Wednesday, July 22, 2020
Information and Resources for WALA Members
Membership Matters: A Weekly Dialogue with WALA
We invite WALA Members to engage in a weekly dialogue opportunity with WALA CEO Mike Pochowski.

When: Friday, July 24 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

To Participate via Zoom  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81865286559 

These meetings will provide:
  • Recap of the week behind us – top items of relevance as they affect assisted living providers
  • Updates on advocacy initiatives around COVID-19, caregiver funding, workforce, etc.
  • Question and Answer opportunity

You can submit your questions in advance to WALA by Wednesday at 5 p.m. via email  info@ewala.org. There will also be opportunity for live Q&A.
DQA Reminder: Mandatory Use of the Misconduct Incident Reporting System (MIR)
The Department of Health Services (DHS), Division of Quality Assurance (DQA), Office of Caregiver Quality (OCQ), has developed an online reporting system for providers to submit allegations of caregiver misconduct that occur in DQA regulated health care facilities. The Misconduct Incident Reporting (MIR) system is a secure, web-based system for providers to submit the Misconduct Incident Report (F-62447) forms, as required by state regulations. OCQ continues to protect clients and residents by actively investigating reports of caregiver misconduct during the COVID-19 emergency.

You must use the MIR system to report allegations of caregiver misconduct unless you are unable to access the system due to technical issues. (Please note failure to register for the system is not considered a technical issue.) In that case, reports will be temporarily accepted via email at  dhscaregiverintake@wisconsin.gov , fax, or postal mail until access has been restored, then resubmission via the system will be requested.

Providers are highly encouraged to register with the MIR system as soon as possible prior to needing to submit a report. It may take up to 3 business days for OCQ to process your registration. During this time you will not be able to access the MIR system.

To obtain access to the MIR system, complete the two step process below, which is also described in publication  P-02312 .
  1. Create a Wisconsin Logon Management System (WILMS) account for the facility. Each facility may only have up to two WILMS accounts for the purpose of submitting reports to the MIR system. It is suggested that you use a non-personally assigned email to create the WILMS account so that you do not have to make a new account if that person leaves.
  2. Register the WILMS account with the MIR system.

User instructions for the MIR system can be found in the publication  P-02312A .

Important Note : The provider is responsible for ensuring the security of the WILMS account. The individual using each account must be a current employee of the entity or licensee. If reporting responsibilities are reassigned as a result of staff departures or other changes, the entity or licensee must provide DQA with the name of the new staff person who will be using the WILMS account to submit reports by sending an email with the name of the individual to  dhsdqamir@dhs.wisconsin.gov . The password created by the previous account user should also be changed by following the instructions under “Change Your Password” on the  DOA WILMS main page .

A link to access the MIR system can be found on the Department’s  Caregiver Misconduct Reporting and Investigating Requirements  web page.

If you have questions regarding the MIR system, please contact  HelpDesk@wisconsin.gov  or 608-261-4400 or toll free 866-335-2180.
Video Updates from Attorney Bob Lightfoot of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c.
Bob Lightfoot discusses COVID Update for the week of July 13 including: Outside Visitation Guidance for Wisconsin Nursing Homes, recent DHS memos from this week and a summary of the Assisted Living and Nursing Home webinars conducted by DHS this week.
HHS Provider Relief Funding Application Deadline Extended to Monday, August 3
It has been announced that HHS has extended the application deadline for the Medicaid allocation of the COVID Provider Relief Fund to  Monday, August 3, 2020.  

Recap of HHS Provider Relief Funding : Eligible providers will be eligible for approximately 2 percent of reported gross revenue from patient (resident) care. The final amount each provider receives will be determined after the data is submitted. 
 
Unlike previous funding, this is not a first-come, first-serve process.
 
You can view the Provider Relief Fund Facts Sheet by clicking  here .
 
Instructions for the application form can be found  here .  For additional information, please see the   Medicaid and CHIP Distribution FAQs . 
 
The application portal, as well as an application tutorial recording and Medicaid Provider Fund fact sheet can be found  here . It is highly recommended that you take time to ensure all of the data is gathered and accurate before submission. 

Please Note : It could take up to 48 hours for HHS to approve your EIN/tax ID prior to submitting your application. If you intend to apply for relief funding and have not yet started the process, it is recommended that you begin immediately.
WALA Virtual Conference Registration Now Open

WALA Virtual Conference

September 14 - 18
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