January 15, 2025

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.

Membership Reminder: The renewal deadline for your KHCA/KCAL membership is March 31st. We strive to give you a highly-valued return on your dues investment, and we look forward to serving you in the year ahead.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your membership status, please contact Kristin Plantz kplantz@khca.org.

The Latest News

Invitation to Submit Nomination for KHCA Board Seat: VP of Reimbursement

At the KHCA Annual Meeting, bylaws were changed to add a reimbursement position to the KHCA Board. We are seeking a member with expertise in reimbursement processes, revenue cycle management, and navigating payer policies to help guide our organization in this critical area.

The ideal candidate will bring:

A deep understanding of reimbursement methodologies, including private insurance, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Experience in financial management or policy development related to LTC.
Have expertise and understanding in reimbursement methodologies established through governmental processes and outside vendors used by state and federal agencies.
Has a high degree of comfort in public speaking and/or presenting testimony during legislative sessions and/or legislative committee meetings.
Will inform the KHCA Board of current information pertinent to our long-term care provider membership.

If you are interested, please send statement of interest and a resume or CV to khca@khca.org by end of business day January 24, 2025.

KHCA Board members are committed to monthly meetings and expected to lead and potentially answer questions during the legislative session related to reimbursement issues for Kansas providers. Nominations will be shared with the KHCA Board Members and there will be an anonymous vote on 01/26/2025. The KHCA Board Members will be notified along with the candidates on 01/26/2025. The newly elected Board Member will be sworn into their office on February 14^th at the regularly scheduled KHCA Board Meeting.

This is an opportunity to make a meaningful impact for Kansas LTC Providers. Thank you for your consideration of this request.

QCA Payment Process Change - CRS Enrollment Details

Last Friday KDADS sent the below email to about 100 nursing facilities (group 1)—sent to the facility’s administrator and any secondary contact on file in KOTA (and to a known payer contact for a few facilities).

Below are the documents that were sent along with a list of the facilities that are in each of the three groups. KDADS' plan is to send the same email to the facilities in groups 2 and 3 in the upcoming weeks.

The CRS and submission of the User Agreement will be required for every facility to make their QCA payments regardless of the facility’s choice of payment type. Group 1 facilities should submit a User Agreement for approval by 1/21/25.

Fillable User Agreement with Instructions

1 Onboarding - Completing KDADS Security User Agreement

Dear Administrator,

Effective State Fiscal Year 2025 Q2, for the Due Date of 01/30/2025, your facility(s) must make Quality Care Assessment (Bed Tax) payments through the Kansas State Treasurer’s Collections Remittance System (CRS) using electronic funds transfer (EFT).

Attached is the required Security User Agreement, which must be completed for each State ID by an authorized Officer of the facility (CEO, CFO, COO). The agreement must include signatures from the Officer as well as all requested users. Submit the completed document on or before January 21, 2025, to: KDADS.CollectionsRemittanceSystem@ks.gov

See the attached PowerPoint Presentation for details and instructions to complete and submit the Security User Agreement.

This document is required for every facility (even if your facility plans to continue making payments by check—check payments will now be registered by the facility in the CRS).

Once KDADS receives, reviews, and approves the completed agreement, each authorized user will receive an email from KDADS with instructions for logging into CRS and making QCA payments.

Thank you,

Veronica Power

NF Quality Assurance Generalist

Aging Services Commission

Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services

503 S. Kansas Ave

Topeka, KS 66603

Veronica.power@ks.gov

www.kdads.ks.gov

CMS locks in 2025 nursing home surveyor priorities

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released its official 2025 mission and priorities document and by all accounts, providers are going to have their hands full while striving for full compliance. CMS outlined its roadmap for state survey agencies in a document issued Monday. READ MORE

Request Assisted Living Participation in Survey

As part of our collaboration with the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) and ongoing efforts to understand the electronic medical records (EMR) and electronic health records (EHR) utilization among assisted living providers, we are conducting a brief survey to gather valuable insights and feedback.

The feedback obtained from the survey will help guide AHCA/NCAL in ongoing EMR/EHR discussions with potential vendors in the LTC Data Cooperative. You can learn more about the LTC Data Cooperative here.

The survey will take approximately 3 minutes to complete and can be accessed through the link below:

Member Survey – What EMR/EHR do you use?

We kindly ask that you complete the survey by COB January 31^st. Your participation is greatly appreciated and will help us make informed decisions that align with our shared goals.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to reach out to NCAL's Director of Quality Improvement, Pam Truscott, directly at ptruscott@ncal.org.

Upcoming iQIES Service Center Hold Times February Deadline Reminder

Due to the Payroll Based Journal quarterly deadline, the iQIES Service Center is projecting an increase in the volume of calls and emails between now and February 14, 2025.

Did you know:

There are a variety of methods to contact the CCSQ Service Center.
You can schedule a call with a Service Center Representative at a time that best works for you! Just go to the CCSQ Support Central page and click on Schedule a Call.

Click here for more details.

Semmelweis Times Fall 2024 • Volume 5 • Issue 4

Click here to read more.

Members Only Nurse Advisory Committee (NAC) and Facility Standards Call – Friday, January 17, 2025 1:00PM - 2:00PM

Please note a time change for this meeting. (January’s call only)

Join us at 1:00PM where Cynthia Pendleton, Facility Standards VP and Linda Farrar, KHCA Clinical Consultant will review recent SNF survey findings followed by Nurse Advisory Committee President, Michelle Novotny to discuss Nursing Scholarships, hot topics, and the latest happenings.

Latest Survey Findings

Reflections

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Meeting ID: 291 245 467 185

Passcode: kF2HW9Qk

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+1 929-336-6311,,914572392# United States, New York City

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Phone conference ID: 914 572 392#

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Operators Raise Concern Over CMS’ Incentive Program To Boost RN Workforce In Nursing Homes

Skilled Nursing News (1/10, Siddiqi) reported CMS "plans to offer up to $20 million to boost the registered nurse (RN) workforce in nursing homes, but this, along with the agency’s Nursing Home Staffing Campaign, misses the mark on many levels, according to operators." The "funding grants nursing students seeking to become RNs up to $50,000" and "of that amount, a maximum of $40,000 can go towards tuition reimbursement." Furthermore, "the nursing students have to commit to work for a qualifying nursing home or state survey agency for a period of three years." AHCA/NCAL Quality, Regulatory and Clinical Services Senior Vice President Holly Harmon said, "We appreciate that CMS is finally sharing some details about this campaign that was announced more than two years ago; however, we are concerned about some of the fine print on these funds."

Axios (1/13, Goldman, 1.26M) also reports.

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 2025 Education Calendar.

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

Aging Services Day

February 18, 2025 - 8:30AM - 4:00PM

Aging Services Day is a collaborative event put together by Kansas Health Care Association/Kansas Center for Assisted Living, LeadingAge Kansas and Kansas Adult Care Executives where Long Term Care Providers gather at the state capitol to champion the needs of our elderly in Kansas. We will meet in the morning for education at The Beacon then go to the Capitol for a full afternoon of legislative advocacy on issues that are crucial to the LTC Profession with our Kansas Legislators. It’s a powerful opportunity to allow your voice to be heard and influence positive change for LTC providers and the population we care for. Be part of the movement for better aging services. LEARN MORE

Upcoming Education