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KHCA/KCAL Staff out of office Thursday
Your KHCA/KCAL staff will all be out of office tomorrow, Thursday, February 1st representing you at Aging Services Day. Please forgive delayed responses. Email khca@khca.org for the fastest response time.
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OSHA Recordkeeping and Reporting: A Guide to Determination
The guide will cover the determination behind the OSHA Recordkeeping and Reporting requirements, helping LTC facilities navigate these requirements more effectively. It will specifically address the determination of work-relatedness for injuries and illnesses, such as COVID-19, in the process of identifying recorded or reported events. READ MORE
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CMS’ Proposed HCBS Access Rule Now Under Final Review
McKnight’s Senior Living (1/31, Bonvissuto) reports, "A proposed federal rule establishing mandatory quality measures for home- and community-based services and requiring providers to allocate 80% of HCBS payments to direct care worker pay now is under final review." Previously, "senior living industry advocates...raised concerns about the worker payment allocation and quality measure requirements contained in the so-called Medicaid Access Rule after it was proposed by" CMS "in April, saying that it potentially could lead to fewer jobs, stagnant pay for caregivers and reductions in older adult access to HCBS." This "proposed rule was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget on Friday, and CMS has indicated that it plans to issue a final rule by April." The National Center for Assisted Living was "among the more than 2,000 groups and individuals that submitted comments to CMS last year." An NCAL spokeswoman said, "NCAL applauds CMS’ efforts in the proposed rule as they relate to consistency, transparency and increasing access to health care services. ... At the same time, we are concerned that several of these reporting requirements and provisions are duplicative and will ultimately increase administrative burden on assisted living communities." The spokeswoman "also said the organization supports efforts to address wage adequacy but that it believes that the direction outlined in the proposal inadvertently will increase workforce challenges and that the proposed rule fails to address the ‘critical importance for policymakers to properly fund Medicaid.’" In "original comments, NCAL raised the concern that by not including all provider types in the rule, workers would resign from one provider type and move to another due to higher wages related to the 80% payment proposal."
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KCAL District 5 Round Table
Thursday, February 15, 2024 from 2:00PM - 4:00PM in Wichita, KS
Assisted Living Round Table with KCAL Board Members Jennifer Scheck and Kasey Breidenthal and KHCA/KCAL VP of Operations & Education Polly Berkley. This includes ALL Assisted Livings, Home Plus and Residential Health Care Communities in District 5. (See image for counties included in this district.)
Location:
The Colony Coworking Space
659 N. Market St.
Wichita, KS 67214
You do not have to be a KCAL Member to attend and there is no cost.
RSVP:
If you plan to attend this meeting, please RSVP to the KHCA/KCAL office by emailing Teresa Keating (tkeating@khca.org). Please indicate your name, community, and a phone number.
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Clinical Update from KHCA Consultant Linda Farrar
Let’s start with some good news for Kansas facilities…skilled, LTC, AL, Residential Healthcare, Home Plus: near the beginning of the pandemic, Kansas, at the urging of the Advocates, created a visitation assessment that was to be completed for each resident related to visitation preferences. That document had remained in effect as far as we knew. Upon request from KHCA staff, Lacey Hunter confirmed that those visitation preference assessments are no longer necessary.
The AHCA LTC National Infection Prevention Forum has recently had a lot of discussion related to UTIs associated with indwelling urinary catheters and CAUTI (Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections). CDC provides guidance to facilities for appropriate use and care of indwelling catheters. Included are some CMS and CDC guidelines…please take note of the last bullet on the last page that is bolded and highlighted and visit with your Medical Director related to this recommendation. READ MORE
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HHS Office for Civil Rights Releases Visitation Guidance Resources
Last week, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) released the following materials pertaining to visitation guidance:
This initiative aims to avoid religious discrimination, particularly during a public health emergency. These resources remind organizations of their obligation to ensure visitation policies do not discriminate but also effectively communicate visitation restrictions to patients and residents.
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Last week’s visit to Brookside Health and Rehab from Congressman Jake LaTurner
Congressman Jake LaTurner visited Brookside Health and Rehab in Overbrook last week. He spoke to owners and administrative staff about their concerns related to Long-Term Care. He spoke with residents, shared stories, and answered their questions about what’s going on in Washington D.C.. Congressman LaTurner also presented words of thanks to the Veterans living at Brookside along with a special card and coin.
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Resident Care Coordinator Training for Nurses in Assisted Living
Assisted Living homes are one of the fastest growing segments of Kansas Long Term Care. Homes that understand the importance of the Resident Care Coordinator know that the right nurse with the right systems can be the answer to providing excellence in resident centered care.
Join KCAL professional nurses for a full day of training specifically designed to give nurses in the state licensed only setting (Assisted Living/Home Plus/Residential Health Care) the tools they need to succeed. From “up-to- date” regulatory information to hints for designing systems, this course will provide “The Right Stuff” for a nurse to succeed as a Resident Care Coordinator.
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Webinar: The Impact of the MDS: Ripple Effect on Reimbursement
2/7/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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Webinar: Deconstructing Immediate Jeopardy Mitigation: Navigating Top Risk Areas: Reducing Risks Related to Falls and Other Accident Hazards
2/13/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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OSHA Recordkeeping & New Reporting Requirements
2/13/24 - 2:00PM-3:00PM
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Webinar: The Impact of the MDS: MDS Influence on the Quality Measures
2/14/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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Resident Care Coordinator Training for Nurses in Assisted Living
2/16/24 - 8:30AM-3:30PM in Ottawa, KS
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Webinar: Documentation in Depth: Supportive Documentation for Behavioral Health and Mental Illness
2/20/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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Webinar: The Impact of the MDS: MDS Influence on Spades and SNF QRP
2/21/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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Webinar: Nursing Facility Discharge Processes
2/22/24 - 1:00PM-2:30PM
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Life Safety Code Boot Camp
2/28 - 2/29/24 - 8:00AM-3:30PM in Olathe, KS
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Webinar: The Impact of the MDS: MDS Five Star Factors
2/28/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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Administrator in Training (AIT) Program
Looking for an AIT Program? Click here for more details on KHCA's Program.
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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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