Our national affiliate, the American Health Care Association (AHCA), recently issued the following note in regard to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issuing a work-around to correct edit errors for new 2017 PT and OT evaluation codes. In early December, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the quarterly National Correct Coding Initiative (NCCI) edits tables that apply to Medicare Part B and some state Medicaid agency claims for the period of January 1 through

EOHHS, via emergency regulation, on December 30, 2016 adopted amendments to the Medicaid nursing facility rate regulation eliminating the provision for incentive payments to nursing facilities under the Pay for Performance Program (P4P) for FY2017. In response to a state budgetary shortfall totaling an estimated $98 million in State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2017, Governor Baker last month used his authority to begin implementing Chapter 9C spending cuts, including this year’s nursing facility P4P program. The Governor did not impose cuts

As we reported in the December 21, 2016 edition of the newsletter, Mass Senior Care has identified a number of issues of concern to the nursing home provider community regarding recently proposed Department of Public Health regulatory amendments, including: (1) the proposed repeal of the regulatory provision that allow facilities built prior to 1968 to meet construction standards in effect at the time of construction, (2) decreasing the number of beds permitted in bedrooms in nursing units from no more

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 will provide an update for members on MSCA’s current efforts to oppose DPH’s proposed removal of the current 'grandfathering' provision contained in 105 CMR

The Massachusetts Senior Care Association (MSCA) recently announced the retirement of Ned Morse who has led the Association for more than 30 years, effective December 31, 2016. MSCA Board Members unanimously elected Senior Vice-President of the Association, Tara Gregorio, as President, effective January 1, 2017. Gregorio has worked in the area of healthcare policy for nearly 20 years. “Ned has been a champion of senior care excellence in the Commonwealth for decades,” said Bill Bogdanovich, Chairman of the Board. “He

Russell Phillips & Associates, LLC, a Mass Senior Care Associate Member, hosted a complimentary webinar on CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule for Nursing Homes. The webinar presentation and questions and answers asked during the program are now available. To access the webinar recording, please click here. To view the webinar slides, please click here. To access the Q&A document, please click here.

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 we will be holding an additional PASRR Training Overview Webinar on January 18th, 2017

A public hearing will be held on Monday, January 9, 2017, at 10:00 am in Room 417A/B (4th Floor), 239 Causeway Street, Boston on the proposed revisions to the following regulations: 244 CMR 5.00 Continuing Education; 244 CMR 8.00 Licensure Requirements; and 244 CMR 9.00 Standards of Conduct. These regulations set forth continuing education requirements (5.00), requirements and procedures for initial licensure by examination and reciprocity for registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, as well as provisions for license renewal

Mass Senior Care has been made aware of a recent change made by the Massachusetts Division of Professional Licensure to the regulations for allied health professionals as it relates to signatures on documentation. Please see the applicable changes below with a link to the full regulations. 259 CMR 3.00: Occupational Therapists – Section 3.03: Documentation - Timely and accurate documentation is necessary whenever occupational therapy services are provided, regardless of payer source. The client’s record must be signed with the

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