April 6, 2022
KHCA/KCAL is committed to providing our members with important updates. Below is a list of the most recent information. Please visit our website for a list of complete updates. www.khca.org/covid-19-resources
The Latest News

A long-awaited national report has found that the way the United States finances, delivers and regulates nursing home care is ineffective and unstable. Immediate action is needed to bring meaningful changes to the system to better meet the needs of residents and staff, the vast team of researchers added. READ MORE
CMS Releases Revised Guidance on Vaccine Mandate IFR

CMS has released revised interpretive guidance for the COVID-19 vaccine mandate interim final rule (IFR). Three memoranda have been updated, including QSO-22-07-ALL-Revised, QSO-22-09-ALL-Revised, and QSO-22-11-ALL-Revised.
The revisions were made to clarify the expectations for assessing compliance with the requirement to ensure all staff are vaccinated. AHCA/NCAL has highlighted key revisions, but providers are encouraged to review the Long-Term Care and Skilled Nursing Facility Attachment A-Revised, as well as the applicable memo listed above, for detailed changes. 
Also Reported by McKnights: McKnight’s Long-Term Care News
It was so great to have the Assisted Living Providers back together again in Lawrence yesterday at the 2022 Assisted Living Conference
Thank you to all the providers and the exhibitors who were able to attend. It was so great seeing everyone!
KDADS April 2022 CARE News

TOMORROW! Webinar: Restorative Nursing Series: Restorative Nursing Overview (Part 1)

4/7/22 from 1:00PM - 2:15PM
Speaking face-to-face with your Members of Congress is the most effective way to advocate for the kind of quality care you want to provide in your centers.

AHCA/NCAL’s Congressional Briefing offers you that invaluable opportunity. Come to Washington, D.C. this June, and ask for what you need and want. You’ll get an update on the latest happenings in long term and post-acute care, make an effective and immediate plan of action with your colleagues, and then meet with your Representatives and their staff on Capitol Hill. It’s a priceless chance to use your voice, and one that you can’t afford to pass up. Click here for more details.
In Case You Missed It
KHCA/KCAL President/CEO Update from 4/4/22

Click here if you missed Monday's President/CEO Update.
CMS Chief holds second 1-on-1 with providers as reform looms

Leaders of several nonprofit skilled nursing providers warned Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure about the potential impact of “unfunded mandates” and “counterproductive” narratives during a rare direct meeting late last week.

The providers spent much of their time emphasizing the staffing challenges they face and how that inhibits quality. They also asked the administrator to consider the “science of quality improvement” as the agency looks to sharpen its enforcement efforts. READ MORE
 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will offer more than $110 million to expand access to home and community-based services (HCBS) through Medicaid’s Money Follows the Person (MFP) program. READ MORE
Capital Providers Push Back On Biden Administration’s Opposition To Private Investment In Skilled Nursing

Skilled Nursing News (4/3, Stulick) reports skilled nursing capital providers "are pushing back on the White House’s" criticism of private investment in the industry, warning that "newer owner-operators will have a hard time getting the necessary funding for entry into the SNF space." The Biden Administration cited "numerous studies" linking private equity to lower "facility performance, warning private equity is a ‘dangerous model’ that puts profits before people." However, American Health Care Association President and CEO Mark Parkinson said in a recent webinar "that people that don’t understand that and don’t understand what private equity really is, then conflate private equity with private capital or private investment." He added that without "private investment, there’s no sector in the economy that could succeed. That’s where the money comes from." 
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 2022 Nurse Leadership Conference (June) and Annual Convention (September).

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.
Education Spotlight
Webinar: Restorative Nursing Series - Starts Tomorrow!

Click each link for more details and to register.

Course Description for the Series:
Nursing interventions that can promote your resident’s ability to live as independently as possible is our priority as a restorative team. This 3-part series will focus on the details of your role and how to best accomplish restorative nursing tasks with your residents. There will be special attention during each webinar on increasing revenue through the case mix program. Electronic Restorative resources will be included. 
Upcoming Education
Webinar: Restorative Nursing Series: Bowel Bladder, Dining, Communication & Cognition (Part 2)

4/14/22 from 1:00PM - 2:15PM
Webinar: The Proficient Infection Preventionist Series: Competency in Infectious Diseases Common in Post-Acute Care Settings

4/19/22 from 1:30PM - 2:30PM
Webinar: Restorative Nursing Series: ROM, Bed Mobility, Transfers, Ambulation, Dressing & Grooming, Amputation & Prosthetic Care (Part 3)

4/21/22 from 1:00PM - 2:15PM
2022 Spring Joint Provider Surveyor Training

4/27/22 from 9:00 - 4:30 (Topeka)
4/28/22 from 9:00 - 4:30 (Wichita/Virtual)
8 Week Webinar Series: MDS Mastermind Insights for MDS Coding and Reimbursement Accuracy

5/4/22 through 6/22/22 from 1:30PM - 2:30PM
The AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit is Back! Registration Now Open!

Quality Summit will be held in Kissimmee, FL, May 16-18.
This year’s AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit delivers three days of education programs and awesome networking opportunities with like-minded, quality professionals in long term and post-acute care. The Quality Summit offers 30 sessions topics focused on leadership, recruitment and retention, infection prevention and PDPM. 

Click here for more details.
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