On May 1, 2017 the Massachusetts State Fire Marshall issued a Memorandum that in accordance with 780 CMR 1008.1 and 527 CMR 1.00: 14.4.2.1 egress doors must not be obscured by decorations, mirrors, or other means of concealment or disguise. Egress doors must be readily distinguishable from the adjacent construction and finishes and must be easily recognizable as doors. Joanne Murphy, DPH LSC Unit Supervisor confirmed that in both the 2012 NFPA 101 Life Safety Code and 105CMR 150.000 that

At the May 10, 2017 Board of Registration in Nursing (Board) meeting, the Board revised Advisory Ruling (AR) 0901: Management of Pain to ensure compliance with current statutes, regulations and scope of practice standards. The AR guides the practice of the LPN, RN and APRN in promoting patient access to appropriate, therapeutic and effective assessment, diagnosis and management of acute and chronic pain; improving communication about benefits and risks of long-term opioid therapy for chronic pain; promote safe, effective multimodal

Webster Park Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center, a member of Marquis Health Services and Mass Senior Care Association, recently unveiled the completion of an $8 million expansion and renovation – a transformational project that brings a dedicated, modernized Post-Acute Care Unit (PACU), an advanced therapy gym, and enhanced cardiac and pulmonary care services to the South Shore community. The new, 12,500-square-foot sub-acute care unit includes 23 beds in 11 private rooms and six semi-private rooms. The renovation added a 2,300-square-foot therapy

Nursing facilities across the Commonwealth celebrated National Nursing Home Week, which recognizes the role of skilled nursing care centers in caring for America’s seniors and individuals with disabilities. This year’s theme, “ The Spirit of America,” honored the bond shared among staff and residents through special events and activities that capture the American spirit. For additional photos, please visit Mass Senior Care’s Facebook. Residents renewed their wedding vows at Queen Anne Nursing Home in Hingham Michael and Mary Corrente celebrating

MassHealth has issued two documents providing additional information on its MassHealth Third Party Administrator (TPA) Vendor for Long Term Services and Supports(LTSS) Fee-for-Service (FFS) Program: • MassHealth All Provider Bulletin 270 (May 2018) - Third-Party Administrator Implementation for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) • MassHealth Long-Term Services and Supports Third-Party Administrator FAQ Effective May 31, 2017, the MassHealth LTSS Provider Service Center will begin answering phone calls and LTSS provider questions, including resolving issues with claims submission, conducting provider enrollment

On May 22, 2017 the Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly announced his decision to extend—for an additional six months—the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Haiti. This extension is effective July 23, 2017 through January 22, 2018. The agency’s press release indicates that this extension may end after six months as it states that “The Department of Homeland Security urges Haitian TPS recipients who do not have another immigration status to use the time before Jan. 22, 2018

As a reminder, MassHealth has notified nursing facility providers via a message text that it will delay by approximately two weeks processing nursing facility claims for May 2017 dates of service. This effectively means that nursing facility payment for May 2017 claims received by MassHealth in May or June will be pushed from late June to July 10, 2017. As you may recall, MassHealth has applied this temporary cash management delay for the last seven fiscal years. As in the

The state Senate completed its version of the State Fiscal Year 2018 (SFY 2018) budget late Thursday evening. We are pleased to report that Senator Bruce Tarr’s amendment providing statutory protection for residents living in skilled nursing facilities built before 1968 and residents living in rooms with more than two roommates was adopted. The amendment passed on a voice vote and had widespread bi-partisan support. Senators Tarr and Julian Cyr spoke on the floor in support of the amendment and

The Massachusetts Council of Activity Professionals (MassCAP) is hosting a workshop on Wednesday, June 14th, "Activities: Not Just Fun and Games, A Look At Our Interdisciplinary Role to Resident Care." The workshop will be held at Pines Edge Health Center at North Hill in Needham and is open to all activity professionals. Discounted seminar fees are available for MassCAP members, please click here to view the registration flyer. For more information about MassCAP, please visit their website at www.themasscap.org.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome our new Associate Members. Our Associate Members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and participating as exhibitors and sponsors for events and educational conferences. Mass Senior Care members are encouraged to contact Associate Members when they are in need of long term care products and services. Facility Member: Savoy Nursing and Rehab Center, of New Bedford, MA, a 39 bed skilled nursing facility. Contact