report which enables users to obtain the status of their data submission completeness related to the compliance threshold required for the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP). This report is available in the ‘SNF Quality Reporting Program’ category in the CASPER Reporting application. Please refer to Section 13-SNF Quality Reporting Program in the CASPER Reporting MDS Provider User’s Guide for additional

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Forsyth Institute and the New England Healthcentric Advisors QIN/QIO is proud to promote best practice antimicrobial guidelines for providers in the settings of long term acute care, dialysis, ambulatory surgical centers, outpatient clinics and dentistry. Continuing education credits are available for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners and dentists. This program will be held on April 5, 2019 at the Sheraton Hotel and Conference

On March 5, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released S&C: QSO-19-09-ALL memorandum entitled " Revisions to Appendix Q, Guidance on Immediate Jeopardy”, which includes revisions to the guidance on citing immediate jeopardy (IJ) in Appendix Q of the State Operations Manual (SOM). These revisions to Appendix Q apply to all provider and supplier types and go into effect immediately. CMS intends for this guidance to increase clarity and consistency in identifying and citing IJ. The revised

On March 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued S&C Ref: QSO-19-07-NH memorandum, " Enhanced Oversight and Enforcement of Non-Improving Late Adopters." This memo details additional enforcement measures for approximately 235 nursing centers that have been cited for noncompliance with federal regulations related to the use of unnecessary or psychotropic medications two or more times and have not shown improvement in their long-stay antipsychotic medication rates. CMS refers to these providers as "late adopters." The memo

Mass Senior Care facility and associate members continue to urge lawmakers protect quality resident care by updating funding using 2017 labor and resident care costs.

The MassMAP Annual Education Sessions will be held at various venues in Massachusetts in May. The focus for these workshops is to bring each region together in their respective areas to improve each facility’s overall capability to prepare for, respond to and recover from a disaster. This year’s education sessions will be full-day and include a table top exercise. Please click here for details and to sign up today. This program is for MassMAP members only and all members must

CMS will host a call on Wednesday, March 20 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm on SNF Value-Based Purchasing Program: Phase One Review and Corrections. During this call, participants learn about the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program Review and Corrections process and get answers to frequently asked questions about Phase One of the process. During the Review and Corrections period, SNFs have an opportunity to review and submit correction requests to quality measure information. Deadline for correction submission

MassHealth has provided the registration link for the upcoming MMQ Audit Quality Forums in March. For any issues with registration or if you are experiencing any technical difficulties with the registration process please contact support@masshealthltss.com or call (844) 368-5184. Please see below for the information provided previously on these Forums. MassHeallth, through its contractor Optum, has scheduled upcoming Quality Forums (trainings) on MMQ audits. The forums are scheduled for March 27th, 28th and 29th, and are designed to help educate