2018 AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit in New Orleans

The AHCA/NCAL 3rd Annual Quality Summit will be held in New Orleans on March 12-14. There’s nothing better than spring time in New Orleans. You can enjoy great food and music while taking in the historic sites of the city.

The Quality Summit offers education that focuses on quality improvement, or other critical areas that impact organizational performance and resident care. The Quality Summit is ideal for skilled nursing, post-acute, and assisted living professionals!

Check out the education sessions, events and sponsors online. You can also download a copy of this year’s Quality Summit invitation. Don’t miss these important dates and register today.

AHCA’s ID/DD Hill Fly-in Event Next Week!

AHCA’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) Residential Services Providers will be in Washington DC for AHCA’s annual Hill Fly-In event on Wednesday, March 7, 2018.  Participants will hear from Congressional speakers and others.  The event runs from 8am – 10:30am ET.  After the morning event is over, the ID/DD providers will head to Capitol Hill to discuss critical issues, including Medicaid. 

If you have any questions relating to this event or would like to register (it is free to attend, and breakfast and lunch are provided), please don’t hesitate to contact AHCA’s Senior Director of Not for Profit & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson. 

March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

According to the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, “The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) have come together again to plan a campaign for Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month 2018!  The goal for this month is to create awareness about developmental disabilities, teach the importance of inclusion within every aspect of life, and to share the stories of individuals with a disability to show that a successful life is possible!”  More on Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month can be found here. 

Independent Owner Leadership Conference Next Month!

We wanted to personally invite you to join us in New Orleans in March for the 2018 Independent Owner Leadership Conference.  Many of your colleagues have already signed up to attend, and we have numerous special events and activities planned.  It is a unique and invaluable opportunity to earn CEUs, get fresh ideas, and discuss the challenges that you and other Independent Owners (IOs) who own or operate 10 of fewer assisted living or skilled nursing centers deal with every day.  You'll also have lots of opportunities to socialize and get to know other IOs from across the country.  Get all the details and register today.  The registration deadline is March 2, 2018.

OIG Releases Report on Incident Reporting for Group Home Settings

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), Administration for Community Living, and Office for Civil Rights released a January 2018 joint report entitled, Ensuring Beneficiary Health and Safety in Group Homes Through State Implementation of Comprehensive Compliance Oversight.  The objective of OIG for the report was to determine if group homes complied with Federal and State requirements for reporting, recording, and detecting critical incidents in group homes.  Work was done in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine.  According to the report, “OIG found serious lapses in basic health and safety practices in group homes.”  OIG will continue their audit work in this area in additional States.  You can read the findings and conclusions of the full report here.     

AHCA Statement on Senate Budget Proposal

The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living President and CEO Mark Parkinson issued the following statement on February 8, 2018, regarding the Senate budget proposal:

“We are disappointed that the Senate budget proposal includes a $2 billion cut to skilled nursing facilities. An across the board cut like the one included in this bill would have a dramatic effect on our nation’s most vulnerable citizens. The low Medicaid reimbursements in many states do not cover the cost of care and providers struggle to keep their doors open. This cut will further jeopardize their important work.”

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

• Alzheimer's Association 2018 Dementia Care Practice Recommendations – longtermcareleader.com
• 2018 National Skilled Nursing Care Week Planning Guide & Product Catalog Now Available! – longtermcareleader.com
• National Skilled Nursing Care Week Products Now Available – longtermcareleader.com
• Exclusive AHCA/NCAL Member Savings on FedEx® Shipping – longtermcareleader.com
• The Number of Open LTC Jobs Holds Steady in February – longtermcareleader.com
• Living Well with Age-Related Vision Loss – agerrtc.washington.edu

Legislative and Agency Corner

• AHCA/NCAL Congratulates Secretary Azar – ahcancal.org
• Congress Permanently Repeals Medicare Part B Therapy Caps – longtermcareleader.com
• HCBS enrollment up but expenditures per participant down – mcknightsseniorliving.com
• House Lawmakers Approve Changes To Americans With Disabilities Act – disabilityscoop.com
• Trump Budget Draws Strong Opposition From Advocates – disabilityscoop.com
• Medicaid ‘Electronic Verification’ Devices Spark Privacy Concerns – disabilityscoop.com
• Two Funding Opportunities Open for Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Program – acl.gov
• Memorandum on financial institution and law enforcement efforts to combat elder financial exploitation – consumerfinance.gov
• GAO Report on Oversight of Medicaid-Covered Services in Assisted Living Communities – longtermcareleader.com
• Training Curriculum: Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias – hrsa.gov
• Data Book: Beneficiaries Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid – macpac.gov  
• Department of Veterans Affairs - Mental Health Services – An Evaluation – nap.edu
• Adapting Activities for People with Alzheimer's Disease – nia.nih.gov
• Bathing, Dressing, and Grooming: Alzheimer's Caregiving Tips – nia.nih.gov
• Memory gene goes viral – nih.gov
• Help for Veterans with Seasonal Affective Disorder – va.gov  

Webinars of Interest

Stay informed and tune in to ahcancalED for several pre-recorded and live webinars on topics impacting the long-term care profession. Webinars that might be of interest are noted below.  

• CNA Solutions Using Technology to Solve Workforce Challenges
• LTC Survey Process Updates “Hot Topics” with Food, Nutrition and Dining
• 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
• Stand Up and Stand Out
• Become a ‘First Responder’ to Blaze Past Your Competitors
• Three Innovations and a Challenge
• The Batman Effect
• The Power of Funerals
• Columbo’s Curiosity

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’S ID/DD Hill Fly-In Event (please contact Dana Halvorson at dhalvorson@ahca.org for more details) – March 7, 2018  
• 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

March 2018 marks, among other observances, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Brain Injury Awareness Month, National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Save Your Vision Month, and National Nutrition Month.  The 2018 Healthcare Observances Calendar can be found here.