E-News Update Articles

Member Update: Guidance for Nursing Practice by Graduates and Students in Their Last Semester of Nursing Education Programs; MassHealth Issues Memo Updating Submission Process to Request a Hardship Waiver; Register Now for June 11th Webinar

Member Update: MassHealth to Audit Nursing Facilities for Antipsychotic Medication Use

Effective May 31, 2024, all applicants for nursing licensure and advanced practice authorization, including renewal applications, will be required to attest as to whether they have a history of supported findings of abuse or neglect with the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

MSCA Member Facility, Notre Dame Health Care, recently announced Philip Hickey, MBA, MHA, MLNHA as their new President and Chief Executive Officer. He has nearly 40 years of leadership experience in the healthcare field including many years of service in non-profit post-acute care, long term care, memory care, assisted living and independent living communities.

Mass Senior Care Facility Members are invited to join us at our 2024 Leadership Summit, Charting A New Course: Identifying Opportunities to Improve the Survey Experience and Outcomes, on June 17th & 18th at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester. We are also pleased to offer Associate Members a limited number of sponsorship opportunities - you do not want to miss the opportunity to attend this exclusive event!

On May 28, Provider Magazine released an article on Establishing a Bariatric Unit in a Post-Acute Setting. The article identifies areas for consideration for bariatric units in nursing facilities including equipment, an assessment of the built environment as well as staffing.

Join MHA and healthcare leaders to explore insights on post-acute care, optimizing care for special populations, transitions in home care, end-of-life care, and enhancing patient quality of life.

Today, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) announced the names of the 2024 Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award recipients. A total of eight Massachusetts skilled nursing facilities earned a Bronze Award. We are proud to report that all these facilities are Mass Senior Care members!

Member Update: MassHealth Updates Worksheet to MDS Data Level of Care (LOC) Request Process for Billing; Register Now for June 11th Webinar: Implementing the Revised Facility Assessment Requirements

Member Update: Informal Dispute Resolution Meeting Tomorrow; Register Now for Two Important Webinars on Stopping Your CMS Five-Star Rating from Falling and Implementing the Revised Facility Assessment Requirements

The DPH and Mass Senior Care continue to encourage nursing facilities to vaccinate residents and staff with the most up to date COVID-19 vaccine.

The final Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Item Sets version (v)1.19.1 and Item Matrix are now available in the Downloads section on the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual page. The MDS Item Sets v1.19.1 will be effective beginning October 01, 2024.

MSCA member facilities across the state celebrated National Skilled Nursing Care Week last week, engaging residents in many lively and nostalgic activities!

AHCA Hosts Enhanced Barrier Precautions Open Office Hour with the CDC Wednesday June 5, 2024 2:00pm EST

On Wednesday May 22nd, the Massachusetts Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) released a statewide cross-sector analysis of its inaugural Massachusetts Health Care Workforce Survey in an interactive dashboard.

An updated Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (SNF QRP) Quick Reference Guide is now available in the Downloads section of CMS’s  SNF Quality Reporting Data Submission Deadlines webpage.

Mass Senior Care is proud to announce that Nathan Oriol, Director of Finance and a licensed nursing home administrator at Oriol Health Care, has been selected by the American Health Care Association/ National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) as a future leader in long term and post-acute care.

With the Senate’s adoption of its FY 2025 budget recommendation yesterday evening, the next step in the process of adopting the FY 2025 budget is the appointment of the Conference Committee members to resolve differences between the overall House and Senate FY 2025 budget recommendations.

Implementing the Revised Facility Assessment Requirements Tuesday, June 11, 2024 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm Zoom webinar

Mass Senior Care is offering Certificates of Appreciation to distribute to your CNAs during National Certified Nursing Assistants Week (June 13-19, 2024).

The DPH released guidance on Organizational Policies and Procedures for Mitigating Respiratory Illness after the expiration of the PHE. Health care facilities must continue to identify and monitor respiratory illness metrics to indicate when there are increased levels which may necessitate implementing additional infection control measures.

The Commonwealth’s transition from the current paper-based MA MOLST Program to the POLST (Portable Orders for Life- Sustaining Treatment) electronic form and statewide electronic registry is well underway.

Late Thursday, the American Health Care Association (AHCA) filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), challenging the Administration’s authority to mandate minimum staffing levels in nursing homes.

Mass Senior Care Facility Members are invited to join us at our 2024 Leadership Summit, Charting A New Course: Identifying Opportunities to Improve the Survey Experience and Outcomes, on June 17th & 18th at the Beauport Hotel in Gloucester.

Catch a Falling Star – Stop Your CMS Five-Star Rating from Falling Thursday, May 30, 2024 1:00pm – 2:00pm Zoom webinar

This year, National Certified Nursing Assistants Week is from June 13th to June 19th, 2024. This week aims to celebrate and recognize the incredible work that CNAs do everyday in our nursing facilities and assisted living residences.

Member Update: MassHealth Announces Important Change in LTC Eligibility Verification Timelines; Register Now for Two Important Webinars on Stopping Your CMS Five-Star Rating from Falling and Implementing the Revised Facility Assessment Requirements

Thank you to all skilled nursing facility staff for your dedication to enhancing the quality of care and quality of life of your residents.

Mass Senior Care Association (MSCA) has joined with the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and many others to sign a petition advocating for the inclusion of nursing as a STEM designated field on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) STEM Designated Program List.

Register Now! Catch a Falling Star – Stop Your CMS Five-Star Rating from Falling Thursday, May 30, 2024 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Member Update: MassHealth Issues Note on Technical Issue Impacting Weekly MDS reports ELG 402 and 404 dated 05/15/2024

May 22, 2024, 1pm EST - CDC Townhall: Understanding Enhanced Barrier Precautions June 5, 2024, 2pm EST – AHCA Hosts Enhanced Barrier Precautions Open Office Hour with the CDC

On Sunday, May 19, 2024, the Virtual Gateway will move its login portal to a new site and offer additional, new methods to log into the Virtual Gateway. Existing Virtual Gateway users will be presented with three options on the new Virtual Gate way login page.

The Senate is currently deliberating on their FY 2025 budget recommendation with active floor debate beginning on Monday. We need your immediate and ongoing help in urging your State Senator to support and co-sponsor Amendment #494 (filed by Senator Julian Cyr), which would provide $128 million (half of which is reimbursed by the federal government) in critically needed funding to allow the state’s 351 nursing homes to increase wages for our 53,000 deserving staff and hire 1,000 additional direct care workers.

At the recent American College of Health Care Administrators convocation, several Massachusetts nursing facility administrators were recognized for their contributions to the long term care sector.

Member Update: EOHHS Issues Nursing Facility User Fee Administrative Bulletin: July 1, 2024 Fees; Register for Friday’s Webinar: Demystifying MA Medicaid PDPM: Case Mix Management Strategies Unveiled

Member Update: Register Now! 5.17 Webinar "Demystifying MA Medicaid PDPM: Case Mix Management Strategies Unveiled"; HHS Issued New Nondiscrimination in Health Programs and Activities Rule Impacting Nursing Homes; REMINDER: Reporting of Healthcare Personnel Influenza Vaccinations; DPH Division of Surveillance, Analytics and Informatics New Confidential Fax Number; CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities/Long Term Care Open Door Forum Cancelled

Next week is National Skilled Nursing Care Week (NSNCW)! The theme for this year is “Radiant Memories - A Tribute to the Golden Age of Radio”, serving as a call to honor the enduring legacy of skilled nursing care centers.

On April 22, 2024, the final rule for Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities was released. This rule included significant updates to the Facility Assessment requirement.

Demystifying MA Medicaid PDPM: Case Mix Management Strategies Unveiled Friday, May 17, 2024 1:00pm – 2:00pm

The full Senate will begin active debate on the FY 2025 state budget during the week of May 20th.

Catch a Falling Star – Stop Your CMS Five-Star Rating from Falling Thursday, May 30, 2024 1:00pm – 2:00pm

This week Mass Senior Care Association (MSCA) graduated 39 nursing leaders from our Director of Nursing Leadership Development Program.

The Commonwealth’s transition from the current paper-based MA MOLST Program to the POLST (Portable Orders for Life- Sustaining Treatment) electronic form and statewide electronic registry is well underway.

Mass Senior Care is proud to celebrate the invaluable contributions of nurses in our communities.

MASStrong, in collaboration with the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety, is offering online support groups for nursing home aides, home health workers and personal care attendants working in Massachusetts.

Honoring Choices has a new video that highlights the Step-by-Step Health Care Planning Process, which enables health care professionals and adults to engage in planning conversations- from simple to serious illness- to decide for good care over a person's lifetime.

The Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association (MHA) has issued a new report outlining the challenges the healthcare system faces and offering some goals to relieve the pressures on patients, caregivers, and employers.

Member Update: House Introduces Health Care Market Reform Bill to Control Costs; REMINDER: Reporting of Healthcare Personnel Influenza Vaccinations; MassHealth POSC Users - Virtual Gateway Multifactor Authentication Implementation

Member Update: Steward Health Care Files for Bankruptcy