CMS has issued a new Life Safety Update on Existing Interior Finishes for Nursing Facilities and Assisted Living.  This update provides clarification about a change to the enforcement of the 2000 and 2009 editions of the Life Safety Code. 

The purpose of this memorandum is to clarify the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) policy regarding existing interior finish and the requirements for documenting flame spread rating of existing interior finish materials. The requirements for interior finish for existing Healthcare occupancies is found in the 2000 edition, Life Safety Code (LSC), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 101 at 19.3.3.1 which requires compliance with the requirements of Section 10.2 Interior Finish. CMS adopted the 2000 edition of the LSC in March, 2003. Recently, we have received several inquiries concerning how this requirement applies to existing facilities and whether documentation of existing interior finish is required by this edition of the LSC.

Click here for the CMS Memo and here for additional information.

We are less than one week away from the 2011 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award program Intent to Apply deadline. The deadline for facilities to submit the mandatory $75 Intent to Apply fee is January 18, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. EST. The Intent to Apply fee process and instructions are available on the Quality Award Applicant Resources website.

As of now, the number of Bronze facilities who have paid the Intent to Apply fee is only 50% of the projected number of Bronze applications. 

AHCA is continuing their recruitment for Senior Examiners. Senior Examiners are professionals with expertise in the application of systematic quality improvement, and come from both within and outside long term care. Senior Examiner information and the electronic application form are available on the Quality Award Examiner website.

The Nebraska Advancing Excellence Local Networks of Excellence has created, produced and began dissemination of a pressure ulcer DVD focused on the prevention of pressure ulcers. The DVD is targeted towards all staff within a nursing home facility, including non- clinical members. The DVD has been provided to all Nebraska nursing homes enrolled in the AE Campaign - Phase II as a token of appreciation for participation.

This project was a joint partnership between the Nebraska LANE partners and Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska. Copies of the DVD can be purchased through the Nebraska LANE for $7.50.
This nominal fee helps cover production, printing and mailing costs.

For more information or to purchase a DVD, contact Keri McDermott, CIMRO of Nebraska's Communications Director, at kmcdermott@neqio.sdps.org.

The INTERACT (Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers) quality improvement program  is looking for facilties to develop and evaluate a distance learning curriculum. 

The goals of INTERACT are to improve care of nursing home residents by early identification, assessment, communication, and documentation about acute changes in condition. The program has shown promise in reducing potentially avoidable transfers to acute hospitals. You can learn about the program at http://interact2.net .

They are looking for nursing homes willing to participate in the curriculum during 2011 (beginning in February or March). Nursing homes that are already implementing parts of the INTERACT program, as well as those who are not, are encouraged to participate. There is no charge for participating, and nurses will receive CEUs for their time.   

The project is looking for interested facilities that will:

1.     Provide strong corporate and facility leadership support for participation.

2.     Commit staff time to actively participate in the curriculum, and assist in engaging the medical director and primary care physicians, NPs and PAs in some aspects of the curriculum. The current plan is for twelve 45-minute conference call sessions over 6 months. A core team of staff will be expected to attend these sessions and complete assignments related to them. Other staff will be expected to complete self-learning modules on the INTERACT website.

3.     Appoint a project champion and a project co-champion who will be responsible for coordinating the curriculum at the facility, and ensuring completion of brief pre and post-tests required for CEUs.

4.     Complete a survey characterizing the facility and provide data on facility census, transfers to the hospital, and rates of hospitalization.

Potential participant facilities will receive information early in the new year to discuss details of participation. 

For each potential participant provider we will need the following information:

Name of Facility:

Name of Key Contact:

Email address:

Phone number:

FAX number:

Please email Dr. Ouslander jousland@fau.edu or Elizabeth Needleman eneedelm@fau.edu with questions or to participate. Dr. Ouslander can also be reached by phone at his office 561-297-0975 or on his cell 561-886-8721

President Obama signed into law the Food Safety Modernization Act and we have received a few questions about its applicability to nursing homes and assisted living providers.  The provisions of this new law do not apply to nursing homes or assisted living providers.  AHCA has reviewed the new law as well as the current law which is being amended.  The food safety provisions apply to “food facilities” which is defined in the law as:

The term “facility” includes any factory, warehouse, or establishment (including a factory, warehouse, or establishment of an importer) that manufactures, processes, packs, or holds food. Such term does not include farms; restaurants; other retail food establishments; nonprofit food establishments in which food is prepared for or served directly to the consumer; or fishing vessels (except such vessels engaged in processing as defined in section 123.3(k) of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations).