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.  

• Toward Better Behavior: Yours, Mine, and Everyone Else's
• Trauma-Informed Care Providing Mental Health Services in Long Term Care
• 2019 Quality Award Examiners Overview Webinar
• Compliance Considerations for Assisted Living Communities
• Introducing the AL Cost Calculator
• Quality Award Portal - How To
• Are You Ready for the New Not-for-Profit Financial Statements Reporting and Revenue Recognition Standards?
• Patient-Driven Payment Model – An Overview, AHCA Priority Comments, and Outlook for the Final Rule
• International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI)
• Protecting your Tax Exempt Status....It's not just a legal issue
• The Value of Strong Relationships with the Medical Director and Medical Providers in Achieving Desired Clinical and Performance Outcomes

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.

• What’s Your Firebird?
• Metrics That That Matter
• We’ve Been Banksy’d
• What Business Can Learn From Our (Nutty) Political Landscape
• The Honey Badger Mindset of Achievement
• Two Powerful (And Surprisingly Fun) Brainstorming Techniques
• Back to School
• Well-Rounded is Over-Rated
• The Beauty of Forest Fires

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 2019 Events

• AHCA’s ID/DD Hill Fly-In Event – March 5, 2019 (contact dhalvorson@ahca.org for further info)
• AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit (Tampa, FL) – March 18 – 20, 2019
• AHCA/NCAL Independent Owner Leadership Conference 2019 (Tampa, FL) – March 20 – 22, 2019    
• AHCA/NCAL 70th Annual Convention & Expo – October 13-16, 2019

2018 Health Care Observances

December 2018 marks, among other observances, Worlds AIDS Day (December 1), National Influenza Vaccination Week (December 2 – 8), and National Hand Washing Awareness Week (December 2 – 8).  The 2018 Healthcare Observances Calendar can be found here. 

Long Term Care Sector Addresses Caregiver Shortage with Innovative Workforce Resource Center

Finding a qualified workforce is one of the largest challenges facing long term care providers. The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) recently unveiled new resources to help members attract and retain qualified caregivers in the more than 13,500 member centers nationwide. 

The online Workforce Resource Center includes resources and tools for AHCA/NCAL members to learn more about effective strategies for recruiting, retention and staff development.  The association also announced a partnership with PHI, a leading provider of workforce training programs.  PHI offers a range of services that help providers attract quality workers, promote excellent care, reduce turnover and achieve cost efficiencies. AHCA/NCAL and PHI will provide coaching, training and consulting to help long term care providers deliver quality care. 

“Our members have been clear that staffing is one of their biggest challenges,” said Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “The tools we’ve developed, and our partnership with the premier organization in long term care training and development, will provide valuable resources for our members.” 

The health care system has experienced a shortage of trained caregivers for critical roles for some time. The federal government estimates nearly 27 million people will need some kind of long term care by 2050, magnifying the workforce shortage that already exists. 

“AHCA/NCAL will continue to develop workforce resources that help our members maintain the high quality of care they provide for America’s seniors and people with disabilities,” said Parkinson.