The 2018 AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo

A stable workforce directly impacts the quality of care you provide at your centers.  That’s why this year’s convention includes an entire track of programming devoted to workforce issues. You’ll find sessions on recruitment, retention, Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ), and more.  You’ll also share ideas and concerns with other long term and post-acute care professionals who understand exactly what you’re facing on a day-to-day basis.  You are sure to walk away with specific strategies and plans to help you create the strong workforce culture you need to succeed.

So don’t delay.  Get all the details and select the registration package that meets your needs.  Early bird savings ends July 20.

AHCA Statement on Veterans Affairs Provider Agreements Included in VA Mission Act

On May 23, 2018, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) President and CEO Mark Parkinson issued the following statement regarding the Senate passage of the VA MISSION Act, which includes a provision to authorize VA Provider Agreements for long term and post-acute care providers:

“VA provider agreements are an essential step to ensuring veterans have access to long-term and post-acute care. This legislation will help remove some of existing the red tape that may prevent providers from being able to provide care, broadening options for veterans who need both nursing center care and home and community-based services.

“AHCA would like to thank our Congressional leaders on this issue, including Senators John Hoeven and Mike Rounds and Representative Bruce Poliquin, among others, who have been strongly advocating to get this issue across the finish line for our nation’s veterans.”

More information on the VA Mission Act and VA provider agreements can be found here.  Please contact AHCA’s Senior Director of NFP & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson, with any questions that you might have. 

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

• AHCA/NCAL Announces 2018 Bronze National Quality Award Recipients – ahcancal.org
• Quality Initiative Resources – ahcancal.org
• The Search for an Alzheimer’s Cure – longtermcareleader.com
• Provider Reporting of Adverse Legal Actions – longtermcareleader.com
• From Chaos to Focus: The Quality Initiative is Your Answer – longtermcareleader.com
• It’s Summertime and the Living is Easy with Mood Media – longtermcareleader.com
• Get Nationwide Exposure for Your Open Job Vacancies on the National Health Care Career Network for $263 Per Job Posting through July 31 – longtermcareleader.com
• Advance Your Long Term Care Career with ACHCA Administrator Credentialing – longtermcareleader.com
• Nursing Home Leader Academy Honored with National Award – cahf.org
• NEW! Blended Online CNA Training Program – cnaonline.com
• New Treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease Are on the Horizon – morningconsult.com  

Legislative and Agency Corner

• Long Term Care Advocates Recognized at AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing – ahcancal.org
• Long Term Care Advocates Gather on Capitol Hill – ahcancal.org
• Senator Ben Cardin Receives “Leading Light of Long Term Care Award” from AHCA/NCAL – ahcancal.org
• AHCA Responds to Regulatory Concerns from State AGs – longtermcareleader.com
• Senate Confirms Brian Montgomery to Lead Federal Housing Administration – hud.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.  

• International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI)
• 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.

• Your Second (and Most Important) Job
• The Three Levers of Productivity (#3 May Surprise You)
• How Cheating Led to a Creative Breakthrough
• Blimp Worthy
• Could Ford Have Dodged the F-150 Fiasco
• Never Trust A Squeaky Clean Mechanic

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 2018/2019 Events

AHCA/NCAL 69th Annual Convention and Exposition (San Diego, CA) – October 7-10, 2018
A Day for Not for Profit Providers at Convention (San Diego, CA) – October 9, 2018
AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit (Tampa, FL) – March 18 – 20, 2019
AHCA/NCAL Independent Owner Leadership Conference 2019 (Tampa, FL) – March 20 – 22, 2019    

2018 Health Care Observances

July 2018 marks, among other observances, UV Safety Month, Eye Injury Prevention Month and Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month.  The 2018 Healthcare Observances Calendar can be found here.