Surveys of Members-- Please help in gathering information

Health Information Technology

The AHCA HIT Committee has just posted a web survey to help determine the level of Health Information Technology (HIT) usage individual nursing facilities and assisted living residences may or may not employ.
Survey responses will be gathered during the month of August.  A hard copy is attached for those that would like to mail or fax in their responses.  The web address is: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=780782338247 for those who are able to respond via the internet.

Kansas Nursing Survey

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  Convention and Trade Show News
Hotel, Vendors, Casino Night and Golf

Members please reserve your rooms as soon as possible for the 56th Annual Convention and Trade Show.  Due to some major events in the Kansas City area rooms will be filling up fast.  If you need more information go to www.khca.org for convention information.

Vendors, it's not too late to register to participate in the 2006 KHCA Trade Show and Annual Convention.  Booths are going quickly,and the earlybird deadline ends September 1st.  You can download the vendor packet at www.khca.org or contact Kendra Poole at kpoole@khca.org.

CASINO NIGHT  Join Your fellow KHCA members, staff and Trade Show vendors for a night of FREE gambling on the trade show floor.  The trade show doors open at 5 pm on Tuesday the 26th, the casino pit opens at 6pm.  Come on and have some fun.  We will have alot of prizes awarded throughout the night.  You never know what celebrities you might run into during the evening.

Golfers This year's event will have the same 4 person scramble we have done in the past.  We will be playing Monday, Sept. 25, starting at 1:00pm with lunch before at 11:30 am at Falcon Ridge Golf Club, Lenexa, Kansas.   Any questions, contact Cindy,  cluxem@khca.org or better yet give Kent Sinnett a call 913-634-2666, he is helping coordinate sponsors.

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  Golden Horizons Is the New Name for the Golden Gate National Senior Care (GGNSC)

March merger of Beverly Enterprises, Inc. and Pearl Senior Care into GGNSC leads to massive naming and branding effort.   On Thursday August 18th, Golden Gate Senior Care Holdings, which completed an acquisition of Beverly Enterprises in March of 2006, announced its new name of Golden Horizons, which will consist of three divisions.  1) Golden Living is the new name for the long-term care company, consisting of 262 skilled nursing facilities, to be called Golden LivingCenters, and 15 assisted living centers, to be called Golden Living Communities. 

These names will change upon state approval which is estimated to take 30 to 90 days.  2) Golden Horizons will also include Golden Innovations, which operates service businesses that support LivingCenters on a contract basis with rehab, home health, hospice, staffing procurement and construction services.  Golden Innovations companies are Aegis Therapies, Aegis Acute Rehab, AseraCare Hospice and Home Health, Aedon Staffing, Cerese Purchasing Solutions and Vizia Design.  These individual companies will retain their existing names.  3) Golden Ventures, based in Fort Smith, Arkansas will provide support services, such as finance, billing, human resources and marketing on a contract basis to the Golden family of companies as well as to other nursing home companies.  David Mills, the Midwest Regional Vice President of Golden Living, says the name changes are "an exciting, new direction for the company.  While it is a new name, exceptional care and services will continue to define our work."

These name changes will take up to a year to complete as Golden Horizons has 32,000 employees.  As these brand name changes take place, we will keep you informed.  On a national level, the name changes affect 78% of the nursing homes and assisted living facilities that had used the Beverly name.

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  Job Openings

Certified Dietary Manager Needed

Full time Certified Dietary Manager position in a 17 unit residential short-term rehab facility. This is a beautiful new facility that will provide physical, occupational, and speech therapy in a home-like setting. Please contact Dena at 913-397-2962 or Rachel at 913-780-9916.

NURSING CENTER
ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR

This is an excellent opportunity to join the Delmar Gardens Family, a leader in our industry for over 40 years.  We have a great opportunity for the right Kansas licensed administrator to join our new management team.  This person will help oversee and manage our beautiful skilled nursing center in Johnson County, KS.  The successful candidate will have a background in long-term care, complemented by strong marketing and admissions experience.  .

We’ll provide a beautiful work environment, great staff, an excellent starting salary, and exceptional benefits package including health, dental and life insurance.  Send resume and salary history in strictest confidence to:

DELMAR GARDENS ENTERPRISES
14805 N. Outer 40 Road, Suite 300
Chesterfield, MO  63017
(636) 733-7000
FAX (636) 733-7010
ATTN: Kathy Hamann
Email: khamann@delmargardens.com
EOE M/F/D/V

Assisted Living Operator/ Administrator Needed

River Bend of Great Bend is in need of a licensed administrator or someone with an operator’s license. It is a 35 bed ALF and has 100% occupancy. Contact Steve Hatlestad, Vice President of Operations, 816-810-8881.

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  Tonganoxie Nursing Center Emergency Plan Works.

The following article appeared in the Tonganoxie Mirror about what could have been a real disaster but the staff did exactly what they were supposed to do when disaster strikes, follow the plan.  Click here to read article.

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  Advance Voting for Residents and Staff

It is not too early to be thinking about Voting this November.  Make it easy on your residents and staff have them apply for an advance ballot and it will be delivered to their residence and can be returned after it is completed.

ADVANCE VOTING
Voting in Kansas is easier than ever. With advance voting, any registered voter can vote by mail or in person before Election Day.

* Advance voting application
* Contact your county election officer to request an application for an advance voting ballot.
* Complete the application and return it to your county election officer.
* You can have your ballot mailed to you starting 20 days before the election.
* You may vote in person in the county election office starting the Tuesday before election day, or up to 20 days before the election, depending on the county.
* All ballots must be received in the county election office by the close of polls on election day.
* Sick, disabled or illiterate voters may receive assistance in applying for and casting advance voting ballots.

Important 2006 Election Advance Voting Dates

Wednesday, October 18
Advance voting begins for general election

Monday, October 23
Last day to register to vote in general election

Friday, November 3
Deadline for voters to apply for advance voting ballots to be mailed

Monday, November 6
Noon deadline to cast advance voting ballots in person in office of County Election Officer

Tuesday, November 7
General Election

Advance voting ballots must be received in office of County Election Officer by close of polls
If you have questions, call toll-free 1-800-262-VOTE (8683)
S;//Election Information/Advance Voting

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  HOUSEHOLD MATTERS--Tool Kits Available

Tools KIts are In... Get Yours Today!!!

The Foundation for Aging and Care of Elders of Kansas, Inc (FACE of Kansas) was established in 2006 in association with KHCA/KCAL to provide a community organization to promote quality care in Kansas adult care homes.  FACE of Kansas seeks to improve the quality of care and services, and the quality of life for elderly and disabled Americans, through opportunities under which members may exchange ideas and obtain education to improve the knowledge, abilities and standing of the adult care home profession. 

The first project of FACE of Kansas will be the distribution of the Home Matters toolkit which ws developed by Steve Shields and LaVrene Norton as a detailed guide for how an organization can shape itself to become a resident directed service model with well trained, empowered, and satisfied workforce.

The toolkit is ready for shipment you can download the order from the khca website at www.khca.org or contact Kendra Poole at 785-267-6003, kpoole@khca.org for more information.

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  Book Order Form

The June 2006 Release of the LTC Survey Manual is Here!     

You can order your copy today from KHCA by downloading and sending in the order form.
Why do you need AHCA's Long Term Care Survey?
You need to keep your staff up-to-date. Since November 2004, CMS has been releasing major changes to the State Operations Manual several times a year. Previous changes already incorporated in earlier editions of the Long Term Care Survey include Pressure Ulcers, Incontinence & Catheters, the Medical Director, the addition of QIS to Appendix P, and various technical changes. AHCA has consistently been the first to publish these changes and is the only book to feature Appendix PP in a table format.
 
What’s new in the June 2006 edition?   CMS released three major changes (effective June 1 and June 8) that are included in the June edition:
 
1) Activities (F248) and the Activities Director (F249), 28 and 6 pages   each.
2) Quality Assessment and Assurance (F520), 15 pages.
3) Psychosocial Outcome Severity Guide, added to Appendix P, 6 pages.
 
The next set of changes is expected at the end of 2006, with more changes continuing into 2007.
 
The June edition is a major revision in other ways, too: 
1. a new chart in the introduction shows the dates of CMS changes from 2004 on, with separate columns for the S&C letter, the Transmittal letter, and the date of the Long Term Care Survey edition that includes those changes.
     - The Regulations section has been completely re-formatted (different fonts, spacing, bold headings, indentations, etc.) to make it more user friendly and readable.
     - There is also a summary of the changes in regulations since 2000 with a brief description of the change, section affected, and the date of the change.
     - These changes in regulations are now in red in Appendix PP.
     - In the Alphabetical Index, every entry has been checked for accuracy, many new major headings added, and some sections re-named for greater clarity (for example, "transportation of resident" instead of "transportation").
     - In Appendix PP, new regulations have been added to the Regulation column even if no guidance has been issues yet (flu & pneumonia, posting of nursing staffing hours, feeding assistants, etc.).
     - In all, the June edition is 62 pages longer than the October 2005 edition.

What's in the Long Term Care Survey?  The book has six parts (color coded pages):
     I.  Regulations (42 CFR Part 483, Subpart B)
    II.  Alphabetical Index (comprehensive index and cross-referencing of Appendix P, Appendix PP, and exhibits)
   III.  Survey Protocol
   IV.  Appendix P, Survey Procedures
    V.  Appendix PP in table format:  F-tag, regulation, guidance; changes since November 2004 in red
   VI.  Exhibits of Surveyor Forms

A companion book, Long Term Care Enforcement Procedures, is also available.  If you buy both Long Term Care Enforcement Procedures and the Long Term Care Survey (paperback version) as a set, there is a special price of $55.00 for members, $75.00 for non-members.

For the Month of September, Save 10% you purchase books online from AHCA bookstore, go to ahcapublications.org or ncalpublications.org and enter the promo code WEB2006.

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  Updates

Sprinkler Warning

Kathy Achor of Region VII distributed the link below to the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) website that links to a warning regarding chrome plated automatic sprinklers that bear a counterfeit UL Mark for the United States and Canada. The sprinklers are marked with the work "Globe" but they were not manufactured by Globe Fire Sprinkler Corporation and have not been evaluated for safely by UL. The link is http://www.ul.com/media/newsrel/nr071406.html.

Nursing Home Fire Statistics

Kathy Achor of Region VII distributed information from the NFPA report U.S. Fires in Selected Occupancies regarding the number of fires in nursing homes in 2002 (4,130) and the sources of such fires (41% were related to cooking equipment). The link to the abstract of the article in the July HCPro Newsletter, Healthcare Life Safety Compliance, is http://www.hcpro.com/content/59524.cfm.

Voluntary Recall on Gas Controls Installed in Commercial Cooking Appliances

Kathy Achor from Region VII sent a link to a U. S. Consumer Product Safety Commission notice regarding a voluntary recall on gas controls manufactured by Robertshaw Controls Company that are installed in commercial cooking appliances. The notice called for consumers to stop using the product  immediately unless otherwise instructed. The link is: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06222.html.

Fires in Motorized Wheelchairs

Jerry Sandlin, the Midwest Consortium Survey and Certification Operations Manager, distributed the following link:  Click here: BCNG Portals Page.  This takes you to a report on fires in motorized wheelchairs originating in the joystick controller due to liquids in the controller. 
Life Safety Code Status on Nursing Home Compare
In October 2006, Nursing Home Compare will begin to include information about a facility's sprinkler status and life safety code deficiencies cited by the State Survey Agency.  
 

"Consumer Reports" Article about Nursing Homes

"Consumer Reports" has an article about nursing homes in its September 2006 issue. Findings include that "not-for-profit homes are more likely to provide good care than for-profit homes;" "independently run homes are more likely to provide good care than chains;" and "the industry has whittled down the protections of the 1987 federal law." On August 7, the Consumer Reports Nursing Home Quality Monitor, which, based on the analysis done by Consumer Reports, lists best and worst nursing homes, will be available at www.ConsumerReports.org/nursinghomes.
 
 
  

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  CMS to Place Brief Hold on Medicare Payments

As mandated by section 5203 of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will hold payment for all Medicare claims for the last nine days of the federal fiscal year, Sept. 22-30, 2006.

According to CMS, no interest will be accrued or paid, and no late penalty will be paid to an entity or individual for any delay in a payment by reason of this one-time hold on payments.  All claims held during this time will be paid on Oct. 2.

This policy applies only to claims subject to payment. It does not apply to full denials, no-pay claims, periodic interim payments, home health request for anticipated payments, cost reports settlements, and other non-claim payments.   Please note that payments will not be staggered and no advance payments will be allowed during this nine-day hold.

For more information, go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/MM5047.pdf  to access CMS MLN Matters Number: MM5047.
 
 
 

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  AHCA Regulatory Update Available

Members will find the latest AHCA Regulatory Update available at http://ahca.org.  This link will also be available on the Kansas Health Care Association web site.

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  Register for the AHCA/NCAL Convention in San Antonio

The AHCA/NCAL 57th Annual Convention & Exposition, 

Sunday Oct 8 - Wednesday Oct 11 in San Antonio, Texas.

If you are still deciding on whether to come to this year's AHCA/NCAL Convention, here's a short list of reasons why you should join thousands of fellow long-term care professionals in San Antonio.
* National caliber speakers - Jim Collins, best selling business author, and Bruce Jenner, Olympic gold medalist, will serve as our opening and closing general session keynotes.
* 70 education seminars and four new pre-convention workshops, plus over 300 exhibits to help you with solutions to your most pressing concerns.
* Unveiling of several new, exciting programs including Nurses Day, Education Pavilions and the Hospitality Hop, and the Texas Education Track.
If you have already registered, make sure that you check out the optional ticket items like the San Antonio tours, and/or the Gala Dinner and Show featuring entertainment by SHeDAISY.
Check the details on www.ahcaconvention.org/educ.cfm.

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  AHCA 2006 LTC Liability Data Call

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) recently engaged Aon Risk Consultants, Inc. to update and expand the scope of its most recent report on the cost of the general and professional liability (GL/PL) exposures for long term care providers.  Click here for more information on what data to submit to participate in this LTC Liability study.

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  Regional Manager Hired for the Lawrence Region

KDOA has announced that Robert (Bob) Guilfoyle, RN, has been named Regional Manager of the Lawrence District office of the Kansas Department on Aging, effective July 31, 2006.  Bob bings considerable survey and certification experience to the position, having been a health facility surveyor for over 6 years.  He has also been a member of the Licensure, Certification, and Evaluation Commission's QIS Survey pilot project.  Bob has considerable clinical experience in a number of health care settings, including previous supervisory experience.  Bob can be contacted through the Lawrence District office at 785-842-4600.

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  Vitas and Metropolitan Nursing

VITAS Innovative Hospice Care®, a pioneer and leader in the hospice movement since 1978, is the nation’s largest provider of end-of-life care. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, VITAS (pronounced VEE-tahs) operates 40 hospice programs in 16 states (Arizona, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Missouri, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin).

10000 W 75th St, Ste 24                                      0
Shawnee Mission KS 64204
913-722-1631
www.vitas.com

Metropolitan Nursing was founded with the objective of helping healthcare facilities with their short and long-term staffing needs. In response to the demands of the current healthcare market, our team of healthcare professionals supports our partners with supplemental staffing at acute and long-term care facilities, assisted living facilities, and physicians' offices.

Along with our experienced staff, we create an environment where everybody can find the unique niche to evolve as a true professional and contribute to excellent patient care.

901 Shawnee Mission Pkway Suite 205
Overland Park KS 66202
913-236-6710
www.metropolitannursing.com

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  LT Care Solutions

David Landwehr CSA*, CLTC*.David is an expert in Long Term Care (LTC) Planning, and LTC insurance. He works with the Wichita Independent Business Association WIBA, the Kansas Health Care Association KHCA, the Community Bankers Association and other associations as their long term care insurance specialist.

His monthly LTC E-lert provides entertaining, timely, short articles on the subject of LTC planning – of interest to your baby boomer members and their parents. My wife and I have experienced firsthand the stresses of long-term care. My mother-in-law lived with us for the last 4 ½ years of her life, enduring 29 surgical operations before she passed away.

You are welcome to use the free LTC Elerts to educate your members. If you would like to investigate providing a discount for your members and their families or sponsor an Educational Seminar, please call 316-945-2011 or contact us at DLandwehr@LTCareSolutions.com.

Check out my website for more information, www.LTCareSolutions.com educational website. *Designations held: CSA is Certified Senior Advisor, CLTC is Certified in Long Term Care

David has an excellent web site where family, residents and staff can be directed for information.  Check it out!

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  Assisted Living News

National Assisted Living Week Products Available Online

National Assisted Living Week® is in September, but you can plan and order your “Hearts in Harmony” products now. NCAL offers promotional products such as buttons and posters. T-shirts, pedometers and “personal” FM radios will make great gifts for staff and residents.

Please remember to order early for best product selection and availability. Quantities are limited.

Orders may be placed online, www.nawl.org

Or by calling (800) 321-0343.

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