Issue #2022 - June 12, 2019
MEDICAID MANAGED CARE TRANSITION RESOURCES
Starting in November 2019, Medicaid managed care will begin to roll out in North Carolina. One of the resources made available to providers has been the Prepaid Health Plan Meet and Greet sessions. Regional sessions offer providers an opportunity to meet with health plan representatives, ask specific questions about provider network participation, and Medicaid Managed Care transition. Although many have been held, there are additional Meet and Greet sessions scheduled:

Monday, June 17, 2019 – Asheville
Tuesday, June 18, 2019 – Charlotte
Wednesday, June 19, 2019 – Fayetteville
Thursday, June 20, 2019 – Greenville
Monday, June 24, 2019 – Raleigh

Registration is not required. For more information, click here.

For the latest information and resources for providers transitioning to NC Medicaid Managed Care, click here.
CINDY DEPORTER - NCHCFA ANNUAL SUMMER SYMPOSIUM SPEAKER OF THE WEEK – PREPARING FOR PHASE 3
Mark your calendar today and make plans to attend the NCHCFA 8th Annual Summer Symposium. The three-day event will be August 7-9, 2019 at the Embassy Suites Resort at Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach, SC. Don't miss the opportunity to hear Cindy Deporter, State Agency Director of DHSR, present Updates to Phase 3 Regulations and New Developments on Thursday, August 8th.

Registration for the 8th Annual Summer Symposium will open June 14th.
IMPORTANT AHCA VETERANS AFFAIRS (VA) WEBINAR
Information on this webinar was initially posted in UPDATE last week, before the registration link was available. The registration link is now included with the information below.

American Health Care Association (AHCA) members will have a chance to hear from Kameron Matthews, M.D., J.D., FAAFP, who is the Deputy Under Secretary for Health for Community Care at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) via webinar this Thursday, June 13th, from 1:00-2:30 PM ET, on two important VA related programs you may wish to learn more on and potentially participate in as a skilled nursing facility provider. This webinar, being held by the VA and AHCA, is an opportunity to learn about the VA MISSION Act that was signed into law last year (and must be implemented by this month) and the upcoming changes for community providers. Find out more about the Community Care Network (CCN), VA's new high-performing network of licensed healthcare providers. Learn about the Veterans Care Agreements (VCAs), a new type of agreement introduced in the MISSION Act, and how to enter into one as a skilled nursing facility with the VA. More on these VCAs can be found on the AHCA website here for provider members and on the VA website. Get your pressing questions answered during the Q & A that will be held at the end of the webinar.

Registration Information: Providers interested in registering for this free AHCA-VA webinar, may do so through VHA TRAIN by clicking here. An account with VHA TRAIN is required to register for the webinar.  Setting up an account now is most beneficial because the VA MISSION Act, sections 131 and 133, identifies training that community providers are required to take and the training will be offered through VHA TRAIN.   This brochure provides information on launching live webinars in VHA TRAIN. This webinar will be recorded for those who cannot participate. If you have any issues registering, please contact the VHA TRAIN email help desk at vhatrain@va.gov .

VA Provider Services:
  • VA Community Care Provider Website
  • VA Office of Community Care Provider Updates Newsletter
  • VA Community Provider Education Webinar Program
MAKE YOUR OVERNIGHT RESERVATION TODAY FOR THE EIGHTH ANNUAL NCHCFA SUMMER SYMPOSIUM
Make plans today to join your colleagues for the eighth annual NCHCFA Summer Symposium. The three-day event will be August 7-9, 2019 at the Embassy Suites Resort at Kingston Plantation, Myrtle Beach, SC.  Call the Embassy Suites Resort at (800) 876-0010 to reserve your overnight room. Use group code “NCC” to identify yourself as a NC Health Care Facilities Association Convention attendee! To make your reservation online, click below:
Please make your reservation today! Rooms will be released on July 6th to the public and NCHCFA anticipates filling our room block. All suites include bedroom, sitting area with queen pullout sofa, private balconies, wet bar with refrigerator, and many additional amenities. Registration will open June 14th.
REDUCING ADMINISTRATIVE BURDEN TO PUT PATIENTS OVER PAPERWORK REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Recently, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking new ideas from the public on how to continue the progress of the Patients over Paperwork initiative. The RFI on Reducing Administrative Burden to Put Patients over Paperwork invites patients and their families, the medical community, and other healthcare stakeholders to recommend further changes to rules, policies, and procedures that would shift more of clinicians’ time and our healthcare system’s resources from needless paperwork to high-quality care that improves patient health.

Among other topics in this RFI, CMS solicits new ideas in several areas related to better care for dually eligible individuals, including:

  • Aligning Medicare, Medicaid and other payer coding, payment and documentation requirements and processes;
  • Clarifying or simplifying regulations or operations that pose challenges for beneficiaries dually enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid and those who care for such beneficiaries; and
  • Simplifying beneficiary enrollment and eligibility determination across programs.

The RFI on Reducing Administrative Burden to Put Patients over Paperwork is posted in the Federal Register here.

The comment period closes on August 12, 2019.

More information on the Patients over Paperwork initiative is available here.
REGISTER TODAY FOR THE NCHCFA LEAN MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP WITH MARK GOGAL
LEAN thinking is fundamentally transforming the way organizations operate. The LEAN principles of continuous improvement, respect for people, and delivering customer value are making teams and organizations rethink the practices that might have guided them for decades. A new, transformative approach to working requires a transformation in leadership, as well. Practicing LEAN management principles requires a shift in mindset - from that of a supervisor to that of a teacher and coach. LEAN leaders must lead gently, by example, ensuring that LEAN principles are being applied with the right goal in mind - to sustainably maximize the delivery of value to the customer.

In this session, you will learn and practice the principles, tools, and techniques of LEAN processing for improving the operating performance of your healthcare facility. We will discuss how LEAN processing is a relentless focus on eliminating waste and inefficiencies from all aspects of an organization. We will identify the powerful benefits of implementing LEAN management principles on your organization’s culture, employee engagement and retention, financial performance, and most importantly on the service and care of your residents.

This session will be presented across the state and facilitated by Mark Gogal, a Human Resources Leader with over 25 years of progressive, global, and diverse human resources experience, practical business partnering expertise, strong organizational and analytical skills, and proven strategic management experience. He has a multi-faceted background in developing and implementing core HR policies/practices to meet the changing business, legal, and labor compliance environment. He has worked in a variety of industries in the public and private sectors including healthcare.

The first workshop will be June 19th in Greensboro, NC. Click here to download and print the brochure and register today.
REGISTER FOR THE NEXT LUNCH AND LEARN WEBINAR
The next Lunch and Learn Webinar is scheduled for Thursday, June 20th, 2019 at 12:00 PM. Over one million adults over the age of 65 are hospitalized for heart failure annually. Through value-based purchasing, nursing homes are facing consequences of high readmission rates by CMS. This webinar will not only share how we can improve the quality of care that our residents receive but is beneficial in helping us manage symptoms of CHF to lower readmission rates. Want to empower your nurses and lower your readmission rates? If so, please join the Webinar on June 20, 2019 at 12:00 PM for this informative session! Click here to register today.

Speaker: Cheryl Geddie, Director of Clinical Quality and Education for Century Care Management
Title: Collaborative Care to Reduce Readmission in Long Term Care
Date: June 20, 2019
Time: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
AHCA PRODUCT OF THE WEEK – A SNF’S GUIDE TO MEDICATION RECONCILIATION AND DRUG REGIMEN REVIEW
Establishing an effective medication reconciliation (MR) process for your drug regimen review (DRR) program is crucial to preventing medication errors in your SNF. All SNFs are required to report on the findings of their DRR process as part of the IMPACT Act (effective October 1, 2018).

A SNF's Guide to Medication Reconciliation and Drug Regimen Review offers a fresh, educated perspective on the nuances of medication management in long term care and addresses multiple industry challenges, including antibiotic stewardship requirements, eliminating medication discrepancies during care transitions, and antipsychotic use. This book includes strategies for improving the MR process upon admission, methods for training staff to efficiently manage medications, tools and resources for preventing medication-related adverse events, and regulatory guidance for meeting CMS' new DRR quality measure under the SNF Quality Reporting Program (Drug Regimen Review Conducted with Follow-Up for Identified Issues).

To order, click here or call (800) 321-0343.
Product #8393
AHCA   MEMBERS $155.00
REGISTER FOR THE 70TH ANNUAL AHCA/NCAL CONVENTION & EXPO
This year’s 70th Annual AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo boasts more than 70 education sessions on topics like PDPM, RoP phase 3, workforce and regulatory issues, and so much more. There is something for everyone, no matter what your role is in long term and post-acute care. Browse through the list of sessions and speakers, then register for this extra-ordinary event.

The convention offers the opportunity to earn up to 15 CEs. You can also earn more by signing up for the Premium Package when you register. The Premium Package offers access to recorded sessions post-convention in a Webinar format with additional CEs. Education sessions begin with Sunday intensives, October 13th, and run through Wednesday afternoon, October 16th. Early bird discounts available through July 26th.

Join AHCA/NCAL in sunny Florida! Click here to register today!
DID YOU KNOW?
Most people know that the Secret Service uses code names for presidents. What most people may not know is the Secret Service often use names beginning with the same letter for one family. For example, President Trump is “Mogul”; Melania Trump is “Muse”; Donald Trump Jr. is “Mountaineer”; and Eric Trump is “Marksman”.