COVID-19 UPDATE #242
April 26, 2022
DSHS SEEKS INFORMATION ON EXPIRATION OF WAIVER FOR CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT TRAINING IN SNFs
The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services has announced that the waiver for certified nursing assistant training will expire on June 6, 2022, and that all direct care workers in skilled nursing facilities will be required to meet the training and certification requirements in state and federal law within 120 days following expiration of the waiver.
 
It is our goal to ensure that your current nursing assistants registered (NARs) have access to training and testing in a timely manner. To that end, we reach out today to request information about the number of individuals in your employ who have yet to complete the mandatory training and testing. Please take a moment to complete this survey so that we can meet the demand for these activities.
DSHS ALTSA TO HOST TWO INFORMATIONAL WEBINARS ON NEW EMERGENCY RULES AROUND HOME CARE AIDE TRAINING
New emergency rules around home care aide training cohort deadlines and continuing education were just filed and became effective April 6, 2022. DSHS will host two informational webinars in April for all instructors to learn about the changes and how they may affect caregivers, employers, and students.


Microsoft Teams is the platform being used for these webinars and they may be recorded for future use.
DEAR ADMINISTRATOR LETTER TO SNFs ADDRESSES PHYSICIAN VISITS AND DELEGATION TO PAs AND ARNPs
In a Dear Administrator letter dated April 22, 2022, all skilled nursing providers are informed per CMS QSO Memo QSO-22-15-NH & NLTC & LSC that certain 1135 waivers are set to end. One waiver addressed is the waiver for 42 CFR 483.30(c)(3) and (e)(4), physician visits and delegation in skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities. This waiver will expire May 6, 2022, 30 days from the date the memo was released.

The letter also notes that DSHS is aware providers have been operating under the waiver and would like to get feedback on how the ending of the waiver will impact them. If your facility will be impacted, please provide responses to the two following questions via email to RCSPolicy@dshs.wa.gov.

Questions:
  1. Does your nursing home have physicians that will be impacted by the lapse of the CMS 1135 waiver related to in-person physician visits and delegation of tasks to a registered nurse practitioner or physician assistant per 42 CFR 483.30?
  2. If there are physicians who are no longer able to provide services due to the end of the waiver, are you able to find a replacement physician by May 6, 2022?

The Department will review the responses to determine whether further consultation with CMS is necessary. If you have any questions, please email Molly McClintock, Nursing Home Policy Program Manager, or call her at (360) 742-6966.
NATIONAL NURSING HOME STAKEHOLDER CALL
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 27
Join the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday, April 27, at 12:00 PM PST for a National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call. Long term care providers, facility staff, and resident advocates are encouraged to attend. This event is open to the public, but registration is required. 
CMS PRESS RELEASE: HHS RELEASES NEW DATA AND REPORT ON HOSPITAL AND NURSING HOME OWNERSHIP
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is taking actions to promote competition and transparency in our nation’s health care system that can improve the safety and quality of nursing homes and hospitals. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is releasing data publicly—for the first time—on mergers, acquisitions, consolidations, and changes of ownership from 2016-2022 for hospitals and nursing homes enrolled in Medicare. This data is a powerful new tool for researchers, state and federal enforcement agencies, and the public to better understand the impacts of consolidation on health care prices and quality of care.

HHS’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) is also releasing a related report—an analysis of the new CMS data examining trends in changes of ownership over the past six years.

The new data and analysis support President Joe Biden’s Executive Order on Promoting Competition, and advance the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of improving transparency around nursing facility ownership and enhancing nursing home safety and quality, as outlined in President Biden’s State of the Union Action Plan for Protecting Seniors by Improving Safety and Quality of Care in the Nation’s Nursing Homes. Read the complete press release here.
RECORDING AVAILABLE! OVERVIEW OF FY 2023 SNF PROPOSED PAYMENT RULE WEBINAR
The recording to last Thursday's AHC/NCAL member webinar detailing the FY 2023 proposed payment rule is now available. Please note that the recording is available to AHCA/NCAL members only.  
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
WHCA continues to post resources and information as it becomes available on our website. If you have questions or need additional information, please call the WHCA office at (800) 562-6170.