Secretary Azar to Speak at Congressional Briefing 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.  The Advanced Registration Deadline is May 7 and prospective attendees are encouraged to register as soon as possible. 

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. 

NPR Article on the Observation Stays Issue

On April 20, 2018, NPR published an article written by Alison Kodjak entitled, “How Medicare's Conflicting Hospitalization Rules Cost Me Thousands Of Dollars”, on the observation stays matter.  The article focuses in on the author’s mother that was impacted by the issue, and how the use of observation status has increased significantly over the past decade.  

AHCA/NCAL continues to focus on the observation stays issue.  Increasingly, patients have no idea what their status is in a hospital, or the importance of it, which can lead to thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket medical expenses should they need skilled nursing center care following their hospital stay.  In addition to placing a financial burden on seniors and their families, this anomaly in Medicare rules can cause unnecessary spend-down, accelerating the time frame in which seniors will have to turn to programs such as Medicaid to pay for their care.  For more information about the observation stays issue, please visit the AHCA/NCAL website.

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: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.&nbsp:

• 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 

 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. 

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.