Wishing You and Yours a Happy Thanksgiving from AHCA/NCAL

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

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 were honored at the AHCA/NCAL 68th Annual Convention in Las Vegas on October 18, 2017.

AHCA's Parkinson Named Top Lobbyist for 2017

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Parkinson was named a Top Lobbyist in 2017. The Hill publishes the top lobbyist list annually and noted the association's efforts to "stand guard against cuts to Medicaid and Medicare." See the full list here.

Veterans Health Care Legislation Introduced in House

Introduction of legislation aimed at improving access to long term care services for veterans was recently announced, continuing the progress of AHCA and others on veterans health care issues.

The bill, “The Veterans Access to Long Term Care and Health Services Act,” (H.R. 4113) was introduced by Representative Bruce Poliquin (R-ME-02) on October 24, 2017, and serves as a companion bill to the Senate bill (S. 1611) introduced by Senators John Hoeven (R-ND) and Mike Rounds (R-SD).

The bill ensures that extended care providers, including nursing centers, can legally enter into Veterans Affairs (VA) Provider Agreements, and would be subject to the same rules and regulations as any other Medicare or Medicaid provider. Currently, some providers are deterred from entering into these agreements because of complex rules and regulations relating to veterans care that exceed the requirements of Medicare and Medicaid.

The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs held a hearing on October 24th with Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin during which the Secretary expressed the administration’s support for provider agreements in skilled nursing centers.  Members who would like more information on the VA provider agreement issue should contact Dana Halvorson at dhalvorson@ahca.org or (202) 898-2822.

Emergency Preparedness Final Rule Takes Effect this Month

The Emergency Preparedness Final Rule, released September 16, 2016, impacts skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IIDs), but does not apply to assisted living providers.  Providers will need to comply with the final rule by November 15, 2017. 

In June 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the Emergency Preparedness Interpretive Guidance (IG).  AHCA members are highly encouraged to look through the guidance.  Click here for a summary AHCA put together of the IG for your use.  CMS also released the surveyor training to providers, more information can be found in this September memo.  In addition, AHCA has an Emergency Preparedness Final Rule Webinar Series.  Be sure to register for the final webinar in the series, which will be held November 21^st from 2- 3pm ET.  Finally, the AHCA Bookstore has added new resources for the rule, to access the bookstore please click here.  Please contact Erin Prendergast (SNF Providers) or Dana Halvorson (ICF/IID Providers) with any questions.

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

• AHCA/NCAL Elects New Board of Governors, Directors at Annual Convention in Las Vegas – ahcancal.org
• AHCA/NCAL Convention Videos Showcase Members, Efforts to Deliver Quality in 2017 – longtermcareleader.com
• AHCA Quality Initiative: The Latest Data – longtermcareleader.com
• Adapting Activities for People with Alzheimer's Disease – nia.nih.gov
• National Diabetes Prevention Program Coverage Toolkit – nationaldppcoveragetoolkit.org
• New Emergency Preparedness Rules Take Effect in Two Weeks! Are you Ready? – longtermcareleader.com
• Be Ready for the Phase II Infection Prevention Requirements Taking Effect November 28 – longtermcareleader.com
• Deliver a Better Resident Experience with Music from Mood Media – longtermcareleader.com
• LTC Facilities with ANCC Board Certified RNs Experience Lower Loss Rates Per Bed – longtermcareleader.com

Legislative and Agency Corner

• Bipartisan Framework to Repeal Therapy Caps Announced – longtermcareleader.com
• Long Term Care Profession Commends Bipartisan, Bicameral Effort to Repeal Therapy Caps – ahcancal.org
• AHCA Applauds House Introduction of Veterans Access to Long Term Care and Health Services Act – ahcancal.org
• Recent Settlements of False Claims Act Cases – longtermcareleader.com
• ACL Announces Grants to Enhance HCBS Systems for People with Developmental Disabilities – acl.gov

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.

• Webinar- AHCA Quality Initiative Series: Part 8: Hospital Admissions in Long Stay Settings
• Emergency Preparedness Requirements - Part IV Webinar in AHCA Series
• CMS SNF VBP Call Nov. 16

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.

• The 4 Must-Have Ingredients of a Winning Speech
• Boost Your R-Factor
• What Rambo Can Teach Us About Achievement
• The Chief Startup Officer
• What’s Your Training Schedule?

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 2018 Events

• AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit in New Orleans – March 12 – 14, 2018
• AHCA/NCAL Independent Owner Leadership Conference in New Orleans – March 14 – 16, 2018

2017 Health Care Observances

December 2017 marks, among other observances, World Aids Day, National Influenza Vaccination Week, and National Hand Washing Awareness Week.  The full 2017 health care related observances calendar can be found here.