Nominate Your Medical Director

Now is the time for administrators to submit the names of the medical director(s) in their facilities that stand out as being truly outstanding.  Attached is the information on nominating medical director(s) for Medical Director of the Year for 2009.  This is a highly regarded honor that brings recognition to the medical director selected as well as those who are nominated and their facilities.   

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  DME Method Being Checked By Aging

Please be aware that a new DME worksheet has been created and put out on the KDOA website at http://www.agingkansas.org/ProviderInfo/RateSetting/YearlyForms.html

There have been concerns about the method KDOA used to calculate the DME pass-through per diem.  The worksheet is intended to capture actual cost experience following the change in regulations.  While it is not required that all providers complete the report, providers are encouraged to submit this information so that KDOA can accurately review the DME pass-through program.  Please submit your information by the end of November to KDOA.

If there are any questions please feel free to contact Amanda Barta at 785-368-6685 or by e-mail at Amanda.Barta@aging.ks.gov or Nancy at KHCA.

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  LTC Trend Tracker

What is LTC Trend Tracker?

LTC Trend Tracker is a web-based tool for tracking and utilizing key metrics to help improve the performance of your nursing facility. Through a simple and easy-to-use report builder, your facility or company will have access to a wealth of reimbursement, cost, quality, and survey information to explore the performance of your facility over time, and to compare the performance of your facility against your peers.

How do I join?

LTC Trend Tracker is a free benefit for AHCA and NCAL members.  Click here to sign up.

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  Medline Announces Exclusive Distribution Agreement for abaqis® Nursing Home Quality Assurance System Quality assessment and reporting system is tied directly to the CMS Quality Indicator Survey
Abiqis is the only quality assessment and reporting system for nursing homes that is tied to QIS

Mundelein, Ill./ Centennial, Colo., October 7, 2008 – Medline Industries, Inc. announced today a strategic licensing agreement with Nursing Home Quality, LLC, granting Medline exclusive rights to market and distribute the company's abaqis® Nursing Home Quality Assurance System.  The Web-based system allows nursing home providers to identify quality concerns and focus their improvement efforts using the same forms, analysis and thresholds used by state surveyors in the new Quality Indicator Survey (QIS).

"The long-term care survey process has changed dramatically with the QIS, and we're excited to align with a forward-looking company and product that gives healthcare providers a unique ability to improve the quality of resident care," said Shawn Scott, Medline vice president of healthcare corporate sales. "We are always seeking new technologies that provide targeted solutions, so aligning with Nursing Home Quality was a natural fit."

Quality assurance and evaluation of our nation's 15,000 nursing homes – where more than 1.5 million people live – is a growing matter of concern with providers, consumers and the federal government calling for a more consistent and resident-centered survey process. The new QIS process addresses this need through structured protocols that are fully automated on tablet PCs and by obtaining more information from direct questioning of residents and families.  As a result, regulatory areas such as quality of life, which were not as fully investigated in the traditional process, are now receiving closer scrutiny.

As the only quality assessment and reporting system for nursing homes tied directly to the QIS, abaqis® gives providers the unique opportunity to use QIS tools and approaches for ongoing quality assurance and continuous survey readiness.  Users are able to identify quality concerns in the same manner as surveyors and address those concerns before, rather than after, an evaluation.  Rich reporting capabilities identify which care areas a facility should target for quality improvement, and drill-down capabilities provide root cause analysis on a facility-wide or individual resident basis, so healthcare providers can focus their interventions for maximum impact.

"Ensuring quality of care and quality of life for residents, as well as being continuously survey-ready, is a challenge for any healthcare organization," said Andrew Kramer, M.D., CEO of Nursing Home Quality. "With abaqis®, users will be able to build quality assurance, based on the federal code of regulations, into a nursing home's daily processes.  The results of such an approach will not only be improved survey readiness, but also dramatic improvement in resident care."

To learn more about the abaqis® Nursing Home Quality Assurance System, visit www.medline.com/abaqis or call 1-800-MEDLINE.

About Nursing Home Quality, LLC
Nursing Home Quality assists nursing home operators and staff members in improving the quality of care and quality of life for their residents. Nursing Home Quality trains surveyors and certifies state survey agency trainers in QIS under contract to CMS and provides affordable and reliable QIS training and Web-based systems to nursing homes.

About Medline
Medline, the nation's largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of healthcare products, manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products to hospitals, extended care facilities, surgery centers, home care dealers and agencies and other markets. Headquartered in Mundelein, IL, Medline has more than 800 dedicated sales representatives nationwide to support its broad product line and cost management services. Meeting the highest level of national and international quality standards, Medline is FDA QSR compliant and ISO 13485 registered. Medline serves on major industry quality committees to develop guidelines and standards for medical product use, including the FDA Midwest Steering Committee, AAMI Sterilization and Packaging Committee and various ASTM committees. For more information on Medline, visit our Web site, www.medline.com.
 

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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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  CMS Updates

News From the Medicare Learning Network
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released the following Special Edition MLN Matters article, SE0838 2008 - 2009 Influenza (Flu) Season Resources for Health Care Professionals, located at   http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNMattersArticles/downloads/SE0838.pdf
This article provides fee-for-service Medicare providers and their staff with access to a variety of seasonal flu related educational resources that they can use during the 2008 - 2009 flu season.

November Flu Shot Reminder
“Flu season is here! Medicare patients give many reasons for not getting their annual flu shot, including—“It causes the flu"; "I don’t need it"; "It has side effects"; "It’s not effective"; "I didn’t think about it"; "I don’t like needles!”  The fact is that every year in the United States, on average, about 36,000 people die from influenza. Greater than 90 percent of these deaths occur in individuals 65 years of age and older. You can help your Medicare patients overcome these odds and their personal barriers through patient education. Talk with your Medicare patients about the importance of getting an annual flu shot--and don’t forget to immunize yourself and your staff. Protect yourself, your patients, and your family and friends. Get Your Flu Shot – Not the Flu. Remember - Influenza vaccine plus its administration are covered Part B benefits.  Note that influenza vaccine is NOT a Part D covered drug.

For information about Medicare’s coverage of the influenza virus vaccine and its administration as well as related educational resources for health care professionals and their staff, please go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/Downloads/flu_products.pdf

To download the Medicare Part B Immunization Billing quick reference chart, go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/downloads/qr_immun_bill.pdf

A copy of this quick reference chart can be ordered, free of charge, by going to the MLN Products web page and clicking on “MLN Product Ordering Page” in the Related Links Inside CMS section of the web page.

November is American Diabetes Month
The American Diabetes Association has designated American Diabetes Month® as a time to communicate the seriousness of diabetes and the importance of proper diabetes control. Left undiagnosed, diabetes can lead to serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney damage, lower-limb amputations and premature death. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds health care professionals that Medicare provides coverage of diabetes screening tests for beneficiaries at risk for diabetes or those diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Medicare also provides coverage for services to help beneficiaries effectively manage their diabetes. Coverage of these services is subject to certain eligibility and other limitations.

For More Information
For more information about Medicare’s coverage of diabetes screening services, diabetes self-management training, and medical nutrition therapy services, including coverage, coding, billing, and reimbursement guidelines, please visit the CMS Medicare Learning Network (MLN) Preventive Services Educational Products web page http://www.cms.hhs.gov/MLNProducts/35_PreventiveServices.asp

For literature to share with your Medicare patients, please visit http://www.medicare.gov

To locate recognized diabetes education programs in your local area, please visit the following ADA website http://www.diabetes.org/education/edustate2.asp

To locate registered dietitians or qualified nutrition professionals in your local area, please visit the American Dietetic Association’s website at http://www.eatright.org/cps/rde/xchg/ada/hs.xsl/index.html

For more information about American Diabetes Month®, please visit the American Diabetes Association (ADA) website http://www.diabetes.org/communityprograms-and-localevents/americandiabetesmonth.jsp

Medicare Part B Drug Competitive Acquisition Program (CAP): Feedback about the CAP – A Special Open Door Forum (ODF) Teleconference on the 2009 CAP Postponement and How to Submit E-mail Comments
 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is soliciting public feedback about the CAP. CMS is interested in hearing about a range of issues, including, but not limited to: 
the categories of drugs provided under the CAP;  the distribution of areas that are served by the CAP;   procedural changes that may increase the program's flexibility and appeal to potential vendors and physicians.

On December 3, 2008, CMS will host a Special ODF Teleconference to obtain feedback about the program. This teleconference will be a listening session and is intended for current and former participating CAP physicians, potential Approved CAP Vendors, and any other interested parties.  CMS will assess the information that it receives as it considers implementing changes to the CAP.

Call Details:
Date and Time: December 3, 2008 from 2:00-3:30PM EST
Toll Free Call Number: (800) 837-1935
Conference ID: 66307647

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  CMS Reports on Physical Restraints

Attached is a report and S & C Memo that evaluates the efforts to reduce the use of physical restraints after Congressional Passage of the 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act.    Because of the hard work of practitioners, providers, advocates, and government agencies, the percentage of nursing home residents physically restrained daily substantially declined from 21.1 percent in 1991 to less than 5.0 percent in 2007.
 

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  New Website

The Kansas Center for Assisted Living (KCAL) new website is up and running.  To view the latest news please go to www.mykcal.org.  The username is mykcal@mykcal.org and the password will be set the same as the monthly password for the KHCA website.

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  Executive Director Needed

Executive Director:
Candidates are being solicited for the Executive Director position at Clearwater Retirement Community in Clearwater, Kansas.  Position is responsible for all aspects of the operations, including nursing care, assisted living, and independent living units.  Licensed administrator with 5 years experience in a multi-level facility preferred.  Please send resume to:  Search Committee, P.O. Box 3684, Lawrence, KS  66046.  Or, telephone: 785-842-9883.

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