AHCA ID/DD Congressional Hill Fly-In Event Next Month!

AHCA’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) Residential Services Providers annual Hill Fly-In event will occur on Wednesday, February 26, 2020, at the AHCA offices in DC.  This important event is free to attend for AHCA/NCAL members.  Breakfast will be provided to registrants.  Congressional speakers are being invited, a legislative update will be provided, and Hill visits will follow in the afternoon.  AHCA will provide one-pagers and talking points for registrants to take to the Hill.  

If you would like to attend, please contact AHCA’s Senior Director of Not for Profit & Constituent Services, Dana Ritchie, at dritchie@ahca.org.  If you have any questions whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to let Dana know.  AHCA hopes to see you at this important event!

Deadline Tomorrow - Submit Your AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Application

The deadline to apply for the 2020 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program is quickly approaching.  Providers must submit their application and payment by 8 pm ET on January 23, 2020.  Late submissions will not be accepted.

An application can be submitted regardless of whether or not you submitted an Intent to Apply payment, so don't delay and start your application today.  To get started, find all of the information you need in our application packets and additional resources available on the applicant webpages: Bronze, Silver, and Gold.

Then submit your application and payment through the Quality Award Portal!  We encourage members to log in to the Portal before the deadline to avoid any delays in setting up your user account.  Questions? Contact qualityaward@ahca.org.

New Training Offers Practical Strategies to Boost Employee Recruitment and Retention

AHCA/NCAL offers a new instructional webinar titled “Pioneering Solutions to the Workforce Crisis.”  This 45-minute webinar developed in collaboration with PHI delivers practical action steps and strategies assisted living and nursing facilities of all shapes and sizes can take to improve their employee and retention efforts. The webinar also covers ways to improve the hiring process and explains supportive supervision and coaching methods that positively impact employee retention. 

The webinar’s learning objectives include:

• Explain the key factors contributing to the workforce shortage
• Identify at least 3 strategies to improve employee recruitment
• Identify at least 3 strategies to improve employee retention
• Explain the impact of supportive supervision on retention
  

The instructor is Sue Misiorski who served as Vice President of Workforce Innovations for PHI and currently serves as the New England Regional Director of Operations for SageLife.  Starting as a CNA, she later held positions as a DON and VP of Nursing in multi-site skilled nursing homes in New England and has supported the construction of several assisted living and nursing facilities.
 
This webinar is part one to a more extensive on-line training for middle managers that will be released in the coming months.  While no CEUs are offered for this webinar, participants can receive a certificate of completion.  The cost of the course is $25 for AHCA/NCAL members and $60 for non-members. 

Follow this link to read more about this educational webinar and to register for the course:  https://educate.ahcancal.org/products/pioneering-solutions-to-the-workforce-crisis#tab-product_tab_overview.

To access ahcancalED and the Pioneering Solutions webinar, members will need to login with their AHCA/NCAL usernames and passwords.  For assistance obtaining AHCA/NCAL usernames and passwords, please e-mail update@ahca.org with your name and facility contact information.

ICF/IID Reports

AHCA's Research Department has released the following June 2019 updates for use by AHCA/NCAL members (Login Required):

• LTC Stats: Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID) Standard Health Survey Report, June 2019 
• LTC Stats: Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID), Facility and Resident Characteristics, June 2019

If you have any questions relating to these reports, which include important ICF/IID state and national data, please contact AHCA’s Research Director, Kiran Sreenivas.

We Need You for Our Social Media Initiative

AHCA/NCAL began a social media advocacy initiative last year and is encouraging all members to get involved.  The effort focuses on improving the overall image of the post-acute and long term care profession by sharing positive stories and pushing back on pieces that attempt to tie all providers to isolated negative events.

AHCA/NCAL will be sending interested members tips for getting more involved on social media, best practices for posting content, sample posts, and a roundup of positive stories about the profession on a regular basis. Individuals who want to get involved should email socialmedia@ahca.org to get on the mailing list.

The campaign also will include a rapid response to stories that are unfairly negative about the profession or do not accurately portray the reality of post-acute and long term care.  AHCA/NCAL hopes to build on these successes as the year continues. With thousands of buildings nationwide who touch the lives of millions of people, there is the chance to seriously affect the way the profession is viewed and treated by lawmakers and the media.

Articles and Resources of Interest

• Long Term and Post-Acute Care Providers Earn Quality Improvement Recognition
• CMS Speaker confirmed for 2020 AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit
• Take a No-Risk Opportunity to Lower Your 2020 Utility Bills with Cleary Energy
• AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit Helps You Excel in 2020
• Achievers of 2020 AHCA/NCAL Quality Initiative Recognition Program Announced

Legislative and Agency Corner

• Three ACA Taxes Repealed
• AHCA Issues Statement on Staffing Bill
• FDA Misses Deadline To Ban Devices Used To Shock Those With Special Needs
• Proposed Social Security Changes Could Cut Off Beneficiaries With Disabilities
• Parents Seek Housing For Adult Children With Disabilities

National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities

The National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) holds a monthly call or webinar concerning topics of interest to those who work in the field of aging and disability.  One of the past calls focused on resources for people with Alzheimer’s and related dementias and their caregivers.  Information about future calls, and audio recording of previous ones, can be found here.

Upcoming 2020 Events

• ID/DD Congressional Hill Fly-In Event – February 26, 2020
• Quality Summit – March 9-11, 2020  
• Independent Owner’s Conference – March 11-13, 2020

2020 Health Care Observances

February 2020 marks, among other observances, National Cancer Prevention Month, American Heart Month, AMD/Low Vision Awareness Month and National Wear Red Day (February 7).  The 2020 Healthcare Observances Calendar can be found here.