Wednesday, March 15, 2017
March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
In a March 1, 2017, email
update from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) it is noted that March
is National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, an opportunity to
celebrate the many contributions people with developmental disabilities make to
our society. The
National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, Association
of University Centers on Disabilities and National
Disability Rights Network have partnered to launch a social media campaign
to highlight the many ways in which people with and without developmental
disabilities come together to form strong, diverse communities. You can visit the #DDAwareness17
page for more information on the campaign.
AHCA’s ID/DD Members Storm the Hill this Week
AHCA’s ID/DD providers will then head in the afternoon to Capitol Hill to discuss critical issues, including Medicaid, Medicaid Managed Care and workforce shortages. If you have any questions relating to this event, please don’t hesitate to contact AHCA’s Senior Director of Not for Profit & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson.
AHCA/NCAL Responds to House Republican Legislation to Repeal and Replace Obamacare
“Long term care providers across the country are disappointed that cuts to Medicaid are included in the Obamacare repeal and replace bill released yesterday. The current Medicaid system underfunds nursing center care by $22.46 per day, resulting in a shortfall of nearly $7 billion annually. The bill released yesterday will sharply reduce Medicaid funds across the board for all beneficiaries, making it harder than ever to maintain access to care for the most vulnerable in our society.
“The residents in long term care centers are uniquely vulnerable. More than one million individuals call nursing centers their home and most rely on Medicaid for their care. This bill will cut Medicaid funding for seniors and individuals with disabilities, jeopardizing access to the care they need.
“We strongly encourage Congress to protect Medicaid access for seniors and people with disabilities in the Obamacare repeal and replace effort.”
AHCA/NCAL Congratulates Administrator Verma
The
American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living
(AHCA/NCAL) President and CEO Mark Parkinson issued the following statement on
March 13 regarding confirmation of Seema Verma as Administrator of the Centers
for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) at the Department of Health and Human
Services:
“We
congratulate Ms. Verma and look forward to the opportunity to work with her and
the team at CMS. Her experience and health care policy knowledge will serve the
country well as we continue on the journey to provide quality care for millions
of patients and residents.”
Emergency Preparedness CMS Final Rule Summaries Available
Finally, the AHCA Emergency Preparedness Final Rule Webinar Series that you might find of assistance can be found here.
ICF/IID Reports
AHCA's Research Department has released
the following June 2016 updates for use by AHCA/NCAL members:
-
LTC Stats: Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID) Standard Health Survey Report, June 2016
- LTC Stats: Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID), June 2016
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Grassroots Advocacy – Facility Visits Over Recess
Holly Jarek, AHCA's
ID/DD Committee Chair, encourages AHCA's ID/DD providers to participate in our grassroots
advocacy efforts in 2017. 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.
U.S. Congressional Calendars
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 will hold their 2017 annual meeting & legislative initiative from June 3-7, 2017. More information can be found here.
DDNA: Celebrating Our Past, Shaping Our Future!
We’ve Got You Covered! AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions Website
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 contact AHCA’s Dave Kyllo at dkyllo@AHCA.org and visit the AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions website.
AHCA’s State of the States Clearinghouse
This 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.
Articles and Resources of Interest
-
In Breakthrough, Researchers Detect Autism Signs In Infants – disabilityscoop.com
- Police Learn To Better Understand People With Disabilities – disabilityscoop.com
- Remote Monitoring Replacing Some Direct Support Staff – disabilityscoop.com
- For Kids On The Spectrum, Time Change Brings Angst – disabilityscoop.com
- A Change in Sleep Habits from Normal to Long: Harbinger of Dementia? – alzforum.org
- How the language we use to communicate about disease matters – healthjournalism.org
- Caffeine may ward off dementia by boosting protective enzyme – medicalnewstoday.com
- Aging with a Disability Factsheet Series – agerrtc.washington.edu
- Disability Stigma and Your Patients – agerrtc.washington.edu
Legislative and Agency Corner
-
AHCA/NCAL Commends Congress for Reintroducing the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act – ahcancal.org
- GOP Plan To Replace Obamacare Calls For Medicaid Caps – disabilityscoop.com
- NIH consortium takes aim at vascular disease-linked cognitive impairment and dementia – nih.gov
- How CDC Is Using Advanced Molecular Detection Technology To Better Fight Flu! – blogs.cdc.gov
- Healthy Eating: Alzheimer's Caregiving Tips – nia.nih.gov
- Putting exercise to the test in people at risk for Alzheimer’s – nia.nih.gov
Webinars of Interest
Stay informed and tune in to AHCA/NCAL-hosted
pre-recorded and live webinars on several
topics impacting the long-term care profession, including one coming up on May
11, 2017, entitled “Best” Practice Standards for Nutrition in
Long Term Care.
You also might be interested in an AADMD Virtual Grand Rounds Aging in Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities webinar, which can be viewed here.
The ARC has also has webinars this year that might be of interest.
Finally, you can register here for NCOA and the Arthritis Foundations’ March 28 Webinar on Reaching People with Arthritis: Strategies and Tools.
You also might be interested in an AADMD Virtual Grand Rounds Aging in Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities webinar, which can be viewed here.
The ARC has also has webinars this year that might be of interest.
Finally, you can register here for NCOA and the Arthritis Foundations’ March 28 Webinar on Reaching People with Arthritis: Strategies and Tools.
AHCA/NCAL Learning Management Website
"We created ahcancalED for our members who do not have the time or budget to develop the newest in-service training," said Dr. David Gifford, AHCA/NCAL Senior Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Affairs. "Our objective also was to provide the best and latest educational tools, especially as CMS increases its regulatory requirements about staff training and competency in a number of areas. ahcancalED is designed to help individuals in our profession do a better job of caring for patients and residents and advance in their careers."
The information on ahcancalED is structured to make the online learning experience engaging, meaningful, and interactive for users. The fresh graphics and clearly defined sections within the site make it easy for users to navigate and find the information they need. The site also allows users to track their own learning progress.
Teams of experts from around the country working with AHCA/NCAL staff helped to create the content. "We will constantly be adding new programs and materials so that we can keep the site fresh and dynamic," said Gifford. "We'll continue to look for new ways the site can grow and serve our members. It's a great value-added benefit and a tangible example of our commitment to enhancing quality."
ahcancalED can be accessed at https://educate.ahcancal.org/. Suggestions for content or other site enhancements can be submitted to the ahcancalED team at educate@ahca.org. AHCA/NCAL welcomes ideas that will help improve quality and strengthen the knowledge, skills and attitudes of staff in the long term and post-acute care community.
From the Blog of Josh Linkner
Smile, The Sun is Shining Through You
| 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 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 2017 Events
-
AHCA ID/DD Committee In-Person Meeting and Hill Fly-In Event in Washington, D.C. – March 21 and 22, 2017
- AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing in Washington, D.C. – June 5 and 6, 2017
- 68th Annual AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo in Las Vegas – October 14-18, 2017
2017 Health Care Observances
April 2017 marks,
among other observances, National Parkinson’s
Awareness Month, National Occupational
Therapy Month, Stress Awareness
Month and National
Cancer Control Month. The full 2017
health care related observances calendar can be found here.
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