Wishing You and Yours Happy Holidays from AHCA/NCAL

U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Approves Legislation Including VA Provider Agreements

On December 19, 2017, the U.S. House of Representatives’ Committee on Veterans’ Affairs considered and approved legislation by a vote of 14-9 entitled the VA Care in the Community Act (H.R. 4242).  This legislation establishes a veterans community care program, and ensures that extended care providers, including nursing centers, can legally enter into VA Provider Agreements.  As noted in previous AHCA communications, the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs marked up their version of the legislation last month entitled Caring for our Veterans Act of 2017.     

As you may know, AHCA endorses legislation introduced earlier this year entitled, the Veterans Access to Long Term Care and Health Services Act (S. 1611/H.R. 4113).  This legislation, introduced by Senators John Hoeven (R-ND) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) and by Congressman Bruce Poliquin (R-ME-02), would ensure that extended care providers, including nursing centers, can legally enter into VA Provider Agreements, and would be subject to the same rules and regulations as any other Medicare or Medicaid provider.  Under S. 1611/H.R. 4113, the number of facilities serving veterans will increase in most markets once qualified providers are able to enter into VA Provider Agreements, broadening options among veterans for nursing center care and home and community-based services.  Both the U.S. Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs approved legislation noted above includes some, but not all, of the provisions from the Veterans Access to Long Term Care and Health Services Act. 

AHCA will keep its members apprised of next steps as work continues on the Hill efforts around VA Provider Agreements.  If you have any questions, please contact AHCA’s Senior Director of Not for Profit & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson.

Long Term Care and the Law Program February 28-March 2, 2018

Consider attending the Long Term Care and the Law program February 28-March 2, 2018 in New Orleans, LA.  This program is an exciting and informative meeting where some of the leading in-house and outside lawyers for the long term care industry will be presenting on legal, compliance, and operational issues faced by providers.  The morning of February 28, the National Center for Assisted Living will host a round table open to all assisted living in-house counsel; this year the event will focus on emergency preparedness.  The American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) offers CLE, CPE, NHA, and CCB credits for the conference.  AHCA and NCAL members receive the AHLA member discounted rate of $865.  Don’t miss this excellent educational opportunity. https://shar.es/1M0J3R

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 2018.  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, second session, can be found here.  The U.S. Senate schedule for 2018 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

• ‘Celebrating Life’s Stories’ Selected as 2018 Theme for National Skilled Nursing Care Week – ahcancal.org
• Long Term and Post-Acute Care Providers Earn Quality Improvement Recognition – ahcancal.org
• The Number of Open LTC Jobs Takes a Small Dip in December – longtermcareleader.com
• Have An Emergency Preparedness Program That Crosswalks to the CMS Guidelines – longtermcareleader.com
• AHCA Quality Initiative Progress is Nationwide – longtermcareleader.com
• ROP Updates: How to Prepare in 2018 – longtermcareleader.com
• Give the Gift of Quality: AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit 2018 – longtermcareleader.com
• 2018 Independent Owner Leadership Conference Will Inspire You – longtermcareleader.com
• Find the Right Talent and Make 2018 a Great Year – longtermcareleader.com
• AHCA’s Infection Prevention Training Helps Set the Stage for a Holly, Jolly Survey – longtermcareleader.com
• Tips for Coping with Sundowning – nia.nih.gov
• Higher brain glucose levels may mean more severe Alzheimer’s – nih.gov
• Resources for Small and Midsize Businesses (SMB) – www.us-cert.gov

Legislative and Agency Corner

• Long Term Care Profession Opposes Elimination of Private Activity Bonds in Tax Proposal – ahcancal.org
• CMS Partially Delays Requirements of Participation Rule – longtermcareleader.com
• Preliminary Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) SNF Payment Policy Recommendations and U-PAC Development – longtermcareleader.com
• New NIH consortium award to enhance clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias – nih.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.  Webinar series you might find of interest are below.

• New Webinar Series - The Journey to Performance Excellence: How a Small SNF Achieved the Nation’s Highest Quality Award
• New RoP Regulations Three Part Webinar Series Available Now for CEOs/Owners
• Water Safety and Reducing the risk for Legionella in Nursing Homes

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.

• 31 Tips to Reach Your Next Level of Greatness
• The Ferris Bueller Trap
• Two Ways to Kill Your Company
• My Great Hotel Caper
• The Quality Shared by Detroit, Finland, and the Best Entrepreneurs
• A 4-Step Formula to Create Freakishly Loyal Customers

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

2018 Health Care Observances

January 2018 marks, among other observances, Cervical Health Awareness Month, Glaucoma Awareness Month, National Birth Defects Prevention Month, and Thyroid Awareness Month. 

Here is the link to the 2018 Healthcare Observances Calendar.