CMS has contracted with RTI and Abt to develop and implement two Transfer of Health Information and Care Preferences (TOH) quality measures. The TOH measures meet requirements under the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act (IMPACT Act) of 2014. Data for these cross-setting measures will be collected for the following post-acute care settings: SNFs, IRFs, LTCHs and HHAs. As part of the measure development process, RTI, in collaboration with Abt, is pilot testing the TOH measures to investigate data collection

Given the growing body of evidence on the risks of misuse, highlighted by the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) new guidelines for prescribing opioids that was released earlier this year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services last week outlined the agency’s strategyand the array of actions underway to address the national opioid misuse epidemic. CMS also issued its take on the opioid epidemic, with a blog post penned by Shantanu Agrawal, M.D., director of the Center for Program Integrity

Mass Senior Care will convene a meeting on Tuesday, January 24th from 10am to 12pm at the Mass Senior Care Office in Waltham for long term care facility members potentially affected by DPH’s proposal to eliminate a licensure ‘grandfathering’ provision for facilities constructed on or prior to March 19, 1968. At the meeting, Mass Senior Care President Tara Gregorio and Director of Regulatory Affairs Helen Magliozzi will provide an update for members on our current efforts to oppose DPH’s proposed

In addition to submitting written testimony in response to the Department of Public Health's (DPH) proposed September 2016 revisions to 105 CMR 725.000, Implementation of an Act for Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana,as noted in the article above, Mass Senior Care is offering a free webinar to members on the use of marijuana in the workplace. Presented by Attorney David Wilson of the employment law firm Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP, this 60 minute webinar will cover: Update on medical &

Last week Mass Senior Care submitted written testimony in response to the Department of Public Health’s (DPH) proposed September 2016 revisions to 105 CMR 725.000 Implementation of an Act for Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana. Mass Senior Care’s review of the proposed revisions identified several issues of concern to the nursing home provider community. These concerns include: 1) Conflict with Federal Law - Since marijuana is still considered illegal under federal law, it raises specific federal liability issues for long

Yesterday the Public Health Council unanimously approved significant changes to the Department of Public Health Determination of Need (DoN) regulations (105 CMR 100.000). The final revised regulations seek to streamline and simplify the DoN process and establish greater transparency and accountability in health care transformation. Massachusetts Senior Care Association participated in the Department’s robust stakeholder engagement over the past year and is pleased that the Department responded to issues raised by the sector. In particular, the Department's final regulations and

Governor Baker and his Administration are now finalizing their FY 2018 budget proposal which will be released on January 25, 2017. We request that you continue working with staff, residents and their family members to call Governor Baker's office to respectfully urge his continued support of the Nursing Home Quality Jobs Initiative, which would provide funding to increase wages for our hardworking and dedicated caregivers. Our goal is for each member facility to make at least 100 calls to the

Representatives from the Department of Mental Health (DMH), Department of Developmental Services (DDS), Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA), and the MassHealth Office of Long Term Services and Supports (OLTSS) recently completed a general PASRR overview training. The training covered the Level 1 PASRR form and the Level 2 process for both DMH and DDS. If you were unable to attend the December PASRR trainings, MassHealth will be holding an additional PASRR Training Overview Webinar on January 18th, 2017, 10am-11:30am

We are saddened to share the news of the unexpected death of Jim Morris, Administrator at BayPointe Rehab and Skilled Care Center in Brockton since 2007. Jim passed away after a long-fought and courageous battle with cancer. Jim dedicated his life to providing service to elders and individuals with disabilities. He was also an active and passionate member of the Brockton Rotary Club. Widely respected in the long term care community, Jim served as an Ambassador for the Association’s grassroots

In March 2016, Governor Baker, through Executive Order 561, created a Task Force to recommend solutions to help end persistent economic disparities for certain populations. At the time of the Task Force report, these populations, which include African Americans/Blacks, Hispanics/Latinos, Native Americans, persons with disabilities, and Gulf War Era II Veterans, experienced rates of unemployment from 7-20%. The Task Force found that individuals within these populations experience complex needs and barriers that require intensive interventions. The Task Force made several