Registration Is Now Open for the 71st AHCA/NCAL Virtual Convention & Expo

Learn what’s in store for this year’s one-of-a-kind experience, and register today.

This year, the virtual convention runs from October 8-31st. That means you get 24 days of access to on-demand sessions. You can earn up to 50 CEs. Topics are wide ranging and focus on what you need to know to deal with the challenges of today. Topics include:

• Infection Control and Prevention
• Person-Centered Care
• Behavioral Health
• Clinical Care
• Assisted Living
• ID/DD and Not for Profit
• Workforce Solutions
• Regulatory Compliance and Risk Management
• Reimbursement
• Technology and Innovation
• Quality Improvement
• Post-Acute Care
• PDPM

Get-Together Thursdays offer special live sessions during convention with moderated chats, Q&As, networking lounges, and more. Find out more about Get-Together Thursdays’ General Session Speakers, and mark your calendars for these exciting events.

Thanks to our Pledge Partners and exhibitors, the virtual Expo Hall will be available to explore 24-7 throughout the duration of convention. You can demo products, download brochures, and chat with representatives from industry-specific businesses that may just have the solution you are seeking.

Join your colleagues to reflect, share, and learn. Register now.

Deadline Extended: Medicaid Application for Provider Relief Fund

HHS extended the application deadline for the Medicaid tranche of the COVID Provider Relief Fund to Monday, August 3, 2020. The payment to each provider will be approximately 2 percent of reported gross revenue from patient care, and the final amount each provider receives will be determined after the data is submitted. 

Unlike previous funding tranches, this is not a first-come, first-serve process. These funds are available to providers who have not received payment from the General Distribution to Medicare providers, and have billed Medicaid or Medicaid managed care plans for health care-related services between January 1, 2018 – December 31, 2019. 

AHCA/NCAL has a tips sheet and step-by-step guide for providers on how to successfully navigate the Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal for non-SNF Medicaid providers. 

Instructions for the application form can be found here. For additional information, please see the Medicaid and CHIP Distribution FAQs. 

The application portal, as well as an application tutorial recording and Medicaid Provider Fund fact sheet can be found here. Please take time to ensure all of the data is gathered and accurate before submission. 

Please email COVID19@ahca.org for additional questions, or visit ahcancal.org/coronavirus for more information.

Coronavirus

Visit the AHCA/NCAL Coronavirus website daily for the latest information that we have to share with long term care providers about COVID-19.  As concerns arise with the emerging coronavirus, officially named COVID-19, we are working nationally with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to ensure our long term care communities receive necessary supplies and guidance to prevent the spread of this disease.

ICF/IID Reports

AHCA's Research Department has released the following June 2020 updates for use by AHCA/NCAL members (Login Required):

• LTCStats: Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with IntellectualDisabilities (ICF/IID) Standard Health Survey Report, June 2020
• LTCStats:Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with IntellectualDisabilities(ICF/IID), Facility and Resident Characteristics, June 2020

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

• Four Strategies to Help Long Term Care Providers Navigate the Impacts of COVID-19 on Healthcare Costs
• Mom Equips Ambulances With Sensory Kits To Help Children With Autism
• Faces of Care #CareNotCOVID

Legislative and Agency Corner

• HHS Provider Relief Fund FAQs (Updates Added: July 17)
• AHCA/NCAL Webinar on Economic Impact Payments for Social Security and SSI Beneficiaries with Representative Payees
• Representative Payees and Economic Income Payments (EIPs)
• CDC Updates Transmission Based Precautions, Duration of Isolation, and Return to Work Criteria

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.

2020 Health Care Observances

August 2020 marks, among other observances, National Health Center Week starting August 9 through August 15. The 2020 Healthcare Observances Calendar can be found here.