You're receiving this email because of your relationship with the Office of Inspector General, Division of Health Care. Thank you for your continued commitment to serving the citizens of our Commonwealth!
Cabinet for Health & Family Services
Office of Inspector General
Division of Health Care
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Long Term Care Provider Newsletter
June 2020
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The Kentucky Office of Inspector General is committed to the protection of patients and residents of healthcare facilities from the spread of infectious disease. Regarding any coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns, you may refer to the following website for the most up-to-date news and information:
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CMP Emergency Grant Opportunity Ending Soon
For those certified nursing facilities that have yet to apply for the Civil Money Penalty Communication Technology (CMP CT) Emergency Grant, this opportunity will be closing in the near future. Although we do not have an exact end date at this time, the emergency under which this grant was authorized, will be expiring in July 2020.
On this page, you will find an announcement letter, which explains the application process and information needed for both the required cover letter and application content.
Click here to see additional details.
If you have any questions, or need additional information regarding the CMP CT Emergency grant, please contact Gina Riddell, Grants Administrator at
gina.riddell@ky.gov or 502-564-2888 Ext. 3341.
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Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services Update on MDS Requirements
Effective October 1, 2020, Kentucky Medicaid will be requiring the reporting of the PDPM payment codes on the OBRA assessments when not combined with a 5‐day SNF PPS assessment. These additional data elements are necessary in order for DMS to begin modeling and planning for a potential transition to PDPM. As we know from communications from CMS, the RUG system will not be supported indefinitely; therefore, DMS would like to be proactive in gathering data to allow for adequate time to evaluate next steps.
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Free Training
The Office of Inspector General, Division of Health Care, currently has four webinars posted on the TRAIN website.
TRAIN
is a national learning network that provides thousands of quality training opportunities to more than 1.8 million professionals who protect and improve the public's health.
These webinars, which are free of cost and provide a certificate with contact hours upon completion, are:
- OIG DHC Pressure Ulcer Webinar July 15, 2019 1085591
- OIG DHC Nutrition Webinar Recorded May 20 2019 1091462
- OIG DHC PASRR Webinar 1081309 January 14, 2019
- OIG DHC PCC Webinar Recording 2017 1069842
Please stay tuned as we make more webinars available to long-term care surveyors and providers!
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Good News!! Discontinuation of PPE Burn Rate Reporting and New Request Process
As of June 15, 2020, the Kentucky Department of Public Health is ending the daily reporting of PPE burn rates by KY LTC facilities. LTC will no longer have to submit reports on a their PPE burn rate numbers to
https://tinyurl.com/kyppestatus.
LTC will also no longer request PPE using the weblink at
https://tinyurl.com/kypperequest
. KY LTC is now expected to be providing its own PPE through normal vendor arrangements. Only emergency requests for PPE should be directed to the local Health Department in your area. If there is a need for non-PPE items, please direct those requests to your local County Emergency Manager.
Please share this information with any staff who have been assisting in the reporting and/or requesting PPE.
For information about the Kentucky Emergency Preparedness Program for Aging and LTC, contact Betty Shiels at 502/852-8003 or via
email
or Diana Jester at 502/853-3487 or via
email
.
Kentucky Emergency Preparedness for Aging & LTC program is funded through the CHFS/KDPH, U of L Vulnerable Populations, Grant 728 1900000141v1
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Need FREE Continuing Education Credits?
No Cost to Earn CE Credits through the CMS Region IV LTC Quality Improvement Initiative
As many conferences and opportunities to access CEs have been postponed, we want to remind you about the CMS Region IV LTC Quality Improvement Initiative which includes FREE CE Credits. Now, more than ever, it is critical for LTC personnel to be as up-to-date as possible on their healthcare knowledge and skills. Nurses can earn up to 42 CE credits. Social Workers can earn up to 29 CE credits. Dietitians/Nutritionists can earn up to 20.5 CE credits. All LTC Staff can earn up to 20 Certificates of Completion. Access our password-protected
website
for Free CE Credits as well as other clinical education resources.
How to Access Resources
KY certified LTC facilities have been provided with a facility specific username and password. If you cannot locate your password contact the help desk via
email
to have one reissued.
CMS Region IV LTC Quality Improvement Initiative is a collaboration between: CMS Region IV, State Survey Agencies, University of Louisville Kent School of Social Work and CMS Region IV Partner States: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina
Materials were produced pursuant to the Long Term Care (LTC) Quality Improvement Initiative/ AMDA Clinical Practice Guidelines and CMS Region IV Website: Sponsored by University of Louisville Research Foundation, Inc., Alabama Medicaid Agency; State of Florida, Agency for Health Care Administration; Georgia Department of Community Health, Grant #16051G; Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Office of the Inspector General, Grant # PO2 723 1600004042 1; Mississippi State Department of Health, Mississippi Division of Medicaid in the Office of the Governor; and South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. CMS Project Numbers: 2015-04-AL-UOL-0303; 2015-04-FL-UOL-0303; 2015-04-GA-UOL-0303; 2015-04-KY-UOL-0303; 2015-04-MS-UOL-0303; 2015-04-SC-UOL-0303.
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LTC2Prepare
Access the
LTC2Prepare website
, for all emergency preparedness information. This website includes:
- Kentucky LTC Emergency Preparedness Manual that can be downloaded as a fillable PDF.
- Link to the KY Electronic Hazard Vulnerability Assessment (HVA)
- Latest COVID-19 Information for LTC from the Kentucky Department for Public Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.
- Resources to Start or Revive a Family Council using the topic of Emergency Preparedness
For a facility username and password for the password-protected website, contact the
Help Desk
.
LTC2Prepare Initiative is funded through CMS Grant #2017-04-KY-0808 and the Kentucky Office of the Inspector General, Grant # PON2 723 1800000928 1.
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Changes to Staffing Information and Quality Measures Posted on the Nursing Home Compare Website and Five Star Quality Rating System due to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is committed to transparency about changes in publicly reported information on nursing homes during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Changes to the Nursing Home Compare Website and Five Star Quality Rating System:
- Staffing Measures and Ratings Domain: On July 29, 2020, Staffing measures and star ratings will be held constant, and based on data submitted for Calendar Quarter 4 2019.
- Also, CMS is ending the waiver of the requirement for nursing homes to submit staffing data through the Payroll-Based Journal System. Nursing homes must submit data for Calendar Quarter 2 by August 14, 2020.
- Quality Measures: On July 29, 2020, quality measures based on a data collection period ending December 31, 2019 will be held constant.
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CMS Communications to Nursing Homes
CMS will utilize the CASPER Shared folders to communicate important information regarding findings of noncompliance with the requirement to report COVID-19 data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). This includes the CMS 2567 and Enforcement Notices. You will not receive a notice if you are found in compliance with the reporting requirement.
Additional resources to assist you with this reporting requirement:
- If you still need help with enrollment/data submission after viewing the Enrollment help webpage, contact NHSN via email with “LTCF” in the subject line
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Q&A
Q&A from the May 7 and 8, 2019 and August 13 and 14, 2019 SNF QRP Provider Trainings Are Available.
A Q&A document supporting the SNF QRP Provider Trainings that took place May 7 and 8, 2019 and August 13 and 14, 2019 are now available in the Downloads section of the
SNF QRP Training Page
.
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Payroll Based Journal Q&A and User Guide
Updated copies of the Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) Frequently Asked Questions 05/2020 and PBJ Provider User's Guide are located on the CMS Nursing Home (MDS)/Swing Bed Providers -
Reference & Manuals site
.
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5 Star Preview Reports
The Five Star Preview Reports were made available on June 16, 2020. To access these reports, select the CASPER Reporting link located on the CMS QIES Systems for Providers page. Once in the CASPER Reporting system, select the 'Folders' button and access the Five Star Report in your 'st LTC facid' folder, where st is the 2-character postal code of the state in which your facility is located and facid is the state-assigned Facility ID of your facility.
Nursing Home Compare was updated with the June Five Star data on June 24, 2020.
Important Note: The 5 Star Help line (800-839-9290) will be available June 22, through June 26, 2020. You can also contact the helpdesk via
email
if the Help Line is not available.
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Kentucky's Top 10 Citations
for Nursing Homes
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Informal Appeal of Survey Findings
Interested in Serving on an IDR Panel?
Kentucky requires one member of the IDR panel to be "a person currently engaged in the provision of Long Term Care services who has no affiliation with the provider disputing a deficiency." Typically, a Long Term Care Administrator is on each IDR panel. There is no payment or travel reimbursement for an Administrator serving on a panel. Administrators will be rotated. If a Long Term Care Administrator is interested in serving on a panel, a confidentiality statement must be signed prior to the participation in the first IDR panel.
Chrystal Daugherty, IDR/IIDR Coordinator
Office of Inspector General
116 Commerce Ave.
London, KY 40744
Fax: (606) 330-2054
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MDS/RAI CONTACT INFORMATION
Chrystal Daugherty
MDS Assessment/Coding Issues
Rhonda Littleton-Roe
Transmission or Technical
Please note: Do not send any identifiable patient information through e-mail. This includes patient names, SSNs, dates of birth, or any other data items considered identifiers or Protected Health Information (PHI) under HIPAA. Please redact any PHI prior to sending.
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Is your certified nursing facility signed up for ePOC? If so, be diligent about keeping your account and password up to date. A
ll correspondence is handled in the ePOC system, including the plan of correction. Furthermore, if there is a change in administrator, it is incumbent upon the facility to update the system.
If your facility is not signed up, see the
Account Setup
instructions.
Not sure if your facility has any ePOC accounts or have other questions? E-mail
ePOC.Support@ky.gov
or call Rhonda Littleton-Roe at 502-564-7963 x.3300.
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Have you notified your residents?
Click the link below to download and/or print the contact list for various agencies.
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Which Branch is Serving You?
To provide the highest level of service, the Division of Health Care operates through four regional offices. Knowing the appropriate Branch to contact with questions and concerns will ensure you receive maximum service in minimum time. Review links below for detailed information.
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CMS Survey and Certification memoranda, guidance, clarifications and instructions to State Survey Agencies and CMS Regional Offices.
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Transfer/Discharge Hearing Appeals
Please submit your requests for transfer/discharge hearing appeals to Secretary Eric C. Friedlander, Cabinet for Health and Family Services, by emailing:
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LTC Facility Self-Reported
Incidents & Complaints
New email addresses have been established for communications regarding LTC Facility Self-Reported Incidents and for use by residents and the general public to report possible violations of regulatory requirements.
Click Here
for the email addresses and additional contact information.
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Quality, Safety & Education Portal
CMS's
QSEP
provides the full curriculum of surveyor training and guidance on health care facility regulations. All training is available on-demand on a top-notch self-service portal. 24/7 access means you have the freedom to learn what you want, where you want, when you want.
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Employment Opportunities
To search and apply for positions within the Office of Inspector General, please visit the Kentucky Personnel Cabinet's web page by clicking below.
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DHC Leadership Team:
Inspector General
Deputy Inspector General
Director
Assistant Director
Assistant Director
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Want to Sign Up for This Newsletter?
If you have received a copy of this newsletter from a friend or co-worker, you can click
here
and enter your information to join our mailing list, or contact
MelissaD.Richard@ky.gov
.
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Commonwealth of Kentucky | Office of Inspector General | 275 East Main St., Frankfort, KY 40621
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The Office of Inspector General is the regulatory and licensing agency for all health care, day care and long-term care facilities and child adoption/child-placing agencies in the commonwealth.
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