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Bill to block staffing rule, other LTC measures to headline Congressional hearing
A bill that many providers view as the best bet to upend the federal nursing home staffing mandate finalized last week will get another hearing in Congress Tuesday.
The House Energy and Commerce Committee will review the Protecting Seniors Access to Care Act, as well as several other long-term care and workforce-related bills, during a 10 a.m. session. READ MORE
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Assisted Living Conference Follow-Up
As a follow-up from the Assisted Living Conference. K.A.R 22-11-8 Adult & Boarding Care Homes. All Residential board and care occupancies should comply with National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) 101, 2006 Edition for all board and care home regardless of the number of residents.
The OFSM website offers an online consultation form for your questions to be directly answered in writing from an inspector. You can submit those questions by using the link here: click here.
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KMAP Web Updates
The KMAP Public Portal has been updated with the following updates:
- UPDATED General Bulletin 23349 regarding the reminder of guidance on Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) requirements
- General Bulletin 24083 regarding EVV for the STEPS program
A standard global message has been added to alert providers. A standard RA banner message will appear on those available the weeks of April 29 and May 6.
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Clinical Update from KHCA Consultant Linda Farrar
It’s been awhile since we discussed the overuse of antipsychotic medications for treatment of dementia-related behaviors. That being said, CMS has not taken a break for the efforts to reduce off-label use of the drugs for dementia residents. An article in McKnight's on April 26, 2024, described a project that CMS conducted from 2015 to 2018. The report was published in JAMA Network Open last week. The article described the study in which Medicare sent letters to 5055 primary care physician who were identified as “top prescribers” of the drug quetiapine, the most popular antipsychotic medication prescribed in the U.S. Of those letters, 2528 providers got a placebo letter & 2527 prescribers were randomized to receive three warning letters letting the practitioner that the prescribers prescribing was high and was under review by Medicare. “The team analyzed data from 84,881 patients in nursing homes and 261,288 patients living in the community who were all reached by doctors who received the letters. All of the patients used Medicare.” READ MORE
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A Message from the President & CEO Linda MowBray: Our Kansas Commitment 4/26/24
With the White House announcing the final nursing home staffing mandate earlier this week, we issued a statement strongly opposing this impossible and unfunded mandate, stating that the rule will exacerbate Kansas's existing staffing crisis and efforts to enhance access to high-quality care for the state's growing aging population.
We have joined in with LeadingAge Kansas and the Kansas Hospital Association asking our Kansas Legislature to send a letter supporting our position to CMS and the White House. Click here for the draft language.
KHCA/KCAL is working with AHCA/NCAL on their efforts to prevent this rule from being implemented. You can assist by making plans to join us at the AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing on June 3 and 4 in Washington, D.C., during which we'll meet with our members of Congress and Senators to urge them to support the bipartisan Protecting America's Seniors' Access to Care Act, which will prevent CMS from enforcing this flawed mandate.
The Legislators returned for committee meetings April 25, 2024, while both chambers returned today to continue conference committee work. They plan to work into the weekend. The veto session begins Monday, April 29, 2024.
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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Now Available: AHCA/NCAL Summaries of CMS Minimum Staffing and Medicaid Final Rules
AHCA/NCAL members now have access to detailed summaries of the three final rules released by CMS earlier this week.
The Minimum Staffing final rule includes an overall standard of 3.48 nursing hours per patient day, which includes 0.55 hours per resident day (HPRD) for RNs and 2.45 CNA HPRD. There is a requirement for an RN in every building 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Specific details on these requirements, implementation timeframes, facility assessment requirements, waiver options, hardship exemptions, and enforcement are available in the member-only summary. Please note that a member log in is required to view this resource.
The AHCA/NCAL webinar recording focused on this final rule is also available exclusively for members. On the webinar, President and CEO Mark Parkinson and team walk through the key requirements and time frames in the final rule, as well as next steps. The webinar registration page offers tips to access the webinar. Please email educate@ahca.org for additional assistance.
The Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services final rule supports ongoing initiatives to enhance health care accessibility and quality. It focuses on improving Home and Community-Based Services and enhancing transparency and public accountability. It also introduces additional data reporting and monitoring across Medicaid's fee-for-service and managed care systems. More information about this rule can be found here.
The Medicaid Managed Care final rule marks a substantial update in the framework governing Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program managed care plans. The rule introduces enhancements aimed at improving care access, quality, and outcomes, with implications for long term and post-acute care (LTPAC) providers. More information about this rule can be found here.
Additional resources and materials will be shared as they become available.
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CMS Views Hardship Exemptions, Staggered Timeline as Easing Growing Pains From the Nursing Home Staffing Mandate
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provided more details Wednesday on the implementation of facility assessments and exemptions extended to nursing homes over the final staffing rule. READ MORE
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With a new quarter, brings a new member's only password to our website! |
Username: KHCAKCAL
Password: SUNFLOWER2024!
The username did not change. Both are case sensitive.
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RAC-CT Certification In-Person Workshop
June 25-27, 2024
Wichita, KS
Increase your knowledge of clinical assessment and care planning, completion of the MDS, the regulations surrounding the RAI/MDS process, and managing the PDPM by attending an AAPACN Resident Assessment Coordinator-Certified (RAC-CT) certification workshop. Having the RAC-CT credential behind your name shows you are a knowledgeable and capable MDS professional. RAC-CT certification is the nationally recognized gold-standard in resident assessment in the long-term care nursing profession. By earning this credential, individuals have shown their expertise in skilled nursing facility prospective payment system and minimum data set (MDS 3.0) assessment.
The RAC-CT certification program consists of 10 education courses designed for post-acute care professionals with at least six months of experience with the MDS/RAI process. If you have less than six months of experience, we highly recommend taking MDS Essentials as a foundation to get you started and make sure you’re prepared to succeed in the RAC-CT program. To earn the RAC-CT credential, you must successfully complete the associated final certification exams with a score of 80% or higher. You will have one year from the date of the workshop before they expire. There are three exam attempts per course. Recertification is required every two years.
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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 2 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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