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 and Family Services
Office of Inspector General
Division of Health Care
|
|
Long Term Care Provider Newsletter
June 2022
|
|
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 websites for the most up-to-date news and information:
|
|
What is a Surveyor?
The Kentucky Office of Inspector General (OIG) is contracted with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to investigate care and services provided to beneficiaries on a regular basis through a mechanism called a survey. All health care facilities are licensed with OIG except for physician and dental offices, nursing pools, limited services clinics, etc. A surveyor’s role is to provide this regulatory oversight, which ensures that beneficiaries receive quality health care in a safe environment.
There are several types of surveyors employed with OIG:
- Nurse Consultant/Inspector
- Human Services
- Dietician
- Social Services
- Life Safety Code
- CLIA
The most prevalent title, Nurse Consultant/Inspector, requires licensure as a Registered Nurse. They are given the tools to learn how to be objective surveyors with in-person and on-the-job training, plus over 143 hours of mandatory computer training. Finally, the NC/I must pass the Surveyor Minimum Qualification Test, or SMQT, before they can survey long-term care facilities independently. Throughout their career, nurse surveyors continue to develop their knowledge, skills, and abilities with experience, new courses, and refresher trainings. In addition, many become certified in other levels of care, such as Hospices, Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facilities, or Rural Health Clinics.
Human Services Surveyors, Dieticians, and Social Services Surveyors are also required to be SMQT-certified, and must go through the same training with OIG as an NC/I.
Life Safety Code Surveyors perform fire safety surveys under the regulations of Medicare/Medicaid. The Life Safety Code (LSC) is a set of fire protection requirements designed to provide a reasonable degree of safety from fire. It covers construction, protection, and operational features designed to provide safety from fire, smoke, and panic. The Health Care Facilities Code (HCFC) is a set of requirements intended to provide minimum requirements for the installation, inspection, testing, maintenance, performance and safe practices for facilities, material, equipment and appliances.
Finally, CLIA surveyors inspect clinical laboratories to ensure that scientists and technicians who examine human specimens for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease maintain specimen controls and follow testing procedures.
The Office of Inspector General is extremely proud of our surveyors and other staff. They show a level of objectivity, professionalism, and commitment that is noteworthy. If you are interested in working in OIG, please contact your regional branch office.
|
|
Approval of Dementia Care Training Curriculums
Pursuant to the 2021 passage of SB 61, home health agencies and personal services agencies are required to obtain approval from the Department for Aging and Independent Living for the dementia care curriculums they utilize to provide training to aides and staff who provide direct care to patients or clients who exhibit symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia. The deadline for completion of six (6) hours of initial dementia-care training by current staff has been extended to July 14, 2022.
For detailed information regarding approval of your agency’s dementia care training curriculum, please refer to the attachments below. If you have any questions, please contact:
Jennifer R. Craig
Office of Dementia Services Coordinator
Department for Aging and Independent Living (DAIL)
Cabinet for Health and Family Services
275 East Main Street 3E-E, Frankfort, KY 40621
(502) 234-4432 (cell) & (502) 564-1116 (office)
|
|
FREE to Kentucky Nursing Homes:
The Kentucky Wound Care Excellence Program
In July 2021, the Kentucky Office of Inspector General announced that Vohra Wound Physicians Management, LLC has been approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to use Civil Money Penalty (CMP) funding to provide 150 scholarships for the Vohra Wound Care Course. The Program is designed specifically for registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) in certified nursing facilities to improve the care they deliver, raise their level of education, and close the existing knowledge gap in wound care provided across the State of Kentucky.
This opportunity will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis until all the 150 scholarships are claimed. Nurses completing the course will receive 20 continuing education credits (CEUs). The course includes 11 downloadable learning modules, technical support/customer assistance, and program reporting. The program’s training structure ensures that scholarship recipients will have access to the materials indefinitely as an ever-present guide to sustain lessons learned.
For more information and to register for the program:
|
|
Grant Opportunity for Purchase of Aids to Increase or
Improve Air Quality for In-person Visitations
As of February 2, 2022, certified nursing facilities may apply for up to an additional $3,000 of Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Nursing Home Visitation Aid Grant funds for the purchase of indoor portable fans and/or indoor portable air cleaners with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA, H-13 or -14) filters, to increase or improve air quality to aid in-person visitation for residents. Expenses incurred on or after the release of Memorandum QSO-20-39-NH FAQ Revised, February 2, 2022, are eligible for reimbursement.
CMP Nursing Home Visitation Aid Grant funds are still available for the purchase of tents or other shelter for outdoor visitation and/or clear dividers, installation, installation materials and shipping costs for in-person visitation aids. All eligible expenses incurred on or after September 17, 2020, are eligible for reimbursements, up to a maximum of $3,000.
For more information and to apply for CMP Nursing Home Visitation Aid Grant funds:
|
|
Kentucky's Top 10 Citations
for Nursing Homes
|
|
|
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.
|
|
Jennifer Smith, RN
RAI/Oasis/IDR-IIDR Coordinator
Office of Inspector General
Division of Health Care
275 E. Main St., 5E-A
Frankfort, KY 40621
Fax: (502) 564-6546
|
|
|
MDS/RAI CONTACT INFORMATION
For questions regarding MDS Assessment, Coding, Transmission or
Please 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.
|
|
|
All certified nursing facilities must sign up for ePOC. Please be diligent about keeping your account and password up to date. All 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 yet 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 Melissa Richard, Training & QA Branch Manager, at 502-564-7963 x.3310.
|
|
Have you notified your residents?
Click the link below to download and/or print the contact list for various agencies.
|
|
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.
|
|
CMS Survey and Certification memoranda, guidance, clarifications and instructions to State Survey Agencies and CMS Regional Offices.
|
|
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:
|
|
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.
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
DHC Leadership Team:
Inspector General
Deputy Inspector General
Director
Assistant Director
Assistant Director
|
|
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.
|
|
Commonwealth of Kentucky | Office of Inspector General | 275 East Main St., Frankfort, KY 40621 |
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
