Secretary Azar to Speak at Congressional Briefing Next Month and Mark Your Calendars for the Not for Profit Advocacy Session

Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar will address attendees at the 2018 AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing.  The Secretary will speak to post-acute and long-term care providers the morning of Tuesday, June 5, before the group goes to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers.

Secretary Azar was confirmed by the Senate on January 24 and was sworn in by Vice President Pence on January 29.  He was formerly Deputy Secretary of HHS under George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007 and General Counsel of the agency prior to that.  Before being confirmed as Secretary, Mr. Azar was President of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical drug company.

Held on June 4 and 5 in Washington, D.C., Congressional Briefing offers attendees the chance to network with their peers, receive legislative briefings from professionals in the sector, as well as hear from other top voices in Washington.  Online registration for Congressional Briefing has been extended through today, Friday, May 18^th.  You can register here.   

In addition, there will be a Not for Profit (NFP) Advocacy Session that will be held on Monday, June 4, from 10:30am-11:30am ET at Congressional Briefing.  If you are interested in attending this session, please contact AHCA’s Senior Director of NFP & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson. 

Call for Entries: AHCA Awards Program

We are now accepting entries for the AHCA Awards Program.  AHCA honors individuals who are committed to improving the quality of life for residents.  The categories are as follows:

• ID/DD Hero of the Year
• Not for Profit Trustee of the Year
• Not for Profit Program of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Young Adult (Ages 13-19)
• Adult
• Group

Nominations packets are available on AHCA's website.  In a change from previous years, Volunteer of the Year nominations may be submitted directly by centers in good standing with the state affiliate.

Please spread the word and take the time to submit a nomination.  Honorees will be recognized at AHCA/NCAL's 69th Annual Convention and & Expo in San Diego.

Data Submission for AHRQ Nursing Home Survey

Nursing Homes that have administered AHRQ’s Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture can submit their data to the Database June 1-21, 2018.  The results of this database, a Nursing Home User Database Report, will provide average scores and percentiles on the survey items and composites to help nursing homes assess their own results to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.  Nursing Homes must have licensed nursing home beds and be located in the U.S. or U.S. territories in order to submit.

Nursing Homes who have not previously administered the survey may still do so.  The survey, toolkit materials, and information about data submission are available at http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/patientsafetyculture/nursing-home/index.html. 

If you have any questions, call 888-324-9790 or email: DatabasesOnSafetyCulture@westat.com.

   

2018-2019 AHCA Elections and Solicitation for Candidates

The 2018-2019 election cycle has officially opened for AHCA members in good standing interested in running for the AHCA Board of Governors.  The AHCA elections are for three officer positions (Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer), one Not for Profit Representative, one Multifacility Representative and three At-large Representatives.  AHCA members interested in running for an AHCA Board position may obtain the necessary candidacy materials online.  Applicants must complete and electronically submit the AHCA candidacy materials by close of business on May 21, 2018.  Candidates will submit completed materials by sending an e-mail to Christy Herle.

The AHCA elections will take place during the second Council of States meeting at the AHCA/NCAL 69th Annual Convention & Expo, October 7 - 10 in San Diego, CA.  Once the application phase has ended, the AHCA/NCAL Credentialing Committee will hold an in-person meeting to conduct a certification process for each candidate.  Once certification occurs, AHCA will announce the slate of candidates to the membership.  If you have further questions, contact Christy Herle.

2018-2019 NCAL Elections and Solicitation for Candidates

The 2018-2019 election cycle has officially opened for NCAL members in good standing interested in running for the NCAL Board of Directors.

• The NCAL elections are for three officer positions (Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary/Treasurer) and seven At-Large Representative positions. NCAL members interested in running for an NCAL Board position may obtain the necessary candidacy materials online. 
• Applicants must complete and electronically submit the NCAL candidacy materials by close of business on May 21, 2018. 
• Candidates will submit completed materials by sending an email to Katherine Preede.
• Once the application phase has ended, the AHCA/NCAL Credentialing Committee will hold an in-person meeting to conduct a certification process for each candidate. Once certification occurs, NCAL will announce the slate of candidates to the membership.
• The NCAL elections will take place during the second Council of States meeting at the NCAL/NCAL 69th Annual Convention & Expo, October 7-10 in San Diego, CA. 

Please send any additional questions to Katherine Preede.

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

• National Skilled Nursing Care Week Inspires Storytelling – ahcancal.org
• PBJ Data and Your Center's Five-Star Rating: Check Out Your Top-Line Publication – longtermcareleader.com
• Free Staff Training: Changing Talk Online (CHATO) to Reduce Behavioral Symptoms in Dementia Care – longtermcareleader.com
• Deliver the Magic Sound of Music with Mood Media – longtermcareleader.com
• The Number of Open LTC Jobs Continues to Increase – longtermcareleader.com
• Meetup at the AHCA/NCAL Expo in San Diego – longtermcareleader.com
• Register for LTPAC Health IT Summit – longtermcareleader.com
• Testing an Integrated Delivery and Financing System for Older Adults with Health and Social Needs – cc.readytalk.com
• Addressing Behavioral Health Needs of Older Veterans: In our Communities and in Partnership – jbsinternational.webex.com

Legislative and Agency Corner

• AHCA Statement on MedPAC Report to Congress – ahcancal.org
• AHCA Statement on 2019 SNF PPS Proposed Rule – ahcancal.org
• U.S. House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Approves Legislation Including VA Provider Agreements – longtermcareleader.com
• AHCA/NCAL Submit Comments on IMPACT Act “Medication Profile” DRAFT Quality Measures – longtermcareleader.com
• AHCA Statement on 2019 SNF PPS Proposed Rule – longtermcareleader.com
• 2017 Profile of Older Americans – acl.gov
• Older Americans Month 2018 – oam.acl.gov  
• Lack of sleep may be linked to risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease – nih.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.  

• Protecting your Tax Exempt Status....It's not just a legal issue
• The AHCA Quality Initiative 2018-2021: What’s New & What it Means for You for NFP
• LTC Trend Tracker℠ 101 for Independent Owners (IO)
• How Independent Owners Can Utilize LTC Trend Tracker℠ Data

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.

• Could Ford Have Dodged the F-150 Fiasco
• Never Trust A Squeaky Clean Mechanic
• When Pigs Fly
• Superpowers and Kryptonite
• Patching the Potholes
• Endangered Species

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

• 2018 National Skilled Nursing Care Week – May 13-19, 2018  
• AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing (Washington, D.C.) – June 4-5, 2018
• AHCA/NCAL 69th Annual Convention and Exposition (San Diego, CA) – October 7-10, 2018  

2018 Health Care Observances

June 2018 marks, among other observances, National Safety Month, Cataract Awareness Month, and Men’s Health Month.  The 2018 Healthcare Observances Calendar can be found here.