September 12, 2025

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The Latest News

⏰ It's Almost Convention Week!! ⏰

Please forgive any delayed responses next week, as our entire team will be busy preparing for and then attending the 75th Annual Convention & Trade Show!

9/16 - 9/18/25 Mulvane, KS

🎤 Incredible speakers

🏆 Staff Awards Ceremony

🛍️ Trade Show with top vendors

🤝 Networking & 75 years of celebration

👉 Don’t wait—secure your spot today:

Click here to learn more.

CMS updates timing for Care Compare, schizophrenia changes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has updated two key timelines for public reporting changes that will affect nursing homes, including delaying a new quality measure calculation.

While most data on the Nursing Home Care Compare website remains frozen until late October, a CMS memo issued Wednesday clarified that information gleaned from payroll-based journal and schizophrenia coding audits will be updated Sept. 24. Special Focus Facility status also will be updated at that time. READ MORE

2026 Webinar Survey

Proactive is currently collecting data on topics for 2026 webinars. KHCA/KCAL is seeking your input on desired topics for next year. The purpose of this survey is solely to see what our members are interested in and is not a complete list of trainings that Proactive plans to provide. The KHCA/KCAL Education committee will review results and make decisions on education delivered based on your input.

CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY

Medicare Part B Spending On Skin Substitutes Drawing New Scrutiny In OIG Report

McKnight’s Long-Term Care News (9/8, O'Connor) reports, "Medicare Part B spending on skin substitutes used on hard-to-heal wounds is drawing new scrutiny in a federal watchdog report, even as wound clinicians make their case for access to those alternatives." On Monday, the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) reported "that expenditures for skin substitutes had ‘skyrocketed over the last 2 years, surpassing $10 billion annually by the end of 2024.’" In addition, "OIG noted that the share of such products being used in nursing facilities also had increased from about 7% in early 2023 to 12.5% by the third quarter of 2024."

CMS Proceeds With $75M Program To Address Nurse, CNA Shortage In Nursing Homes

Skilled Nursing News (9/9, Mullaney) reports CMS "is proceeding with a $75 million program to help address the shortage of nurses and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in U.S. nursing homes." The agency "will invest ‘over $75 million’ in the campaign, with the funds drawn from civil monetary penalties assessed on providers...said" CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. AHCA/NCAL "cheered Oz’s announcement."

McKnight’s Long-Term Care News (9/9, Marselas) reports AHCA Senior Vice President of Quality, Regulatory and Clinical Services Holly Harmon said, "This is an encouraging start to what we hope will be an ongoing collaboration between CMS and the profession on meaningful ways to further invest in the long-term care workforce." However, New Hampshire Health Care Association President and CEO Brendan Williams criticized the announcement, "noting that the spending could amount to about $5,000 per US nursing home."

AHCA Board of Governors Application Period Now Open for Limited Positions

AHCA is preparing for its 2025-2026 election cycles for the AHCA Board of Governors, and there are limited positions now open to apply for. An expedited application period will take place through Tuesday, September 16 at pm CST.  READ MORE

Nominations Now Open for the 2026/2027 AHCA/NCAL Committees

From September 9 through October 10, all AHCA/NCAL provider members have the opportunity to nominate themselves or another member to serve on one or more of the AHCA/NCAL Committees. READ MORE

CDC Publishes 2025-2026 US Flu Vaccination Recommendations

The CDC recently released the 2025-2026 influenza vaccine recommendations. READ MORE

First-Time Applicant Hour: Intro to the Quality Award Journey

09/25/2025 at 2:00 PM (CDT)

AHCA/NCAL is hosting a webinar on the National Quality Award Program, with a focus on helping first-time applicants understand the structure and purpose of the program. READ MORE

KHCA Annual Business Meeting

Join us for the Annual Business Meeting, held in conjunction with the Kansas Health Care Association’s 75th Annual Convention and Trade Show.

Date: Thursday, September 18, 2025

Time: 10:00 – 11:00 AM

Location: Kansas Star Event Center, 785 Kansas Star Drive, Mulvane, KS 67110

We encourage all members to attend.

Click here to view meeting reports as they become available. Please note: A member password is required for access.

Education Spotlight

Assisted Living Lunch and Learn: A Deeper Look at FCS, NSA, and HSP

October 16, 2025

Wichita, KS

9:00 AM - 2:00 PM

The Functional Capacity Screen (FCS) may look simple—but completing it accurately can be anything but. In this interactive Lunch and Learn, you’ll learn how to correctly complete an FCS, identify and work through common gray areas, and document your findings with confidence.

Click here for more details.

Upcoming Education