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A Message from the President & CEO Mark Parkinson
Thank You and Let's Keep Going
I wanted to send a message to say THANK YOU. Thank you for all of your work to submit comments on the CMS proposed minimum staffing rule. The official comment period closed Monday, and our initial goal was to submit 10,000 comments from AHCA/NCAL members. You all went above and beyond, submitting more than 18,000 comments to make sure CMS understands the devastating impact of this proposed rule on our profession and those we serve.
What’s even more impressive is the fact that more than 13,500 comments were submitted from AHCA/NCAL members as part of the pre-rule campaign conducted earlier this year. So, all together, you have submitted 31,000+ comments on this proposed rule alone. I don’t know of any other profession that could’ve come together like that and made that much of an impact. This is a tremendous effort, and I want to say thank you again.
What Happens Next?
CMS has to review each and every comment letter before it can move forward. With the number of comments that have been submitted, this will take a while. Only then can the agency decide how and when to move forward. There is no required timeline, so CMS can take as long as it needs. We will continue to keep you apprised of any updates we receive on next steps and timing.
Let’s Keep Going
In the meantime, AHCA/NCAL will not stop fighting this proposed rule. We will maintain our ongoing advocacy efforts, meet with members of Congress, communicate with the Administration, and sustain our press efforts to ensure we get our message across loud and clear. You can continue to support this effort, as well, by meeting with your members of Congress in your districts. Hosting facility and community tours also remains important. Now more than ever, we need to make sure our elected officials see what we do, who we care for, and the need for supportive policies to strengthen our workforce versus finalizing this unfunded, impossible to implement one-size-fits-all mandate.
Our team is ready to assist you. Heather Posthumus and Matt Smyth on the AHCA/NCAL Government Relations team can help as you plan visits with members of Congress. You are also encouraged to use the AHCA and NCAL issue briefs on the proposed minimum staffing mandate as we continue these efforts. Don’t hesitate to reach out to Heather or Matt if they can help at all.
Thanks again for everything you do, especially on this effort. Let’s continue to work together to ensure our residents and caregivers have the support they need and deserve through meaningful investments and policy solutions. This is not over, and we will continue to fight for you and your residents.
Sincerely,
Mark Parkinson
President & CEO, AHCA/NCAL
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HCBS Appendix K Unwinding Notice- UPDATED
Click here to find a detailed overview of progress on the Appendix K Unwinding, including key services to be continued or discontinued and the current status of the unwinding process. The updates are highlighted in yellow.
Please take a moment to review the notice. If you have any questions, or require further information, please do not hesitate to reach out to KDADS.HCBS-KS@ks.gov. |
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KCAL District 1 Round Table
Thursday, November 9, 2023
3:00PM - 4:30PM
Mission Chateau Assisted Living
4100 W 85th Street
Prairie Village, KS 66206
Assisted Living Round Table with Kansas Center for Assisted Living Board Members
- Suzie Sexton - KCAL Board President
- Miles Nease - District 1 Vice President
- Brett Pu - KCAL Secretary/Treasurer and NCAL State Leader
- Jeremy Whitt - Member at Large
Includes all Assisted Living, Home Plus, and Residential Health Care Communities in Douglas, Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte Counties
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TOMORROW! KDADS Regional Round Table
Southwest Region Thursday, November 9th, 2023 10a-12p
LakePoint Augusta
901 Lakepoint Dr, Augusta, KS 67010.
Agenda:
- Welcome and Thank You to Host Communities
- Round Robin Introductions (15 Min)
- Top Ten Citation Review & Discussion (40 Min)
- Review of 2023 Licensure and Enforcement Statistics (20 Min)
- Open Discussion, KDADS and CMS Updates (40 Min)
- Adjourn
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TOMORROW! FREE Webinar on The GUIDE Model: Emerging Opportunities for Assisted Living and Senior Housing Innovation & Collaboration in Dementia Care
AHCA/NCAL will host a member-only webinar with ATI Advisory and Bluestone Physician Services Thursday, November 9 at 1 PM Central focused on opportunities with the GUIDE model. Learn more and register here.
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SCAM ALERT!
Once again scammers are hiding behind fake emails, this time using board member names. The return address is usually a dead giveaway but is often hard to see from your mobile device.
Example:
From: Suzie Sexton <t.coulter3@ntlworld.com>
Date: November 7, 2023 at 10:34:16 AM CST
Subject: Operating Expenses
If you ever doubt the authenticity of an email from KHCA/KCAL or one of our board members, don’t reply. Please call the KHCA/KCAL office. (785) 267-6003
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Clinical Update from KHCA Consultant Linda Farrar
We are seeing increased numbers of deficiencies related to the off-label use of antipsychotics. (In other words, antipsychotics to manage dementia related behaviors). Here are a few of the recent tag and you will notice a trend: READ MORE
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Senators Reintroduce Bill To Fast Track Visas For Foreign Health Care Workers
McKnight’s Home Care (11/6, Healy) reports senators reintroduced the Health care Workforce Resilience Act on "Thursday that would ‘recapture’ unused immigration visas for doctors and nurses from foreign countries to provide a much-needed boost to the health care workforce." The bill, "proposed by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and backed by numerous cosponsors, would fast-track the visas of 25,000 nurses and 15,000 doctors from other countries, according to a release." In response to the move, "various health care stakeholders, advocates and organizations voiced their support." American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living Government Relations Senior Vice President Clif Porter said in a release, "As we face a growing elderly population yet a shortage of health care workers, creating more opportunities for international nurses to immigrate to the U.S. will help strengthen our long term care workforce and protect access to care. ... These are dedicated nurses who want to serve America’s seniors, and they and their families should be welcomed with open arms."
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News (11/6, Towhey) reports the effort comes as CMS "rolled out its proposed staffing mandate, which calls for facilities to provide a minimum of 3.0 hours per patient day of direct care – 0.55 hours of that by a registered nurse and 2.45 hours by a nurse aide." The release from AHCA/NCAL "applauding the Health care Workforce Resilience Act noted that nursing homes would have to hire an additional 100,000 caregivers to satisfy the demands of the proposal."
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HCS AL Salary & Benefits Study - Deadline Extension
The HCS Assisted Living Salary & Benefits study has been extended to November 20th. The study is supported by NCAL.
There is no cost to participate in the study; the participant rate is $185 (prepaid) or $205 (billed). Questionnaires may be downloaded at: www.hhcsinc.com. For any questions, contact Rich Cioffe at rjcioffe@hhcsinc.com, (201) 405-0075, ext. 10.
Last year’s Report contained data from over 1,100 ALFs/RCFs/PCFs nationwide. The results cover management salaries, nonmanagement wages, and fringe benefits. Data will be reported by region, state, CBSA, revenue size, profit type, and bed-size. Information on eighteen fringe benefits, shift differentials, turnover rates, sign-on bonuses, and other facility/staffing metrics will also be included. The results will be published in January 2024.
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KCAL District 4 Round Table
Friday, November 17, 2023
1:30PM - 3:30PM
Brookdale Salina Fairdale
2251 E. Crawford Street, Salina, KS 67401
Assisted Living Round Table with Kansas Center for Assisted Living Board Members
- Joye Gfeller - District 4 VP
- Brett Pu - KCAL Secretary/Treasurer and NCAL State Leader
Includes all Assisted Living, Home Plus, and Residential Health Care Communities in District 4. (See image for counties included in this district.)
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Virtual ICD-10 Coding Workshop
12/4/2023
8:30AM - 4:00PM
Diagnosis coding accuracy is paramount to appropriate payment under PDPM, as ICD-10 Diagnosis codes & other patient characteristics are used as basis for classification in determining MCR payment. The 5-day MDS establishes the PDPM payment category for the entire Medicare stay which is why it is so important to have good processes in place for establishing the principal diagnosis and having information to support coding all active diagnosis prior to the 5-day assessment reference date.
This program will include information regarding the Official ICD-10 Coding Guidelines, best practices for accurate ICD-10-CM code assignment, how to avoid common coding mistakes, and the importance of principal diagnosis identification.
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Webinar: Deep Dive Into Federal Regulations in a Year: §483.60 Food and Nutrition Services
11/14/23 - 1:30PM-3:00PM
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Fall 2023 Joint Provider Surveyor Training |
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11/15 - 11/16/2023 9:00AM - 3:50PM
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Webinar: Mission Possible: SNF Department Head Briefing - Departmental Collaboration and Teamwork
11/28/23 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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Virtual Adult Care Home Operators Course
11/29 - 12/12/23
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Virtual ICD-10 Coding Workshop
12/4/2023 8:30AM - 4:00PM
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Administrator in Training (AIT) Program
Looking for an AIT Program? Click here for more details on KHCA's Program.
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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
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