Join Us in Our Nation’s Capitol for the 2015 AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing

Spring has sprung in Washington, and the incredible beauty that surrounds the Capitol is alive with cherry blossoms. It’s a great time to visit and find out all the latest news. Congressional Briefing offers you that and more with a unique opportunity to meet with your Members of Congress and talk about the health care issues that matter most to you.

You’ll also hear from great guest speakers like award-winning journalist Chris Wallace, enjoy valuable networking time with your peers, and have the chance to earn 6.5 CEUs

• Learn more about scheduling a meeting, see the complete agenda, and register today!
• Hotel Information
  
• Reserve your hotel room early. Rooms are going fast.

Please note that you must register for Congressional Briefing before making your hotel reservation.

2015 AHCA/NCAL Awards Program

Through the Volunteer of the Year, ID/DD Hero of the Year, and Not for Profit (NFP) Program of the Year awards programs, AHCA/NCAL honor those individuals who are dedicated to improving the quality of lives of residents and their surrounding communities. 

The nomination packets for AHCA/NCAL’s 2015 Awards Program follow:  

• 2015 VOY Online Application-Adult, Young Adult, Group
• 2015 ID/DD Application
• 2015 NFP Application

The deadline for AHCA receipt of all nominations is Thursday, May 21, 2015.  Just as a reminder, whereas the Volunteers of the Year nomination form MUST be submitted by a state affiliate organization, the ID/DD Hero of the Year and the NFP Program of the Year nomination forms can be member-submitted directly to AHCA electronically.  All nominations must be typed and submitted electronically this year.  Faxed or handwritten nominations are not accepted. Honorees in each category will be recognized at AHCA/NCAL’s 66th Annual Convention and Expo, October 4 to 7, 2015, in San Antonio, Texas.  Let the Process begin!

Have a Fiesta this Nursing Home Week 2015

“Bring on the Fiesta,” May 10 to 16, 2015, is the theme of National Nursing Home Week (NNHW).  Make it a week of entertainment and education for all ID/DD professionals.  The week’s focus is on “Familia, Vida, and Amor” (family, life, love).  The Planning Guide and Product brochure was mailed and is also posted here.

Show how your care center, home or other setting, as part of its culture, brings these attributes to the forefront, irrespective of anyone’s age or physical and intellectual ability.  Try to weave into your Fiesta a celebration of cultures, and how people of various backgrounds have a Fiesta. Seize the opportunity to attract new guests, infrequent visitors, and local VIPs to be part of the fun and share in the comradery of familia, vida and amor.

So, “BRING ON THE FIESTA!” for all to enjoy. Tell everyone to step out of their personal fast lane and have some old fashioned FUN with the folks.

AHCA/NCAL 2015 Convention & Expo: Registration Now Open!

They say things in Texas are bigger and better. The ACHA/NCAL 66th Annual Convention & Expo is shaping up to be just that, all from historic and beautiful San Antonio. Experience the food, the landmarks, and the fun of this Texas-sized destination, while you network, learn, and enjoy yourself at this must-attend event.

Early Bird Registration ends July 17, so make your reservations today! Visit our official Convention & Expo website for event times, speakers and all the important information. 

Recognize Your Champion of Quality Care

AHCA/NCAL is now accepting applications for the 2015 Mary K. Ousley Champion of Quality Award! This award recognizes an individual who has made significant national contributions to advancing quality performance in long term and/or post-acute care, including either skilled nursing or assisted living settings. Previous recipients have demonstrated exemplary achievements in long term and post-acute care, including, but not limited to: 

• leadership in education and advocacy for quality improvements; 
• dedication to performance improvement;
• significant additions to long term and post-acute care research or interventions, and;
• initiative in innovation for quality care. 

Recipients of the award are not required to be AHCA/NCAL members, but the nomination must be submitted by an individual with an organization that is an AHCA/NCAL member of good standing. In addition, the nomination must demonstrate how the nominee has made a significant impact on a national scale. The recipient will be honored at the 2015 AHCA/NCAL Annual Convention & Expo’s Closing General Session in San Antonio, Texas, on October 7.

Nomination forms can be found on the Champion of Quality Award page, and must be submitted via email to Courtney Bishnoi by June 11, 2015.  Please contact Courtney Bishnoi for questions, or visit the Champion of Quality award page for more information.

AHCA’s State of the States Clearinghouse

AHCA members now have access to key Medicaid and Medicare information through the new State of the States Clearinghouse.  The AHCA State of the States Clearinghouse is a one stop shop for key Medicaid and Medicare information impacting the long term care profession.   

This new resource provides valuable data, including:

• Overview of the demographic landscape;
• State-specific nursing center occupancy and ownership breakouts; 
• Certificate of Need requirements for nursing centers and state licensure requirements; 
• State data on the cost of care for long term services and supports;  
• State data on the total number of Medicare enrollees; 
• Data on state Medicare Advantage plan enrollees and comparisons to the national average; 
• State and national Medicaid expenditure data;
• State Medicaid rates, costs and shortfalls;
• And other significant state-specific data related to payment structure, managed long term services and home and community based services coverage.

AHCA will continue to provide the most up-to-date information through the Clearinghouse and share new data/resources as they become available.  Also be sure to visit the AHCA Medicaid Page to learn more about the program and to access additional AHCA members-only Medicaid resources.

Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Grassroots Advocacy

Renee Naylor, AHCA's ID/DD Committee Chair, encourages AHCA's ID/DD providers to participate in our grassroots advocacy efforts in 2015.  AHCA would like to help you get facility tours and in-district meetings set up over future recess days.  Please provide your name, facility address, and email address and we will craft the invite and send it to you to send to the Congressional office.  The four brief steps for a successful facility tour visit can be found here.  Please feel free to contact Matthew Smyth and Dana Halvorson who can help you with all of the logistics.

Renee Naylor (pictured to the left) and AHCA’s ID/DD Committee member, Kelly Head (pictured to the right), met with Representative Kurt Schrader (D-OR-5) on March 24, during AHCA’s ID/DD Residential Services Providers annual Hill Fly-In event in Washington, D.C. 

U.S. Congressional Calendars

As you are planning your visits with members of Congress and their staff in Washington, D.C., or in your district, the Congressional calendars will be of assistance to you.  The U.S. House of Representatives calendar for the 114th Congress, first session, can be found here.  The U.S. Senate schedule for the new Congress can be found here. The dates in black reference the times the U.S. Senate is in session.  The red dates represent when the U.S. Senate is in recess. 

AHCA/NCAL Advocacy App

If you haven’t already heard about it, then we wanted to alert you to a great app that allows you to keep abreast of AHCA advocacy efforts.  Among other things, it provides important talking points, issue briefs and features that allow you to take action.  It will be useful not only to you, but serves as a great way for providers to weigh in.  You can get the app by clicking on the appropriate black box below.

 

Download our advocacy app!

   

VOR Corner

VOR, a national nonprofit organization advocating for high quality care and human rights for people with I/DD, will host its Annual Conference on Sunday, June 7, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.  VOR’s Congressional Initiative will immediately follow during the week of June 8, 2015.  Speakers have been confirmed, and registration is now open.  Details are posted at http://www.vor.net/events.  If you have any questions relating to these VOR events or sponsorship opportunities, you can contact VOR’s Executive Director, Julie Huso -- jhuso@vor.net.

We’ve Got You Covered! New AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions Website

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) now offers a variety of comprehensive insurance programs to meet your business needs. Backed by the strength of our membership, AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions programs are designed with exclusive member savings and discounts for both the fully-insured or self-insured members.

The program offers health insurance options, group and voluntary benefit packages, an aggressive Stop-Loss insurance program as well as cloud based HR platforms that will help members achieve savings and greater efficiencies on HR services within your company, while also tracking and reporting on key Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirements.  For more information, please visit the new AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions website, email ahcainsurancesolutions@ahca.org ​or call 860-416-5333.  

Articles and Resources of Interest

• AHCA Applauds Senate Passage of Permanent Doc Fix – ahcancal.org
• AHCA Joins Caucus to Raise Awareness of the Challenges faced by Family Caregivers – ahcancal.org
• Health Spending Explorer – healthsystemtracker.org
• April 2015 Edition of the State Medicaid Integration Tracker – nasuad.org
• Advocates Fight To Keep Sheltered Workshops For Workers With Disabilities – npr.org
• New Resource on End-of-Life Decisions for Adults with Significant Intellectual Disabilities – aadmd.org
• NTG-Early Detection Screen for Dementia – aadmd.org
• Feds Take Aim At Sheltered Workshops – Disability Scoop, LLC
• Resource Offered on State-by-State ABLE Act Legislation – thearc.org
• ABLE Act shows how Congress can get work done – and how hard it is – csmonitor.com
• GI Troubles May Be Early Sign Of Autism – Disability Scoop, LLC
• New DNA Test Highly Accurate In Detecting Down Syndrome – Disability Scoop, LLC
• Supreme Court Rules Against Disability Providers – Disability Scoop, LLC
• Brain Imaging May Provide Early Developmental Prognosis – Disability Scoop, LLC
• Feds Take Aim At Sheltered Workshops – Disability Scoop, LLC
• Demand High For Specialized Housing – Disability Scoop, LLC

Legislative and Agency Corner

• Brain Scans Give Clues to Link Between Alzheimer's, Down Syndrome – healthfinder.gov
• Researchers develop “epigenetic clock” to measure aging in Down syndrome – nia.nih.gov
• 2015 Federal Poverty Level Standards – Medicaid.gov
• Commemorating National Minority Health Month – acl.gov 

Webinars of Interest

• Stay informed and tune in to AHCA/NCAL-hosted pre-recorded and live webinars on a number of topics impacting the long term care profession. 
• Current “Best Practice for Dysphagia and Nutrition” – May 13, 2015, at 2pm ET
• So You Think You Might Want to Run for the AHCA or NCAL Board: Everything You Want to Know But Are Afraid to Ask – May 14, 2015, at 3pm ET
• Understanding the ABLE Act Webinar Now Available – thearc.org
• Behavioral Strategies for Promoting Success Among Individuals with Autism – drexel.com 

Guest Problem Resolution 101: Power of the Follow-Up

According to Dr. Bryan K. Williams, “Follow-up is an art form. Some people have it down to a science. In many ways, one of the biggest differences between good, great, and engaging service is the quality of the follow-up.”  He goes on to note later in his blog article that, “The ultimate goal is to follow up until you are confident the guest is happy with the resolution.  If you do that, success is sure to follow.”  The full blog version of the “Guest Problem Resolution 101: Power of the Follow-Up” article can be found here. 

Dr. Williams is a consultant, trainer, and author, who focuses on the areas of service excellence and organizational effectiveness.  He has spoken at numerous AHCA/NCAL events, and his passion is to serve others so they may better serve the world.  Here is a link where you can see some of Dr. Williams’ book recommendations on service, leadership and personal development.

National Association of States United for Aging and Disabilities

The National Association of Sates United for Aging and Disabilities (NASUAD) holds monthly calls concerning topics of interest to those who work in the field of aging and disability the first Thursday of every month at 3pm EST.  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 2015 Events

• DDNA Annual Conference – April 30 – May 4, 2015
• ANCOR Annual Conference – May 3 – 5, 2015
• VOR’s Annual Conference – June 7, 2015
• VOR's Congressional Initiative – week of June 8, 2015 
• Global Summit on Innovations and Health in IDD – July 27-29, 2015

2015 Health Care Observances

The 2015 AHCA/NCAL Health Care Observances Calendar can be found here.  May marks, among other observances, Healthy Vision Month, National American Stroke Month and National High Blood Pressure Education Month.