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 May 2018. 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

Each year, the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) recognizes the leaders of top-performing SNF’s across the country through its Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award. MDS quality indicators (QMs), occupancy, and three years of survey data are used to identify top-performers. Congratulations to the 56 facilities from Massachusetts that were selected in 2018, click here to view the list of Massachusetts recognized facilities.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, is pleased to announce a free webinar designed for patient care and laboratory staff from the long-term acute care hospital and long-term care settings entitled, “Candida auris: A Fungus we don’t want Among us.” on June 7, 2018 from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm. Webinar topics: Epidemiology of Candida auris Laboratory testing and identification of Candida auris Candida auris containment and response recommendations Local facility experience with

CareOne Newton celebrated Skilled Nursing Care Week with its 1st Community Day in celebration of National Skilled Nursing Care Week. Residents, family members and community neighbors enjoyed games, food and laughs.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting a 2-day Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) in-person 'Train the Trainer' event for providers on July 31 and August 1, 2018, at the Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore.

The Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) has issued Hospital-Wide Adult All-Payer Readmissions in Massachusetts: SFY 2011-2016 updating previous CHIA reporting on the subject. Key Findings: The unplanned, all-payer readmission rate for Massachusetts acute care hospitals was 15.9% in SFY 2016, the same rate as in the previous year. The risk-standardized readmission rates for hospitals had more variability in 2016 compared to 2015, ranging from a low of 13.6% to a high of 18.1%. Medicare and Medicaid insured patients

Partners HealthCare will be accepting applications for participation in Year 6 of the Skilled Nursing Facility Collaborative Network beginning June 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018 at 5 PM. Participation in the Collaborative Network is an opportunity for skilled nursing facilities to join a bi-directional, quality-based collaborative emphasizing quality improvement and education. All facilities that are interested in participating in Year 6 of the Collaborative Network will be required to apply for inclusion. To indicate interest in applying to the

The Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) of Noncoverage Interactive Tutorial Educational Tool and the The Medicare Advance Written Notices of Noncoverage Booklet are available on the CMS MLN website.