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Happy National Skilled Nursing Care Week!
We encourage you to share your stories, pictures, videos, and plans for celebrating by tagging AHCA on social media, including the NSNCW Facebook channel, using #NSNCW.
Click here to find marketing material, planning guides and graphics.
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Change Healthcare Update: Impacted VA Providers May Resume Claims Processing
Last week, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced that its direct Veterans Care Agreements (VCAs) claims processing systems are back online following the Change Healthcare cybersecurity breach.
This comes after certain VA direct payment systems needed for processing claims under VCAs were impacted by the breach, and the VA took those systems offline. The VA recently shared additional information that impacts community nursing home providers who were not able to submit VCA claims. READ MORE
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Clinical Update from KHCA Consultant Linda Farrar
Based on recent surveys, it is time to discuss required training and in-services. Surveyors are not only adding up the required 12 hours for CNAs, but they are also reviewing content of the training to ensure the intent of the regulatory requirements of trainings and in-service are being followed. And they are looking at documentation processes for completion of the exact times of each in-service along with sign-in sheets. READ MORE
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Members Only Nurse Advisory Committee (NAC) and Facility Standards Call – Friday, May 17, 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 followed by Nurse Advisory Committee President, Teresa Coover to discuss Nursing Scholarships, hot topics, and the latest happenings.
Meeting ID: 213 516 327 028
Passcode: KtwECx
Dial-in by phone
Phone conference ID: 480 932 158#
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TOMORROW! 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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A Message from the President & CEO
Linda MowBray: Our Kansas Commitment 5/10/24
Happy Nurses Week to all the amazing nurses making an impact on those around them. Kansas's long term care nurses are helping to provide exceptional care with kindness, empathy and compassion, and as a result Kansas is leading the way in quality outcomes. Thank you for making a difference!
I had the opportunity to share in RecoverCare’s Founders Day celebration earlier this week and speak with leadership and management teams. Oh yeah, I enjoyed being at Kauffman Stadium and seeing a Royals Baseball game as well. (We beat the Brewers 6 to 4.)
Last month, I was honored to be invited to speak to the leadership and management teams with Advena Living. The topic was how to effectively lobby and interact with elected members of the Kansas Legislature.
If any other members would like the KHCA/KCAL team to visit one of your events, please email khca@khca.org. We will accommodate requests as we are able.
Next week is National Skilled Nursing Care Week!
The 2024 National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW) theme, Radiant Memories - A Tribute to the Golden Age of Radio, embraces a time when the airwaves resonated with captivating stories and melodies. More than nostalgia, "Radiant Memories" is a call to honor the enduring legacy of skilled nursing care centers. In these centers, residents and staff contribute to the creation of radiant memories, akin to the cherished moments shared through music and stories over the radio waves.
Established by AHCA in 1967, NSNCW starts each year on Mother's Day and encourages skilled nursing care centers around the country to host a variety of events that shine a light on the individuals who reside, work, and volunteer in nursing centers while adhering to infection control requirements.
Be sure to share with us your stories, pictures, videos and with us and AHCA by tagging us at @NationalSkilledNursingCareWeek on all AHCA social platforms including our NSNCW Facebook channel using the hashtag #NSNCW.
Governor Kelly signs CCRC bill into law.
HB 2784: Transfers authority for certification of continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) from the Kansas Insurance Department to the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) and permits the Secretary for Aging and Disability Services to waive rules and regulations related to the licensing of disability services in certain circumstances. The bill also amends law regarding Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers (CCBHCs) certification. Additionally, it prohibits the State Fire Marshal and its representatives from wearing or operating body cameras or other audio or video recording devices during an on-site inspection in certain facilities.
Upcoming events
- Meeting with KDADS Stakeholder group. May 17, 2024, 1:30 - 3:00pm.
- Meeting with KDHE Secretary Janet Stanek for monthly catch-up on issues. May24, 2024, 1:30 - 2:00.
- Meeting with KDADS Secretary Laura Howard to review last session’s legislative actions their affect KDADS and providers. May 20, 2024, 10:00am - Noon.
- Meeting with KDADS for a discussion on final rates. May 20, 2024, 3:00 - 4:00pm.
- Meeting with KDADS to discuss the implementation of the CCRC oversight, Involuntary Discharge data gathering and the Staffing Agency registration process. May 23, 2024, 10:00am - Noon.
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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A Message from Mark Parkinson: Special Edition of Your Top-Line Report Focuses on Minimum Staffing Requirements
We Will Continue the Fight
With the recent release of the final staffing rule, the team at AHCA/NCAL has been hard at work developing resources to support you now as we determine our next steps.
Earlier today, AHCA/NCAL member centers received a special edition of the Your Top-Line Report from LTC Trend Tracker. In addition to the usual data provided, this report focuses on minimum staffing and uses PBJ data to outline how your facility meets each of the final rule requirements today:
- 24/7 RN onsite;
- 3.48 Total Nurse Hours Per Resident Day (HPRD);
- 2.45 Nurse Aide HPRD; and
- 0.55 RN HPRD.
The report outlines compliance deadlines for each requirement (for reference), hours needed to meet each requirement (if not met), and possible census decrease to meet the requirement. The report also details whether your center is urban or rural for purposes of this rule, which impacts the compliance deadline imposed.
The report also includes information on the hardship exemption. Specifically, it summarizes the workforce in your center’s geographical area and whether it currently meets the first requirement for an exemption. This exemption is that the workforce is “unavailable” as measured by having a nursing workforce that is a minimum of 20% below the national average.
I want to extend a big thank you to Kiran Sreenivas, KeShawn Franklin, Valerie Williams, and Lucille Xiang from the AHCA/NCAL Research Team for their hard work in putting together this valuable resource. It took a lot of time and effort, and this data will hopefully provide a better idea of where each center stands regarding the final staffing rule. AHCA/NCAL’s LTC Trend Tracker is a free service available to all of our members. If you have not accessed your information in LTC Trend Tracker previously, you can easily register here.
Our team also completed the Staffing Mandate Analysis released yesterday, which shows just how impossible this final rule is to implement. Our findings concluded that nursing homes will have to hire an additional 102,000 nurses and nurse aides to comply with the mandate at a cost of $6.5 billion annually. Additionally, more than 290,000 may be at risk of displacement, as facilities are forced to reduce their census in order to comply with the mandate or close altogether.
Simply put, an unfunded, one-size-fits-all minimum staffing mandate will be impossible to meet and only threatens to limit access to care for our seniors. I encourage you to review the full analysis that includes more supporting data.
We are working hard to reverse this policy, but we need your help. Please make plans to attend the upcoming AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing June 3 & 4 in Washington, D.C. This is the perfect time to let your members of Congress know how impossible this proposal is to implement. We hope to see you there and will continue to fight on your behalf. Thanks for everything you do.
Sincerely,
Mark Parkinson
President & CEO, AHCA/NCAL
If you need help downloading your report, please e-mail Jennafer Sumner at jsumner@khca.org
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CDC Townhall: Understanding Enhanced Barrier Precautions
Do you or your staff have questions about Enhanced Barrier Precautions? Save the date for CDC's "Longterm Care Townhall: Understanding Enhanced Barrier Precautions" on May 22, 2024, at 1:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada). CDC experts will lead this discussion, including Dr. Bola Ogundimu, DrPH, RN, CIC, CPHQ; Dr. Kara Jacobs Slifka, MD, MPH; and Dr. Heather Jones, DNP, NP-C.
Objectives of the Townhall:
- Provide an overview of Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDROs).
- Discuss why MDROs pose a significant concern in healthcare settings.
- Define Enhanced Barrier Precautions and their role in preventing the spread of infections.
- Address common questions surrounding infection prevention.
- Open the floor for a Q&A session with participants.
Who Should Attend:
This webinar is designed for anyone involved with or working in long-term care facilities who seeks to deepen their understanding of Enhanced Barrier Precautions. Whether you are part of the LTCF staff, an administrator, or are connected to LTCFs in any capacity, this town hall is for you.
Details:
Date: May 22, 2024
Time: 12:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)
Location: Online (Zoom)
Topic: Understanding Enhanced Barrier Precautions
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Elevate Your Geriatric Care Competency for Less During the Gero Nurse Prep Sale
The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s Gero Nurse Prep course significantly increases RNs’ gerontological nursing competency test scores. Registrants can save $200 on Gero Nurse Prep through June 15, 2024 with promo code RNPATH24 (all caps).
Research conducted by AHCA/NCAL in 2023 found compelling reasons to consider the Gero Nurse Prep course and ANCC Board certification for RNs. Nursing facilities with at least one ANCC Board certified RN experienced:
- Lower rehospitalization rates for short stay and long stay residents
- Fewer deficiencies on average
- Fewer Immediate Jeopardy (IJ) citations
- More stars -- twice as likely to be a CMS 5-Star facility (44% versus 19%)
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World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD)
The purpose of WEAAD is to educate and promote a better understanding of the abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic, and demographic factors affecting elder abuse and neglect.
Join us for a day filled with opportunities to learn, connect, and grow our understanding of elder abuse! Includes lunch and 5 CEs.
Friday, June 14, 2024
Topeka, KS
8:30 AM - 4:00 PM
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Nurse Leadership Conference
6/18/2024 11:00AM - 6/19/2024 4:00PM
Manhattan, KS
This special Nurse Leadership Conference sponsored by Tapestry Health is an opportunity for nurses working in the Long-Term Care setting to strengthen their leadership and clinical skills. Building strong leaders through education is essential to promoting a better quality of life for our residents. Meet new vendor partners and spend time networking and getting to know others that are doing the same valuable work that you’re doing. A networking event is in the works for the evening of June 18th. This will be a separate ticket event, so don’t forget to sign up. Let’s celebrate all that we’ve accomplished, together.
Education Topics Include:
- The Magic of Connection for Leaders
- Dementia and Preventing Resident to Resident Altercations
- Artificial Intelligence for Nurse Leaders
- Advance Care Planning and Effective Conversations about DNR
- The Pitfalls of Documentation
- Root Cause Analysis
- Survey Prep; A review of common wound citations
- Regulatory Hot Topics
- Plus a social and networking event at the Liquid Art Winery on the evening of June 18th.
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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
This class is full! Please email khca@khca.org to be placed on wait list.
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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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