Happy Holidays from the AHCA/NCAL Team!

Coalition Letters to Congress on the Medical Expense Deduction

AHCA/NCAL recently signed onto AARP driven House and Senate letters to members of Congress around the medical expense deduction. Specially, the letters urge support for the Medical Expense Savings Act (S. 110/H.R. 2073), which is bipartisan legislation that would make permanent the 7.5 percent threshold for the medical expense deduction. The letters also ask to support an extension of the 7.5 percent threshold in an end-of-year legislative package. Without action, 4.4 million Americans with high medical costs will face an unexpected tax increase when they file their returns in the coming months. For more than 75 years, Americans with high health care costs have been able to deduct medical expenses from their taxes. For the millions of Americans who annually take this deduction, it provides important tax relief which helps offset the costs of acute and chronic medical conditions. This includes costs associated with long-term care, assisted living, and nursing homes.

CMS Speaker confirmed for 2020 AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit

The Opening Keynote Speaker for the 2020 AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit has been confirmed. David Wright currently serves as the Director of the Quality, Safety & Oversight Group within the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).  Under Wright’s leadership, the Quality, Safety & Oversight Group provides oversight of national accrediting organizations, certifies providers and suppliers for Medicare reimbursement, and shares important quality of care information to the public through various CMS websites, including Quality Certification Oversight Reports, the Integrated Surveyor Training Website, and Nursing Home Compare.  Wright sees this Group’s work as a primary driver for improving health care quality in the United States, which can only be accomplished through meaningful collaboration with all who are impacted by its programs.

Don’t miss Wright’s session and more than a dozen additional education sessions at the 2020 AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit, March 9-11, 2020 in Texas.  Attendees can earn up to 11.5 CEs and will benefit from valuable networking opportunities with other professionals dedicated to quality in assisted living, long term, and post-acute care.  Reserve your spot before the holidays and register today. The housing deadline for this event is February 7, 2020.

New Training Offers Practical Strategies to Boost Employee Recruitment and Retention

AHCA/NCAL offers a new instructional webinar titled “Pioneering Solutions to the Workforce Crisis.”  This 45-minute webinar developed in collaboration with PHI delivers practical action steps and strategies assisted living and nursing facilities of all shapes and sizes can take to improve their employee and retention efforts. The webinar also covers ways to improve the hiring process and explains supportive supervision and coaching methods that positively impact employee retention. 

The webinar’s learning objectives include:

• Explain the key factors contributing to the workforce shortage
• Identify at least 3 strategies to improve employee recruitment
• Identify at least 3 strategies to improve employee retention
• Explain the impact of supportive supervision on retention
  

The instructor is Sue Misiorski who served as Vice President of Workforce Innovations for PHI and currently serves as the New England Regional Director of Operations for SageLife.  Starting as a CNA, she later held positions as a DON and VP of Nursing in multi-site skilled nursing homes in New England and has supported the construction of several assisted living and nursing facilities.
 
This webinar is part one to a more extensive on-line training for middle managers that will be released in the coming months.  While no CEUs are offered for this webinar, participants can receive a certificate of completion.  The cost of the course is $25 for AHCA/NCAL members and $60 for non-members. 

Follow this link to read more about this educational webinar and to register for the course:  https://educate.ahcancal.org/products/pioneering-solutions-to-the-workforce-crisis#tab-product_tab_overview.

To access ahcancalED and the Pioneering Solutions webinar, members will need to login with their AHCA/NCAL usernames and passwords.  For assistance obtaining AHCA/NCAL usernames and passwords, please e-mail update@ahca.org with your name and facility contact information.

Coming Soon…AHCA’s 2020 PDPM Academy

Now that the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) system is in effect for skilled nursing facilities, AHCA’s existing PDPM Academy resources will be archived at the end of December and no longer updated.

AHCA then will launch its new 2020 PDPM Academy that will provide new tools and resources to help AHCA members navigate challenges, incorporate changes and successfully operate under PDPM.  Resources available through 2020 PDPM Academy will include:

• Virtual in-depth training modules on PDPM best practices (including role-specific modules); 
• Monthly webinars;
• Additional tools and resources; and,
• AHCA’s analyses of CMS’s technical changes and updates to PDPM. 
  

To receive an email notification when enrollment for 2020 PDPM Academy opens, follow this link and enter your name, company name and email address.  Signing up for the early notification is fast and easy.

AHCA members who have questions now about PDPM can send an email to pdpm@ahca.org or call 202-842-4444 and ask to speak to a PDPM Resource Navigator.

‘Sharing Our Wisdom’ Announced as 2020 Theme for National Skilled Nursing Care Week

AHCA recently announced “Sharing Our Wisdom” as the 2020 theme for National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW), which will be held May 10-16.  The theme "Sharing Our Wisdom," will celebrate skilled nursing centers, and their residents and staff, by showcasing the insight, purpose, and wisdom to be learned from our seniors, those living with dementia, and people with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Residents offer a unique perspective based on their life experiences, reminding us to be present, celebrate the small moments, and value connections.  NSNCW 2020 will focus on the collective wisdom that residents can offer and share.

Established by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) in 1967, NSNCW, formerly known as National Nursing Home Week, recognizes the essential role of skilled nursing care centers in caring for America’s frail, elderly, and disabled.  Skilled nursing care centers and members of the public can download NSNCW promotional materials at www.ahcancal.org/NSNCW​ and are encouraged to share activities, ideas, and experiences for the observance on social media using the hashtag, #NSNCW.  AHCA will issue a planning guide and product catalog in late February. For more information on National Skilled Nursing Care Week, visit www.ahcancal.org/NSNCW.

We Need You for Our Social Media Initiative

AHCA/NCAL began a new social media advocacy initiative earlier this year and is encouraging all members to get involved.  The effort focuses on improving the overall image of the post-acute and long term care profession by sharing positive stories and pushing back on pieces that attempt to tie all providers to isolated negative events.

AHCA/NCAL will be sending interested members tips for getting more involved on social media, best practices for posting content, sample posts, and a roundup of positive stories about the profession on a regular basis. Individuals who want to get involved should email socialmedia@ahca.org to get on the mailing list.

The campaign also will include a rapid response to stories that are unfairly negative about the profession or do not accurately portray the reality of post-acute and long term care.  AHCA/NCAL hopes to build on these successes as the year continues. With thousands of buildings nationwide who touch the lives of millions of people, there is the chance to seriously affect the way the profession is viewed and treated by lawmakers and the media.

Articles and Resources of Interest

• How’s your Quality Award application coming?
• Looking for a New Year Resolution That Pays: Have Cleary Energy Audit Your Utility Bills in 2020
• AHCA Has the Training New Staff Need to Understand ICD-10 Coding
• The Sources for Generating Electricity Are Changing
• 2020 Quality Summit Features Vital PDPM Sessions
• Plan to Attend the 2020 Independent Owner Leadership Conference
• NCAL/AALNA Caring Together Webinar - Dementia Care: Managing Wandering and the Risk of Elopement

Legislative and Agency Corner

• AHCA Issues Statement on Staffing Bill
• CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities/Long Term Care Open Door Forum
• CDC Releases FAQs about Enhanced Barrier Precautions and Multidrug-Resistant Organisms
• CMS Posts 2020 Annual Update to the Medicare Part B Therapy Code List
• Senate Aging Committee Releases Report on Falls Prevention and Holds Hearing on Strategies to Protect Seniors from Injury

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 2020 Events

• Quality Summit – March 9-11, 2019  
• Independent Owner’s Conference – March 11-13, 2019

2020 Health Care Observances

January 2020 marks, among other observances, National Glaucoma Awareness Month, National Volunteer Blood Donor Month, and National Activities Professional Week (January 19-25).  The 2020 Healthcare Observances Calendar can be found here.