November 6, 2024

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The Latest News

Final KDADS Regional Roundtables

If you missed the previous KDADS regional roundtables from this week, click here for the slides that the KDADS teams presented.

Topics of discussion include:

State Licensed Only Involuntary Discharge Reporting (Assisted Living, Residential Health Care, Home Plus)
Changes to CCRC since July 1, 2024
Receivership – what is it and how do you apply for it
Top deficiencies cited
Survey consistency
CMPs and Other Enforcement
NATCEP Bans and Waiver Process

Last chance to attend a KDADS regional roundtable is tomorrow. Click below for additional details.

11/7/24 - Southwest Region in Dodge City, KS

CMS Extends Deadline for All Mandatory Off-Cycle SNF Provider Enrollment Revalidations

We are pleased to report that yesterday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) extended the due date to May 1, 2025, to submit the new Form CMS-855A SNF Disclosures Attachment 1 nationwide for all SNF revalidations and for all “pending as of October 1” applications. This replaces the original 90-day period that was required to submit information (with exception of states impacted by the recent hurricanes) within receiving notice from a respective Medicare Administrative Contractor between October and December 2024.

This positive development comes after AHCA/NCAL expressed strong concerns with the 90-day deadline to HHS and CMS in a letter last month.

Specifically, the new CMS disclosable parties reporting submission timeline guidance states:

Due Dates for All SNFs: Regardless of when the SNF received its notice of revalidation letter from its MAC (i.e., October, November, or December), the revalidation application due date for ALL SNFs – irrespective of the state in which they are located -- is May 1, 2025. This May 1, 2025, due date also applies to ALL SNFs that – as explained in Section (I)(B) above – had a pending initial, revalidation, reactivation, or CHOW application as of October 1, 2024, and were requested to submit the SNF Attachment. The Attachment will not be due until May 1, 2025. The previous restriction of the May 1, 2025, date to SNFs in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee no longer applies.

This is one of two updates posted by CMS over the past week to its sub regulatory guidance related to this revalidation process. It also contains new technical guidance, clarifications, and answers to FAQs to assist providers in submitting the required information, including clarification on:

The number of organizational charts that must be submitted (see Section (VI)(C))
Clinical consulting services and policies/procedures (see new Section VI(G)))
Sections (III)(E)(i) and (ii) that both categories of bulleted parties must be reported.

AHCA/NCAL will continue to provide and update resources for members during this timeframe, including on our website, as well as assisting members through our Member Provider Enrollment Revalidation Helpdesk. AHCA/NCAL will also host four Office Hours webinars on November 15, December 6, January 10, and January 31.

Please contact 855Revalidation@ahca.org with any questions.

CMS Issues Final Rule Impacting Nursing Home NHSN Reporting Starting January 1, 2025

Late Friday, Nov. 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the Calendar Year 2025 Home Health Prospective Payment System Rate Update, which includes significant changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) reporting requirements for nursing homes.

Beginning on January 1, 2025, nursing homes will be required to electronically report information about COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This will replace the current nursing home COVID-19 reporting requirements to NHSN that are set to sunset on December 31, 2024.

AHCA is pleased to see CMS and CDC acknowledge and address the reporting burden on providers in the final rule as well as in their response to AHCA’s comments. Specifically, CMS notes they are requiring the minimal necessary data for weekly data reporting to NHSN to maintain a level of situational awareness that will protect resident health and safety, and CDC has combined the required reporting fields into one simplified reporting form in NHSN. CDC will also provide enhanced user support, an improved helpdesk ticket response system, and training tailored to the LTC community to support the use of NHSN.

The new data elements for which NHSN reporting will be required on January 1, 2025, include:

Facility census
Resident vaccination status for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV
Confirmed resident cases of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV (overall and by vaccination status)
Hospitalized residents with confirmed cases of COVID-19, influenza, and RSV (overall and by vaccination status).

The final rule also allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services, in the event of a future acute respiratory illness public health emergency (PHE), to require submission of additional related data elements or an increased frequency of reporting. CMS also withdrew the portion of the proposed rule that would have allowed the Secretary to increase data reporting if a significant threat for a PHE for an acute infectious illness exists.

This rule is scheduled to be published on November 7, 2024, and can be found here. Please feel free to send questions to regulatory@ahca.org.

Clinical Update from KHCA Consultant Linda Farrar

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FROM CDC:

(Also reported from AHCA, see above)

CMS notes they are requiring the minimal necessary data for weekly data reporting to NHSN to maintain a level of situational awareness that will protect resident health and safety, and CDC has combined the required reporting fields into one simplified reporting form in NHSN. CDC will also provide enhanced user support, an improved helpdesk ticket response system, and training tailored to the LTC community to support the use of NHSN. READ MORE

CDC Recommends Extra COVID-19 Vaccine Dose For People Ages 65 And Up, Those With Weakened Immune Systems

NBC News (11/3, Syal) reports that in October, the CDC "recommended that high-risk adults get a second updated Covid vaccine to bolster their protection against the virus." The CDC "now recommends that people ages 65 and up and those with weakened immune systems get a second dose of the 2024-25 vaccine six months after their first dose." According to NBC, "no other vaccines are given at such a high frequency, but experts say there’s no reason to believe that the vaccines – and in particular, the mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna – aren’t effective."

PEAK Experience Survey

Your voice matters! The PEAK Team at K-State, KDADS, and the PEAK Advisory Team need your help to improve the PEAK Program. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey by November 15th. Your feedback will directly impact the future of the program. Please share this link with other staff in your home – we want to make sure all voices are heard and opinions to be represented.

PEAK Participants: Click here

Submit Your 2025 National Quality Award Intent to Apply

The AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award 2025 Intent to Apply (ITA) is open.

We encourage applicants who plan to apply for a National Quality Award in 2025 to submit an ITA before the deadline on Thursday, November 14, 2024.

WHY SUBMIT AN ITA?

Commitment to Quality: Demonstrate your organization's dedication to continuous quality improvement to your communities, staff, and residents.
Stay Organized: Help keep your organization focused and organized throughout the application process.
Discounted Application Fee: Applicants who submit an ITA receive a discounted application fee.*
Exclusive Resources: Gain access to exclusive resources to assist with the application process.
Voluntary but Encouraged: While submitting an ITA is voluntary, it is strongly encouraged for long term and post-acute care providers.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

Education Spotlight

Webinar: Welcome to the World of Dietary! LTC Refresher Course

December 12th, 2024 - 10:00AM - 2:30PM

Dietary department need a refresh? Sharpen your dietary knowledge and establish effective dietary department systems when you join Proactive for this virtual workshop. This 4-hour training will review team building, food service regulations, documentation requirements, IDT collaboration, preventing common deficiencies and much more! Co-presented by a dual Registered Dietitian and Nursing Home Administrator and a nurse/legal nurse consultant, your team will gain insights into the dietitian role, effective dietary systems and recommended QA oversight and management duties of the facility administrator! Don’t miss this unique opportunity to elevate the quality of your dietary department.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the importance of staff development, training, and teamwork in the dietary department.
Identify the regulatory requirements pertinent to the dietary manager role.
Identify survey procedures surveyors will follow to assess compliance with dietary related requirements.
Recognize areas of common deficiencies and how to avoid them.
Discuss integration of systems between nursing and dietary departments.
Describe best practices for implementing and/or improving assessment and documentation practices pertinent to systems related to nutrition and hydration.
Understand the role of the dietary manager in collaborating with the IDT to manage systems related to nutrition and hydration and reducing weight loss in LTC facilities

Click here for more details.