January 12, 2023
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The Latest News

"Rather than just complaining about this as an association and our members as providers, we’re trying to figure out what we can do to solve the problem,” AHCA CEO Mark Parkinson said. READ MORE

National Stakeholder Call with the CMS Administrator on January 24, 2023

Please join the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, and her leadership team, who will highlight CMS’ key 2022 accomplishments and look ahead to how our 2023 priorities will advance the CMS Strategic Plan. CMS serves the public as a trusted partner and steward dedicated to advancing health equity, expanding coverage, and improving health outcomes as we engage the communities we serve throughout the policymaking and implementation process. Our first National Stakeholder Call with the CMS Administrator in 2023 will provide an opportunity to learn more about how you can partner with us to help implement our Strategic Plan and key initiatives.  

When:  January 24, 2023 from 12:00 PM (CT) – 1:00 PM (CT)

Speakers:  
  • CMS Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure
  • CMS Principal Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer, Jon Blum 
  • CMS Leadership Team

Who should attend: National and local CMS stakeholders and partners

RSVP: click here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the call. Please note that when you click the link to join the call on January 24, you will see a message stating that the host will allow you to join the event momentarily. Please continue to wait at that screen until the CMS team begins the call. 
These national stakeholder calls will be held quarterly.
Free Education for New Facility Managers

A brand-new life safety compliance webinar for new facilities managers is now available from AHCA/NCAL. This 1-hour educational webinar walks through the CMS nursing home life safety inspection process, provides an overview of the applicable codes and standards, addresses how to access and navigate the codes, identifies CMS survey tools and reports, and discusses some of the most commonly cited life safety deficiencies. You’ll need your AHCA/NCAL username and password to access the course. If you need help with your password contact educate@ahca.org
Mentoring Your DON for 5-Star Success

The Five Star Quality Rating System was created by CMS in 2008. Today, almost 15 years later, we still see confusion and a lack of understanding of the Five Star domains, how they are calculated, and how the DON can best lead the facility in improving the Five Star rating. Is your facility using the most effective strategies to manage Five Star success? READ MORE
In Case You Missed It
HHS Extends Public Health Emergency Through April 11

​​​​U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra today renewed the declaration that a public health emergency (PHE) exists. This is effective January 11, 2023, and will continue for 90 days pursuant to federal law. 

The PHE renewal through mid-April provides for the uninterrupted continuation of several flexibilities that have protected beneficiary access to important services in as safe and effective manner as possible.

HHS will also continue to waive the three-day hospital stay rule that causes many seniors to be strapped with out-of-pocket costs in the thousands because they do not qualify for Medicare coverage. AHCA continues​ to advocate to eliminate this confusing and devastating policy barrier altogether. 

Please email COVID19@ahca.org for additional questions.
NEW RESOURCES AVAILABLE
 
Third Edition Quality Reporting Program COVID-19 Public Reporting Tip Sheets
 
The purpose of the Third Edition Quality Reporting Program (QRP) COVID-19 Public Reporting (PR) Tip Sheets is to help providers understand CMS’ public reporting approach to the Home Health (HH), Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF), Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH), and Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) QRPs to account for CMS quality data submissions that were either optional or excepted from public reporting due to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE). The impacts on CMS’ Care Compare website refreshes are also outlined. These tip sheets serve as companion documents to the first and second edition QRP COVID-19 PR Tip Sheets published in 2020 and 2022.
 
Each setting-specific tip sheet is available in the Downloads section of the HH QRP, IRF QRP, LTCH QRP, and SNF QRP Training pages.
 
If you have questions about accessing the resources or feedback regarding the trainings, please email the PAC Training Mailbox.

Content-related questions should be submitted to the HH QRP Help Desk, IRF QRP Help Desk, LTCH QRP Help Desk, or SNF QRP Help Desk.
AHCA/NCAL Launches New National Workforce Campaign – Careers in Caring

Today, we are excited to announce the launch of “Careers in Caring,” a new national campaign to equip nursing homes, assisted living communities and facilities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities with tools and resources to help recruit new caregivers to the field.

As you know, the long term care profession has been working to attract more caregivers for decades. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic made existing challenges worse, as we’ve heard from so many of you about how difficult it is to find qualified candidates to fill critical roles. We are launching Careers in Caring as a proactive step in ensuring that our nation’s seniors have a strong workforce in place to provide the high-quality care they need and deserve. 

Careers in Caring is research-tested, with proven practices to reach potential candidates. CareersInCare.org – the campaign’s dedicated website – is your one-stop shop of resources and tools that you can begin to use today to help you with your hiring efforts. You will find informational videos, messaging materials, social media resources, graphics and much more. If you want to launch your own Careers in Caring campaign in your local community, we have also provided template social media content and press materials to assist in your outreach efforts. 

We know that a career in long term care is rewarding and fulfilling. You take care of our country’s most vulnerable, serving not only as caregivers but cherished friends and family. Now it’s time to show the public why long term care is a unique and essential part of our health care system. We hope that this campaign will serve as a valuable resource as we work together to build our workforce. 

We’re here to help you make Careers in Caring a success. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.  
Staffing ‘instability’ might be new mandate metric; providers gear up for battle

Average day-to-day staffing levels may be a key way to measure impact on nursing home care quality, a new study finds as federal regulators move closer to their goal of a proposed staffing mandate. READ MORE
Social isolation linked to dementia in national study

Nearly one in four older adults in the United States are socially isolated, and at higher risk for developing dementia over the next decade, according to new findings. READ MORE
Education Spotlight
KHCA is excited to announce our new AIT Program

Click here to learn how our program is different from others.

Click here to view the brochure.
Upcoming Education
Attention Assisted Living and Home Plus Providers: FCS Refresher

We have frequent requests for FCS refreshers and people who want to attend the FCS section only of the Operators course. We now have it available on demand in a 75 minute webinar. It’s worth 1.5 CE’s on demand.

$20 Member Discount Code: KHCA018
Click here for more details.
Webinar: 5-Star Work Plan A to Z: 5-Star Overview and Health Inspection Domain

1/18/2023 1:30PM-2:30PM

Click here for more details.
Webinar: Mission Possible: SNF Department Head Briefing - Department Details for the DON

Save 20% by signing up for this 12 month series by registering here.

1/24/2023 1:30PM-2:30PM

Click here for more details.
Webinar: 5-Star Work Plan A to Z: 5-Star Staffing Rating

1/25/2023 1:30PM-2:30PM

Click here for more details.
MDS Workshop

Feb 7-8 in Olathe AND two full days of Virtual Training March 1 and March 8.

Click here for more details.
Assisted Living Lunch and Learn: Survey Preparedness and Plans of Correction

2/10/2023 10:00AM-2:0PM

Click here for more details.
Virtual Adult Care Home Operators Course

2/15/2023 9am 2/28/2023 3pm

Click here for more details.
Looking for options for required Staff In-Service?

KHCA’s online learning platform is BACK! We’ve loaded the in-services for SNF and for AL first. The SNF in-service on Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation has been updated to reflect Phase 3 information.

Access the new learning platform by clicking here

Questions about education can be directed to Polly Berkley VP of Operations and Education.
Mark Your Calendar for these 2023 Dates!
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