HFAM Update
$25 million in grant dollars to be sent this week to Maryland SNFs
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Friends:
The Budget Amendment has been approved and signed by the Governor. The $25 million grant letters, along with the grant agreements, will be going out via email this week to Maryland skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers. As a reminder, in most instances the letters will be received by corporate headquarters on behalf of all centers. A few centers will receive the grant letters and agreements directly.
The average grant will be about $100,000 per center. Corporate offices will receive by email a letter, a grant agreement, and a request for a short 5 sentence plan on how you plan to spend the money. For instance, “We plan to spend $X on [testing, vax, staffing, therapeutics, etc.]”
Given the most recent surge of COVID as we continue to battle against a less deadly but highly contagious variant, paired with increased labor costs and growing supply inflation, these funds will be essential to providing quality care to Marylanders in need.
NOTE: The proposed 4 percent rate increase and any other rate increase we can secure will go into effect on July 1.
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As Always:
- Focus on what is in your control and not what is out of your control.
- Let’s get those boosters and the flu vaccine in the arms of people.
- Overcommunicate – with residents, patients, families, staff, and government partners.
- Adapt and innovate.
- Rely on your partnerships.
- Speak up when you need help.
- Double efforts on infectious disease protocols, training, and operations.
- Take and document your action; keep a timeline.
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CLICK HERE for the Dr. Katz Video, and please see the Donning and Doffing Checklist we have been sharing.
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Joe DeMattos
President and CEO
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Note on National Guard Provided Tests
Bulk users can submit this test in bulk files, but they should be careful to spell it exactly as they originally spelled it below: AccessBio CareStart COVID-19 Antigen Home Test. CRISP is still working on adding it to the template. ULP users should see the new test available for selection in the drop-down now.
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Revised PROPS FAQs
If you have questions about PROPs login and access please email:
For all other questions, please email:
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CMS Letter to Health Care Facility Administrators on COVID-19 Health Care Worker Vaccine Rule
Please see this letter from CMS for your review detailing the importance of the COVID-19 health care worker vaccine rule.
Per this letter:
"We recommend reviewing the guidance CMS released on December 28, 2021; January 14, 2022;and January 20, 2022 for additional information. We are prepared to help you navigate any challenges and answer questions you have as you make sure your employees are vaccinated.
Last month, the United States Supreme Court stayed two preliminary injunctions that had prohibited the implementation and enforcement of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) healthcare staff vaccination rule in 24 states, and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas granted a motion for voluntary dismissal of a related case in Texas. As a result, the Omnibus Health Care Staff Vaccination rule is now in effect nationwide. This will enable us to act to protect patients."
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CMS Releases Updated Guidance and Resources to Surveyors
CMS has made updates to the Long Term Care Survey Process Procedure Guide effective January 27, 2022.
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HRSA Continues Phase 4 Funding Release
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) released an additional $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 General Distribution payments to more than 7,600 providers across the country last week. These payments are in addition to the nearly $9 billion in funding that was already released in December 2021.
This means approximately $11 billion in PRF Phase 4 payments have been distributed to more than 74,000 providers in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and five territories. The American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural has distributed $7.5 billion in funding to more than 43,000 providers in December 2021 and January 2022.
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CMS and CDC National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call
Register Now!
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host a National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call on Wednesday, Feb. 2 to provide updates on COVID-19, revisions to nursing home guidance, and best practices. Additionally, subject matter experts from CDC and CMS will address frequently asked questions.
When:
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
3:00 PM - 3:45 PM ET
Where:
Zoom link will be provided following registration.
CMS and CDC Speakers:
Dr. Lee Fleisher, CMS Chief Medical Officer and Director,
Center for Clinical Standards and Quality
Jean Moody Williams, Deputy Director,
Center for Clinical Standards and Quality (CMS)
Dr. Kara Jacobs-Slifka, Long Term Care Lead,
Prevention and Response
Branch (CDC) Evan Shulman, Director,
Division of Nursing Homes (CMS)
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New Resources from AHRQ
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has several new resources that may be helpful to long-term care facilities.
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Nursing Home Transmittal #283
Please see this recently issued Transmittal (Nursing Home #283/Chronic Hospital Transmittal #1/Special Pediatric Hospital #1) which explains under what circumstances providers are required to submit the Private Daily Room Rate (PDRR) form.
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Scorpion Protective Services
Please see this letter from Scorpion Protection Services to nursing home and assisted living providers. With more than 60 years combined law enforcement experience, founders Colt Bracken and Larry Smith started Scorpion Protective Services in 2018. They utilize active and retired police officers, military service personnel, and certified security officers to provide services such as armed and unarmed uniformed officers, K-9 Patrol Handlers, as well as officers in business attire, appropriate for the assignment. Their team provides not only a secure environment, but an enhanced experience for those residing in or visiting healthcare centers. They have worked to create the best security company geared towards nursing homes and assisted living communities throughout Maryland.
Again, please read the full letter for additional information. If you have any questions or are interested in learning more, please contact Larry Smith at 410-591-0246 or Colt Bracken at 410-698-5001 or via email at scorpioncolt45@gmail.com.
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Help Inform Future Telehealth Survey
The Maryland Health Care Commission (MHCC ) seeks participants for an online telehealth survey
NORC at the University of Chicago was competitively selected by the Maryland Health Care Commission to conduct a study on the impact of telehealth as it relates to audio-only and audio-visual technologies as required by the Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2021, passed by the Maryland General Assembly. The law requires a survey of health care providers to inform the development of recommendations regarding telehealth coverage and reimbursement for audio-only and audio-video relative to in-person care; recommendations will be considered during the 2023 session of the Maryland General Assembly.
NORC will be conducting an online survey of health care providers permitted to use telehealth in care delivery by the State Health Occupation Board to assess their experience with both audio-only and audio-visual telehealth services. NORC will mail survey invitations to a randomly selected sample of providers across the State in February 2022. The letters will invite providers to go to a website and enter a PIN number to take a survey. The survey will take about 30 minutes to complete and is voluntary and confidential.
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What: You may receive a letter from NORC at the University of Chicago requesting your participation in an online survey regarding your experiences providing telehealth services using audio video or audio only technology. The letter will contain a link and pin number to complete the online survey. The survey should take no more than 30 minutes .
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Who: Maryland health care providers who receive a survey invitation.
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When: Survey invitations will be sent in February 2022; the survey will be fielded for about eight weeks.
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Why: If you receive a letter from NORC, please respond. Your survey responses are VERY IMPORTANT to inform recommendations on telehealth audio visual and audio only coverage and reimbursement for Maryland’s 2023 legislative session. NORC was competitively selected by MHCC to conduct a study on the impact of telehealth as it relates to audio only and audio visual technologies, as required by the Preserve Telehealth Access Act of 2021 passed by the Maryland General Assembly.
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Survey responses are confidential and will be used in aggregate only. The information you provide will only be disclosed to the researchers at NORC who are conducting the study. Please contact NORC at mdtelehealthsurvey@norc.org to learn more.
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Want to see previous HFAM updates?
Visit our website to view all previous HFAM alerts, as well as guidance
from our federal and state partners.
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