| AHCA, NCAL Applaud CDC, FDA for Approving Booster Shots for Long Term Care Residents, Workers | <p>The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) released the following statement in response to the recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve booster shots of the Moderna and Janssen (Johnson and Johnson) COVID-19 vaccines for certain individuals, including residents and health care workers in long term care.</p><p>The following statement is attributable to David Gifford, MD, chief medical officer of AHCA/NCAL:</p><p>“Once again, we appreciate the FDA and CDC for thoroughly examining the data and following the science to help protect Americans, including our nation’s most vulnerable, from COVID-19. All long term care residents and staff members will now be eligible to receive a booster shot thanks to these expanded recommendations.</p><p>“Additionally, the ability to mix-and-match vaccines for the booster dose will make it easier for long term care facilities to swiftly access these vaccines for their residents and staff. </p><p>“The rollout of the Pfizer booster shot has gone incredibly well in long term care, and we are confident that adding Moderna and Johnson and Johnson into the mix will catapult our efforts. We appreciate the partnership of federal and state governments, as well as long term care pharmacies and other vaccine providers, to make these vaccination efforts in nursing homes and assisted living communities efficient and successful.”<br></p> | 2021-10-22T04:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/0220_News1.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | COVID-19 | Approving additional vaccines for the booster dose will make it easier for facilities to gain access to shots for their residents and staff. |
| AHCA, NCAL Send Letter to Federal Trade Commission on Staff Agency Price Gouging | <p>The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) sent a letter this week to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairwoman Lina Khan, requesting assistance with an anticompetitive practice with direct care staffing agencies.<br><br>In the letter, AHCA/NCAL President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Parkinson describes how the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred an unprecedented workforce crisis within the long term care sector.<br></p><p>According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing homes and residential-care facilities employed 3 million people in July, down 380,000 workers from February 2020. Providers are doing all that they can to hire and recruit workers, including sign-on bonuses, wage increases, and referral bonuses.<br><br>Amid these circumstances, direct care staffing agencies are charging exorbitant prices to long term care facilities that need workers. AHCA/NCAL state affiliates are undertaking legislative efforts to prevent these agencies from charging more than double and—in some cases—as much as quadruple the amount operators are currently paying their staff.<br></p><p>AHCA/NCAL requests that the FTC use its authority to investigate this price gouging and take appropriate action to protect long term care facilities.<br><br>Read the full letter <a href="/Breaking-News/Documents/AHCA_NCAL%20FTC%20Staff%20Agency%20Letter%2010.19.21.pdf">here</a>.<br></p> | 2021-10-21T04:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/letter_writing.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Workforce | Agencies taking advantage of worker shortages by greatly overcharging facilities that need them. |
| Staffing Challenges in Long Term Care Facilities Continue to Threaten Resident Access to Care | <p>The COVID-19 pandemic has put a tremendous strain on nursing homes and assisted living communities across the country, but one area that continues to worsen among facilities is the workforce crisis. Long term care facilities are experiencing growing staff vacancies as burned-out caregivers exit the profession.</p><p>A recent American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) <a href="https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Press-Releases/Pages/Survey-Nearly-Every-U-S--Nursing-Home-And-Assisted-Living-Community-Is-Facing-A-Workforce-Crisis.aspx">survey </a>found that 86 percent of nursing homes and 77 percent of assisted living providers say their workforce situation has gotten worse in just a few months.</p><p>Providers want to offer higher wages and better benefits to attract and retain employees but lack the necessary funds to do so. For years nursing homes have faced low Medicaid reimbursement rates that do not adequately cover the cost of care. These low rates, coupled with additional expenses from the pandemic, have left many facilities in financial turmoil. And now as staff challenges grow, providers are left without the means to hire new workers or keep their current ones.</p><p>Washington Newsday recently <a href="https://washingtonnewsday.com/news/according-to-us-data-nursing-homes-lost-almost-380k-jobs-during-the-pandemic/">reported </a>the dire labor shortages in long term care. According to data from the Bureau of Labor, nursing homes and residential care facilities have lost <a href="https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CES6562300001?amp%253bdata_tool=XGtable&output_view=data&include_graphs=true">more than 425,000 employees </a>during the course of the pandemic.</p><p>Fewer caregivers are forcing many facilities to have to turn away new residents. The AHCA/NCAL survey also found that 58 percent of nursing homes have had to limit new admissions because of a lack of employees. A recent story in <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/story/nursing-home-occupancy-dropped-significantly-in-the-wake-of-covid-19-11633551854">MarketWatch </a>highlighted the significant drop in nursing home occupancy during the pandemic. In just the span of a year, occupancy rates fell from 85 percent to 68 percent. Now, nursing homes are struggling to recover due, in part, to staffing shortages, as occupancy rates have only increased to 72 percent.</p><p>These alarming drops in employment signify the urgent need for Congress to step in. Lawmakers can address chronic staffing challenges through the reconciliation package currently in discussion. In addition, the <a href="https://www.ahcancal.org/Advocacy/Pages/Care-For-Our-Seniors-Act.aspx">Care for Our Seniors Act,</a> a comprehensive reform proposal developed by AHCA and LeadingAge, offers solutions such as assistance programs for caregivers through tax credits, loan forgiveness, and child care, as well as incentives for higher learning institutions to train the next generation of health care workers. </p><p>Long term care residents require around-the-clock clinical assistance. When they cannot access the nursing home or assisted living community they want due to staffing shortages, they are left scrambling to look for alternative options, often in facilities farther away from their families and community of choice. Lawmakers must recognize the severity of the workforce shortage and work together to invest in these necessary caregivers so no resident is left without the care they need. <br></p> | 2021-10-18T04:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/0120_News1.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Workforce | Growing employee vacancies exacerbate workforce crisis as staff exit the profession. |
| AHCA, NCAL Elect Boards and Directors at Annual Convention | <p>The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) have elected AHCA’s Board of Governors and NCAL’s Board of Directors for the 2021/2022 term. Phil Fogg of Oregon was elected AHCA Chair, and Gerald Hamilton of New Mexico was elected NCAL Chair. </p><p>“We are thrilled to have Phil and Gerald as the chairs of our Boards,” said AHCA/NCAL President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Parkinson. “They are incredible, influential leaders dedicated to seeing the industry through this challenging time, so we come out stronger, as well as providing the highest quality of care to our residents. I am confident they will do an amazing job leading our sector this next year.”</p><p>Fogg is the president and CEO of Marquis Companies in Milwaukie, Ore. As the fourth generation of a family of long term care providers, it was inevitable that Fogg would devote his life to serving seniors. His great-grandmother was one of Oregon’s pioneers in the profession, and by the age of 13, he was already working in his father’s facilities—doing laundry, washing dishes, making beds, or whatever else was needed. He previously served as Vice Chair on AHCA’s Board of Governors. </p><p>The remaining members of AHCA’s 2021-2022 board include:</p><p>• Phil Scalo of Bartley Healthcare (N.J.), Vice Chair<br>• Chris Wright of iCare Health Network (Conn.), Secretary/Treasurer <br>• Debbie Meade of Health Management (Ga.), Immediate Past Chair<br>• Derek Prince of HMG Healthcare (Texas), At-large Representative <br>• Sarah Schumann of Brookside Inn (Colo.), At-large Representative <br>• Tina Sandri of Forest Hills (D.C.), At-large Representative<br>• Reginald Hartsfield of Advantage Living Centers (Mich.), At-large Representative<br>• Julianne Williams of Elevate Health Care (Calif.), At-large Representative <br>• Alex Terentev of Lilac Health Group (Fla.), At-large Representative<br>• Steve Flatt of National Healthcare Corp. (Tenn.), Multifacility Representative  <br>• Randy Bury of The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society (S.D.), Not-for-profit Representative<br>• Mark Traylor of Traylor Porter Healthcare (Ala.), Independent Owner Representative <br>• Ted LeNeave of Accura Healthcare (Iowa), Regional Multifacility Representative<br>• Gerald Hamilton of BeeHive Homes of Albuquerque (N.M.), NCAL Representative<br>• Jesse Samples of the Tennessee Health Care Association, ASHCAE Representative<br>• Betsy Rust of Plante Moran, Associate Business Member Representative</p><p>NCAL also elected its Board of Directors today, including Hamilton as its new chair. He is the co-owner of BeeHive Homes and has 35 years of experience in health care management as an assisted living facility owner/operator, licensed nursing home administrator, regional manager of multiple nursing homes, and consultant. After a successful career in nursing home administration in California, New Mexico, and Colorado, he started his own business to construct and operate assisted living communities.  </p><p>The remaining members of NCAL’s Board of Directors include:</p><p>• Mark Maxfield of The Cottages (Idaho), Vice Chair<br>• Sarah Silva of Avamere Health Services (Ore.), Secretary/Treasurer<br>• Helen Crunk of Pemberly Place (Neb.), Immediate Past Chair,<br>• John Bolduc of Odd Fellows’ and Rebekahs’ Home of Maine (Maine), At-large Representative<br>• Rod Burkett of Gardant Management Solutions (Ill.), At-large Representative<br>• Megan Campbell of IntegraCare Corp. (Pa.), At-large Representative<br>• Sue Coppola of Sunrise Senior Living (Va.), At-large Representative<br>• Ana de la Cerda of Aegis Living (Wash.), At-large Representative<br>• Todd Dockerty of Dockerty Health Care Services (Mich.), At-large Representative<br>• Darryl Fisher of Mission Senior Living (Nev.), At-large Representative<br>• Stacy Hejda of Assisted Living Partners (Iowa), At-large Representative  <br>• Esmerelda Lee of Century Park Associates (Tenn.), At-large Representative<br>• Barbara Mitchell of Magnolia Manor (Ga.), At-large Representative<br>• Gail Sheridan of Lifespark, formerly Tealwood Senior Living (Minn.), At-large Representative<br>• Elizabeth Wheatley of Benchmark Senior Living (Mass.), At-large Representative<br>• Kristopher Woolley of Avista Senior Living (Ariz.), At-large Representative<br>• Phil Scalo of Bartley Healthcare (N.J.), AHCA Vice Chair<br>• Phil Fogg of Marquis Companies (Ore.), AHCA Chair<br>• Peter Corless of OnShift, Associate Business Member Representative <br>• Doug Farmer of Colorado Health Care Association, State Affiliate Representative<br>• David Voepel of Arizona Health Care Association, ASHCAE Vice President </p><p>“We are incredibly fortunate for this year’s Board members, and their time and contribution to assisted living,” said NCAL Executive Director LaShuan Bethea. “Now more than ever, we need their leadership to guide us during these challenging years ahead, and looking at this group of individuals I am truly excited about all they will accomplish for our profession.”</p><p>Members of the AHCA Board of Governors are elected by the association’s governing body, the Council of States. The NCAL Board of Directors is elected by current members of the NCAL Board and by the NCAL State Leaders. Both boards hold annual elections at the AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo.<br></p> | 2021-10-13T04:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/PhilFogg.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Management | Associations elect annual Board line-ups during final hours of AHCA/NCAL 72nd Convention & Expo. |
| Bethea Shares a Passion For Advocacy as New Head of National Center for Assisted Living | <p>Much has changed during the last 18 months. There’s the political dynamics on Capitol Hill, bringing new challenges to leaders in health care. On the frontlines, assisted living providers continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, saving lives and protecting residents from the virus’ latest iteration—the Delta variant. In Washington, there is a new face in assisted living leadership.</p><p>Being the first woman and first person of color to hold the title of executive director of the National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL), LaShuan Bethea is a force, bringing 25 years of experience as a nurse and fierce advocacy from the front lines of long term care. She most recently served as vice president of legislative affairs and reimbursement for Genesis HealthCare.</p><p>In an interview with Provider, Bethea shares her message to Washington and assisted living providers across the country, along with a sneak peak of what providers can look forward to at this year’s NCAL Day at the 72nd American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living Convention & Expo.<br>Provider: You’ve just recently come on as NCAL’s new executive director, congratulations! What made you take this position? What challenges do you want to tackle? </p><p>Bethea: I’ve been a nurse for over 25 years. I have a range of experience in a variety of different long term care settings. One of the things I’ve developed a passion about is advocacy. I’ve focused on legislation, regulation, and quality care for excellent outcomes. Having 25 years’ experience, I see this as an opportunity to expand my role for quality and great outcomes in the assisted living care setting.</p><p>Provider: How can assisted living providers be successful with the Phase 4 application process with the Provider Relief Fund?<br></p><p>Bethea: We’re thankful to the Biden administration for making these funds available to all providers and prioritizing the needs of those we care for in our assisted living communities. The application is open until Oct. 26, and there are webcasts that will help providers with applying. I encourage providers to complete their applications sooner rather than later so that they have enough time to get their applications in.</p><p>Provider: How do you balance the needs for assisted living providers to get federal COVID relief while at the same time maintaining that assisted living remain a state-regulated area of long term care? </p><p>Bethea: I think it is important that the federal government as well as state governments understand the wide variety of individuals who are providing assisted living care. We have some assisted living providers that have a social or hospitality model, and we have other assisted living providers who provide more of a medical model—they collaborate with hospitals or SNF [skilled nursing facility] settings.</p><p>Assisted living, no matter what range of the spectrum it falls in, we are not a true medical model, and we do need additional resources to make sure that we can be competitive in terms of wages and hiring caregivers to work in our settings, as well as having access to personal protective equipment, testing, and vaccines. </p><p>It’s important for the state and federal government to recognize that the government’s role in assisting providers during the pandemic should not be setting-agnostic; they should be providing assistance to those who need assistance in providing care to a vulnerable population—whether that’s in a skilled setting, a hospital, or an assisted living setting. </p><p>Provider: Are there any current discussions on Capitol Hill about increased regulation or scrutiny of assisted living communities?</p><p>Bethea: There is nothing specific that I’m aware of, but it’s definitely something that we’re keeping our eye on. Right now there is definitely an opportunity for Congress to continue to prioritize assisted living, including the individuals who choose to call assisted living their home as well as their caregivers. And they can do that through the Human Infrastructure Act. They can make sure that funds are allocated to cover wages. </p><p>Workforce is one of our most significant challenges. Another bill in Congress, the Care for our Seniors Act, also addresses our ongoing workforce challenge. It uses a multitiered approach to help providers not only recruit new caregivers but retain them by providing services that support them, such as affordable housing, child care, tax credits, and loan forgiveness for any new graduate who chooses to work in a care setting.</p><p>So while there is no regulation that’s looking to increase scrutiny, I think that Congress is focusing where they should be focusing right now, which is making sure that seniors and individuals living in a senior living community have the resources that they need to successfully get through this pandemic.</p><p>Provider: There seems to be some movement to make assisted living care more affordable. What do you think are the prospects for more development in this area? To enhance access to assisted living for those with middle to low incomes? </p><p>Bethea: With the use of home- and community-based services waivers and the funding that’s been allocated for them, I think that we should absolutely make sure that assisted living is a part of what is considered when those resources are distributed. It is a way to make sure that not only those individuals who have sufficient financial resources can afford to make assisted living their home but also individuals with a moderate or low income can use Medicaid reimbursement to select assisted living as their home. </p><p>Provider: Will the vaccine mandate for health care workers cause any type of staff exodus from member facilities in the assisted living world?</p><p>Bethea: There is definitely some vaccine hesitancy. One of the ways we can deal with that is while we are fully supportive of health care providers being vaccinated, I think that in order to help us deal with the vaccine hesitancy it will be important for the Biden administration to provide some type of guidance to help us manage or deal with giving additional time to unvaccinated workers.</p><p>In addition, when the mandate goes into effect, if we lose some individuals who are choosing not to get vaccinated, we believe that the administration can also assist us by providing some supplemental staffing or other resources to help us fill that gap that we may have so our staffing challenges don’t continue to get worse. </p><p>Provider: Considering the post-COVID push to have elders and people with disabilities cared for more at home, how will that affect business? And will you see more of your members go into the home care space?</p><p>Bethea: Assisted living is a perfect option for individuals to choose. I wouldn’t say that one is better than the other. Whether more people will stay at home or more in a facility, I think that is to be determined. Assisted living is absolutely an option for individuals whether they are people looking for a more social or hospitality environment, or whether they have additional medical needs, assisted living is an environment that has something for all those individuals. </p><p>Provider: At Genesis, you were chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. As you know, more than half of the frontline workers in long term care are people of color. This is way over the national average for a workforce in any industry, but the ranks of owners, administrators, and other key leadership spots are not diversified. How is NCAL planning to support the growth in the number of people of color into management and executive positions in long term and post-acute care? </p><p>Bethea: One of the ways any organization has the ability to support diversity in executive positions is making sure that when they have open positions, they interview individuals from a diverse candidate pool, and that at least one of the candidates be a diverse candidate.</p><p>I think the other option, because we know that more than 50 percent of our workforce are persons of color, is succession planning. Succession planning is another way to look at individuals in the workforce and give people a chance to move up within an organization and within a trade association. <br>It’s important to share those potential options with members and let them know what paths they can take to expand diversity within their organization, either through mentoring, succession planning, and/or ensuring diverse candidate pools with hiring and with promotion. It’s also about looking at representation within their leadership but also within their board.</p><p>Great ideas and options for opportunities come when you have diverse representation in committees and boards that are making decisions about how policy is being structured within an organization.  </p><p>Provider: This month is the largest gathering of your members of the year, and the first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. What can your members expect from NCAL Day? </p><p>Bethea: I’m extremely excited about our fifth annual NCAL Day on Oct. 10. It’s a great opportunity where like-minded assisted living providers can join together to enjoy thought-provoking education that is tailored to the assisted living sector.</p><p>We have lots of great educational opportunities, including one provided by the Ritz Carlton leadership center. They will conduct a presentation that is going to walk through how to foster a culture of personalized service in genuine care. Attendees will hear a national update from NCAL leadership, they will hear more about how the federal government will potentially impact the assisted living profession, and how NCAL is working on their behalf.</p><p>One of the other benefits, especially after 18 months of working remotely and having video conference calls, is that this is an opportunity to safely network, meet new people, share ideas, and innovate with your fellow assisted living professionals as well as discuss some best practices and some of the experiences that individuals have had within the last 18 months. </p> | 2021-10-08T04:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/LaShuanBethea.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Management | Right now Congress has an opportunity to continue to prioritize assisted living along with skilled nursing. |
| Mark Parkinson Talks Relief Funds, Vaccine Mandate, Politics | <p>In the midst of the second fall season in the COVID-19 pandemic, much is on table for skilled nursing providers and the residents and patients they care for. With the Delta variant top of mind and providers working harder than ever to save lives, opportunities with the latest round of provider relief funds are at hand, mixed with new staffing challenges and occupancy ebbs and flows.</p><p>In an interview with Provider, American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living President and Chief Executive Officer Mark Parkinson outlines the current political dynamics in Washington, D.C., how vaccine mandates are affecting long term care, what providers should focus on with relief funds, and what attendees can expect at the 72nd AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo.</p><p>Provider: This month your members are coming together at the 2021 AHCA/NCAL National Convention & Expo. It’s the first time since the start of COVID that you’ve held this event at a physical site. What can attendees expect?</p><p>Parkinson: We are really thrilled to be able to get back together in person with everyone. Our hope is the conference will be a time where people can refresh, get reinvigorated, share experiences, and prepare for the recovery of the future. The conference will be focused on really educating people, but also the theme of inspiring people will run through the conference. There will be a lot of inspirational sessions. </p><p>Provider: How can nursing homes be successful in applying for the latest round of provider relief funds? Is it enough aid for the sector? </p><p>Parkinson: The most important thing at this point is that people get applications in well before the deadline on Oct. 26, 2021. We don’t believe that CMS [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] will grant an extension for applications on this phase. Everyone should have everything filed at least a week before the deadline. HRSA [Health Resources & Services Administration] has had some webinars on how to properly apply, and we encourage everyone to review those webinars, as well as additional materials we’re putting out. </p><p>Unfortunately, even with this additional funding, it won’t be enough. The Delta variant has caused a pause in the financial recovery of the sector. Combined with increasing staffing costs that we were already experiencing, we’re going to need continued help from both the federal and state governments. </p><p>Provider: Workforce is the current major issue it seems. Is there any legislation that you would like to see passed in Congress to help make it easier to find and retain workers for long term care? </p><p>Parkinson: There are two things the federal government can do right now to help us with our workforce shortage. First is to test incentives for workers to stay in our workforce in the reconciliation bill. We are advocating for some funding increases to SNFs [skilled nursing facilities] that would be passed through in the form of wage increases. That’s the first thing that Congress can do.</p><p>The second thing is that the administration can do some things to make immigration easier. We don’t expect a broad immigration bill to pass on the Hill, but there are some administrative changes that the Biden administration can make that would increase the ability for nurses to come to the United States, and that’s what we’d like to see happen. <br>Provider: What are the current political dynamics in Washington, and how does long term care fit in? </p><p>Parkinson: Washington continues to be very partisan and quite divided, and as long as that remains the case, it’s difficult for bills to pass Congress. What that means for long term care is that, for us to achieve our objectives, a lot of work has to be done with the administration on actions that do not require Congressional approval.  </p><p>The good news for the sector is that, because of the hard work of providers, we have broad support from both parties—Republicans and Democrats, leadership and rank and file members—from the efforts that providers have undertaken, particularly the work that they’ve done during the pandemic.</p><p>After the pandemic occurred, I was concerned that the attitude on the Hill and in the general public would be to blame nursing homes for what happened. Initially there was a lot of blame out there. But as time has passed, politicians and the general public have really begun to understand that this pandemic was a once in a hundred-year event, and the virus was so contagious that there was nothing that long term care providers could do. The work that was done saved tens of thousands of lives in the buildings.</p><p>So the overall attitude about long term care on the Hill is positive, but they still have a hard time helping us because they can’t pass any bills. They are that divided. </p><p>Provider: What will be the effect of the administration’s vaccine mandate for health care workers on skilled nursing and assisted living staff? </p><p>Parkinson: It’s too early to tell right now because the administration has announced the vaccine mandate, but they have not enacted the mandate yet. Until we get to the point where either workers have to be vaccinated or they will be terminated, we’re not going to know what the impact of the mandate is.</p><p>It’s very clear to me that there are parts of the country where there is so much vaccine hesitancy, that if there isn’t some alternative to the vaccine, assisted living centers and skilled nursing facilities are going to lose a lot of employees. We encourage the administration to provide some exceptions or alternatives in those cases or we believe they are going to exacerbate the already challenging staffing situation. </p><p>Provider: Do you see further specialization by providers to diversify their care settings? For example, are memory care and non-skilled settings still booming?</p><p>Parkinson: Successful providers are branching off into all sorts of different areas beyond the core work of long term care. We have seen great success of providers going into memory care but also the ancillary businesses, like creating their own pharmacies, their own hospices, their own rehab companies, their own institutional special needs plans. </p><p>The financial lessons of the last 10 to 15 years has been that if all you have is the core business of long term care, you’re going to have a hard time surviving financially, particularly in the vast majority of states that underpay for Medicaid. And so the successful providers now and into the future will be those that take part in ancillary businesses that surround the basic long term care work that we do.</p><p>Provider: Considering the post-COVID push to have elders and people with disabilities cared for more at home, how will that affect business? And will you see more of your members go into the home care space?</p><p>Parkinson: The major misunderstanding of many home care advocates is their belief that there are many residents who can be taken care of at home. And that simply is not true. The average resident of a SNF or assisted living building is typically in their 80s and needs help with multiple activities of daily living. It’s just not possible for these people to be taken care of at home. Many states that have attempted to provide home care services and move people from nursing homes into home residences have found it doesn’t work out. </p><p>There are some people who are at home who do need additional home care services, and that’s why we support the efforts of the administration to expand home- and community-based services for those people. Those are important services for those people, but it will not dimmish the number of people who still do need skilled nursing and assisted living care.<br>Because of the caregiving work that all skilled nursing and assisted living providers perform, many of them also provide home care services. If that funding is expanded, as the Biden administration would like to have happen, I think you’ll see more long term care operators expand into home care as well.</p><p>Provider: On occupancy, did we bottom out months ago as some expected, or have we still not hit the bottom? What are the prospects in the coming months and in 2022? </p><p>Parkinson: I think we hit the bottom in January. We had a huge wave of COVID in November and December in the U.S., and the country-wide occupancy hit a low of 67 percent. We are now at 72 percent. We were at 80 percent before the pandemic. We’ve had a pause in the census recovery during the time of the Delta variant, but as the variant recedes, our hope is the pause turns into a slow and steady increase in occupancy through the end of the year, and then we can fully recover in 2022.</p><p>Provider: You’ve been at this for a number of years. Do you still find the challenges exhilarating? What have you learned from heading AHCA/NCAL? </p><p>Parkinson: The last two years have been the most important work that I’ve been able to do at any point in my career. Our mission statement at AHCA/NCAL is to improve lives by delivering solutions for quality care. We feel like the work that we’ve been able to do both at AHCA and more importantly for our members in their buildings hasn’t been just to improve lives but to actually save lives. And I believe that our work and our members’ work have saved tens of thousands of lives over the past 10 years. And so yes, that’s been exhilarating.</p><p>On the other hand, all of us at AHCA/NCAL have been working hard every day for the past year and a half, and we haven’t been working as hard as our members have. It’s been tiring at times, and it’s been exhilarating at times, but it’s been the most important part of my career.<br></p> | 2021-10-07T04:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/1120MarkParkinson.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Management | Successful providers are branching off into all sorts of different areas beyond the core work of long term care. |
| AHCA Partners With Exponent, MatrixCare on New Effort to Track COVID-19 and Future Threats to Nursing Homes | <p>The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has partnered with Exponent Inc. and MatrixCare on a new effort that will enable comprehensive tracking of COVID-19 and future public health threats facing nursing homes.</p><p>The Long Term Care Data Cooperative, funded by the National Institute on Aging, will use nursing home residents’ electronic medical records and associated data to create comprehensive resident electronic health records to help providers monitor their residents’ needs and outcomes. Additionally, the health records system will support public health reporting as well as allow researchers to generate real-world evidence on different treatments and care practices for the elderly and individuals with disabilities in nursing homes.</p><p>“We are thrilled to have these partners join us for this important new initiative,” said Mark Parkinson, AHCA president and chief executive officer (CEO). “While we know more about COVID than a year ago, there is still so much more we need to learn. This innovative system will help improve and save lives now and in the future.”</p><p>Together with Brown University, a pioneer of research studies using integrated data on residents that have helped the long term care community, Exponent, an interdisciplinary and scientific consulting company, and electronic health records (EHR) software firm MatrixCare, the AHCA-led effort will assemble the largest and most comprehensive health records database from geographically and structurally diverse nursing homes and residents. </p><p>“Thirty-years ago, the minimum data set made it possible to characterize the needs of nursing home residents and to document the impact of new treatments and policies,” said Vincent Mor, PhD, professor of health services, policy, and practice at Brown University’s School of Public Health. “This initiative transforms this effort by linking ‘real-time’ clinical data, including lab results and orders, in ways that can transform the delivery of care to the increasingly vulnerable population of nursing home residents.”</p><p>In addition to curating and normalizing diverse data sources and maintaining the health records system, Exponent will leverage its expertise to develop insights from the data to support providers’ delivery of care. <br> <br>“This project brings more than curated electronic health records to the long term care industry as they navigate the continuously evolving pandemic,” said David Dore, PharmD, PhD, a principal scientist at Exponent. “This public-private partnership brings together a holistic, multidisciplinary team of experts who can translate the data and deliver tailored information to stakeholders to advance delivery of care in skilled nursing facilities.”</p><p>“We are proud to be one of the first EHRs to join the Long Term Care Data Cooperative to combat the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and pave the way for innovation and improvement in a post-pandemic world,” said MatrixCare President and CEO Steve Pacicco. “At MatrixCare, we are deeply committed to using data to improve the quality of patient and resident care, while optimizing organizational efficiencies. This collaboration underscores the power of data-driven intelligence and interoperability to change the lives of hundreds of thousands of seniors and empower those who care for them.”</p><p>This multi-year initiative will continue to characterize and monitor the immediate and long-term effects of COVID-19 and its vaccines among residents and to be better prepared for future public health threats. </p><p>Over time, the cooperative will serve three broad functions:<br>• Assist providers with health care operations, including care coordination for residents who transfer between skilled nursing facilities.<br>• Provide public health monitoring for medical conditions and infections, including COVID-19, to be securely shared with relevant health authorities.<br>• Identify research opportunities for National Institute of Health-funded academic institutions and commercial companies.<br></p> | 2021-10-04T04:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/0920_News1.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | COVID-19 | The cooperative will use electronic health records to help providers monitor their residents' needs and outcomes. |