KHCA 2009 Board Elected

The Kansas Health Care Association (KHCA) recently elected the elected 2009-2011 leadership team. 

The following officers are the KHCA Executive Committee:
Jon Covault, administrator, Golden Heights Living Center, Garnett, Chairman; Francy Keearns, vice-president/treasurer, administrator, Golden Living Center of Eskridge, Public relations vice-president, Wendy Read, administrator, Rossville Health and Rehab Center, Rossville;  Education vice-president Linda Carroll, Director of Social Services, Plaza West, Topeka. Government affairs vice-president, Lee Eaton, Topeka, Midwest Health Management, Membership vice-president, Jeff Moszetter, Topeka, director of operations, Eventide, Topeka; Resident Satisfaction vice-president, Nancy Benney, Plaza West, Topeka; and Bev Blassingame, director, Lexington Park Assisted Living for Assisted Living (KCAL) president.

Members elected to other terms are:
Kevin Unrein, owner Lakepoint Nursing and Rehab, Augusta, Independent Owners vice president;
Multi-Facility vice president Garen Cox, President, CEO,  Medicalodges Inc., Coffeyville.
Nurse Advisory Committee (NAC) president, Lucille Holderman, Golden Heights Living Center, Garnett

District Vice-Presidents:
District 1- Angela Moore, Administrator, Sharon Lane, Shawnee;
District 2-Travis McBride, Administrator, Medicalodges of Columbus;
District 3-  to be filled
District 4- Staci Cardenas, Director of Operations, Golden Living Centers, McPherson
District 5- Wade Taylor, Administrator, Haysville Health Care Center
District 6- Rebecca Burke, Administrator, Wheatland Nursing and Rehab Center, Russell

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  New Updates to the Website

Convention Pictures
Thumbnail pictures of the KHCA/KCAL 2008 Convention are available on the member’s only page of www.khca.org.  Just click on any thumbnail you would like to print.

Share Your Best Practice
The home page of www.khca.org now has a link to Share Your Best Practice with each other.

Team TSI presentation
Andrew Porch convention presentation is posted on the first page of the website.

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  Trade Show Update

Trade Show Update

The 2008 Trade Show was a great time.  94 vendors participated this year with convention attendance at around 250.  The word from those attendees was very positive. If you were not there you missed some great Karaoke, food and some fabulous prizes.  If you have not returned your evaluation, please do so. Your input is important to us as we plan the next trade show.  We want to know what we did well and where we can do better. Please fax this to Karla at 785-267-0833 or drop her an email at kwerth@khca.org.

KHCA/KCAL is interested in involving our vendors in the trade show through a Vendor Committee. A chairperson would be chosen by you from among those interested in working along side our association in planning the next trade show.  That person would hold a position on our education committee.  While this would be a non-voting position, it would allow exhibitors a seat at the table when planning begins for the 2009 Convention and Trade Show, scheduled for Oct. 13 and 14th at Century II. After all, this is your event. You can attend the meeting or participate by conference call and then share the information with your committee. In addition, contracts have been signed with the Hyatt and Century II for Oct. 21 and 22, 2010 and Oct. 13 and 14th 2011.

The trade show is a vital part of our yearly event schedule. We believe this committee to be a unique opportunity for you and your company to further facilitate the association in making the trade show a highly successful and enjoyable event for all involved.

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  Life Safety Code IDR's in 2008

LSC Informal Dispute Resolution Process for 2008

According to the KSFMO there have been 23 IDR’s requested between January 1 and October 1 of this year involving a total of 35 K-tags. The results show that of the 23 IDR's requested 49% of the K-tags (17of 35) were removed in a first tier review.  The other 51% of the tags in dispute were not changed or removed.  No second tier reviews were requested.  The following table lists the number and k-tag of the deficiencies that were removed.  Please contact Nancy with any questions.

Number of Deficiencies Removed	K-Tag
1	134
1	144
1	17
2	25
1	29
1	38
1	46
3	52
1	54
1	55
1	62
1	67
2	69

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  New Reports-Top Tags by Region for Health and LSC

Several new reports have been developed by the KHCA staff.  They are Health Resurvey and LSC top tags by region by quarter.  Click here to view LSC top 5 K-tags cited in each region for the first quarter of 2008.  Click on the link to view Health Resurvey top 5 F-tags cited in each region for the first quarter of 2008 and the second quarter of 2008.  Contact Nancy at KHCA with any questions.

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  Oral hygiene curbs pneumonia risk in elderly
Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Among nursing home residents, having a nursing aide help them maintain good oral hygiene lowers the odds of them dying from pneumonia, a study suggests.
Pneumonia is the leading cause of death in elderly nursing home residents, Dr. Carol W. Bassim and colleagues point out in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. "Several studies have shown that poor oral hygiene or inadequate oral care are also associated with pneumonia," they add.

Bassim, now at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research in Bethesda, Maryland, and her associates studied the impact of enhanced oral hygiene care for residents in two wards at a Florida nursing home compared with residents in two other wards.

Initially, there was no difference in the mortality rate from pneumonia between the two groups. However, patients in the oral care group were older and more disabled than those who did not receive oral care, and once this was taken into account the risk of dying from pneumonia was more than three times higher in patients who did not receive oral care.

Pneumonia in the elderly is often triggered by aspirating saliva or food. It is likely that the risk of pneumonia "depends on the quality and the quantity of the oropharyngeal contents of a patient at the time of respiratory inoculation or introduction," Bassim and colleagues explain.

"The quantity of saliva inhaled and a predisposition to gross aspiration events may not be modified through oral care," they add, "but this study indicates that oral care may be involved in significantly reducing the harmful quality of the intra-oral environment, reducing the risk of a patient dying from pneumonia."

SOURCE: Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, September 2008.

And this is why the Kansas Health Care Association/ Kansas Center for Assisted Living is so lucky to have our Oral Health Project.  For more information, contact Loretta Seidl, at lseidl@khca.org.

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  New Research Report- Medicaid Underfunding for Nursing Home Care

Yesterday AHCA released A Report on Shortfalls in Medicaid Funding for Nursing Home Care, prepared by Eljay, LLC. The analysis provides a state-by-state accounting of the shortfall between Medicaid reimbursement and allowable Medicaid costs for nursing home care. The estimated average shortfall in Medicaid reimbursement per Medicaid patient day was $13.81 in 2006—a 2.8 percent increase from 2005. Between 2006 and 2008, overall Medicaid rate increases have kept pace with market basket projected cost increases, resulting in the projected shortfall decreasing to an estimated $12.48 per Medicaid patient day in 2008. However, the Medicaid reimbursement outlook for 2009 and 2010 looks bleak as sagging state economies worsen and budget deficits climb higher than originally anticipated.

The report also examines important issues such as provider taxes, Medicare cross-subsidization of Medicaid, and the redirecting of long term care budgets to non-institutional services. For more information, please contact Nancy.

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  2009 PEAK Award Applications Available

The 2009 PEAK Award Applications are available on the KDOA website.  Click here to view it.  KDOA has made several changes to the application so please read the questionnaire closely.  They would also like the applications to be anonymous and are asking that facility's include their name only on the cover sheet.  If you do not submit your application electronically they ask that you submit 10 copies if submitting a hard copy.  Contact Nancy with any questions.

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  Resident Satisfaction Committee Links

Advancing Excellence is a new coalition based, two-year campaign that launched in September 2006. The campaign is reinvigorating efforts to improve the quality of care and quality of life for those living or recuperating in America's nursing homes.
http://www.nhqualitycampaign.org/.

My InnerView’s  Quality ProfileTM tool assists leaders in monitoring pressure ulcers and physical restraints within their nursing homes as well as sets organizational targets for clinical quality improvement. Our Satisfaction Surveys allow facilities to measure resident, family and staff satisfaction.
http://www.myinnerview.com/

Kansas Culture Change Coalition is a group that provides support to long-term care organizations striving to develop systems that value the dignity of each individual who lives and works within their setting.  It is an organization of diverse interest groups that combine their talents to effect change that is hard to do as individuals.  The Kansas Culture Change Coalition maintains the vision of the Pioneer Network that supports a culture of aging that is life affirming, satisfying, humane, and meaningful.  Culture Change can transform a "facility" into a "home, a "patient/resident" into a "person", and a "schedule" into a "choice".
http://www.kansasculturechangecoalition.org/.

KFMC’s work with KS nursing homes assists nursing home staff with improving care processes on the clinical quality measures. Nursing homes who have committed to working with KFMC over the past five years have made significant progress in reducing quality measure rates.
http://www.kfmc.org/.

QIS Updates- click on tab 9 to access the Critical Element Pathways at
http://www.aging.state.ks.us/Manuals/QIS/TabIndex.html.  Click here for the Resident Interview and Resident Observation forms. http://www.aging.state.ks.us/Manuals/QIS/Tab05/CMS-20050_Resident_Interview_and_Observation.pdf. 

Click here for Provider Manual Updates from the KMAP website

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  Connecting Therapy to Home Health Outcomes

The Kansas Home Care Association is offering the program Connecting Therapy to Home Health Outcomes on Tuesday November 18th in Lawrence.  All KHCA/KCAL members are welcome to attend at the Kansas Home Care Association member rate.  Click here to view the brochure.

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  Five Minutes to Fire Safety For the Holidays

We’re starting to head into Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and this is always a fun time of year for decorations.  This week’s healthcare edition of “Five Minutes to Fire Safety” explores limitations on decorations in healthcare facilities and addresses the question of whether or not combustible decorations can be treated with a flame-retardant solution so that more decorations can be used.
 
Contact Kenya at the KSFMO at 785-296-3401 with any questions. 

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  CMS Updates

Special Focus Facility (SFF) 
Click on the link to view the latest S&C Memo from CMS on Special Focus Facility (SFF)
Program Survey Scoring Methodology (10/10/08).  This memorandum provides specific
details on the scoring methodology used to identify those nursing homes that become
candidates for the SFF initiative. 

Survey and Certification Memos
Click here for an updated Table of Contents for the list of S&C Memos released through FY 2008.

Medicare’s Updates
Click on the links to view the notice about Medicare’s Online Tools, E-prescribing, Audit contractors help identify improper Medicare payments.

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  CMS Releases FAQs on Accreditation and it's Impact on Survey and Certification

CMS has developed a comprehensive set of frequently asked questions (FAQs) and responses related to the impact of a provider/supplier’s accreditation status on various survey and certification activities. These FAQs are part of the attached memo. In some areas CMS has updated its guidance; the FAQs represent current CMS policy with respect to certification of accredited health care facilities. Additionally, new and amended exhibits are attached related to enforcement actions following upon validation surveys based on a representative sample.

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  Valuable Resources in Preparation for Potential Influenza Pandemic

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) wants to alert providers to a valuable resource in the preparation for a potential influenza pandemic. "Community Pan-Flu Preparedness: A Checklist of Key Legal Issues for Healthcare Providers," is a scalable tool designed to assist providers along the continuum of care, as well as the broader healthcare and public health communities, in taking concrete steps to prepare for an influenza pandemic. The Checklist was informed by a public interest dialogue session convened by the American Health Lawyers Association, Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Participants from federal and state agencies, the provider and payor communities, academia, and other stakeholders discussed the role of the healthcare sector in community pan-flu preparedness.  They also shared their best thinking regarding the challenges to pan-flu preparedness and practical solutions to such challenges.  These ideas and recommendations were incorporated into the Checklist in order to make the resource as practical and relevant as possible.

CMS encourages hospitals and other health care providers to review the Checklist as they consider the legal impediments and implementation challenges to community pan-flu preparedness and practical solutions to such challenges. 

This publication can be found at: http://www.healthlawyers.org/panfluchecklist
 
Also note that on October 22, 2008, AHLA also is sponsoring a teleconference entitled “The Sneeze Heard 'Round the World: Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Strategies to Adopt Now.”  The teleconference will focus on the considerations unique to preparedness planning for influenza pandemics, including protection of employees and maintaining operations, implementation of altered clinical pathways, and strategies for successful public health and provider coordination that need to be addressed at the present time to ensure an adequate level of preparedness. One of the country’s leading experts, Dr. Michael T. Osterholm, and three experts in the emerging specialty of emergency preparedness law will discuss practical preparedness steps that healthcare entities, providers and payors can implement now.  To learn more about the teleconference, go to http://www.healthlawyers.org/pi/teleconference

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  AHCA News

KHCA has learned that the Federal Trade Commission will grant a six-month delay of enforcement of the Identity Theft "Red Flags" Final rule until May 1, 2009, to give creditors and financial institutions more time to develop and implement written identity theft prevention programs.  The American Health Care Association had a significant role in allowing this additional time through their recent letter sent to the FTC.  KHCA still encourages facilities to become familiar with the "Red Flag" rules and will keep you updated on this issue.

Please note that the first attachment of the Reed Smith Memorandum that we furnished to you all provides an excellent succinct checklist- that you might wish to consider using in complying with the rule – if you use consumer reports.

If you have any questions, please contact Cindy Luxem, cluxem@khca.org

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  AHCA Proposes Revisions to CMS Interpretive Guidelines

Attached are the comments that AHCA sent to CMS related to proposed changes in surveyor guidance that address culture change issues.  Contact Lyn at AHCA with any questions.

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