The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted on its website updates to the following documents: New Long Term Care Survey Process and Slide Deck LTC Survey Pathways LTC Survey Procedure Guide LTC Interim Revisit Instructions

Nearly 200 nursing facility staff, residents and residents' family members took to the State House on Tuesday to deliver an urgent message that increased funding for frontline staff and resident care is immediately needed in order to meet the care needs of vulnerable nursing home residents who can no longer live safely in the community. The program at Advocacy Day featured Matt Salmon, Chairman of Mass Senior Care, Tara Gregorio, President of Mass Senior Care, Senate President Harriette Chandler and

The Massachusetts Senate has acted on a number of amendments related to nursing home care. We are pleased to report that the Senate adopted Senator Julian Cyr's EMAC Assessment Hardship Waiver, which directs the Department of Unemployment Assistance to develop a hardship waiver that may be approved for an employer experiencing a financial hardship due to its liability.

David Bell has been elected President of the Massachusetts Chapter of American College of Health Care Administrators. David has been a licensed long term care administrator since 1984 and has been an Administrator of Meadow Green Rehab and Nursing Center in Waltham since 1988.

The Department of Public Health has released proposed revision to 105 CMR 153.000 Licensure Procedure and Suitability Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities for review and comment. We are pleased that the proposed revisions include recommendations submitted by Mass Senior Care members including the following:

In accordance with the SFY 2018 Budget Act, MassHealth will be sending a message text notifying providers that MassHealth will once again delay processing nursing facility claims for May 2018 dates of service. As you may recall, MassHealth has applied this temporary cash management delay for the last eight fiscal years. For the current year, this effectively means that nursing facility payments for May 2018 claims received by MassHealth in May or June will be pushed back by ten days, from June 25th to July 5, 2018.

In response to member concerns, Mass Senior Care has been working with the Department of Public Health and the American Health Care Association on guidance related to F700 Bedrails.