Member Resources

The NHSN announced updates and modifications being released for the long term care facility component of NHSN. The changes will take effect after the September 2022 NHSN release.

Register now for the September 20th Virtual Annual Life Safety Code Workshop.

The Long Term Care Survey manual, Phase 3 is now available to pre-order from AHCA for September delivery. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin enforcing new Phase 3 Requirements of Participation (ROP) on October 24, 2022.

On 6/29/2022, CMS released QSO-22-19-NH Revised Long-Term Care Surveyor Guidance: Revisions to Surveyor Guidance for Phases 2 & 3, Arbitration Agreement Requirements, Investigating Complaints & Facility Reported Incidents, and the Psychosocial Outcome Severity Guide.

CMS has issued a draft version of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) Nursing Home Comprehensive (NC) item set version 1.18.11. This NC item set is to be used for both SNF PPS and OBRA assessments. These items were intended to be implemented in October 2020, but that implementation was delayed due to COVID-19 and other technical issues.

On August 31, 2022, the FDA authorized both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent boosters. These “updated” COVID-19 boosters were also recommended by the CDC on September 1, 2022. Administration of the bivalent COVID-19 boosters can begin now with the CDC’s official recommendation. Individuals 18 years of age and older are eligible for a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine,

The deadline for nurse aides hired between March 20, 2020 and June 6, 2022 to become certified is only 23 days away! Nursing facilities are strongly encouraged to register nurse aide candidates for testing no later than September 15. Also, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) will be holding a conference call for long-term care facilities on Wednesday, September 14 at 11:00 a.m.

On August 31, 2022, the FDA authorized both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent boosters. These “updated” COVID-19 boosters were also recommended by the CDC on September 1, 2022

The Boston Medical Center is offering free, virtual X-waiver training (link to pdf on Aug-Sept Xwaiver training in the folder) August and September 2022 for all prescribers regardless if they currently prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). The training is necessary to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) in 30 or more residents. For those who treat fewer than 30 residents, the training is still highly recommended.

Join the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) and the MassCyberCenter on September 8th at 10:00 am for our monthly health care provider cybersecurity call. As always, we will be joined by representatives of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Massachusetts State Police/Commonwealth Fusion Center who will provide updates on recent cyber threats and trends.

MassHealth has issued the following reminder for MassHealth Providers utilizing Bot Technology: Organizations that are using a bot on the POSC that has been operational since prior to July 1, 2022, must register the bot and request approval from MassHealth no later than September 30, 2022. If your organization is still operating a bot on the POSC after that date you will be out of compliance with MassHealth’s RPA policy and subject to monitoring and enforcement.

Join our webinar as we break down the purpose and value of practical and tactical budgeting in today’s evolving health care environment. We will reimagine the budgeting process and provide suggestions on how to create a budget that allows for various external pressures.

CMS, Center for Clinical Standards & Quality (CCSQ), Clinical Standards Group (CSG) will host a Virtual listening session with health care providers and suppliers on emergency preparedness on September 13, 2022, from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm ET.

In August 2022, CMS held an open-door forum informing providers of the upcoming rollout of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) submission transition to the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES) in early 2023. This system was first piloted in May 2021 for Home Health Agencies. CMS is now working to transition all state agencies and CMS locations to the new internet-based system. The iQIES will consolidate and replace functionality from the Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (QIES), Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER), and Automated Survey Process Environment (ASPEN) legacy systems.

The second MassMAP annual disaster exercise preparation conference call is scheduled for Thursday, September 8th.

Last week the DPH sent a notification to nursing facilities to remind them that with the end of the 1135 waiver for nurse aide training and testing, nursing facilities have until October 6, 2022, to come back into compliance with the federal requirements for nurse aide staff hired between March 10, 2020, and June 6, 2022.

CMS released a revision QSO-22-15-NH & NLTC & LSC: Update to COVID-19 Emergency Declaration Blanket Waivers for Specific Providers to provide more information related to waivers of the Nurse Aide Training Competency and Evaluation requirements, and register for the upcoming Mass Senior Care Association educational programs.

The DPH sent a notification to nursing facilities to remind them that with the end of the 1135 waiver for nurse aide training and testing, nursing facilities have until October 6, 2022, to come back into compliance with the federal requirements for nurse aide staff hired between March 10, 2020, and June 6, 2022, and CMS is hosting a Nursing Home Staffing Study Stakeholder Listening Session.

MassHealth yesterday posted an amended Questions and Answers document to COMMBUYS for the Nursing Facility Capital Improvement and Innovation Project Forgivable Loan Program.

MassHealth has scheduled 2 surveillance testing payments to be deposited into nursing facilities’ accounts on Friday, August 19, 2022, and on last week’s DPH Long Term Care Provider monthly call, DPH clarified that temperature checks for individuals entering the facility were no longer required.

The Long Term Care Survey manual, Phase 3 is now available to pre-order from AHCA for September delivery. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin enforcing new Phase 3 Requirements of Participation (ROP) on October 24, 2022.

Hamel-Lydon Chapel & Cremation Service of Massachusetts appreciates the special care and dedication that frontline healthcare workers provide to patients on a regular basis.

The Department of Public Health is following up to yesterday's Long-Term Care monthly call discussion on antigen test expiry date extensions, Long Term Care Infection Prevention & Control Webinar Series, and registration is now open for the new Workforce Innovations Collaborative (WFIC).

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) will be holding a conference call for long-term care facilities on Wednesday, August 10 at 11:00 a.m, and Mass Senior Care is pleased to offer two important virtual education programs designed to help facilities understand and comply with new guidance and requirements.

Join the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) and the MassCyberCenter on August 11th at 10:00 am for our monthly health care provider cybersecurity call. As always, we will be joined by representatives of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Massachusetts State Police/Commonwealth Fusion Center who will provide updates on recent cyber threats and trends. The monthly topic for this call will be mobile device cybersecurity.

The July 19 CMS Administrator’s National Stakeholder Call recording and transcript are now available. Click the link for the recording and transcript: CMS National Stakeholder Calls.

There are so many learning opportunities at this year’s AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo. Over the course of four days, October 9-12, you can choose from more than 100 sessions in 20-plus tracks, covering all critical aspects of long term and post-acute care.

The Long Term Care Survey manual, Phase 3 is now available to pre-order from AHCA for September delivery. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin enforcing new Phase 3 Requirements of Participation (ROP) on October 24, 2022.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to offer a variety of virtual education programs designed to help facilities understand and comply with new guidance and requirements. Registration is now open by visiting https://www.maseniorcare.org/events or by clicking on the specific program links.

For a small group of nursing facilities, the Fire Safety Evaluation System (FSES) has been a critical tool in documenting Life Safety Code® compliance through an equivalent means. The 2013 edition of NFPA 101A (FSES) left many nursing facilities without an effective equivalency tool, as the scoring methodology for the FSES became more restrictive and CMS would no longer accept waivers for areas that did not meet the equivalency.

Assisted living centers now have access to free COVID-19 testing for their staff and residents through December 31, 2022. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Operation Expanded Testing (OpET) program expanded access to free testing nationwide to now include assisted living communities, which previously targeted schools, shelters, and correctional facilities.

EOHHS has extended the deadline to August 29th for nursing facilities to submit grant applications through the state’s procurement website, COMMBUYS, for the Nursing Facility Capital Improvement and Innovation Project Forgivable Loan Program authorized under the state’s ARPA COVID-19 Recovery Act signed into law by Governor Baker on December 13, 2021, and the FY23 budget law appropriates $115 million in additional funding for the period July 2022 through June 2023, including $40 million for continuation of the COVID-19 workforce supplemental monthly funding program that begin last January.

Members are provided information on EOHHS booster letter to providers, DPH contract with additional vendor for nurse aide testing; CMS FY 23 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule; CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)/Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum, and final chance to register for Thursday’s Webinar.

Skilled nursing Facility Provider Preview Reports are now available. Nursing facilities should review these reports by August 15, and contact CMS if you have questions about your scores.

NHSN has updated the Therapeutics Pathway reporting module, CMS launched its enhanced Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System integrating data on weekend staffing rates for nurses and information on annual turnover among nurses and administrators, Mass Senior Care Association has collaborated with Jonathan Gruber, Ford Director of Economics at MIT, to develop a Long Term Care Career Advancement Survey, and Mass Senior Care's new education programs.

The CMS Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Manual webpage was updated recently to include two important announcements:

Mass Senior Care is pleased to offer a variety of virtual education programs designed to help facilities understand and comply with new guidance and requirements. Registration is now open by visiting https://www.maseniorcare.org/events or by clicking on the specific program links.

The National Healthcare Safety Network began using the updated definition of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, information provided on MassHealth payments, reminder the deadline for nursing facilities to file the 2022 DCC-Q Final Form electronically on the UMASS portal is July 30th, and Mass Senior Care offers new education programs.

MassHealth has issued billing code guidance on two items (1) COVID MMQ Coding and (2) Claim Error Code 570 for Long Term Care Type of Claims and/or Institutional Type of Claims, which we are reproducing.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) this week released its 2022 data book on health care spending and the Medicare program.

On July 18, 2022, MassHealth released a Request for Responses (RFR) for the next cycle of its Behavioral Health (BH) and Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Community Partners program.

The DPH through the Infection Prevention and Control Resource Hub will host office hours dedicated to addressing antimicrobial stewardship challenges on July 26, 2022, from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm.

The deadline for nursing facilities to file the 2022 DCC-Q Final Form electronically on the UMASS portal is July 30th. The webform to submit the final filing can be accessed at https://nf.uenter.org/NF/.

The similarities between Hollywood and Healthcare are uncanny – both are highly sensitive to demographic trends and consumer preferences. Cinema and Skilled Nursing were also hardest hit by the pandemic and share similar challenges on the road to recovery. The target audiences may be different but share the desire to “stay home and chill” – Home & Community Based Theatre is here to stay.