AHCA/NCAL 68th Annual Convention & Expo Next Month!

Be sure to register today for the AHCA/NCAL 68th Annual Convention & Expo!  Advance registration ends September 21.  The Convention & Expo is a great value for our members and consists of four days of unparalleled education, national speakers, networking and special events. We host an Expo Hall packed with all the best products and services for long term and post-acute care professionals.  When registering, make sure to get your tickets for the Gala Dinner & Show with the Grammy-Award winning Huey Lewis and the News.  We hope you join us for a night you won't forget!  Register today!

AHCA/NCAL Announces 2017 Award Recipients

AHCA/NCAL recently announced the recipients for the 2017 AHCA/NCAL Awards program. Each year, AHCA/NCAL recognizes the men and women who selflessly care for individuals in long term and post-acute care centers, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) residences, and assisted living communities.  Honorees demonstrate selflessness, compassion, and strive to enhance the lives of seniors and individuals with disabilities in their communities.

The 2017 AHCA/NCAL Awards recipients are:

• Hero of the Year- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Cathy Gray, Cedarcrest Center for Children with Disabilities, Keene, N.H.
• Not for Profit Program of the Year: Trinity Oaks Health and Rehab Life Enrichment, Trinity Oaks Health and Rehab, Salisbury, N.C.
• Not for Profit Trustee Award: Peter Miesburger, Maine Veterans’ Home, Augusta, Maine
• Adult Volunteer of the Year: Mike Howard, Harlan Health and Rehabilitation Center, Ky.
• Group Volunteer of the Year: Bryant Parkview Care Center Auxiliary, Bryant Parkview Care Center, Bryant, S.D.
• Young Adult Volunteer of the Year: Luke Flippo, Diversicare of Amory, Amory, Miss.

The Hero of the Year award recognizes an individual who works or volunteers in an ICF/IID facility or HCBS Waiver Homes and has shown commitment and dedication to serving people with ID/DD.

The Not for Profit Program of the Year award highlights a specific program that adds value to the care of individuals within a community.

The Not for Profit Trustee award honors a not for profit trustee committed to faithfully carrying out functions of the board and dedicated to improving the lives of frail and vulnerable individuals.

The Volunteer of the Year program seeks to honor a young adult (under 19), an adult, and a group organization that have served in a volunteer capacity for more than one year and have made a positive contribution to residents and staff of a care center.

Award recipients will be honored at the AHCA/NCAL 68th Annual Convention in Las Vegas on October 18, 2017.

Maryruth Butler Named 2017 Champion of Quality Award Recipient

AHCA/NCAL announced Maryruth Butler, MBA, NHA, RCA, as the 2017 recipient of the Mary K. Ousley Champion of Quality Award for her national impact on quality in long term and post-acute care.

Since 2001, Butler has served as the Executive Director of Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation-Mountain Valley in Kellogg, Idaho, which provides skilled nursing and rehabilitation care for patients and residents.  Under Butler’s leadership, Mountain Valley has been recognized with numerous achievements.  Through AHCA/NCAL’s National Quality Award Program, the center achieved three progressive levels of awards – Bronze, Silver, and Gold – in 2005, 2007, and 2011, respectively.  In 2016, Mountain Valley was the first nursing center to receive the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest Presidential honor for sustainable excellence.  For eight consecutive years, the center has also achieved an overall five-star rating, the highest possible rating through CMS’ Five-Star Quality Rating System.

As a licensed Residential Care Administrator, Butler currently teaches a Residential Care/Assisted Living Administrator course through the Idaho Health Care Association, and conducts presentations across the country on topics such as the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework and quality improvement.

AHCA/NCAL presents the Mary K. Ousley Champion of Quality Award to an individual or organization that has made a significant national contribution to advancing quality performance in the long term care field. Recipients must consistently advocate for quality approaches and demonstrate the ability to educate and advocate for a system’s approach to quality improvement. Recipients also display leadership in the development, promotion, and implementation of quality improvement initiatives that have resulted in measurable improvements in the quality of care and quality of life for individuals in long term care.

In 2011, the Friend of Quality Award was renamed the Mary K. Ousley Champion of Quality Award to honor the ongoing legacy and commitment to quality care demonstrated by its namesake, Mary Ousley, a licensed nursing center administrator and nurse who has dedicated her life to quality improvement programs in long term care.  Butler will be presented with the award at AHCA/NCAL’s 68th Annual Convention and Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, October 15-18, 2017.

Implications of the ABLE Act for State Medicaid Programs

According to a September 7, 2017, email update from Medicaid.gov, “the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing guidance to states on how to treat ‘ABLE’ accounts in Medicaid financial eligibility determinations.  The Stephen Beck, Jr., Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2014 (the ABLE Act), enacted in 2015, created a program under which people with disabilities can save money for their disability-related expenses in tax-advantaged accounts.  Because disability can serve as a basis for Medicaid eligibility, many individuals who apply for Medicaid on the basis of having a disability may be interested in opening an ABLE account, and this letter provides guidance to states on the treatment of funds in, contributions to, and distributions from an ABLE account for purposes of Medicaid eligibility.”  The letter is available here.  AHCA supported the passage of the ABLE Act in Congress.    

CMS Delay of Compliance with HCBS Setting Rule

On May 9, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an Informational Bulletin extending the timeline for compliance with the Medicaid home and community-based settings rule.  CMS indicates that states should continue progress with their statewide transition plan to be approved by March 17, 2019, but the agency is extending the transition period for states to demonstrate compliance with the settings criteria by 3 years to March 17, 2022.  For assisted living communities and other providers of home and community-based services, this extension provides relief as they work with states to ensure they meet the criteria for a home and community-based setting.  More guidance about the rule can be found here.

September is National Preparedness Month - Informative Emergency Preparedness Resources Are Available

September 2017 marks, among other observances, National Preparedness Month.  National Preparedness Month will focus on planning, with an overarching theme “Disasters Don’t Plan Ahead. You Can.” The goal of this month is to increase the overall number of individuals, families, and communities that engage in preparedness actions at home, work, businesses, school, and places of worship. 

That being said, it is important to note that Emergency Preparedness Final Rule was released on Friday, September 16, 2016.  The rule impacts skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ICF/IIDs), but does not apply to assisted living providers.  On June 2, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the Emergency Preparedness Interpretive Guidance (IG), which can be found here.  AHCA members are highly encouraged to look through the IG.  Providers will need to comply with the final rule by November 2017.  Click here for a summary AHCA put together of the IG for your use. 

That being said, AHCA has several informative emergency preparedness resources that you might be interested in.  AHCA has an Emergency Preparedness Final Rule Webinar Series that can be found here.  In addition, there will be educational sessions around emergency preparedness at the AHCA/NCAL National Convention in Las Vegas, including one on Monday, October 16, 2017, at 3pm entitled “A Case Study in the Use of Human Patient Simulator Technology to Enhance Emergency Preparedness Exercises within Long Term Care Facilities.” More details on this session can be found here.  Another session that you might find of interest will occur on Tuesday, October 17, at 10am in the Mandalay Bay Ballroom L entitled, “Overview and Discussion of the New Emergency Preparedness Requirements.” More information can be found here on this particular session.  Please contact Erin Prendergast (SNF Providers) or Dana Halvorson (ICF/IID Providers) with any questions.

Finally, on Tuesday, September 26, there will be a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region II Preparedness Webinar Planning for Seniors from 12 - 1pm ET.  Participants will learn, among other things, about tools and information available that can assist older adults and their caregivers when an emergency strikes.  You can register here for this free webinar event.     

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.