The LTC Trend Tracker Team is hosting a webinar for LTC Trend Tracker account administrators to discuss the administration screens and also a live tutorial on new features that only account administrators have access to. This webinar will be hosted by Gautami Inamdar & Lonnita Belk, managers of LTC Trend Tracker, on Thursday, May 11th at 2:00 PM. Please click here to register for the webinar. Please visit the Resource Center for helpful documents and how-to videos on all other

The submission deadline for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP) is approaching. Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessment data for October-December (Q4) of calendar year (CY) 2016 are due with this submission deadline. All data must be submitted no later than 11:59 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on May 15, 2017. View the list of measures required for this deadline on the SNF Quality Reporting Program Measures and Technical Information webpage. As a reminder, it is recommended that providers

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is hosting a live webcast on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, from 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. ET. The focus of this training will be to assist providers from Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, Long-Term Care Hospitals, and Skilled Nursing Facilities in better understanding how Review and Correct Reports fit within the overall Quality Reporting Program. Additionally, the training will provide information about re-submitting data to correct errors prior to the quarterly submission deadlines to ensure

On Thursday, May 4th, Carolyn Blanks, Mass Senior Care Foundation Executive Director, will present a webinar, Meeting the Challenge: Successful Strategies to Boost Nurse Recruitment and Retention, for McKnight's Long-Term Care News. Providers may feel as if they are going "back to the future" in facing a nursing shortage in long-term care. Carolyn will use her background in workforce development to provide background and strategies for skilled nursing facilities. As National Nurses Week prepares to kick off May 6, attendees

The House of Representatives on Tuesday adopted its state FY 2018 budget recommendation, totaling $40.4 billion, representing a nearly 4% increase over the current SFY 2017 budget. The Committee's recommendation includes an additional $17.8 million dedicated to Medicaid nursing facility funding. We are pleased to report that the House also adopted House Majority Leader Ronald Mariano's amendment #377 that provides statutory protection to prevent the displacement of nursing facility residents living in the more than 130 nursing facilities constructed prior

Mass Senior Care’s fiscal year 2018 budget advocacy effort is well underway as the House of Representatives is set to begin debate on Monday, April 24 th. A critical component of our effort is to raise legislator’s and the public’s awareness of the chronic Medicaid funding shortfall that nursing facilities face which severely limits providers’ ability to increase wages for direct care staff. Recently, the Lowell Sun featured a front page article, “Lawmakers Back Medicaid changes to boost nursing home

On May 15, 2017, Mass Senior Care President Tara Gregorio will participate in a panel presentation at the 2017 Marcum Long-Term Care Symposium at Mohegan Sun Conference Center in Uncasville, CT. An Associate Member of Mass Senior Care Association, Marcum’s 2017 Symposium is dedicated to providing professionals with a glimpse of the future, both operationally and economically. Joined by colleagues from several other New England long term care associations and the American Health Care Association, the panel will respond to

Is your facility prepared to meet the new emergency preparedness requirements by the November 15, 2017, compliance date? The Medicare Learning Network has scheduled a training call on Thursday, April 27 from 2:30 to 3:30 pm ET. During this call, learn about implementation of the final rule, including an overview of the regulation and training and testing requirements. A question and answer session follows the presentation. To register or for more information, visit MLN Connects Event Registration.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to share the results of a newly published study conducted by Jennifer Tija, MD, Associate Professor, UMass Medical School, et al, that demonstrated the use of antipsychotic medications in nearly 100 Massachusetts nursing homes was significantly reduced after staff received Oasis training. In 2011, the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation oversaw implementation of Oasis in an 11-facility pilot project, with funding from Commonwealth Corporation. From 2012-2016, staff from 363 Massachusetts nursing facilities have participated in one

As part of its MassHealth program integrity efforts, the Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) has announced the selection of Optum as its Third Party Administrator (TPA) Vendor to manage certain functions of the MassHealth Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS). The TPA’s work will cover LTSS State Plan Fee-For-Services (not under the responsibility of a managed care entity) provided to members over and under 65, including members eligible for waiver programs. According to the agency, the TPA