AHCA/NCAL Announces 2016 Award Recipients

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) announced the recipients for the 2016 AHCA/NCAL Awards program last month.  Each year, AHCA/NCAL recognizes the men and women who selflessly care for individuals in long term and post-acute care centers, ID/DD residences, and assisted living communities.  Honorees demonstrate selflessness, compassion, and strive to enhance the lives of the elderly and intellectually or developmentally disabled in their communities.

The 2016 AHCA/NCAL Awards recipients are:

• Hero of the Year- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: John Lair, New Hope Services a division of Medicalodges, Inc., Pittsburg, KS
• Not for Profit Program of the Year: Chaparral House, Berkeley, CA
• Not for Profit Trustee Award: Robert Martin, Madison County Nursing Home, Canton, MS
• Adult Volunteer of the Year: Randy McQueen, Mercy Living Plus, Oelwein, IA
• Group Volunteer of the Year: Adopt A Senior, Jackson, NJ
• Young Adult Volunteer of the Year: Zach Severson, Good Samaritan Society, Canton, SD

The Hero of the Year award recognizes an individual who works or volunteers in an ICF/IID facility or HCBS Waiver Homes and has shown commitment and dedication to serving people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.  The Not for Profit Program of the Year award highlights a specific program that adds value to the care of individuals within a community.  The NFP Trustee of the Year Award recognizes the vital role played by members of the Board of Trustees in not for profit nursing centers.  The Volunteer of the Year program seeks to honor a young adult (under 19), an adult, and a group organization that have served in a volunteer capacity for more than one year and have made a positive contribution to residents and staff of a care center.

Award recipients will be honored at the AHCA/NCAL 67th Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee on October 19, 2016.

Living the Mission: A Day for Not for Profit (NFP) Providers from AHCA/NCAL

AHCA/NCAL’s constituency education program for NFP providers will be held on Tuesday, October 18, in Nashville, TN, and is packed with motivational and educational speakers. The keynote speaker, John O’Leary (pictured), was a curious nine-year-old boy. Playing with fire and gasoline, he created a massive explosion in his garage and was burned on 100% of his body. Given less than 1% chance of survival, John is proof of the power of the human spirit. Using his fire story as a backdrop, John will inspire you to take back your life, see the abundant possibility within your professional and personal challenges, and change the world. Participants will also have the opportunity to hear from other top-notch speakers. More information about this day and where to register can be found here. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact AHCA’s Senior Director of Not for Profit & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson.      

AHCA/NCAL’s Mark Parkinson Quoted in New York Times on the NOTICE Act

On August 6, 2016, AHCA/NCAL’s President and CEO, Mark Parkinson, was quoted in a New York Times article on the Notice of Observation Treatment and Implication for Care Eligibility (NOTICE) Act.  AHCA/NCAL supports the NOTICE Act law, will require hospitals to notify Medicare beneficiaries of their outpatient status within 36 hours.  Outpatient status affects a patient’s ability to receive Medicare coverage for post-acute care in a skilled nursing center.  Parkinson was quoted in the article saying, “Patients often have no idea what their status is in a hospital.  Observation stays impose a financial burden on seniors, and increase the likelihood that they will have to turn to programs like Medicaid, the federal-state program for low-income people.” You can read the full article here. 

In addition, the August 2, 2016, final rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the implementation of the NOTICE Act can be found here.  A brief summary of the NOTICE Act section of the CMS final rule put together by Hancock, Daniel, Johnson & Nagle, P.C., is here.  The Notice Act had technically required that Medicare eligible patients receive a notice of their outpatient observation status starting on August 6, 2016.  However, the CMS final rule notes that the Medicare Outpatient Observation Notice (MOON) has not yet been approved for use.  After reviewing the summary and CMS final rule, you will see that the NOTICE Act will not be implemented until the late Fall of 2016, at the earliest. 

AHCA’s Senior Director of NFP & Constituent Services Visits Mission Health Services

Last month, AHCA’s Senior Director of NFP & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson, visited some of Mission Health Services centers.  Mission Health Services is a community-based non-profit organization providing services across the Wasatch Front and Wyoming.  Founded in 1990, Mission Health Services is the premier non-profit organization offering: skilled nursing, rehabilitation, assisted living, care for the intellectually disabled and board and care.  Winner of Best of State Utah for both 2012, 2013 and 2015!  More about Mission Health Services can be found here.

Pictured outside of Mission at Hillside Rehabilitation Center is AHCA’s NFP Council member, Gary Kelso (President/CEO/Eden Mentor of Mission Health Services).     

NFP Grassroots Advocacy – Congressional Summer Recess is Here

Steven Chies, AHCA’s NFP Council Chair, encourages AHCA’s NFP providers to participate in our grassroots advocacy efforts in 2016.  AHCA would like to help you get facility tours and in-district meetings set up over future recess days.  Please provide your name, facility address, and email address and we will craft the invite and send it to you to send to the Congressional office.  The four brief steps for a successful facility tour visit can be found here.  Please feel free to contact Matthew Smyth and Dana Halvorson who can help you with all of the logistics.

AHCA’s NFP Council member, Van Moore (pictured to the right), meets with Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR-2, pictured on the left) at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in The Dalles.  Van discussed with the Congressman issues impacting AHCA/NCAL members, including the observation stays issue. 

NFPs Engaging in the Political Process

For more information on how NFPs can engage in the political process, please review this webinar and handout from Wiley Rein, LLP.  Both documents will give members of 501(c) 3 tax exempt organizations an overview of what they can and cannot do in regards to lobbying and political activity.  For issue briefs, talking points and more, visit AHCA’s advocacy page.

U.S. Congressional Calendars

As you are planning your visits with members of Congress and their staff in Washington, D.C., or in your district, the Congressional calendars will be of assistance to you.  The U.S. House of Representatives calendar for the 114^th Congress, second session, can be found here.  The U.S. Senate schedule for 2016 can be found here. The dates in blue reference the times the U.S. Senate is in session.  The red dates represent when the U.S. Senate is in recess.

AHCA/NCAL Advocacy App

If you haven’t already heard about it, then we wanted to alert you to a great app that allows you to keep abreast of AHCA advocacy efforts.  Among other things, it provides important talking points, issue briefs and features that allow you to take action.  It will be useful not only to you, but serves as a great way for providers to weigh in.  You can get the app by clicking on the appropriate black box below.

 

Download our advocacy app!

   

AHCA’s State of the States Clearinghouse

AHCA members have access to key Medicaid and Medicare information through the State of the States Clearinghouse.  The AHCA State of the States Clearinghouse is a one stop shop for key Medicaid and Medicare information impacting the long term care profession.   

This resource provides valuable data, including:

• Overview of the demographic landscape;
• State-specific nursing center occupancy and ownership breakouts; 
• Certificate of Need requirements for nursing centers and state licensure requirements; 
• State data on the cost of care for long term services and supports;  
• State data on the total number of Medicare enrollees; 
• Data on state Medicare Advantage plan enrollees and comparisons to the national average; 
• State and national Medicaid expenditure data;
• State Medicaid rates, costs and shortfalls;
• And other significant state-specific data related to payment structure, managed long term services and home and community based services coverage.

AHCA will continue to provide the most up-to-date information through the Clearinghouse and share new data/resources as they become available.  Also be sure to visit the AHCA Medicaid Page to learn more about the program and to access additional AHCA members-only Medicaid resources.

We’ve Got You Covered! AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions Website

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) now offers a variety of comprehensive insurance programs to meet your business needs. Backed by the strength of our membership, AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions programs are designed with exclusive member savings and discounts for both the fully-insured or self-insured members.

The program offers health insurance options, group and voluntary benefit packages, an aggressive Stop-Loss insurance program as well as cloud based HR platforms that will help members achieve savings and greater efficiencies on HR services within your company, while also tracking and reporting on key Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements.  For more information, please contact AHCA’s Dave Kyllo at dkyllo@AHCA.org and visit the AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions website.  

Articles and Resources of Interest

• Vincent Mor Named 2016 Champion of Quality Award Recipient – ahcancal.org
• AHCA/NCAL Announces 2016 Silver National Quality Award Recipients – ahcancal.org
• NALW Media Kit Now Available – longtermcareleader.com
• ICF/IID Reports – longtermcareleader.com
• Top Cities in the Nation for Seniors – longtermcareleader.com
• Brain Scans Offer Insights into Loss of Money Skills for Seniors – longtermcareleader.com
• Medicare Spending at the End of Life: A Snapshot of Beneficiaries Who Died in 2014 and the Cost of Their Care – kff.org
• Minnesota health system's telehealth program for seniors leads to better outcomes, engagement – mobihealthnews.com
• Deep Brain Stimulation Tested for Early Alzheimer's – healthfinder.gov
• 1 in 10 Alzheimer's Patients at Risk for Avoidable Hospital Stays – healthfinder.gov
• Health Tip: Is Arthritis Affecting Your Hip? – healthfinder.gov
• Living Past 90 Doesn't Doom You to Disease, Disability – healthfinder.gov

Legislative and Agency Corner

• IRS Offers Social Media Resources to Help With Affordable Care Act Compliance – longtermcareleader.com
• HIPPA Simplification Website Enhanced – longtermcareleader.com
• Joint Commission/ CMS Work on Healthcare Texting Guidelines – longtermcareleader.com
• AHRQ’s Safety Program for Nursing Homes: On-Time Pressure Ulcer Healing – ahrq.gov
• Information for Veterans – irs.gov
• Brain scans offer insights into loss of money skills – nia.nih.gov

Webinars of Interest

Stay informed and tune in to AHCA/NCAL-hosted pre-recorded and live webinars on a number of topics impacting the long term care profession. 

You also might be interested to know that on Tuesday, August 23, 2016, from 3-4pm EDT, the National Alzheimer’s and Dementia Resource Center will present the webinar entitled, Examples of Developing and Implementing Faith-Related Dementia Programs.  Participants who attend this webinar will learn about two faith-related programs for people with dementia and their caregivers— Alzheimer’s Orange County Interfaith Outreach Program in Orange County, California and the Respite Ministry in Montgomery, Alabama.  More details about this webinar and how to register for it can be found here. 

AHCA/NCAL Learning Management Website

AHCA/NCAL has recently launched a comprehensive online Learning Management System to support the training needs of its members. The website, known as ahcancalED, contains a wealth of information including educational programs, webinars, instructional videos, training courses, and other tools. It is available free to AHCA/NCAL members.

"We created ahcancalED for our members who do not have the time or budget to develop the newest in-service training," said Dr. David Gifford, AHCA/NCAL Senior Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs. "Our objective also was to provide the best and latest educational tools, especially as CMS increases its regulatory requirements about staff training and competency in a number of areas. ahcancalED is designed to help individuals in our profession do a better job of caring for patients and residents and advance in their careers."

The information on ahcancalED is structured to make the online learning experience engaging, meaningful, and interactive for users. The fresh graphics and clearly defined sections within the site make it easy for users to navigate and find the information they need. The site also allows users to track their own learning progress.

Teams of experts from around the country working with AHCA/NCAL staff helped to create the content. "We will constantly be adding new programs and materials so that we can keep the site fresh and dynamic," said Gifford. "We'll continue to look for new ways the site can grow and serve our members. It's a great value-added benefit and a tangible example of our commitment to enhancing quality."

ahcancalED can be accessed at https://educate.ahcancal.org/. Suggestions for content or other site enhancements can be submitted to the ahcancalED team at educate@ahca.org. AHCA/NCAL welcomes ideas that will help improve quality and strengthen the knowledge, skills and attitudes of staff in the long term and post-acute care community.

From the Blog of Josh Linkner

Noted on the Josh Linkner blog, “To Josh Linkner, creativity and innovation are the lifeblood of all human progress. As such, he’s spent his career harnessing the power of creative disruption.  His journey has been non-traditional at every step. As the founder and CEO of four tech companies, Josh built his businesses from a blank page into a combined value of over $200 million. As a hyper-growth CEO of over 20 years, he’s used innovative approaches to topple competitors, fight through adversity, and achieve at the highest levels.”  The bio section of Linkner’s blog goes on to include that, “Josh is an internationally-recognized thought leader and top-rated keynote speaker on innovation, creativity, reinvention, and hyper-growth leadership. His keynotes are focused on not only inspiring audiences, but also sharing actionable strategies to drive meaningful outcomes.”  Read some of Linkner’s blogs below.  In addition, you can view some of his keynote speaking addresses here.

• The Mindset of High Achievement
• Moonshots
• The Netflix of Fitness
• The Disruptive Innovation Behind Pokémon GO

Where are the STRONG Leaders?

Dr. Bryan K. Williams notes, “What does it mean to lead?  At least two conditions must be met. First, you must have a clear destination in mind.  Secondly, at least one other person has to be following.  If no one is following, then you are not leading.  As John Maxwell once wrote, ‘if you think you are leading, but no one is following, then you are just taking a walk.’ However, strong leaders do more than just influence others to follow.  Strong leaders are lifters.  They encourage, inspire, challenge and recognize performance on a regular basis.”  The full blog version of “Where are the STRONG Leaders?” article can be found here. 

Dr. Williams is a consultant, trainer, and author, who focuses on the areas of service excellence and organizational effectiveness.  He has spoken at numerous AHCA/NCAL events, and his passion is to serve others so they may better serve the world.  Here is a link where you can see some of Dr. Williams’ book recommendations on service, leadership and personal development.

BW Leadership Academy 2016

On November 3-4, Dr. Bryan K. Williams is introducing the first ever BW Leadership Academy in Baltimore, Maryland.  According to Dr. Williams, “the BW Leadership Academy is an experience unlike any other because it's not just about leadership ... it's about the leader. It's a unique opportunity for strong mid-managers and those who are close to becoming senior leaders. They will become completely engaged in a two-day event that strictly focuses on making the attendee the leader they are meant to be, and to grow the future generation of the leaders.”  For more information and to register for the Academy, visit www.BWLeadershipAcademy.com.

National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities

The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) holds a monthly call or webinar concerning topics of interest to those who work in the field of aging and disability.  One of the past calls focused on resources for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias and their caregivers.  Information about future calls, and audio recording of previous ones, can be found here.

Upcoming 2016 Events

• AHCA/NCAL 67^th Annual Convention & Expo – October 16 – 19, 2016
• A Day for Not for Profit Providers at the AHCA/NCAL Convention – October 18, 2016
• 26th Alzheimer Europe Conference – October 31 – November 2, 2016

2016 Health Care Observances

The 2016 AHCA/NCAL Health Care Observances Calendar can be found here.  September 2016 marks, among other observances, Healthy Aging Month, National Cholesterol Education Month, and National Preparedness Month.