The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) today issued a Notice of Proposed Agency Action, which would update Medicaid nursing facility rates in FY 2019. EOHHS Secretary Marylou Sudders presented her FY 2019 proposal to Mass Senior Care Association Board of Directors and indicated that the regulation represents the agency's first step in a short-term stabilization package.

Yesterday afternoon, the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) released proposed regulations to implement the SFY 2019 budget requirement directing the Governor to develop a hardship waiver program for the Employer Medical Assistance Contribution (EMAC) Supplement.

Mass Senior Care is extremely concerned that the ballot initiative would exacerbate the current nurse shortage in long term care facilities, as long term care nurses would be recruited to hospitals in order to meet the mandated staffing requirements proposed in Question 1.

The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) has updated its work plan and included a new nursing center staffing level review. The August 2018 update indicates that OIG will examine nursing staffing levels reported by facilities to the Payroll-Based Journal and CMS's efforts to ensure data accuracy and improve resident quality of care by both enforcing minimum requirements and incentivizing high quality staffing above minimum requirements.

Fourth quarter FY 2017 Program for Evaluating Payment Patterns Electronic Reports (PEPPERs) are available for hospices, Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs), Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities (IPFs), Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs), and Long-term Acute Care Hospitals (LTCHs). These reports summarize provider-specific data statistics for Medicare services that may be at risk for improper payments. Use your data to support internal auditing and monitoring activities. For instructions on obtaining your PEPPER, read the Secure PEPPER Access Guide. Visit the PEPPER

Please see below for updated email contact information for the Department of Public Health, Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification: Sherman Lohnes, Director - sherman.lohnes@state.ma.us Michelle Bramante, Certification Unit Manager - Michelle.bramante@state.ma.us Cathy Congo, North Regional Manager - catherine.congo@state.ma.us Patrice Faysal , South Regional Manager - patrice.faysal@state.ma.us Andrew (“Drew”) LeRoy, West Regional Manager - andew.leroy@state.ma.us Beth Scheffler, Complaint Unit Manager - Beth.scheffler@state.ma.us

In the fall of 2017, Beneficiary and Family Centered Care Quality Improvement Organizations (BFCC-QIOs) launched Healthcare Navigation programs that offer a good solution for Medicare fee-for-service patients who need help navigating the health care system. Through this free program, BFCC-QIOs connect Medicare patients, as well as their families and caregivers with the resources and support they need to understand what care is needed and how to access it. You can learn about this free service provided by BFCC-QIOs for Medicare

The new law includes a comprehensive set of provisions designed to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s illness in Massachusetts.