Member Resources

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) yesterday issued a Notice of Proposed Agency Action to implement the FY 2020 Medicaid rate regulation. As noted in Mass Senior Care Association’s communication to members, the regulation would increase Medicaid funding by $53 million, including implementation of the FY 2020 budget act provisions for broad-based funding and targeted funding.

Please join Mass Senior Care, NALCO Water, An Ecolab Company and the Department of Public Health on October 31, 2019 for a webinar on Legionnaires’ disease, a serious, potentially deadly form of bacterial pneumonia. This webinar will focus on the public health risk of Legionnaires’ disease (LD), approaches to preventing outbreaks, and the CMS water management plan requirements.

Mass Senior Care invites staff at member facilities to participate in various committees designed to share information on the topics of clinical quality, regulatory, human resources and finance and reimbursement. Please see our upcoming October meetings.

This is a reminder that after September 27, 2019 at 3PM, you will no longer be able to check the Nurse Aide Registry using the current phone verification system. Beginning on Monday, September 30, the only way to check the Registry will be through the new online system. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Nurse Aide Registry Services (NARS) is transitioning from the current Interactive Voice Response (IVR) phone verification system to a new online inquiry system for verification

The first meeting of the legislatively mandated Nursing Home Task Force is set to meet on Friday, September 20th. The Task Force is charged with making recommendations to ensure the sustainability of the nursing facility sector.

At the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs hearing on September 17th, Tara Gregorio, President of Mass Senior Care presented testimony in support of House Bill 619, An Act Relative to Promoting Innovation in Elder Care Services filed by Representative Ron Mariano (D-Quincy).

Jiaoyu Xiong began working as a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) over a year ago. During this time, she has realized a career in nursing was her passion. Immigrating from China five years ago, Jiaoyu has made tremendous strides in learning a new language, working part-time, obtaining an EMT certificate and graduating from Holyoke Community College with an Associate’s Degree.

On August 23, 2019, Life Care Center of Stoneham hosted a ceremony and cookout to celebrate the release of 82-year-old resident Arthur Talmadge’s book entitled “This Marine’s American Dream.”

Last week, Wakefield Center hosted a facility tour and an opportunity for residents and staff to meet State Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester).

On Wednesday, the Department of Public Health approved a 3-year extension for nursing homes to comply with the CARES Act requirement that prescriptions be issued on a federally-compliant, secure system. The requirement was scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2019.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s (DPH) Nurse Aide Registry Services (NARS) is transitioning from the current Interactive Voice Response (IVR) phone verification system to a new Nurse Aide Registry Inquiry System (NARIS) for verification of certified nurse aides (CNAs) and healthcare employees who have direct contact with patients or residents. This transition will ensure a more efficient self-service method for verification of certification and sanction information.

In July 2019, the Department of Public Heath launched the Medication for Opioid Use Disorders in Long-Term Care Program (MOUD in LTC Program), which aims to reduce challenges to the continuity of care for individuals who receive medication for opioid use disorders at opioid treatment programs and are residents in long-term care facilities.

The US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released its updated list which reflects all OIG exclusions and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in August 2019. This new file is meant to replace the updated List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE) database file available for download last month.

The CDC recently published the 2019-20 ACIP Influenza Vaccine recommendations in the MMWR: “Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices - United States, 2019." The CDC has also released a Fight Flu Toolkit, which helps providers convey the threat of flu and why flu vaccination is so important.

On September 4, 2019, Attorney General Maura Healey certified 12 initiatives for the 2020 ballot, including a petition to establish adequate Medicaid nursing home funding. At this point, the Attorney General has determined that these proposals have met the requirements outlined in the Massachusetts constitution and may proceed to the next step in the process, the collection of voter signatures from 80,239 registered voters by December 4, 2019.

The Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality has posted responses to frequently asked questions (“FAQs”) about Circular Letter 18-12-682: Long-Term Care Facility Beds Out of Service – New Process as well as an informational graphic. These responses to FAQs and the related graphic are meant to help clarify the new process related to open long-term care facilities taking beds out of service or reactivating out of service beds.

The next CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)/Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum scheduled for Thursday, September 19, 2019 from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Eastern Time (ET).The agenda includes: PDPM, PBJ and SNF QRP resource updates, and CMS-6058-FC Medicare, Medicaid, and Children's Health Insurance Programs; Program Integrity Enhancements to the Provider Enrollment Process. To participate by phone: Dial: 1-888-455-1397 & Conference Passcode: 4676500. Pre-registration for the call is not required.

Olanda Molina dreamed of becoming a nurse when she started her career in long term care 15 years ago working in the laundry department. Shortly after that, Olanda became a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at Oak Knoll Health Care Center in Framingham.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) has released an advisory on Recommendations for Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment of U.S. Health Care Personnel.

Mass Senior Testifies in Support of H.1745, An Act Relative to the Safe Care of Residents with Active Substance Use Disorder Accessing Skilled Nursing Facility Care.

DPH’s Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management (OPEM) has announced details of its “Know, Plan, Prepare” campaign to alert individuals and organizations about disaster preparedness materials.

On August 30, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated an array of subregulatory PDPM materials including: PDPM FAQs.

CMS announced the launch of the new CMS Beneficiary Notices Initiative (BNI) mailbox portal for beneficiary notices and related policy questions.

Christine Joy Villa's interest in a nursing career stemmed from her experience caring for her grandparents in the Philippines who faced serious health issues and dementia. For the last four years, Christine has been a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at The Elmhurt HealthCare in Melrose.

Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. The data contained within the Preview Reports is based on quality data submitted by SNF's between Quarter 1-2018 and Quarter 4-2018 for assessment based quality measures, and between Quarter 4 -2016 to Quarter 3 -2018 for claims based quality measures. Providers have until September 16, 2019 to review their performance data prior to the October 2019 Nursing Home Compare site refresh, during which this data will

The CDC published Interim Guidance on July 26, 2019 addressing the "Implementation of Personal Protective Equipment in Nursing Homes to Prevent Spread of Novel or Targeted Multi-drug resistant Organisms (MDROs)". This document is intended to provide guidance for PPE use and room restriction in nursing homes for preventing transmission of novel or targeted MDROs, included as part of a public health containment response.

This is a reminder that providers are able to access the CMS LTC Survey Process training videos that all surveyors are required to complete as part of training on the Requirements of Participation and survey process. Click here to access the website.

The new Medicare Part A Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) called the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) will cover all resident days starting on October 1, 2019. PDPM requires an acceptable ICD-10 diagnosis code to be entered into MDS item field I0020B to represent the primary reason for the SNF stay. ICD-10 codes not on the list of allowable codes, often referred to as "return-to-provider" codes, will not classify into a PDPM clinical category.

Don't miss Mass Senior Care's upcoming 2019 Leadership Convention at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Brewster on September 19-20th. Please join us at this premier conference destination that offers a unique forum to exchange ideas, share experiences, earn CEUs and network with colleagues. Provider member registration and additional details are now available for the Leadership Convention.

MA DPH has been made aware of a current national shortage, and anticipated supply interruption, of APLISOL®, one of two purified-protein derivative (PPD) tuberculin products licensed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for detecting TB infection.

National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care and Quality Assurance Performance Improvement will host a Dementia Care: Supporting Comfort and Resident Preferences call on Tuesday, September 10

MassHealth representatives will be joining the SUD Task Force meeting on September 9, 2019 to learn about challenges and barriers to caring for residents with SUD and/or on MAT. In addition, there will be a presentation from DPH on a SAMSHA-funded grant on MAT in nursing facilities.

There have been several changes in supervisory positions at DPH Division of Facility Licensure & Certification.

PDPM will be here soon and the American Health Care Association has resources available to assist providers in preparing for this transformative change to the way in which skilled nursing facilities are reimbursed for Medicare Part a stays.

On August 15th, South Cove Manor at Quincy Point welcomed Executive Office of Elder Affairs Secretary Elizabeth Chen for a conversation on elder care in Massachusetts and a tour.

State Senator Michael Brady (D-Brockton) and Brockton Mayor Moises Rodrigues presented citations recognizing the staff and leadership at Baypointe Rehabilitation & Skilled Care Center for a second consecutive deficiency-free survey.

Register today for Mass Senior Care's 2019 Leadership Convention at Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Brewster on September 19-20th. Please join us at this premier conference destination that offers a unique forum to exchange ideas, share experiences, earn CEUs and network with colleagues.

Earlier this month, Governor Charlie Baker signed into law the FY 2020 Budget, which includes $50 million in new Medicaid funding for nursing facility care and establishes a Nursing Facility Emergency Task Force to make recommendations to ensure the sustainability of the nursing facility sector.

Project Re-Engineered Discharge (RED) is an evidence-based intervention that provides a systematic approach to prepare patient and caregivers for a successful discharge back to the community. Through a three-year Special Innovation Project, Healthcentric Advisors has partnered with hospitals, nursing homes, home health, and local aging services throughout Southeastern Massachusetts to enhance discharges back to the community, impacting nearly 4,500 patients. On Thursday, August 22nd, from 10 am to noon, Healthcentric Advisors QIO will convene a meeting to learn about the

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released revisions of its March 5, 2019 memo to state survey agencies to "Revisions to Appendix Q, Guidance on Immediate Jeopardy". CMS has added language to Appendix Q to give state survey agencies guidance on when they must report suspected illegal acts to law enforcement. The language added to Appendix Q now specifies that when a deficiency is identified, if illegal activity is connected to the deficiency, the state surveyor and

CMS released the latest episode of its podcast, CMS: Beyond the Policy. This edition focuses on the first of CMS' 5-pronged strategy on strengthening oversight in nursing homes. You can also listen to the podcast on Google Play and iTunes.

CMS will host a call on Tuesday, August 27 from 1:30 to 3 pm ET on Understanding Your SNF VBP Program Performance Score Report. During this call, learn about your Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program Performance Score Report. CMS experts present a high level summary of the program and highlight the payment year 1 results (FY 2019 program year). A question and answer session follows the presentation; however attendees may email questions in advance to SNFVBP@rti.org with

The US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released its updated list which reflects all OIG exclusions and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in July 2019. This new file is meant to replace the updated List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE) database file available for download last month. Individuals and entities that have been reinstated to the federal health care programs are not included in this file. The updated files are posted