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
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Long Term Care Provider Newsletter
August 2022
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IMPORTANT REMINDER!
Per CMS Regulatory Requirements
(3) Notice before transfer. Before a facility transfers or discharges a resident, the facility must -
(i) Notify the resident and the resident's representative(s) of the transfer or discharge and the reasons for the move in writing and in a language and manner they understand. The facility must send a copy of the notice to a representative of the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.
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CMS Announces Resources and Flexibilities to Assist with the
Public Health Emergency in the Commonwealth of Kentucky
Due to Recent Storms
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced today additional resources and flexibilities available in response to the recent severe storms in Kentucky. CMS is working closely with the Commonwealth of Kentucky to put these flexibilities in place to ensure those affected by this natural disaster have access to the care they need – when they need it most.
On Aug. 2, 2022, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra determined that a Public Health Emergency exists in the Commonwealth of Kentucky as the result of the continued consequences of severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides.
CMS stands ready to assist with resources and waivers to ensure hospitals and other facilities can continue to operate and provide access to care to those impacted by the consequences of the severe storm outbreak.
The following is key information and resources for those affected and actions CMS is taking in response to the severe storm outbreak in the Commonwealth of Kentucky:
Commonwealth of Kentucky Flooding Waivers: CMS waivers are available to providers in the Commonwealth of Kentucky who have been affected by the Severe Storm Outbreak and remain affected by the pandemic. The non-emergency COVID-19 waivers can be found here. Health care providers who need additional flexibilities specific to the Severe Storm Outbreak can submit a request to CMS here.
Disaster Toolkit and Support for State Medicaid and CHIP Agencies: To prepare for current and future disasters, CMS has developed an inventory of Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) flexibilities and authorities available to states in the event of a disaster to support Medicaid and CHIP operations and ensure continuity of coverage for people served through Medicaid and CHIP programs during times of crisis. For more information and to access the inventory and toolkit, visit:
Dialysis Care: CMS is helping people obtain and maintain access to critical life-saving services by activating the Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) program and working with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Network 9, whose contracted area of responsibility includes assessing the status of dialysis facilities in potentially impacted areas of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. This includes assessing impacts related to generators, alternate water supplies, education and providing materials for patients, and more. ESRD Network 9 is also assisting people to receive dialysis services in the location to which they evacuated. CMS, through ESRD Network 9, has also advised people to keep an emergency supply kit on hand in a water proof bag, including important personal, medical, and insurance information; contact information for their facility; the ESRD NW hotline number; and contact information of those with whom they may stay or for out-of-state contacts. They have also been instructed to have on hand supplies to follow a three-day emergency diet.
The ESRD NW 9 (Kentucky) toll-free hotline is 844-819-3010.
Medical Equipment and Supplies Replacements: CMS will temporarily waive certain requirements to enable people with Medicare who have lost or realized damage to their durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics, and supplies as a result of the severe storms to receive replacements of such items and services. This will help to ensure beneficiaries can continue to access the needed medical equipment and supplies they rely on each day. Medicare beneficiaries can contact 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) for assistance.
CMS will continue to work with the Commonwealth of Kentucky and those areas impacted by the recent storms. We encourage beneficiaries and providers of healthcare services that have been impacted to seek help by visiting CMS’s emergency webpage (www.cms.gov/emergency).
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Free MDS Training Coming Soon!
Minimum Data Set training, hosted annually by the Kentucky Office of Inspector General and presented by Myers and Stauffer LC, is still available on TRAIN. These webinars review the RAI Manual with an emphasis on PDPM items:
To supplement these trainings, the following topics will be available in October 2022:
- MDS and Diagnosis Coding
- MDS Interviewing Tips
- MDS Resources
- Medication Coding and the MDS
The Kentucky Board of Nursing has approved contact hours for Kentucky RNs and LPNs upon completion, assessment, and evaluation of each individual session. Kentucky LTC Administrators will also receive contact hours. (Please note that you must have an individual TRAIN account in order to receive credit.)
Stay tuned for further details, and please contact Darlene Cox with any questions by email or at 502-564-7963 x.3308.
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MDS 3.0 RAI Manual
The PDF file labeled “MDS3.0RAIManualv1.17R.Errata.v2,” available in the Downloads section contains revisions to pages in Chapter 3, Section I, of the MDS 3.0 RAI Manual v1.17.1R that clarifies the need for a detailed evaluation and appropriate diagnostic information to support a diagnosis, such as for a mental disorder, prior to coding the diagnosis on the MDS, and the steps that may be necessary when a resident has potentially been misdiagnosed. An example of when a diagnosis should not be coded in Section I due to lack of a detailed evaluation and appropriate diagnostic information to support the diagnosis has also been added to this section.
Changed manual pages are I-12 and I-16 and are marked with the footer “October 2019 (R).”
The errata document begins with a table that lists all identified revisions and the pages to which they have been applied. Following the table are the actual corrected replacement pages for insertion into the printed manual.
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Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective
Payment System (PPS) Final Rule (CMS 1765-F)
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule (CMS-1765-F) that provides updates to the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) for FY 2023. This rule includes the adoption of one new measure: the Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) (NQF #0431) beginning with the FY 2024 SNF QRP. In addition, CMS is revising the compliance date for the updated version of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 assessment instrument to October 1, 2023. Finally, CMS is revising regulatory text that pertains to data submission requirements for the SNF QRP and summarizing comments from stakeholders on SNF QRP measures under consideration for future years, inclusion of the CoreQ: Short Stay Discharge measure in a future SNF QRP program year, as well as the CMS health equity strategy for the SNF QRP.
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FY2023 ICD-10 Codes for MDS V3.00.1 (FINAL) Data
Submission Specifications Posted
An updated PDPM ICD Codes database for the MDS V3.00.1 (FINAL) Data Specifications is now available for download under the Downloads section at the bottom of this webpage. The database contains two new tables. The table pdpm_icd_codes_FY2023 contains the allowed FY2023 codes for I0020B, while table pdpm_icd_codes_2_FY2023 contains FY2023 codes that can also be used in I0020B for states that opt in to calculating PDPM on standalone OBRA assessments.
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Division of Health Care Contact Information
Central Office
Belinda Beard, Director
Marissia Izlar, Assistant Director
275 E. Main St., 5E-A Frankfort, KY 40621
Phone: 502-564-7963
Fax: 502-564-6546
Western Enforcement Branch
Darlene Fryar, Human Services Program Branch Manager
901 B South Main Street, Hopkinsville, KY 42240
Phone: 270-889-6052
Fax: 270-889-6089
Northern Enforcement Branch
Patricia Hinson, Human Services Program Branch Manager
L & N Building 10-W, 908 W. Broadway, Louisville, KY 40203
Phone: 502-595-4958
Fax: 502-595-4540
Southern Enforcement Branch
Marissia Izlar, Acting Human Services Program Branch Manager
116 Commerce Ave., London, KY 40744
Phone: 606-330-2030
Fax: 606-330-2054
Eastern Enforcement Branch
Will Hendrickson, Human Services Program Branch Manager
455 Park Place, Suite 120A, Lexington, KY 40511
Phone: 859-246-2301
Fax: 859-246-2307
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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:
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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:
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Kentucky's Top 10 Citations
for Nursing Homes
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Have you notified your residents?
Click the link below to download and/or print the contact list for various agencies.
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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.
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CMS Survey and Certification memoranda, guidance, clarifications and instructions to State Survey Agencies and CMS Regional Offices.
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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:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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DHC Leadership Team:
Inspector General
Deputy Inspector General
Director
Assistant Director
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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.
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Commonwealth of Kentucky | Office of Inspector General | 275 East Main St., Frankfort, KY 40621 |
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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.
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