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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Democrats push new LTC workforce bill as offset to nursing home mandate
Key Democratic leaders Tuesday positioned new long-term care workforce legislation as a way to support nursing homes when a first-ever staffing mandate is finalized.
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), chair of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, and two colleagues introduced The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act Monday. It aims to increase the number of direct care professionals, provide new pathways to enter the LTC workforce, improve pay, and identify effective recruitment and training strategies. READ MORE
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Upcoming iQIES Service Center Hold Times May Deadline Reminder
Due to the Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) quarterly deadline, the iQIES Service Center is projecting an increase in the volume of calls and emails between April 1, 2024, and May 15, 2024. READ MORE
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Register for a Free In-Person Health Ambassador Training
Don’t miss this opportunity to register two individuals from your nursing home for a free regional in-person Health Ambassador Training in Kansas being presented by KFMC as part of the Health Quality Innovation Network (HQIN) and Johns Hopkins University.
This training uses the Be REAL (Relate, Explore, Assist, Leave – the door open) framework which focuses on building trust by forming relationships, targeting resources responsive to a facility’s population, and always keeping the door open for interactions to improve health outcomes such as immunizations and infection prevention. READ MORE
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Rapid Response Staffing Support Center
KFMC would like to remind providers that the Rapid Response Staffing Support Center will be ending in May 2024. The last RRSSC covered day will be May 10, 2024. We want to thank you all for your continued dedication to those you serve. If you have any questions please reach out to Brenda Groves at Bgroves@kfmc.org
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Members Only Facility Standards Call – Friday, April 19, 2024 10:00 AM - 11:00AM
Join us at 10:00AM where Cynthia Pendleton, Facility Standards VP and Linda Farrar, KHCA Clinical Consultant will review recent SNF survey findings.
There will NOT be a Nurse Advisory Committee (NAC) call this month.
Microsoft Teams
Meeting ID: 278 913 534 880
Passcode: rkvbNz
Dial-in by phone
Phone conference ID: 783 987 902#
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KCAL District 6 Virtual Round Table
Friday, April 26, 2024
11:00AM - 12:30PM with Microsoft Teams
Assisted Living Round Table with KCAL Board Members Juli Hickenbottom and KHCA/KCAL President/CEO Linda MowBray. This includes ALL Assisted Livings, Home Plus and Residential Health Care Communities in District 6. (See image for counties included in this district.)
Location: Virtually with Microsoft Teams
You do not have to be a KCAL Member to attend and there is no cost.
RSVP:
If you plan to attend this meeting by Microsoft Teams, 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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A Message from the President & CEO Linda MowBray: Our Kansas Commitment
First adjournment finally occurred in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 6, 2024. The Senate finished up around 2:20am and the House followed suit around 2:35am. It was a long and arduous night for all 165 legislators, staff members and lobbyists. Several pieces of legislation will need to be finalized in one chamber or the other when the session resumes April 29, 2024. I’ll provide details in a future newsletter on what is left undone and what we can do to influence the outcome.
Right now, our attention turns to the budget. Nursing home preliminary rates for July 1, 2024 were posted in the Kansas Register on April 11, 2024. Click here for a link to that publication. KDADS rate setting information begins on page 6.
Several noteworthy things about the rates:
- As the final KDADS budget was not passed (and has yet to be signed by the Governor) before the deadline to publish the preliminary rates, the facility rate does not reflect the $15.40 per day Medicaid add-on.
- Second, the CMI is an estimate as the actual first quarter Medicaid CMI data that is used to average with the fourth quarter Medicaid CMI average was not available prior to publication.
So, one might logically ask why the preliminary rates were published without complete data? The answer is that the state is required to provide a 30-day public comment period prior to posting the final rates. The deadline to submit comments is May 12, 2023. See below for details on how to make comments. Final rates must be posted no later than June 15, 2024 in order for the new rates to be distributed and loaded into the MCO’s billing portals.
Finally, we have heard from a member that their ownership disclosure requirement was scrutinized at a much greater level when they were renewing their Home Plus license.
We are currently completing AL licensure renewals (Home Plus private pay) for our Kansas Memory Care Community. KDADS asks for ownership disclosure beyond 5% or more, which is required on their renewal application. They want a breakdown of every single organization until we are reporting individuals.
I reached out to KDADS for an explanation. Click here for a copy of the thread of emails exchanged.
My question now to all of our members, has this been common practice or have you only been held to 5% ownership in the past? Thanks all and looking forward to hearing from you.
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Should you have questions or comments, please feel free to reach out to me. As always, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you. |
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Clinical Update from KHCA Consultant Linda Farrar
There are so many questions about the newest QSO letter related to implementation of the Enhanced Barrier Precautions. Everyone has a little different challenge with the guidance. Hopefully, most of you are getting the same information from the LTC National Infection Prevention Forum. READ MORE
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A Message from the Medicaid External Relations Senior Manager, Lauren Evans
KanCare Provider Revalidation Messaging
As you may know the provider revalidation process has resumed, with a portion of Kansas Medical Assistance Program (KMAP) providers revalidating each month. Click here for a document with messaging about the provider revalidation process for any communication you may have with providers.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.
Thank you,
Lauren Evans, MA
Medicaid External Relations Senior Manager
Kansas Department of Health and Environment
Cell phone: (785) 207.8503
Office phone: (785) 296.3426
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Senators Introduce Bill To Ban Nursing Homes’ Use Of Arbitration Agreements
McKnight’s Senior Living (4/11, Gaivin) reports, "Nursing homes would be prohibited from requiring or soliciting residents to sign pre-dispute, mandatory, binding arbitration agreements as a condition of admission under a bill introduced Tuesday by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI)." The bill dubbed "the Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act" is "a companion to legislation with the same name reintroduced in the House of Representatives earlier this year." AHCA Government Affairs Senior Vice President Clif Porter "said that, in general, AHCA does not support legislation that bans the use of pre-dispute arbitration agreements," adding, "Banning arbitration agreements would eliminate a fair and efficient legal remedy that provides benefits to patients and providers."
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Why CMS is shifting its infection control focus to sepsis
BALTIMORE — Quality experts at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will be taking a closer look at sepsis rates in nursing homes while continuing broader efforts to improve infection control, leaders said Wednesday.
“When we’re looking at readmissions and talking to our QIN-QIOs, the most common reason for readmission is typically related to sepsis,” said Colleen Frey, director of the CMS Division of Community and Population Health, referring to regional quality improvement groups that work with nursing homes. READ MORE
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Bureau Of Labor Statistics Shows Price Of In-Home Care For Elderly Increased By 14.2% Over 12-Month Period
The Hill (4/10, O'Connell-Domenech, 5.69M) reports, "Costs for home health care for the elderly and bed-ridden have gone up by 14.2 percent over the past year, according to new Consumer Price Index data released Wednesday." It "represents the largest percent increase in home health care costs during a 12-month period since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began collecting data on such costs in 2005." The country "has an aging population, and the need for care among the nation’s roughly 73 million Baby Boomers is driving up the cost of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and home health care." Approximately "70 percent of American adults aged 65 and older will need some form of long-term care in the future, according to the Administration for Community Living."
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Resident Care Coordinator Training for Nurses in Assisted Living
May 3, 2024
8:30AM - 3:30PM
Salina, KS
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.
Training Highlights:
This training will take a holistic approach to the role of the Resident Care Coordinator as it relates to:
- Assessing for Appropriate Admissions
- Medication Management
- Bringing It All Together
- Best Practice Session
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Resident Care Coordinator Training for Nurses in Assisted Living
5/3/24 - 8:30AM-3:30PM - Salina, KS
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Webinar: Deconstructing Immediate Jeopardy Mitigation: Navigating Top Risk Areas: Reducing Risks Related to Infection Control
5/14/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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Webinar: Documentation in Depth: Supportive Documentation for Dialysis Care
5/21/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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Webinar: Deconstructing Immediate Jeopardy Mitigation: Navigating Top Risk Areas: Reducing Risks related to CPR
6/11/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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SSD Boot Camp
6/17/24 - 8:30AM-4:00PM
Topeka, KS
Only 10 seats remain!
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Nurse Leadership Conference
6/18 - 6/19/24
Manhattan, KS
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Webinar: Documentation in Depth: Supportive Documentation for End-of-Life Care
6/18/24 - 1:30PM-2:30PM
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RAC-CT Certification In-Person Workshop
6/25 - 6/27/24
Wichita, KS
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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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