| How to Ensure Temporary Aides Are Successful | https://www.providermagazine.com/Breaking-News/Pages/How-to-Ensure-Temporary-Aides-Are-Successful.aspx | How to Ensure Temporary Aides Are Successful | <div>AHCA/NCAL recently made updates to the <a href="https://educate.ahcancal.org/tna" data-feathr-click-track="true" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:underline;">temporary nurse aide</a> (TNA) and <a href="https://educate.ahcancal.org/products/temporary-feeding-assistant" data-feathr-click-track="true" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:underline;">temporary feeding assistant</a>
(TFA) free, online training courses. The association enhanced security
measures within our learning management system and the exam process to
help further our high academic integrity standards. </div><div><br></div><div>The TNA and TFA online courses are only the first step for
temporary caregivers to assist our nation’s long term care facilities. <strong>Providers play a key role in helping temporary aides carry out their duties successfully.</strong> Here are some ways you can help make sure the programs are beneficial to your residents and fellow team members: <br></div><div><br></div><div><ol><li>Temporary
aides should receive hours of on-the-job training once hired. Have them
shadow an experienced staff member during the on-boarding process. <br></li><li>Before
temporary aides can take on specific duties, they must pass a
competency assessment (typically overseen by a nurse) to demonstrate
they understand those tasks. A competency assessment<span style="font-size:11pt;"> is a federal requirement for nursing homes. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;"> </span></li><ul><li><span style="font-size:11pt;">A</span><span style="font-size:11pt;">HCA/NCAL has a <a href="https://www.ahcancal.org/Survey-Regulatory-Legal/Emergency-Preparedness/Documents/COVID19/TempNurseAide_CompetencyChecklist.docx" data-feathr-click-track="true" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line:underline;">competency checklist</a> for TNAs that long term care facilities may use.</span></li></ul><ul><li><span style="font-size:11pt;">I</span><span style="font-size:11pt;">f temporary aides are not doing things correctly, they need to undergo further training and evalu</span><span style="font-size:11pt;">ation. </span></li></ul><li><span style="font-size:11pt;"></span><span style="font-size:11pt;">Continue to have a licensed professional supervise temporary aides at all times. </span></li><li><span style="font-size:11pt;"></span>Establish
an ongoing evaluation process for temporary aides. Similar to other
positions that must demonstrate their competency on a rolling basis,
temporary aides should be evaluated periodically to reaffirm they know
how to fulfill their duties correctly. </li><li>If you are working with
an agency to hire temporary staff, you may inquire about any individual
to validate their abilities. Request their certificate of completion as
well as their skills competency sheet. </li><li>Look for ways to help
temporary aides transition to become certified nursing assistants.
Remember that these temporary positions are only allowed for as long as
the public health emergency declaration and/or corresponding 1135 waiver
remains in effect. Follow your state’s specific process to help your
temporary aides become permanent employees and build a career in long
term care. </li></ol></div><div>Thank you for your
support of the TNA and TFA programs. We hope you have found them to be a
lifeline during this pandemic as our industry faces a historic labor
crisis. Together, we can help ensure these heroes have the training and
support they need to provide the care and companionship our residents
deserve. </div><div><br></div><div>If you have questions regarding the courses, please contact us at <a href="mailto:educate@ahca.org" data-feathr-click-track="true" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:underline;">educate@ahca.org</a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://ahcancal.org/" target="_blank"><img src="/SiteCollectionImages/logos/ahca_ncal_cobrand.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;width:300px;height:35px;" /></a><br></div><p></p> | AHCA/NCAL recently made updates to the temporary nurse aide and temporary feeding assistant free, online training courses. | 2022-02-01T05:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/nurse_3.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Workforce |
| New Staffing Measures Posted to Care Compare | https://www.providermagazine.com/Breaking-News/Pages/New-Staffing-Measures-Posted-to-Care-Compare.aspx | New Staffing Measures Posted to Care Compare | <div aria-labelledby="ctl00_PlaceHolderMain_ctl02_label" style="display:inline;"><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">Three staff turnover and two weekend staffing measures have been added to <a href="https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/" data-feathr-click-track="true" target="_blank">Care Compare</a> (formerly Nursing Home Compare).</span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">NEW Staff Turnover Measures include: </span></div><div><ul><li>The percentage of RN staff that left the facility over the last year. </li><li>The percentage of total nursing staff that have left the facility over the last year. </li><li>The number of administrators that have left the facility over the last year. </li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"></span>NEW Weekend Staffing Measures include: </div><div><ul><li>Weekend Total Nurse (RN, LPN, & Aide) hours per resident day (HPRD). </li><li>Weekend RN HPRD. </li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size:11pt;">All measures are derived from Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) data. Full measure details can be found in the <a href="https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Provider-Enrollment-and-Certification/CertificationandComplianc/Downloads/usersguide.pdf" data-feathr-click-track="true" target="_blank">Five-Star Technical User’s Manual</a>. The data below summarizes the national average. </span><br></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><strong>Measures & National Averages</strong>:</span></div><div><ul><li>RN Turnover (Percent) = 49.8%<br></li><li>Total Nurse Turnover (Percent) = 51.6%<br></li><li>Administrator Turnover (Count) = 1.1<br></li><li>Weekend Total Nurse HPRD = 3.26 </li><li>Weekend RN HPRD = 0.48 </li></ul></div><div><span style="font-size:11pt;">As outlined in <a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-22-08-nh.pdf" data-feathr-click-track="true" target="_blank">QSO memo 22-08-NH</a> from
earlier this year, these five measures will be factored into Five-Star
in July 2022 and updated quarterly with every new PBJ data release. To
ensure the most correct turnover data is used in Five-Star by July 2022,
members must link employee identifiers. More information is available
in this <a href="https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Quality-Initiatives-Patient-Assessment-Instruments/NursingHomeQualityInits/Downloads/PBJ-Linking-Methodology.pdf" data-feathr-click-track="true" target="_blank">CMS FAQ on linking employee identifiers</a>. </span><span style="font-size:11pt;"></span></div></div><p></p><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://ahcancal.org/" target="_blank"><img src="/SiteCollectionImages/logos/ahca_ncal_cobrand.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;width:375px;height:45px;" /></a><br></p> | Three staff turnover and two weekend staffing measures have been added to Care Compare (formerly Nursing Home Compare). | 2022-02-02T05:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/staff_1.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Workforce;Turnover |
| New RCM Academy offers Interdisciplinary Approach to Revenue Management | https://www.providermagazine.com/Breaking-News/Pages/RCM-Academy.aspx | New RCM Academy offers Interdisciplinary Approach to Revenue Management | <p>AHCA/NCAL has launched <a href="https://educate.ahcancal.org/p/RCM" target="_blank">Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) Academy,</a> an online training program that educates facilities of all sizes on the interdisciplinary approach toward revenue management. </p><p>As reimbursement models move from fee-for-service toward value-based reimbursement, more complex patient characteristic-based methodologies and accurate claims processes must extend beyond billing offices. SNFs operating without successful and integrative Revenue Cycle Management may be receiving insufficient payment for the care they deliver. Developing and implementing successful Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) strategies will coordinate the clinical and administrative functions necessary to improve patient outcomes, ensure timely and accurate collections, and lower administrative costs. </p><p>“The skilled nursing profession is in the most serious crisis in its history with workforce shortages and increasing operation costs,” said Mike Cheek, Senior Vice President of Reimbursement Policy for AHCA/NCAL. “AHCA developed Revenue Cycle Management Academy as a tool during this crisis. While the Academy is not a silver bullet, the training offers solid, time-tested financial management strategies to help during these troubling times. Specially, the Academy provides training on how to build solid internal controls, policies and procedures to ensure skilled nursing providers have adequate reimbursement to deliver quality of care.”</p><p>RCM Academy covers the process from pre-admission to payment, and includes topics such as claims submission, third-party follow-up, strategies to navigate managed care, and best practices associated with coordinating with MDS coding leads. Participants will learn about the attributes of high performing teams, systems to assure proper and timely payment, and best practices for managing all payer sources to maximize revenue and minimize avoidable losses. To bolster the learning experience RCM Academy includes short videos profiling providers’ experiences running effective RCM programs, and additional webinars and resources will be developed throughout the year. </p><p>“I am very grateful for AHCA’s latest resource for providers: Revenue Cycle Management Academy,” said Sarah Schumanm, Vice President of Operations for Brookside Inn. “Now more than ever providers must ensure the proper management of all financial aspects from pre-admission through post-discharge of all residents and patients. The wisdom these subject matter experts bring to the training is particularly beneficial for Independent Owners like myself. The profession has needed easy access to this consolidated information for a long time. Thank you AHCA for once again delivering solutions to meet our needs.”</p><p>The cost of the course is $350 for AHCA/NCAL members and $650 for non-members. Upon successful completion, the course is approved for 6.75 NAB CEs. Participants will need to login to ahcancalED with their AHCA/NCAL usernames and passwords to register for <a href="https://educate.ahcancal.org/p/RCM" target="_blank">Revenue Cycle Management Academy.</a> For assistance obtaining usernames and passwords, members should e-mail <a href="mailto:educate@ahca.org" target="_blank">educate@ahca.org</a> with their name and facility contact information.</p> | RCM Academy covers the process from pre-admission to payment, and includes topics such as claims submission, third-party follow-up, strategies to navigate managed care, and best practices associated with coordinating with MDS coding leads. | 2022-02-09T05:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/healthcare_finance.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Reimbursement |
| AHCA/NCAL Sends Letter to Congressional Leadership Requesting Additional Resources for Long Term Care Residents and Staff | https://www.providermagazine.com/Breaking-News/Pages/AHCA-NCAL-Sends-Letter-To-Congressional-Leadership.aspx | AHCA/NCAL Sends Letter to Congressional Leadership Requesting Additional Resources for Long Term Care Residents and Staff | <p><strong>WASHINGTON, D.C. – </strong>The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) sent a <a href="https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Fact-Sheets/Letters/Letter-Congress-Feb2022.pdf" target="_blank">letter</a> to Congressional leadership today thanking them for their continued support of long term care residents and staff and urging them to take additional steps to ensure the safety and protection of America’s most vulnerable.</p><p>In the letter, Mark Parkinson, president and chief executive officer of AHCA/NCAL, outlined the association’s specific requests of Congress that would provide nursing homes and assisted living communities with the resources necessary to combat COVID-19 and address critical challenges brought on by the ongoing pandemic. Specifically, in the upcoming appropriations bills, AHCA/NCAL is calling for a replenishment of the Provider Relief Fund with $20 billion allocated to long term care, as well as an extension to the current delay of Medicare sequestration cuts and the recoupment of Medicare Accelerated and Advance payments.</p><p>“Nursing homes and assisted living communities are facing the worst job losses among all health care professions, and the shortage is impacting seniors’ access to care,” Parkinson wrote. “More than half of nursing homes were limiting new admissions in recent months—at a time when overwhelmed hospitals needed our assistance to free up precious beds due to the Omicron surge. However, with your help, health care providers, including those in long term care, can access key tools available to help respond to this unprecedented challenge.”</p><p>Long term care residents and staff have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic, as the virus uniquely targeted older adults with chronic conditions and exposed long-standing issues within the industry. Chronic government underfunding coupled with workforce recruitment challenges were exacerbated by the global crisis. The number of long term care facilities forced to limit admissions or close altogether because of staffing shortages and financial concerns continues to grow.</p><p>Also in the letter was a call for Congress to encourage the Department of Health and Human Services to extend the Public Health Emergency through the end of 2022.</p><p>These measures would be significant steps in helping invest in the frontline caregivers our nation’s seniors need, so they continue to have access to high quality, long term care.</p><p><a href="https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Fact-Sheets/Letters/Letter-Congress-Feb2022.pdf" target="_blank">Read</a> the full letter.</p><p><br></p><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://ahcancal.org/" target="_blank"><img src="/SiteCollectionImages/logos/ahca_ncal_cobrand.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;width:196px;height:25px;" /></a><br></p> | The letter outlined specific requests that would provide nursing homes and assisted living communities with the resources necessary to combat COVID-19. | 2022-02-22T05:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/letter_writing.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | COVID-19 |
| Participate in the 2022 State of Seniors Housing Report | https://www.providermagazine.com/Breaking-News/Pages/Participate-in-the-2022-State-of-Seniors-Housing-Report.aspx | Participate in the 2022 State of Seniors Housing Report | <div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">All senior living providers are asked to help support <em>The State of Seniors Housing</em> report as it conducts its annual research on the profession. <em>The State of Seniors Housing</em>
is a collaborative research project supported by NCAL, along with the
American Seniors Housing Association, National Investment Center for
Seniors Housing & Care, Argentum, and LeadingAge.<br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">Please <a href="https://www.ahcancal.org/Assisted-Living/Documents/SoSH%20Survey%202022.xlsx" data-feathr-click-track="true" target="_blank">download the Excel file</a> to complete the survey. The deadline for completion of the 2022 State of Seniors Housing survey has been extended to<strong> Monday, March 2</strong><strong>1. </strong></span><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">The
report summarizes data collected among independent living communities,
assisted living communities, nursing facilities, and continuing care
retirement communities. The report contains all pertinent financial and
performance measures, including resident turnover and length of stay,
annual financial results per occupied unit, staffing ratios and labor
costs, other key cost items, key financial performance indicators and
more. It is a must-have resource for owners, operators, lenders,
investors, and other professionals interested in the market-rate seniors
housing business. <br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">Completed surveys should be submitted to <a href="mailto:colleen.blumenthal@healthtrust.com" data-feathr-click-track="true" target="_blank">Colleen Blumenthal</a>
of HealthTrust by close of business on March 21. Questions about the
survey should also be directed to Blumenthal at (941) 363-7502 or via
email. <br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;"><br></span></div><div><span style="font-size:14.6667px;">All organizations that complete surveys will receive a complimentary copy of <em>The State of Seniors Housing 2022</em>, which compiles the survey results for comparisons to your own operations. As always, <em>The State of Seniors Housing</em> data will be handled with complete confidentiality and the results presented only in the aggregate.</span><span style="font-size:11pt;"></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://ahcancal.org/" target="_blank"><img src="/SiteCollectionImages/logos/ahca_ncal_cobrand.jpg" alt="" style="margin:5px;width:375px;height:45px;" /></a><br></p> | The report summarizes data collected among independent living communities, assisted living communities, nursing facilities, and continuing care retirement communities. | 2022-02-07T05:00:00Z | <img alt="" src="/Breaking-News/PublishingImages/740%20x%20740/survey.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | Caregiving |