This message contains confidential information and is intended only for KHCA/KCAL membership. Dissemination, distribution or copying the contents of this email beyond this group is strictly prohibited. |
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Members Only Password Change |
The password for the Members Only portion of our website has changed. The username remains the same.
Username: KHCAKCAL
Password: KansasSeniors23
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HHS Announces Expiration of COVID-19 PHE HIPAA Notifications of Enforcement Discretion
This week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that the Notifications of Enforcement Discretion issued under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act during the COVID-19 public health emergency will expire at 11:59 pm on May 11, 2023, due to the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
While Congress extended many of the telehealth coverage flexibilities impacting AHCA/NCAL members and their residents permanently or until December 31, 2024, this policy change will no longer permit providers to use technology such as unsecure iPads, smart phones, or other technology for telehealth services unless they meet the stringent HIPAA patient privacy requirements after August 9, 2023.
OCR is providing a 90-calendar day transition period for covered health care providers to come into compliance with the HIPAA Rules with respect to their provision of telehealth. The transition period will be in effect beginning on May 12, 2023, and will expire at 11:59 p.m. on August 9, 2023. OCR will continue to exercise its enforcement discretion and will not impose penalties on covered health care providers for noncompliance with the HIPAA Rules that occurs in connection with the good faith provision of telehealth during the 90-calendar day transition period.
AHCA/NCAL strongly recommends that providers using telehealth services review and update their policies and procedures, equipment and arrangements related to telehealth services. Specifically, providers should evaluate the equipment and software technology they are using for telehealth services and the arrangements they have with technology vendors, as well as physicians, hospitals, and other providers to update agreements and policies related to telehealth prior to the end of the enforcement discretion transition period on August 9, 2023.
The Notice of Expiration of Certain Notifications of Enforcement Discretion Issued in Response to the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency may be found here.
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Focus F-Tag of the Week: §483.24 Activities of Daily Living
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In the fall of 2022, CMS issued Admin Info: 22-09-ALL which outlined several regulatory focus areas for Federal Monitoring Surveys related to specific F-tags for FY2022 and FY2023. One area of regulatory focus is Quality of Life, specifically Activities of Daily Living at F676.
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CMS failed to publicly post deficiencies for two-thirds of nursing homes, OIG finds
Medicare’s Care Compare site did not accurately reflect nursing home deficiencies in two-thirds of listings reviewed by a federal watchdog agency, a finding that implies more than 10,000 health, life safety or emergency preparedness violations may have been left out of view of consumers. READ MORE
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Member Only Legislative Update from Friday, April 7, 2023
The first adjournment of the Kansas Legislature occurred in the wee hours of Good Friday morning, April 7, 2023. The Senate finished business around 4:20 a.m., and the House a few minutes later. This Legislative “Spring Break” will last until April 26 when the veto session will begin. Click here to read Linda's member only update from last Friday. We will also archive these on our website. They will require the member username and password to view on our website.
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Clinical Update from KHCA Consultant Linda Farrar
As a reminder, every facility must have set up access for the CMS move for the QIES system to the iQIES system by April 13, 2023. Click here to continue reading.
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iQIES Planned System Outage April 13 8:00 p.m. ET thru April 17 8:00 a.m. ET
Due to scheduled maintenance, the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) won’t be available from: Thursday, April 13, 2023 8 p.m. ET until Monday, April 17, 2023 8 a.m. ET.
iQIES Service Center - For questions about this information, please contact QIES/iQIES Service Center by phone at (800) 339-9313 or send an email. Please note that call volume may be higher than normal during this time.
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2023 AHCA/NCAL Awards Program Now Open!
Nominations for the 2023 ACHA/NCAL Awards Program are now open! AHCA/NCAL members are strongly encouraged to nominate those in their community who go above and beyond to provide exceptional service in the long term care profession.
All nominations are available via Award Force. Members are encouraged to check back on each of AHCA and NCAL's award pages for more information, including rules and guidelines. The deadline to submit nominations is Friday, June 9, 2023.
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Webinar Recording Now Available: FY24 SNF Proposed Payment Rule
AHCA members can now access the recording of last week's webinar with President and CEO Mark Parkinson reviewing key details of the FY24 skilled nursing facility (SNF) proposed payment rule. Please note that a member long-in is required to view this webinar.
- The proposed rule provides for a net market basket increase for SNFs of 3.7 percent (approximately $1.2 billion) beginning October 1, 2023.
- The proposed rule did not include minimum staffing requirements.
- Proposed changes to § 488.436(a) Civil Money Penalties (CMP) would allow facilities to receive by default the 35 percent penalty reduction when the facility has not appealed within the 60-day timeframe.
AHCA has reviewed the proposed rule and developed a summary outlining key provisions and impacts on members. Please note this is for members only and requires an AHCA/NCAL log-in to view.
Email educate@ahca.org if you need assistance accessing this recording. For all other questions related to the proposed payment rule, please contact Mike Cheek.
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Upcoming Education: MDS - RAI Changes Workshop
6/12/2023 9:00AM - 4:00PM
This workshop has been specifically created to review the changes to the RAI manual starting October 1. Line by line coding instructions for new and revised sections. Click here for more details.
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Person-Centered Dementia Care...From the Perspective of the Resident - Lunch & Learn
5/4/2023 10:00AM - 3:00PM
This Lunch and Learn course includes the common framework and the stages of Dementia with a focus on improving the quality of care for individuals with dementia living in Long Term Care communities including Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living, and Home Plus settings. Presented by Linda Farrar, RN, LNHA this course will look at how care partners can approach prevention and de-escalation of challenging behaviors and will help you to intervene when behavior escalates. You will know how to recognize, respond and calm the individual using non-pharmacological approaches.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will demonstrate an understanding of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias and the impact on cognitive function.
- Participants will demonstrate ability to identify key care approaches for stages of dementia promote the highest practicable level of well-being for elders with dementia.
- Participants will demonstrate understanding of strategies to enhance communication and minimize negative behaviors.
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Spring Sale! Required In-Service Bundles
Assisted Living In-Service Bundle was $157.50 now $65! Click here for more details.
SNF In-Service Bundle was $165 now $99! Click here for more details.
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Two On Demand Webinars focusing on Social Services
Questions about education can be directed to Polly Berkley VP of Operations and Education.
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Assisted Living Conference
Lawrence, KS
4/14/2023 8:00AM-4:00PM
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Webinar: Mission Possible: SNF Department Head Briefing - Thriving Therapy Departments
4/25/2023 1:30PM-2:30PM
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Assisted Living Lunch and Learn: A Deeper Look at FCS/NSA and HSP
4/28/2023 10:00AM - 2:00PM
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Person-Centered Dementia Care...From the Perspective of the Resident Lunch & Learn
5/4/2023 10:00AM - 3:00PM
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Nurse Leadership Conference
6/13/2023 11:00AM - 6/14/2023 4:00PM
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Administrator in Training (AIT) Program
We are excited to announce our new AIT Program! Click here for more details.
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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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