March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

According to the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities, “The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) and the National Disability Rights Network (NDRN) have come together again to plan a campaign for Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month 2018!  The goal for this month is to create awareness about developmental disabilities, teach the importance of inclusion within every aspect of life, and to share the stories of individuals with a disability to show that a successful life is possible!”  More on Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month can be found here. 

AHCA’s ID/DD Hill Fly-in Event Next Week!

AHCA’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) Residential Services Providers will be in Washington DC for AHCA’s annual Hill Fly-In event on Wednesday, March 7, 2018.  Participants will hear from Congressional speakers and others.  The event runs from 8am – 10:30am ET.  After the morning event is over, the ID/DD providers will head to Capitol Hill to discuss critical issues, including Medicaid. 

If you have any questions relating to this event or would like to register (it is free to attend, and breakfast and lunch are provided), please don’t hesitate to contact AHCA’s Senior Director of Not for Profit & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson. 

AHCA Statement on Senate Budget Proposal

The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living President and CEO Mark Parkinson issued the following statement on February 8, 2018, regarding the Senate budget proposal:

“We are disappointed that the Senate budget proposal includes a $2 billion cut to skilled nursing facilities. An across the board cut like the one included in this bill would have a dramatic effect on our nation’s most vulnerable citizens. The low Medicaid reimbursements in many states do not cover the cost of care and providers struggle to keep their doors open. This cut will further jeopardize their important work.”

OIG Releases Report on Incident Reporting for Group Home Settings

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG), Administration for Community Living, and Office for Civil Rights released a January 2018 joint report entitled, Ensuring Beneficiary Health and Safety in Group Homes Through State Implementation of Comprehensive Compliance Oversight.  The objective of OIG for the report was to determine if group homes complied with Federal and State requirements for reporting, recording, and detecting critical incidents in group homes.  Work was done in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine.  According to the report, “OIG found serious lapses in basic health and safety practices in group homes.”  OIG will continue their audit work in this area in additional States.  You can read the findings and conclusions of the full report here.     

2018 AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit in New Orleans

The AHCA/NCAL 3rd Annual Quality Summit will be held in New Orleans on March 12-14. There’s nothing better than spring time in New Orleans. You can enjoy great food and music while taking in the historic sites of the city.

The Quality Summit offers education that focuses on quality improvement, or other critical areas that impact organizational performance and resident care. The Quality Summit is ideal for skilled nursing, post-acute, and assisted living professionals!

Check out the education sessions, events and sponsors online. You can also download a copy of this year’s Quality Summit invitation. Don’t miss these important dates and register today.

ICF/IID Reports

AHCA's Research Department has released the following June 2017 updates for use by AHCA/NCAL members:

• LTC Stats: Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID) Standard Health Survey Report, June 2017
• LTC Stats: Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ICF/IID), Facility and Resident Characteristics, June 2017

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

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 2018.  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.

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

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 115^th Congress, second session, can be found here.  The U.S. Senate schedule for 2018 can be found here​.

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 is a national nonprofit organization advocating for high quality care and human rights for all people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). VOR empowers its members to make and protect quality of life choices for individuals with developmental disabilities.  Founded in 1983, VOR is a national 501(c)(3) organization governed by a volunteer board of directors and funded solely by dues and donations.  VOR represents primarily individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families/guardians.  VOR advocates that the final determination of what is appropriate depends on the unique abilities and needs of the individual and desires of the family and guardians.  More information about VOR can be found here.

VOR's 2018 Annual Meeting and Legislative Initiative will take place from June 9 - 13, at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. The Annual Meeting (June 9-10) will include State of the State Reports, presentation of new officers and Board members, and reports from the President and Excutive Director. Speakers to be announced. The Legislative Agenda (June 10 - 13) will include protecting Medicaid among other issues.  For more information, contact info@vor.net or call us toll-free at 877-399-4867.

2018 DDNA Conference

Join DDNA next year in sunny Orlando, Florida - March 22-25, 2018!  The 26th Annual Education Conference will be held at the Orlando World Marriott Center Resort!  All ID/DD healthcare professionals and ID/DD advocates are welcome to attend!  Sponsors and exhibitors also welcome!  More information can be found on DDNA’s website: www.ddna.org or contact DDNA at: conference@ddna.org.

As the premier resource for practicing I/DD nurses, DDNA is committed to providing quality education programs that include cutting edge content with practical application.  For more information about the DDNA or to become a member, visit their website at: DDNA.org.

We’ve Got You Covered! 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 contact AHCA’s Dave Kyllo at dkyllo@AHCA.org and visit the AHCA/NCAL Insurance Solutions website.  

Articles and Resources of Interest

• Blood, Urine Tests Could Change How Autism Is Diagnosed – disabilityscoop.com
• Their Disabilities Challenge Their Lives, But Not Their Love – disabilityscoop.com
• Why ABA Therapy Remains Elusive For Some Families – disabilityscoop.com
• Ideas Sought On Improving Transition Outcomes – disabilityscoop.com
• Few Parents Plan For Future Of Children With Disabilities, Study Finds – disabilityscoop.com
• For Adults With Autism, Specialized Therapy May Boost Employment Odds – disabilityscoop.com
• New research is finding animals may help kids on the autism spectrum relate to other people –  philly.com

Legislative and Agency Corner

• AHCA/NCAL Congratulates Secretary Azar – ahcancal.org
• House Lawmakers Approve Changes To Americans With Disabilities Act – disabilityscoop.com
• Trump Budget Draws Strong Opposition From Advocates – disabilityscoop.com
• Federal Program That Moves People Out Of Institutions In Jeopardy – disabilityscoop.com
• Medicaid ‘Electronic Verification’ Devices Spark Privacy Concerns – disabilityscoop.com
• Two New Funding Opportunities for Disability and Rehabilitation Research Projects Program – acl.gov
• Two Funding Opportunities Open for Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Program – acl.gov
• Data Book: Beneficiaries Dually Eligible for Medicare and Medicaid – macpac.gov  

AHCA/NCAL Learning Management Website

AHCA/NCAL has a comprehensive online Learning Management System to support the training needs of its members. The website, known as ahcancalED, contains a wealth of information including educational programs, webinars, instructional videos, training courses, and other tools. It is available free to AHCA/NCAL members.

"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.

Webinars of Interest

Stay informed and tune in to ahcancalED for several pre-recorded and live webinars on topics impacting the long-term care profession. Webinars that might be of interest are noted below.  

• CNA Solutions Using Technology to Solve Workforce Challenges
• LTC Survey Process Updates “Hot Topics” with Food, Nutrition and Dining
• Water Safety and Reducing the risk for Legionella in Nursing Homes

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. 

From the Blog of Josh Linkner

Noted on the Josh Linkner blog, “To Josh Linkner, creativity and innovation are the lifeblood of all human progress. As such, he’s spent his career harnessing the power of creative disruption.  His journey has been non-traditional at every step. As the founder and CEO of four tech companies, Josh built his businesses from a blank page into a combined value of over $200 million. As a hyper-growth CEO of over 20 years, he’s used innovative approaches to topple competitors, fight through adversity, and achieve at the highest levels.”  The bio section of Linkner’s blog goes on to include that, “Josh is an internationally-recognized thought leader and top-rated keynote speaker on innovation, creativity, reinvention, and hyper-growth leadership. His keynotes are focused on not only inspiring audiences, but also sharing actionable strategies to drive meaningful outcomes.” 

Read some of Linkner’s blogs below.  In addition, you can view some of his keynote speaking addresses here.

• 31 Tips to Reach Your Next Level of Greatness
• Stand Up and Stand Out
• Become a ‘First Responder’ to Blaze Past Your Competitors
• Three Innovations and a Challenge
• The Batman Effect
• The Power of Funerals
• Columbo’s Curiosity

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 2018 Events

• AHCA’S ID/DD Hill Fly-In Event (please contact Dana Halvorson at dhalvorson@ahca.org for more details) – March 7, 2018  
• AHCA/NCAL Quality Summit in New Orleans – March 12 – 14, 2018
• AHCA/NCAL Independent Owner Leadership Conference in New Orleans – March 14 – 16, 2018

2018 Health Care Observances

March 2018 marks, among other observances, National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, Brain Injury Awareness Month, National Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, Save Your Vision Month, and National Nutrition Month.  The 2018 Healthcare Observances Calendar can be found here.