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December 29, 2023
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In observance of the U.S. federal New Year's Day holiday, we will not publish on Monday, January 1, 2024. Service will resume on Wednesday, January 3, 2024. We wish our members a safe and happy holiday.
Call for presentations

An essential service to our association is offering high quality training and education to our members. We invite you to join us in our commitment to delivering timely, relevant, and engaging information as we prepare for our 2024 Education Calendar.

We are looking for topics that fit skilled nursing, assisted living, home plus and residential health care communities.

Click here to learn more on our needs and how you can submit a proposal.
National Quality Award Deadline is approaching!

There is no time like the present! Completing a successful Quality Award application takes time to prepare. Over the next few weeks, keep working on your applications and submit them before the deadline on Thursday, January 25, 2024.
Are you a current AIT Preceptor or are you interested in becoming one?    

We have a high need of Preceptors in the KC area!
 
If you are a current Preceptor we would love to have you on our list. Please contact Teresa with your Preceptor number at tkeating@khca.org. Are you interested in becoming an AIT Preceptor and shaping the future of the profession?  Our team is happy to walk you through that process. Click here for the KDADS information and give Teresa a call at 785-267-6003.
In Case You Missed It
Clinical Update from KHCA Consultant Linda Farrar

Based on calls and reports from providers, COVID is on the rise again. And, as we all know, the holidays and all the gatherings and visits, it is anticipated the rate will go up exponentially in the near future. On November 14, 2023, CDC released guidance on “Testing and Management Considerations for Nursing Home Residents with Acute Respiratory Illness Symptoms when SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza Viruses are Co-circulating”. Following is the guidance from CDC and should be implemented in nursing facilities immediately. The guidance has the following “introduction”: “The following practices should be considered when SARS-CoV-2 and Influenza viruses are found to be co-circulating based upon local public health surveillance data and testing at local healthcare facilities. While these considerations are specific to care of residents residing in nursing homes, some practices could be adapted for use in other long-term care settings (e.g. assisted living communities).” READ MORE
Kansas discontinues Medicaid coverage for 40% of recipients

Kansas has discontinued Medicaid coverage for about 40% of Kansans up for renewal as the nationwide “unwinding” effort nears its completion next year.

As of Nov. 30 — the latest data available — the state has made a decision on the coverage future for 318,799 recipients.
The KanCare Clearinghouse has renewed coverage for 191,321 people and discontinued coverage for 48,039.

The state has discontinued coverage for another 79,439 recipients because they either hadn’t filed a renewal application or had more information to file. Of those, 35,868 people are in the reinstatement window, meaning they can still submit their renewal applications and get their coverage backdated to the day they were discontinued if the clearinghouse approves them.
Kansas’ disenrollment rate ranks 16th in the nation, according to an update last week from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

But both Kansas officials and the foundation have pointed to differences that make state-to-state comparisons difficult.

The differences include whether a state has expanded Medicaid coverage (Kansas is one of 10 that hasn’t), when the discontinuations started (some states began as late as July 1), and how the discontinuations are handled (some states targeted people early that they thought were no longer eligible or didn’t respond to renewal requests during the pandemic).
As a result, disenrollment rates across various states range from 62% in Texas to 10% in Maine.

Congress initially approved continuous Medicaid enrollment at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. At the end of last year, Congress approved ending continuous enrollment on March 31.

The federal government gave every state a 12-month deadline to return to normal eligibility and enrollment operations in what’s known as the “unwinding” process.

More than 94 million people were enrolled in the Medicaid/Children's Health Insurance Program at the beginning of the unwinding process, an increase of more than 22 million from February 2020.
​​Provider Relief Fund Reporting Period 6 Opens January 1

​​​The Provider Relief Fund Reporting Period 6 opens January 1, 2024 and will remain open through March 31, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET. Providers who received one or more PRF (general or targeted) and/or American Rescue Plan Rural payment(s) exceeding $10,000 in the aggregate from July 1, 2022 to December 31, 2022, must report on their use of funds in RP6. READ MORE
Education Spotlight
RAC-CT Certification In-Person Workshop

1/29/2024 8:00AM - 1/31/2024 5:00PM

Increase your knowledge of clinical assessment and care planning, completion of the MDS, the regulations surrounding the RAI/MDS process, and managing the PDPM by attending an AAPACN Resident Assessment Coordinator-Certified (RAC-CT) certification workshop. Having the RAC-CT credential behind your name shows you are a knowledgeable and capable MDS professional. RAC-CT certification is the nationally recognized gold-standard in resident assessment in the long-term care nursing profession. By earning this credential, individuals have shown their expertise in skilled nursing facility prospective payment system and minimum data set (MDS 3.0) assessment. LEARN MORE & REGISTER HERE
Upcoming Education
Webinar: Deconstructing Immediate Jeopardy Mitigation: Navigating Top Risk Areas: Preventing Elopement: Strategies for Resident Safety

1/9/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM

Click here for more details.
Webinar: Documentation in Depth: Supportive Documentation for Falls and Accidents

1/16/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM

Click here for more details.
Webinar: Survey Trends in Assisted Living

1/18/24 - 1:00PM-2:15PM

Click here for more details.
Webinar: Care Plans for SSD's

1/23/24 - 1:00PM-2:30PM

Click here for more details.
RAC-CT Certification In-Person Workshop

1/29/2024 8:00AM - 1/31/2024 5:00PM

Click here for more details.
Administrator in Training (AIT) Program

Looking for an AIT Program? Click here for more details on KHCA's Program.

Questions? Email Teresa Keating at tkeating@khca.org
Kansas Health Care Association and the Kansas Center for Assisted Living
1100 SW Gage Blvd. | PO Box 4770 | Topeka, KS 66604
PH: 785-267-6003 FAX: 785-267-0833