Member Resources

Long term care providers and our entire profession join in expressing our deepest sympathy to the families of the residents who lost their lives at one location in Florida. The investigation into this tragic event is ongoing and it is clear that this is an isolated incident and is not indicative of the overall emergency response efforts across the long term care profession. Massachusetts is amongst the leaders in the country in our ability to provide mutual aid to long

Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy’s have introduced legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which would have a devastating negative impact on the nursing home provider community. The American Health Care Association (AHCA/NCAL), is asking nursing facility providers to contact members of the U.S. Congress to ask that they reject this proposal. Please participate in AHCA’s online grassroots by clicking here: Care Advocacy resource. The Graham-Cassidy bill is a threat because it would significantly reduce the amount

On September 20 th, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services issued a Notice of Proposed Agency Action which would update Medicaid nursing facility rates, effective October 1, 2017. The regulation would make the following changes to current rates: Re-authorizes the $35.5 million direct care staff payments to provide for 3 lump sum payments to providers to be made in October 2017, January 2018 and April 2018. This change is being proposed in order to assist providers with budgeting

The Senate is expected to act on Governor Charlie Baker’s SFY 2018 budget vetoes beginning next week. Mass Senior Care will be asking members, staff, residents, and families to call their State Senators to override the Governor’s veto of $7.5 million contained in line item 4000-0641 for Medicaid nursing facility funding. Two-thirds of the Senate will need to vote in favor of the $7.5 million in order to successfully override the Governor's veto. Last week, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly

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 August 2017. This new file ( https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/exclusions_list.asp) is meant to replace the updated 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 on the

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) is pleased to announce the relaunch of the Quality Initiative Recognition Program to honor skilled nursing and assisted living members for their individual work in achieving the goals of the AHCA/NCAL Quality Initiative. All achievers will be recognized at the AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit in New Orleans, March 12-14, 2018. Please click here for complete program details.

On Friday, September 1 st, CMS released a memorandum to State Survey Agency Directors announcing that the Emergency Preparedness Training is now available. All surveyors are required to take the training prior to surveying the Emergency Preparedness requirements. Surveying for requirements begins November 15, 2017. The online course is now available on the Surveyor Training Website On-Demand. Once in the course catalog for provider training, search "emergency" and the course information will appear. Providers will have continued (ongoing) access to

“With the help of colleagues, fellow students, friends and family, I feel so fortunate to have come so far in my nursing career.” Leona McAndrew arrived in America 14 years ago from her home in central Europe. As a child, her interest in nursing was sparked by her mother, a pediatric nurse. Leona obtained her CNA certification and took a position at Clifton Rehabilitative Nursing Center in 2004. Since then, she has steadily advanced in her nursing education and career

On Thursday, September 28th, the Mass Senior Care Foundation will honor its long time President, Marva Serotkin. The event will be held at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley from 6-9 pm and we invite all members to join us as we honor Marva and raise funds for our flagship scholarship program. During her 10 years as President of the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation and her previous tenure as Chair of the Mass Senior Care Association, Marva has championed the annual

On September 14, 2017, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services through its Contractor (UMASS) issued an e-mail to nursing facilities providing a hard copy attachment of a revised Direct Care Add-On form. In the prior version of the form, Part D (expense data) offset the full value of the bonuses from Part B. The new version asks providers to separate bonuses into two sections: those paid between 7/1/2016 – 6/30/2017 and those paid from 7/1/2017 – 9/30/2017. Only

On Monday, September 11 th, the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs held a public hearing, which included testimony on Mass Senior Care’s Nursing Home Stabilization Bill, Senate 336 and House 2072 filed by Senator Harriette Chandler and Representative Thomas Golden. This omnibus legislation, which would require the state to take a series of measures to ensure that skilled nursing facilities have the resources necessary to provide quality care to frail elders and disabled individuals who no longer can live safely

Yesterday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to override Governor Charlie Baker's veto of $7.5 million in Medicaid nursing facility funding. Thank you to Mass Senior Care members for your tremendous advocacy effort and participating in our ongoing Action Alerts. Please thank your state representative for their continued support, and for restoring funding for quality nursing facility care. The Senate is expected to take up override decisions on September 28th. Mass Senior Care will be urging members to call their

The Department of Industrial Accidents, Office of Safety, is soliciting applications for its “Workplace Safety Training and Education Grant Program”, issued under the provisions of the Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 23E, Section 3. The primary purpose of this Safety Grant is designed to fund programs that reduce the risk of injury and illness to their workers and to promote safe and healthy conditions in the workplace through training, education, and other preventative programs. The training grant program awards competitively, a

As Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Gulf Coast, employees of Texas' nursing facilities and assisted living communities worked tirelessly and with great sacrifice to keep residents safe. During the time they were focused on the care and well-being of others, many of the homes of these workers were impacted by the storm's devastation. The Texas Health Care Association Education Foundation has established the Heroes of Long Term Care Hurricane Relief Fund to assist the employees of our members who were affected

“Little did I know that I would fall in love and spend most of my career caring for the geriatric community.” Lisa Cameron became a nurse 23 years ago - while she took her first job in long term care because it offered the best hours, her initial impression of long term care quickly changed. Since then and throughout her nursing career, she has worked with many different patient populations, but finds caring for her geriatric patients the most rewarding

On August 25 th, MassHealth issued a PASRR notice to Nursing Facilities, Hospitals, ASAPs and other Referral Sources Participating in MassHealth providing guidance in regard to: New vendor contact information for PASRR evaluations for individuals having, or suspected of having, serious mental illness effective September 1, 2017 New PASRR processes for individuals having, or suspected of having, serious mental illness, effective September 1, 2017. Please click here for the complete notice.

On September 8, 2017, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services through its Contractor (UMASS) issued an e-mail to nursing facilities indicating the webform to submit the Final Direct Care Add-on Compliance report is now available for use . The September 8 the-mail also included a revised hard copy Excel Worksheet that corrected 2 formula errors that were contained in the agency’s August 28, 2017 e-mail to nursing homes that would have resulted in an overstatement of the direct

On September 11th, the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs will be holding a public hearing on House Bill 2072 and Senate Bill 336, the Nursing Home Stabilization Bill. This omnibus legislation, filed by Representative Tom Golden and Senator Harriet Chandler, would require the state to take a series of measures to ensure that skilled nursing facilities have the resources necessary to provide quality care to frail elders and disabled individuals who no longer can live safely in the community. Nursing

This week, the Baker Administration announced that 26 health care organizations statewide will participate as Community Partners, in the next step of the rollout of MassHealth’s Accountable Care Organization (ACO) program. The intent is for community-based health care and human service organizations to partner with the ACOs to integrate and improve member health outcomes of approximately 60,000 MassHealth members with complex long term medical and/or behavioral health needs. The ACO program is funded in part by $1.8 billion in federal

Best Practices in Person-Centered Care at the End of Life The Massachusetts Culture Change Coalition invites you to participate in a new round of regional forums, designed to bring together long term care providers and other stakeholders interested in pursuing person-centered care. Regional forums serve as venues to share information and ideas about culture change and provide resources to help you get started or expand on your culture change journey. We encourage facilities to send members of the team that

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released new forms, including a new entrance conference worksheet and facility matrix, as well as new and updated investigative protocols, referred to as pathways that will be used for the new long term care (LTC) survey process starting on November 28, 2017. These forms are posted on the CMS Nursing Homes webpage here. Our national association, AHCA, has prepared a memorandum on this topic. Please click here to access it. For

“It is my dream to provide the same loving and compassionate care that my grandmother received in a nursing home to my future patients.” Katherine St. Onge, an Activities Assistant at Orchard Cove, credits her beloved grandmother as the reason she is now pursuing a career in occupational therapy, after witnessing the key role that occupational therapists played in returning her grandmother’s life back to normal after a knee amputation. She chose a concentration in Motor Development Therapy in her

The Department of Public Health, Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality will be conducting three webinars on the new long term care survey process (LTCSP) developed by CMS. Additional information regarding registration will be announced once available. Facilities will be asked to participate in the webinar for their survey region: Tuesday, October 10th at 1:30 PM: West Region Tuesday, October 17th at 1:30 PM: North Region Tuesday, October 24th at 1:30 PM: South Region The purpose of this training

On August 28, 2017, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services through its Contractor (UMASS) issued guidance on preparing for the filing of the Final Direct Care Add-on Compliance Report. The agency notes that the webform to submit the Final Direct Care Add-on Compliance report will be available for use as of 9/4/17. Facilities will receive a second e-mail announcing when the form is live; please do not attempt to log in until you have received that second e-mail

With the hearing for the Nursing Home Stabilization bill quickly approaching on September 11, 2017 at 1:00pm in State House Hearing Room A-1, the Association is mobilizing a grassroots campaign. We urge members to participate in our efforts by asking staff, residents, and family members to make calls to their Representatives and Senators and urge them to cosign written testimony in support of the bill. These calls have been incredibly helpful in the past and resulted in 120+ cosponsors. Please

The following forms and notices that are issued by providers to Medicare patients are now available in a large print Word version as well as the PDF and original Word format in English and Spanish. CMS-R-131 - Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage CMS-10124 - Detailed Explanation of Non-Coverage CMS-10123 - Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage For more information see the Beneficiary Notification Initiative website. https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-General-Information/BNI/

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has launched a new Jimmo Settlement Agreement webpage for the Medicare community. The webpage includes: Background on the settlement Links to resources Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) It also includes the following Important Message About Jimmo Settlement from CMS. Source: CMS’s Jimmo Settlement Webpage

Research conducted by AHCA/NCAL last year found that the rehospitalization rates in nursing facilities with at least one RN certified in gerontological nursing by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) consistently have run at least two percentage points lower than the national average since 2011. Lower rehospitalization rates will be key to success under the new CMS Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program. CMS currently is tracking skilled nursing rehospitalization rates on for the new SNF VBP program. Under the VBP program

CareOne at Millbury welcomed local officials, staff, residents, families, and community seniors to its 8th Annual Senior Appreciation Luau on August 22nd. The luau brought in their largest crowd of over 350 guests who enjoyed the fun festivities with great food, live entertainment and raffle prizes. Attendees heard from State Senator Michael Moore, Worcester County Sherriff Lew Evangelidis, Millbury Town Manager Francis King and Mass Senior Care’s Jennifer Chen. Pictured: State Senator Michael Moore and Administrator Kristine Binette

While a relative newcomer to long term care, Layla Rougeau is following in her family’s footsteps in pursuing a nursing career. She was accepted into Southern Vermont College’s pre-nursing program, and after completing a psychology class focused on Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementia, was drawn to working in long term care. As a CNA in training at Williamstown Commons, Layla loves her job and the bonds she has forged with residents and staff. In turn, facility staff praise her work

AHCA (American Health Care Association) received notification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that it is making significant changes to the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) reporting deadlines, as well as report availability, due to system coding issues. The specific reports impacted are the Review and Correct Report and Confidential Feedback Report that SNFs use to help monitor compliance with MDS 3.0 assessment-based quality measures, and identify assessments that may need updating. Please click here

The Joint Committee on Elder Affairs announced its public hearing on H.2072/S.336, Acts Relative to Stabilizing the Commonwealth's Nursing Facilities will be on Monday, September 11th at 1:00 p.m. in Room A-1 at the State House. The Nursing Home Stabilization Bill filed by Representative Tom Golden, Jr. (D-Lowell) and Senator Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) and 124 additional legislative co-sponsors would provide critically needed funding for quality resident care and frontline staff wages. We urge Mass Senior Care members to please join

“My strong drive of perseverance and success gave me the courage and strength to work hard to achieve my goal of becoming a nurse.” Ever since she was a young girl growing up in Uganda, Aisha knew she wanted to be a nurse. In secondary school, she began working as a caregiver in peoples’ homes during school holidays, a part-time job that enabled her to raise money to help cover her school expenses. After years of hard work, her lucky

The Brown University Center for Long-Term Care Quality & Innovation Center (Q&I Center), created by AHCA, needs to identify nursing centers that have installed (or are planning to install) a specific kind of LED light. Over the past few years, LED lighting technology has rapidly evolved. New tunable LED lights can be pre-programmed to change in color temperature and intensity over the course of the day and night, similar to the natural cycle of day and night light. Some preliminary

An audio recording and transcript are available for the July 25 call on the Revised Interpretive Guidance for Nursing Homes and New Survey Process, effective November 28, 2017. Learn about the major components of Phase 2 implementation, changes to the survey process, and training resources available to the public.

On August 15 th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule to cancel the Episode Payment Models and the Cardiac Rehabilitation incentive payment model, which were scheduled to begin on January 1, 2018. Additionally, this proposed rule would reduce the number of mandatory geographic areas participating in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation’s (Innovation Center) Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) model from 67 to 34. In addition, CMS proposes to allow CJR participants

The New England QIN-QIO's Nursing Home Quality Care Collaborative (NHQCC) is pleased to offer a one day in-person educational event, " Assessing and Managing Pain Seminar" with Carol P. Curtiss, MSN, RN-BC, a Clinical Nurse Specialist Consultant and national expert speaker on pain management. This event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 26, 2017 from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm at the Mass Senior Care office. To register, please click here. Space is limited.

On July 31, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule [CMS-1679-F] outlining fiscal year (FY) 2018 Medicare payment rates and quality programs for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). In that rule, CMS finalized some key components of the SNF Value Based Purchasing (VBP) program, which impacts reimbursements starting next year. The SNF VBP Program has adopted scoring and operational policies for its first year (FY 2019) and has specified measures and program features as required

On Thursday, September 28th, the Mass Senior Care Foundation will honor its long time President, Marva Serotkin. The event will be held at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley from 6-9 pm and we invite all members to join us as we honor Marva and raise funds for our flagship scholarship program. During her 10 years as President of the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation and her previous tenure as Chair of the Mass Senior Care Association, Marva has championed the annual

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 July 2017. This new file( https://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/exclusions_list.asp) is meant to replace the updated 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 on the OIG’s

The Boston Home recently celebrated a groundbreaking for their Harmon Apartments project, which will create 36 units of accessible mixed-income housing with supportive services designed to promote independence for adults with progressive neurological diseases. Marva Serotkin, President of Mass Senior Care Foundation and President & CEO of The Boston Home was joined by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, State Rep. Dan Cullinane, developers and members of the disability community for this exciting milestone.

On July 28, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Survey & Certification Memorandum 17-38 Fire and Smoke Door Annual Testing Requirements in Health Care Occupancies. This memorandum clarifies conflicting information released earlier this year. CMS has provided the following clarifications to the Life Safety Code® requirements for fire and smoke door assembly inspections: Fire door assemblies should be tested in accordance with the 2010 edition of NFPA 80 (the original email, dated 8/2/2017, mistakenly referenced NFPA

“One of my favorite parts of working as a nurse is the constant learning process, and seeing the smiles on patients’ faces and knowing that I am making a positive difference in their lives.” Following in her aunt’s footsteps, Holli Doherty had always dreamed of becoming a nurse. While she deferred pursuing this goal until her children were older, she eventually became an LPN and later obtained her RN degree to further her nursing education and career. Holli is the

The Medicare Learning Network (MLN) will host a call on Thursday, September 7, 2017 from 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm regarding a new Facility Assessment Tool to help identify and develop the specific assessment of your facility. Also, find out about frequently asked questions related to revision of the State Operations Manual Appendix PP for Phase 2 of the Reform of Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities final rule. A question and answer session follows the presentation. Register for Medicare Learning

At the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs hearing on July 31 st, Mass Senior Care provided oral testimony in support of H.2079 An Act Relative to Promoting Innovation in Elder Care Services filed by Representative Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). The legislation would establish a zero-interest loan trust fund administered by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. The funds would allow for innovative solutions to the care and housing needs of our growing elder population. Skilled nursing facilities could access

On Thursday, September 28th, the Mass Senior Care Foundation will honor its long time President, Marva Serotkin. The event will be held at Elm Bank Reservation in Wellesley from 6-9 pm and we invite all members to join us as we honor Marva and raise funds for our flagship scholarship program. During her 10 years as President of the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation and her previous tenure as Chair of the Mass Senior Care Association, Marva has championed the annual

Beginning August 1, 2017, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) new electronic portal, the Injury Tracking Application (ITA), will be accessible for employers to file web-based reports of workplace injuries or illnesses. OSHA’s secure website offers several different options for how employers submit the data electronically. Under OSHA’s electronic record keeping rule, covered companies with at least 250 employees must submit information electronically from: •OSHA Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses) •OSHA Form 300A (Summary of Work-Related

On July 28, 2017, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Division of Epidemiology and Immunization issued an Advisory to Long Term Care Facilities (LTCF) noting that the Division has received a number of recent reports of outbreaks of scabies occurring in LTCFs. The Advisory notes that Department staff is available to work with LTCFs on infection control procedures, including treatment recommendation, environmental sanitation in response to single cases of scabies as well as outbreaks 24/7 by calling (617) 983-6800. While

On July 31, 2017, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (“Mass Tech Collaborative”), on behalf of Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI), issued a Request for Information for Sharing of Advanced Care Planning (ACP) Documents to solicit responses from interested parties in the field of capturing and sharing advanced care planning documents electronically. MeHI is working in collaboration with other stakeholders, including the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs and the Massachusetts Coalition for Serious Illness Care (the Coalition), to examine architectures and technologies

On July 27, 2017, Governor Baker signed into law new protections for pregnant workers that would ban discrimination in the workplace and require employers to provide reasonable accommodations to workers before and after pregnancy. The law will take effect on April 1, 2018. The law, An Act Establishing the Massachusetts Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, makes it unlawful for an employer to refuse to employ or discharge from employment, an individual due to pregnancy or a condition related to said pregnancy