February 28, 2025

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.

Membership Reminder: The renewal deadline for your KHCA/KCAL membership is March 31st. We strive to give you a highly-valued return on your dues investment, and we look forward to serving you in the year ahead.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your membership status, please contact Kristin Plantz kplantz@khca.org.

The Latest News

A Message from the President & CEO Linda MowBray: Our Kansas Commitment

Sub for HB2007 - House Passes Legislative Budget

House Passes Legislative Budget- including full rebase and $20 per day Medicaid add-on for Nursing Homes. The bill was received and introduced in the Senate and referred to the Ways and Means Committee. This committee is chaired by one of our champions, Senator Rick Billinger. Legislative Services explained the bill to the committee and work will begin next week reviewing the individual agencies. A date has not been set for the KDADS budget but look for a call to action from us next week to contact the members of this committee.

SB82 –

Rural emergency hospitals; relating to nursing facility physical environment regulatory requirements; requiring the secretary for aging and disability services to grant waivers to certain rural emergency hospitals to provide skilled nursing facility care. The full bill text can be found here.

This bill passed out of the Senate, was read into the House and assigned to Health and Human Services Committee. This bill will have a hearing Monday, March 3, 2025. We are staying neutral on this bill.

SB 88 –

AN ACT concerning the state long-term care ombudsman; requiring the state long-term care ombudsman and any regional ombudsman to receive training in memory care; amending K.S.A. 75-7306 and repealing the existing section. The full bill text can be found here.

This bill passed out of the Senate and was read into the House assigned to the House Committee on Health and Human Services. This bill will have a hearing on Monday, March 3, 2025, at 1:30. We plan to testify in support of this bill.

HB 2163 –

AN ACT concerning income taxation; relating to credits; providing for the preceptor income tax incentive act; establishing a credit for nursing home administrators, registered nurses and registered dietitians that serve as community-based faculty preceptor in adult care homes and medical care facilities by providing personalized instruction, training and supervision for students The full bill text can be found here.

Although no action was taken on this bill following the initial hearing, the House Taxation Committee where it was heard, is an exempt committee and future work on this bill is likely to occur. A similar bill is working its way through the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee. It is SB224. The text can be found here

SB 276 –

AN ACT concerning health and healthcare; relating to the state fire marshal; requiring the state fire marshal to complete certain annual training in person-centered care and responding to individuals with Alzheimer's disease and intellectual and developmental disabilities; removing the state fire marshal from the adult care home licensure act and the providers of disability services act; amending K.S.A. 39-925, 39-928, 39-929, 39-938, 39-2005, 39-2008 and 39-2012 and repealing the existing sections

This bill was introduced in the Senate and assigned to Public Health and Welfare. A hearing will be held Thursday, March 6, 2025. Your comments on this bill would be appreciated. Please email them lmowbray@khca.org. The full text can be found here.

Thank you for trusting us to be your voice in the legislature. As always, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve you.

Linda MowBray, President/CEO

lmowbray@khca.org

(785) 267-6003

Call for Letters of Interest for KHCA Open Board Positions

We are currently accepting letters of interest for two open board positions:

District I Vice President- Representing Leavenworth, Wyandotte, Douglas and Johnson Counties
Education Vice President – Leads in the development of high-quality educational opportunities though the Association for Adult Care Home Staff.

If you are passionate about contributing to the Association’s leadership and growth, we encourage you to apply.

Your letter of interest should include:

Your Name and Contact Information
The Board Position You Are Applying For
Your Qualifications and Relevant Experience
Your Vision and Goals for the Role
Why You Are Interested in Serving on the Board

Please submit your letter to khca@khca.org by March 10, 2025. Current KHCA board members will review letters of interest and possibly vote at the March 14, 2025 board meeting.

KMAP Web Updates

The KMAP website has been updated with General Bulletin 24281 regarding HCBS Adverse Incident Reporting and Management.

Manual Updates

In keeping with current policies and procedures, the following provider manuals have been updated on the KMAP website provider manual page:

HCBS Autism Fee-for-Service Provider Manual
HCBS Brain Injury Fee-for-Service Provider Manual
HCBS Frail Elderly Fee-for-Service Provider Manual
HCBS FMS Fee-for-Service Provider Manual
HCBS I/DD Fee-for-Service Provider Manual
HCBS PD Fee-for-Service Provider Manual
HCBS SED Fee-for-Service Provider Manual
HCBS TA Fee-for-Service Provider Manual

KanCare Claims Resolution Logs

The KanCare 3.0 Open Claims Resolution Log and the KanCare 3.0 Closed Claims Resolution Log are now available on the Bulletins page under the Publications heading on the KMAP website.

TPL Non-Covered Code List

An updated TPL Non-Covered Code list can be found under the Interactive Tools section of the Provider tab on the KMAP website.

Standard global messages have been added to alert providers. Standard RA banner messages will appear on those available through March 5 and March 12.

Listeria Outbreak Linked to Supplement Shakes

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and public health officials in several states are investigating a multistate outbreak of Listeria infections linked to supplement shakes. Many people impacted by this outbreak lived in long term care facilities or were hospitalized before becoming sick. Currently, there have been 38 cases, 37 hospitalizations, and 12 deaths across 21 states.

Listeria is especially harmful to pregnant women, people 65 or older, and those with weakened immune systems. This is because Listeria is more likely to spread beyond their gut to other parts of their body, resulting in a severe condition known as invasive listeriosis.

Timeline

On February 22, 2025, Lyons Magnus LLC (“Lyons Magnus”) announced a voluntary recall of 4 oz. Lyons ReadyCare and Sysco Imperial Frozen Supplemental Shakes due to the potential for contamination with Listeria monocytogenes. These products were distributed throughout the United States. The top of the carton has a printed label identifying the Lot Code and Best By Date for these products. A chart of all recalled products is available on the FDA website.

What You Should Do

Do not serve any recalled products to residents. Throw them away or return them to where you bought them.
Clean the refrigerator, containers, and surfaces that may have touched the recalled products. Listeria can survive in the refrigerator and can easily spread to other foods and surfaces.
Call a health care provider right away if a resident presents with the following symptoms after consuming recalled products: Headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions, in addition to fever, muscle aches, and tiredness.

Visit the Lyons Magnus website for more information or email frozenshakerecall@lyonsmagnus.com.

Senators Reintroduce Bill To Overturn Federal Staffing Mandate

McKnight’s Long-Term Care News (2/28, Marselas) reports "Sens. Deb Fischer (R-NE) and James Lankford (R-OK) have reintroduced a bill to overturn the federal nursing home staffing mandate." On Wednesday, "Fischer reintroduced the Protecting Rural Seniors’ Access to Care Act...and companion legislation was introduced in the House by Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) last week." In a statement regarding the mandate, AHCA President and CEO Clif Porter "said the rule would force further closures and ‘displace tens of thousands of nursing home residents in communities across the country,’" adding, "we look forward to working with members of Congress on more productive solutions to grow our workforce."

NEXT WEEK! Webinar: CMS Revised Surveyor Guidance

March 4, 2025

1:00PM - 3:00PM

This 2-hour webinar will provide an in-depth review of the significant revisions to the LTC survey process released on November 18, 2024 as QSO-25-07-NH. Attendees will gain insights into these updates, explore available training and resources, and identify key readiness considerations to ensure compliance before the changes take effect on March 24, 2025.

**There will be specific time built in to answer your questions at the end of this webinar**

Click here for more information.

Aging Services Day 2025 has been rescheduled!

Due to last week's weather, we were forced to postpone our scheduled Aging Services Day.

New Date: March 24, 2025

8:30AM - 4:00PM

Registration fee for all providers: $75.00

**New date, but all other details remain the same.**

Click here for more details.

New Surveyor Guidance To Impact Transitions In Nursing Home Care

Skilled Nursing News (2/24, Stulick) reports, "Transitions in nursing home care will be heavily impacted by upcoming surveyor guidance, but operators can prepare by being realistic about admissions, while also cleaning up any gaps in the discharge process." Given that "much of the surveyor guidance – due to go into effect on March 24 – ties into transitions in care," it is "more important than ever to ensure that the residents admitted are able to be taken care of, since it’s getting harder to transfer them out of the care setting, said Michelle Stuercke, chief clinical officer for Transitional Care Management," at Skilled Nursing News’ Clinical event.

Join KHCA next week for our two-hour webinar "CMS Revised Surveyor Guidance". Details can be found here.

SAVE THE DATE: Congressional Briefing 2025

AHCA/NCAL members are invited to join us in Washington, D.C., on June 9-10, 2025, for the annual Congressional Briefing. This event provides a valuable opportunity to connect, learn, and advocate for the long term care community.

Registration and hotel reservations open on Wednesday, March 19. Hotel rooms will book fast, so we encourage you to book early to secure your spot.

Education Spotlight

RAC-CT Certification In-Person Workshop in Topeka, KS

March 4-6, 2025

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.

Upcoming Education