Statewide Smoking Ban Goes Into Affect July 1, 2010

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has created a brochure and factsheet which explain the new Kansas Law prohibit smoking in public places which will go into affect July 1, 2010. You will note in the brochure that nursing homes are excluded from this ban provided a local ordinance is not more restrictive. Click here for the brochure and here for the factsheet.

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  Kansas Facilities Honored for Exemplary Customer, Workforce Satisfaction

My InnerView (MIV)- co-founder of the Satisfaction Assessment Initiative and an independent research company- recently recognized over 420 AHCA members, including several from Kansas, with its Excellence in Action award nationwide. This honor recognizes nursing homes that achieve high levels of excellence as demonstrated by having overall customer or workforce satisfaction levels that fall within the top ten percent of My InnerView’s satisfaction database, which is the largest in the U.S. “This annual award underscores the difference these nursing homes are making in the lives of their customers and staff,” said Neil Gulsvig, President, MIV. AHCA and MIV have been jointly advancing the use of satisfaction assessment surveys since 2005.

Kansas Health Care Assocaition congratulates the following KHCA Member facilities on their award:

Medicalodges Kinsley
Medicalodges Columbus
Quaker Hill Skilled Nursing by Americare

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  CMS To Hold SNF PPS RUG-IV Conference Calls For Providers

During a Skilled Nursing Facility Open Door Forum (ODF), CMS announced that it would be holding a series of three national conference calls to review and discuss the implementation of RUG-IV on October 1, 2010. On the first call, scheduled for Thursday June 24 at 1:30 PM ET, CMS will review and discuss payment system changes related to concurrent therapy, the look-back, and activities of daily living. Additional calls are tentatively scheduled for Thursday August 5 and Monday August 23. Information on registering for the RUG-IV conference calls will be available next week on the CMS website and announced through the SNF and ODF list serves. An alert will be sent when the registration process opens up to providers. Click here for a link to the CMS Open Door Forum website.
 

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  Kansas Healthcare Association Welcomes Disney Institute to Wichita on July 27, 2010

Every hospital, clinic, group medical practice, dental practice, or freestanding medical care provider has the opportunity to distinguish themselves through the delivery of quality services.

A one-day local workshop, Disney’s Approach to Quality Service for Healthcare Professionals program will show you the importance of attention to detail in everything Disney does -- from training its Cast Members (employees) to treating every Guest (patient) as a VIP.  You will hear the stories and see how Disney best practices can be easily adapted to your healthcare delivery organization.

Professional development doesn't cost—it pays.  It pays by creating a framework of focused energy in a vacuum of uncertainty.  It pays by helping an organization gain share in a slow economy.  The long-standing reputation Disney Destinations has for incredible service and friendly employees is not magic, it is sound ideology consistently applied in business. This program is designed to help Healthcare Professionals improve their organization’s quality service by immersing themselves in the successful Disney model.

IMPORTANT: Please use the Kansas Healthcare Association promotional code KHCAMNE to receive $50 OFF PER GUEST when registering. Additional group discounts are available.

TO LEARN MORE AND REGISTER GO TO: http://www.KeysWichita.com
No prerequisite training required.

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  Government Webchat Discusses PPACA Fraud/Abuse Provisions

Recently, HHS hosted a WebChat where Kathleen Sebelius (HHS, Secretary), Peter Budetti (CMS, Deputy Administrator for Program Integrity), Kathy Greenlee (AoA, Assistant Secretary) and Gary Grindler (DOJ, Deputy Attorney General) discussed consumer questions regarding the fraud, waste and abuse provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). This webchat is just one in a series of PPACA chats sponsored each week by the Federal government. These webchats are archived and are great tools to use for starting discussions with Resident and Family Councils. Click here for a link to the archived webchat.
 

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  STTI Launches the Center for Nursing Excellence in Long-Term Care™

Twenty-two percent of the world’s population is projected to be 60 years or older by 2050 (2009 United Nations report, World Population Aging). The United States Census Bureau predicts that by 2030 there will be more than 92 million people over the age of 60. This ageing of the population creates unprecedented demands for health care providers—especially nurses. 

Nurses, who are on the front lines of health care delivery, require appropriate education and knowledge in order to manage the complex health needs of older adults. According to the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, less than one percent of all registered nurses (RNs) are certified as gerontological nurses and only three percent of advanced practice nurses are certified in geriatrics.

To help address these knowledge needs, the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) has created the Center for Nursing Excellence in Long-Term Care™ (The Center).

STTI, in collaboration with experts from the Hartford Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence, skilled nursing facilities, national providers, trade associations and geriatric consumer groups, is developing a portfolio of products and services that will help educate  nurses and transform their role in the long-term care environment. These products and services will enable RNs to take a stronger leadership position within their environments to ensure quality care and life for patients and residents.

“As the population ages, we at STTI recognize that older adults have specialized health care needs. Through The Center for Nursing Excellence in Long-Term Care™ and our other ageing initiatives, we are helping nurses acquire the knowledge they need to deliver the best possible care,” says STTI President Karen H. Morin, RN, DSN, ANEF.

A new product now available is the Geriatric Nursing Knowledge Assessment (GNKA), developed with support from the Foundation for the Future of Aging.

This tool assesses the RN’s knowledge in nine major competency areas common to geriatric nursing. As nurses identify and pursue their individual educational needs, they will ultimately be equipped to deliver the most coordinated, holistic and cost-effective care possible. 

Geriatric Nursing Knowledge Assessment Competency Areas

1. Dementia, delirium and depression
2. Fall assessment, prevention and management
3. Diabetes and cardiovascular disease
4. Skin integrity
5. Pain
6. Bladder/bowel continence; constipation
7. Infection
8. Unmet needs manifested as behavioral symptoms related to dementia
9. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
10. Palliative care/end of life

 “GNKA is the only assessment currently available that is designed specifically for long-term care nurses to identify their strengths and areas for improvement and then suggest the necessary resources for obtaining it,” says Christine Mueller, RN, PhD, FAAN, of the Minnesota Hartford Center of Geriatric Nursing Excellence.

Mueller led the project development team of Amy Cotton, MSN, FNP-BC, FNGNA, FGNLA, of Rosscare in Bangor, Maine; Kristine Mauk, RN, PhD, CRRN-A, GCNS-BC, of Valparaiso (Ind.) University; and Katy Nguyen, RN, MS, GNP-BC, of the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Nursing. These geriatric nursing experts are affiliated with The Center.

“The Foundation for the Future of Aging is committed to addressing workforce-related issues as America faces an acute shortage of registered nurses and other caregivers just as the demand for skilled care is on the rise,” said Jan Thayer, board president of the Foundation for the Future of Aging. She continued, “We are delighted that our first grant has helped the dedicated nurse educators and nursing professionals from Sigma Theta Tau International produce this new tool. Now, we are looking forward to honing in on workforce issues identified by the new Geriatric Nursing Knowledge Assessment tool.”

Visit The Center’s website, www.centerfornursingexcellence.org, for more information and resources.

STTI’s Center for Nursing Excellence in Long-Term Care™ supports the knowledge, professional development and leadership growth of nurses who provide care to older adults. STTI’s collaborative initiative will result in the development of several tools and resources that will transform nurses’ roles and enable them to take a stronger leadership position within their environments to ensure quality care and life for patients and residents of long-term care facilities.

The Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the learning, knowledge and professional development of nurses committed to making a difference in health worldwide. Founded in 1922, STTI has inducted more than 400,000 members in 86 countries. Members include practicing nurses, instructors, researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs and others. STTI's 469 chapters are located at 586 institutions of higher education throughout Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Ghana, Hong Kong, Japan, Kenya, Malawi, Mexico, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Swaziland, Sweden, Taiwan, Tanzania, the United States and Wales. More information about STTI can be found online at www.nursingsociety.org.

The Foundation for the Future of Aging was established in 2009 and embraces the future of aging by engaging in dialogue and projects that will help to improve the lives of older Americans and people with disabilities. http://www.future-aging.org.  

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  FTC pushes back identity theft "Red Flag" rules deadline -- for fifth time
By Jaikumar Vijayan ComputerWorld

The Federal Trade Commission has once again pushed back its enforcement deadline for an identity theft-related regulation called the Red Flags Rule.

The rule requires financial institutions and other organizations that extend consumer credit to develop and implement policies for detecting and preventing identity theft.

Before this latest deadline change, the FTC was to have started enforcing the rule on June 1. Under the new deadline, it will start doing so only after Jan. 1, 2011.

The FTC noted in a statement that the delay was prompted by requests from "several members of Congress" who are working on limiting the scope of the Red Flags Rule.

In the statement, the FTC said it hopes that Congress would work quickly on addressing certain "unintended consequences" of the legislation.

The FTC has previously delayed enforcement of the rule on four occasions, the most recent being in October 2009, when it pushed the deadline back from Nov. 1 to June 1 of this year.

Today's extension comes just days after the American Medical Association (AMA), along with the American Osteopathic Association (AOA) and the Medical Society of the District of Columbia (MSDC), filed a lawsuit against the FTC, demanding that physicians be excluded from the requirements of the Red Flags Rule.

The lawsuit alleged that the Red Flags Rule was meant primarily for the banking sector, but was written so broadly that it unintentionally covers physicians as well.

The suit follows almost two years of efforts by the AMA and the other two organizations to get the FTC to exclude physicians from the law. In January this year, the AMA, the AOA and two other groups formally petitioned the FTC to exempt physicians from the rule.

The recent lawsuit was filed after the FTC rejected the request.

"For two years, the AMA has made the case to the FTC that physicians are not creditors like banks and lenders, and the misguided red flags rule should not apply to them," a statement announcing the lawsuit noted.

The FTC's decision to apply the rule to physicians regardless of such complaints is 'arbitrary, capricious and contrary to the law', the lawsuit alleged.

The Red Flags Rule was developed as part of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA) and went into effect in January 2008. The original compliance deadline for the rules was November 2008, but it was pushed back repeatedly largely as a result of concerns in Congress about the applicability of the rules to organizations other than financial institutions.

The FTC has argued that unless Congress tweaks the rule, it applies equally to any entity that extends credit to consumers in any form, including a physician, for example, when waiting for an insurance company to make payments for services rendered.

According to the FTC, entities that are covered under the Red Flags Rule include finance companies, auto dealers, mortgage brokers, health providers and telecommunications companies.

It's a position that has been challenged before. Last October, a federal court in Washington ruled that the regulations could not be applied to lawyers and other legal professionals as the FTC had argued it did. The ruling was in response to a lawsuit brought by the American Bar Association against the FTC.

The AMA lawsuit argues that physicians who do not require or collect immediate payment from patients cannot be considered to be creditors under Red Flags rules.

It also noted that requiring physicians to collect and investigate each patient's identity would impose too high of an administrative burden on them and erode part of the patient-physician trust relationship

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