On December 16, 2016, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) Office of Medicaid (“MassHealth”) announced its intention to post a bid solicitation and to require online proposal submission via COMMBUYS in order to procure Long-Term Services and Supports Community Partners (LTSS CPs) to perform care coordination and other administrative support activities for identified members with LTSS needs. EOHHS anticipates conducting this procurement for LTSS CPs in the winter of 2017 for a contract start date in

The Department of Public Health will hold a Supportive Planning and Operations Team (SPOT) Stakeholder Presentation on Wednesday, January 11, 2017 from 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm at the Department of Public Health’s office at 250 Washington Street in Boston. The objective of the SPOT Stakeholder meeting is to share the findings from quality assurance and performance improvement assessments at the 40 nursing homes that participated and subsequent interventions that were developed to address identified opportunities for improvement. Please click

The Department of Public Health (DPH) has proposed regulatory changes that could impact the licensing and construction standards certain long term care facilities would be required to meet. In particular, DPH is proposing to eliminate the construction standard grandfather provision for potentially more than 130 nursing homes constructed prior to March 19, 1968. It appears these homes would need to meet current construction standards or apply to the Department of Public Health for annual waivers under yet to be determined

“My job is rewarding and continues to provide me with opportunities to teach, ensure quality and provide direct care to residents.” Pamela Gelardi was only a high school student when she began working with older adults through a job at the local VNA. After graduating from Middlesex Community College with an Associate Degree in Nursing, she gained additional experience working with the mentally challenged adult population. She began her career ladder in long term care nursing 15 years ago at

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome our new 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. You can also find all of our Associate Members on our website, www.maseniorcare.org. New Facility Member: Taunton Nursing Home

On December 9, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released Survey & Certification Memorandum: 17-12-NH Long-Term Care (LTC) Regulation: Enforcement of Rule Prohibiting Use of Pre-Dispute Binding Arbitration Agreements is Suspended so Long as Court Ordered Injunction Remains in Effect. In this memorandum, CMS indicates that enforcement of the prohibition of the use of pre-dispute arbitration agreements is suspended until and unless the injunction is lifted. CMS will not enforce the new rule prohibiting skilled nursing facilities

The Department of Public Health (DPH) will be holding a Public Hearing in regard to proposed amendments to 105 CMR 150.000, Licensing of Long-Term Care Facilities and 105 CMR 153.00, Licensure Procedure and Suitability Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities. The public hearing will also concern the proposed rescission of 105 CMR 151.000, General Standards of Construction for Long-Term Care Facilities in Massachusetts. Mass Senior Care will be presenting both oral and written testimony at the upcoming hearing. It is important

Marian Mensah-Agyemang was born in Ghana and raised by her aunt, a nurse who cared for adults with mental disabilities. Witnessing the love and compassion that her aunt and other staff showed to their residents, Marian was inspired to pursue her education and a career in caring for older adults. She started out in community health nursing after high school, before moving to the United States where she was a volunteer on an Alzheimer’s unit. The rapport she had with

The US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released its updated List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE) database file, which reflects all OIG exclusions and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in October 2016. This new file is meant to replace the updated LEIE database file available for download last month. Individuals and entities that have been reinstated to the federal health care programs are not included in this file. The

A video presentation is now available from CMS for the September 14 MLN Connects Webcast on SNF Quality Reporting Program. Learn about the reporting requirements for the new Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP), effective October 1, 2016. The Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 (IMPACT Act) established the SNF QRP and requires the submission of standardized data. This video does not include the question and answer session that took place during the webcast. The audio