Secretary Azar to Speak at Congressional Briefing Next Month and Mark Your Calendars for the Not for Profit Advocacy Session

Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Alex Azar will address attendees at the 2018 AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing.  The Secretary will speak to post-acute and long-term care providers the morning of Tuesday, June 5, before the group goes to Capitol Hill to meet with lawmakers.

Secretary Azar was confirmed by the Senate on January 24 and was sworn in by Vice President Pence on January 29.  He was formerly Deputy Secretary of HHS under George W. Bush from 2005 to 2007 and General Counsel of the agency prior to that.  Before being confirmed as Secretary, Mr. Azar was President of the U.S. division of Eli Lilly and Company, a major pharmaceutical drug company.

Held on June 4 and 5 in Washington, D.C., Congressional Briefing offers attendees the chance to network with their peers, receive legislative briefings from professionals in the sector, as well as hear from other top voices in Washington.  More details on Congressional Briefing can be found here.    

In addition, there will be a Not for Profit (NFP) Advocacy Session that will be held on Monday, June 4, from 10:30am-11:30am ET at Congressional Briefing.  If you are interested in attending this session, please contact AHCA’s Senior Director of NFP & Constituent Services, Dana Halvorson. 

Call for Entries: AHCA Awards Program

We are now accepting entries for the AHCA Awards Program.  AHCA honors individuals who are committed to improving the quality of life for residents.  The categories are as follows:

• ID/DD Hero of the Year
• Not for Profit Trustee of the Year
• Not for Profit Program of the Year
• Volunteer of the Year
• Young Adult (Ages 13-19)
• Adult
• Group

Nominations packets are available on AHCA's website.  In a change from previous years, Volunteer of the Year nominations may be submitted directly by centers in good standing with the state affiliate.

Please spread the word and take the time to submit a nomination.  Honorees will be recognized at AHCA/NCAL's 69th Annual Convention and & Expo in San Diego.

Data Submission for AHRQ Nursing Home Survey

Nursing Homes that have administered AHRQ’s Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture can submit their data to the Database June 1-21, 2018.  The results of this database, a Nursing Home User Database Report, will provide average scores and percentiles on the survey items and composites to help nursing homes assess their own results to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement.  Nursing Homes must have licensed nursing home beds and be located in the U.S. or U.S. territories in order to submit.

Nursing Homes who have not previously administered the survey may still do so.  The survey, toolkit materials, and information about data submission are available at http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/patientsafetyculture/nursing-home/index.html. 

If you have any questions, call 888-324-9790 or email: DatabasesOnSafetyCulture@westat.com.

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 them toll-free at 877-399-4867.

Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association (DDNA) and 2019 Annual Conference

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.  The DDNA 27^th Annual Education Conference will be held in New Orleans, LA, from June 7 – 10, 2019.  For more information about the DDNA conference 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.  

AHCA’s State of the States Clearinghouse

AHCA members have access to key Medicaid and Medicare information through the 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 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.

Articles and Resources of Interest

• Free Staff Training: Changing Talk Online (CHATO) to Reduce Behavioral Symptoms in Dementia Care – longtermcareleader.com
• Deliver the Magic Sound of Music with Mood Media – longtermcareleader.com
• The Number of Open LTC Jobs Continues to Increase – longtermcareleader.com
• Meetup at the AHCA/NCAL Expo in San Diego – longtermcareleader.com
• Register for LTPAC Health IT Summit – longtermcareleader.com
• Autism Prevalence on the Rise: 1 in 68 Children Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder – aap.org  
• Inclusion Rates Lagging For Students With Intellectual Disabilities – disabilityscoop.com
• Peeling Back The Label Of Dual Diagnosis – c-q-l.org
• Providing Culturally Competent Care: Meeting the LTSS Needs of Dually Eligible Beneficiaries – resourcesforintegratedcare.com
• A Conversation on the Emergence of Pediatric Complex Care – lpfch.org
• Neglected for Too Long: Dental Care for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities – ncd.gov  

Legislative and Agency Corner

• AHCA Statement on MedPAC Report to Congress – ahcancal.org
• AHCA Statement on 2019 SNF PPS Proposed Rule – ahcancal.org
• AHCA/NCAL Submit Comments on IMPACT Act “Medication Profile” DRAFT Quality Measures – longtermcareleader.com
• Electronic Visit Verification CMCS Informational Bulletin - medicaid.gov
• Lack of sleep may be linked to risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease – nih.gov
• FDA Grants Fast-Track Status To Possible Autism Drug – disabilityscoop.com
• Fitbit-Like Device Shows Promise In Predicting Autism Aggression – disabilityscoop.com
• Government Urged To Improve Disability Services – disabilityscoop.com

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.  

• Protecting your Tax Exempt Status....It's not just a legal issue
• The Value of Strong Relationships with the Medical Director and Medical Providers in Achieving Desired Clinical and Performance Outcomes
• International Dysphagia Diet Standardization Initiative (IDDSI)

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.

• Could Ford Have Dodged the F-150 Fiasco
• Never Trust A Squeaky Clean Mechanic
• When Pigs Fly
• Superpowers and Kryptonite
• Patching the Potholes
• Endangered Species

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/NCAL Congressional Briefing (Washington, D.C.) – June 4-5, 2018
• AHCA/NCAL 69th Annual Convention and Exposition (San Diego, CA) – October 7-10, 2018  

2018 Health Care Observances

June 2018 marks, among other observances, National Safety Month, Cataract Awareness Month, Men’s Health Month, and the 41^st Annual National Nursing Assistants Week (June 14-21).  The 2018 Healthcare Observances Calendar can be found here.