AHCA/NCAL 68th Annual Convention & Expo Next Week!

The AHCA/NCAL 68th Annual Convention & Expo being held in Las Vegas is right around the corner!  The Convention & Expo is a great value for our members and consists of four days of unparalleled education, national speakers, networking and special events. We host an Expo Hall packed with all the best products and services for long term and post-acute care professionals.  Onsite registration will be available Sunday, October 15, at 6:45 AM.  Registration is located in the South Convention Center’s Foyer of Mandalay Bay, second floor.

RoP Phase 2 Preparation: AHCA Convention Intensive

On November 28, 2017, Phase 2 of the Requirements of Participation (RoP) will be implemented.  There are also new F-Tags associated with all requirements, new interpretive guidance, and a new survey process.  In preparation for November 28, join AHCA staff and your peers for the Convention Intensive, "November 28, 2017 Prep Session for Nursing Centers" from 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. Pacific on Sunday, October 15 in the Mandalay Bay Ballroom D. 

You'll hear from AHCA subject matter experts about:

• What you can expect; 
• What you are doing now that has prepared you for November 28, 2017; 
• How AHCA plans to provide you with information, tools, and materials to help you understand and implement changes; 
• Utilizing a framework to navigate your way through these changes; and 
• Any late-breaking news from DC and CMS related to these changes.

Pre-registration is not required to attend this session, but we encourage you to arrive early so that you are able to secure a seat.  More information on the Convention Intensive can be found here.  Additional resources for RoP Phase 2 can be found on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website here and on AHCA's website here.

Submit a Presentation for the 2018 AHCA/NCAL Convention

The Call for Presentation for 2018 is open.  Complete Submission Guidelines and Information can be found here.  Presentation proposals will be accepted from September 1st through November 30th.  You can only submit through the link above. No proposals will be accepted via regular mail or email.

The 2018 AHCA/NCAL Annual Convention will be held in San Diego, CA from October 7-10, 2018.  Submitters will be notified by April 2018 as to the status of the submission.  Please hold all convention dates until you receive news of your submission status.

AHCA/NCAL 2017 Award Recipients

AHCA/NCAL recently announced the recipients for the 2017 AHCA/NCAL Awards program. Each year, AHCA/NCAL recognizes the men and women who selflessly care for individuals in long term and post-acute care centers, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) residences, and assisted living communities.  Honorees demonstrate selflessness, compassion, and strive to enhance the lives of seniors and individuals with disabilities in their communities.

The 2017 AHCA/NCAL Awards recipients are:

• Hero of the Year- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Cathy Gray, Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities, Keene, N.H.
• Not for Profit Program of the Year: Trinity Oaks Health and Rehab Life Enrichment, Trinity Oaks Health and Rehab, Salisbury, N.C.
• Not for Profit Trustee Award: Peter Miesburger, Maine Veterans’ Home, Augusta, Maine
• Adult Volunteer of the Year: Mike Howard, Harlan Health and Rehabilitation Center, Ky.
• Group Volunteer of the Year: Bryant Parkview Care Center Auxiliary, Bryant Parkview Care Center, Bryant, S.D.
• Young Adult Volunteer of the Year: Luke Flippo, Diversicare of Amory, Amory, Miss.

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 ID/DD.  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 Not for Profit Trustee award honors a not for profit trustee committed to faithfully carrying out functions of the board and dedicated to improving the lives of frail and vulnerable individuals.  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 68th Annual Convention in Las Vegas on October 18, 2017.

Informative Emergency Preparedness Sessions Available at Convention

The EmergencyPreparedness Final Rule was released on Friday, September 16, 2016.  The rule impacts skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IIDs), but does not apply to assisted living providers.  On June 2, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the Emergency Preparedness Interpretive Guidance (IG), which can be found here.  AHCA members are highly encouraged to look through the IG.  Providers will need to comply with the final rule by November 2017.  Click here for a summary AHCA put together of the IG for your use. 

That being said, AHCA has several informative emergency preparedness resources that you might be interested in.  AHCA has an Emergency Preparedness Final Rule Webinar Series that can be found here.  In addition, there will be educational sessions around emergency preparedness at the AHCA/NCAL National Convention in Las Vegas, including one on Monday, October 16, 2017, at 3pm entitled “A Case Study in the Use of Human Patient Simulator Technology to Enhance Emergency Preparedness Exercises within Long Term Care Facilities.” More details on this session can be found here.  Another session that you might find of interest will occur on Tuesday, October 17, at 10am in the Mandalay Bay Ballroom L entitled, “Overview and Discussion of the New Emergency Preparedness Requirements.” More information can be found here on this particular session.  Please contact ErinPrendergast (SNF Providers) or Dana Halvorson (ICF/IID Providers) with any questions.

Nominations for 2018/2019 AHCA Committees

You have the opportunity to nominate yourself or another member to serve on one or more of the following committees:  Business Management, Clinical Practice, Constitution and Bylaws, Credentialing, Customer Experience, Emergency Preparedness, Health Information Technology, Independent Owner Council, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) Residential Services, Legal, Life Safety, Not for Profit Council, Political Action and Involvement (PAIC), Quality Improvement, Regional Multifacility Council, Reimbursement, Survey/Regulatory, and Workforce.  Nominations are due by October 20th.  More details can be found here.

U.S. Senate Approves RAISE Family Caregivers Act

Earlier this year, Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) re-introduced the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act (S. 1028) in the U.S. Senate.  Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) are original co-sponsors.  This legislation, which AHCA/NCAL supports, would implement the federal Commission on Long-Term Care’s bipartisan recommendation that Congress require the development of a strategy to support family caregivers.  The bill would create an advisory body to bring together representatives from the private and public sectors to advise and make recommendations.  The strategy would identify recommended actions that communities, providers, government, and others are taking and may take to recognize and support family caregivers and be updated. 

On Tuesday, September 26, the full U.S. Senate considered and passed this legislation with an amendment in the nature of a substitute by unanimous consent.  The amendment in the nature of substitute is consistent with The RAISE Family Caregivers Act - H.R. 3759 recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives.  The legislation now awaits full House consideration. 

November is National Family Caregivers Month

November is National Family Caregivers Month, and Caregiver Action Network sets the theme for it each year.  The 2017 theme is “Caregiving Around the Clock”.  More background on National Family Caregivers Month can be found here.  AARP notes that about 40 million family caregivers provide about $470 billion annually in unpaid care to their loved ones.  According to the Caregiving in the U.S. 2015 study from the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, about 3.7 million family caregivers provide care to a child under age 18 because of a medical, behavioral, or other condition or disability, and 6.5 million family caregivers assist both adults and children.

NFP Grassroots Advocacy – Facility Visits over Recess

Gary Kelso, AHCA’s NFP Council Chair, encourages AHCA’s NFP providers to participate in our grassroots advocacy efforts in 2017.  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. 

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 115^th Congress, first session, can be found here.  The tentative U.S. Senate schedule for 2017 can be found here.

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) 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

• Three Long Term and Post-Acute Care Providers Earn Top Distinction in Quality Care – ahcancal.org
• Submit Your Intent to Apply for the 2018 National Quality Award – longtermcareleader.com
• Quality Initiative Recognition Program Data Submission Deadline – longtermcareleader.com
• Did you complete the AHCA survey yet? – longtermcareleader.com
• Customizable Emergency Preparedness Program Tool Helps Providers Prove Compliance with New CMS Requirements – longtermcareleader.com
• Music Licensing and Mood Media – longtermcareleader.com
• Secure Your Umbrella License with the Motion Picture Licensing Corporation – longtermcareleader.com
• Bathing, Dressing, and Grooming: Alzheimer's Caregiving Tips – nia.nih.gov

Legislative and Agency Corner

• Senate Pulls Repeal and Replace Vote – longtermcareleader.com
• CMS Updates on SNF VBP  – longtermcareleader.com
• Two New OIG Reports Related to Nursing Homes – longtermcareleader.com
• New OIG Review Planned of Medicaid Nursing Home Life Safety – longtermcareleader.com
• OIG Finds Kansas Did Not Always Verify Correction of Deficiencies of Nursing Homes – longtermcareleader.com

Webinars of Interest

Stay informed and tune in to AHCA/NCAL-hosted pre-recorded and live webinars on several topics impacting the long-term care profession.  Webinars coming up that might be of interest are below.  

• Are You Ready: Nutrition and Phase II LTC Requirements of Participation with the New Survey Process
• Quality Initiative Series
• LTC Trend Tracker for Independent Owners: The Value of Data in Quality Improvement

AHCA/NCAL Learning Management Website

AHCA/NCAL has 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.

• A Life-Changing 2.97%
• The Museum of Failure
• What’s Your Training Schedule?
• What Rambo Can Teach Us About Achievement
• The Chief Startup Officer

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 2017 Events

• 68th Annual AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo in Las Vegas – October 14-18, 2017
• Not for Profit Day at the AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo – October 17, 2017

2017 Health Care Observances

November 2017 marks, among other observances, National Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month, National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, and American Diabetes Month.  The full 2017 health care related observances calendar can be found here.