David Bell has been elected President of the Massachusetts Chapter of American College of Health Care Administrators. David has been a licensed long term care administrator since 1984 and has been an Administrator of Meadow Green Rehab and Nursing Center in Waltham since 1988.

The Department of Public Health has released proposed revision to 105 CMR 153.000 Licensure Procedure and Suitability Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities for review and comment. We are pleased that the proposed revisions include recommendations submitted by Mass Senior Care members including the following:

In accordance with the SFY 2018 Budget Act, MassHealth will be sending a message text notifying providers that MassHealth will once again delay processing nursing facility claims for May 2018 dates of service. As you may recall, MassHealth has applied this temporary cash management delay for the last eight fiscal years. For the current year, this effectively means that nursing facility payments for May 2018 claims received by MassHealth in May or June will be pushed back by ten days, from June 25th to July 5, 2018.

In response to member concerns, Mass Senior Care has been working with the Department of Public Health and the American Health Care Association on guidance related to F700 Bedrails.

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. 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 on the OIG’s website and healthcare providers have an

In honor of National Nurses Week on May 6-12, 2018, Blaire House of Tewksbury celebrated their dedicated nursing staff. The residents wrote thank you notes on heart cutouts for their nursing staff and hung these on all three units of the facility. Pictured are: Ashley Podzycki, RN, resident Dorothy Rogers, a former U.S. Navy nurse, and Jennifer Reid, RN.

Local legislators, town officials, and policy-makers met at John Scott Rehab and Nursing Center in Braintree on May 8 to discuss current issues related to the skilled nursing industry and the impact those issues are having on nursing home residents and employees across the state. Pictured Below: Richard Bane, President and CEO of BaneCare Management and a member of the Mass Senior Care Association Board of Directors , addresses issues facing the nursing home industry. Attendees included: Mayor Joe Sullivan

The Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation's annual scholarship program assists long term care staff in meeting their personal and professional goals through furthering their education. Since 1985, the Foundation has awarded $2.8 million in scholarships to nearly 1,600 "Foundation Scholars" across Massachusetts. The Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2018 scholarship awards. Scholarships from $500 to $2,000 will be awarded to selected applicants to help cover direct, out of pocket expenses for tuition, fees, books and supplies during the 2018