Member Resources

On October 11, CMS finalized the Medicare Program: Appeal Rights for Certain Changes in Patient Status rule.

Member Update: Current Technical Issues in NHSN; SNF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available

Member Update: Attorney General’s Office Seeking Community Feedback on ALR Consumer Protection Regulations; New CMS Resources on Mandatory Provider Enrollment Off-Cycle Revalidation; Free COVID-19 Test Kits

Member Update: OIG Releases Report on Massachusetts Nursing Homes; Upcoming AHCA/NCAL Webinars on Mandatory Provider Enrollment Revalidation; CMS to Host Next SNF/LTC Open Door Forum – Thursday, October 17, 2024; REMINDER: CHIA Issues Data Validation Template for Nursing Facility Review; IV Fluid Shortages and Supply Chain Disruptions; Honoring Choices Resource – Who is Your Health Care Agent?

Register Now! Best Practices for Successfully Billing for Medicaid Nursing Facility Member Specific Billing Add-Ons: What All Facilities Should Know and Best Practices for Filing Medicaid Applications: Steps You Need to Know About MassHealth Nursing Facility Eligibility

AHCA encourages applicants who plan to apply for a 2025 Quality Award to submit an ITA by logging into the Quality Award Portal before the deadline on November 14, 2024. Applicants will receive an automatic discount on the overall application fee when submitting a 2025 application.

Steward Health Care is abandoning the under construction Norwood Hospital and closing four affiliated clinics in November, according to a notice filed in bankruptcy court Monday.

Governor Maura Healey has appointed Michael Caljouw as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Division of Insurance (DOI), the state agency that monitors the solvency of its licensed insurance carriers to ensure a healthy marketplace for consumers who purchase insurance products.

Limited sponsorship opportunities are remaining for Mass Senior Care Association’s November 14th Annual Meeting and Trade Show.

Join us as we gather for our 2024 Annual Meeting & Trade Show on Thursday, November 14th at the Wellsworth Hotel in Southbridge, MA! Please visit our website to register.

Member Update: CHIA Issues Proposed Regulation Nursing Facility Cost Reporting Regulation: 957 CMR 7.00; Register Now for Upcoming MSCA Webinars and In-Person Life Safety Code Workshop

Member Update: CHIA Issues Data Validation Template for Nursing Facility Review

Member Update: Newly Arrived Immigrants Provide Important Source of Labor for Long Standing Vacancies; Exclusive Complimentary Webinar for Mass Senior Care Facility and Corporate Members Only; Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Member Update: Supply Chain Concerns; Baxter International Inc. Manufacturing Facility Damage and International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) Strike

Register Now for Upcoming MSCA Seminars/Webinars

Join the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI) and the MassCyberCenter on October 10th at 10am for the monthly health care provider cybersecurity call.

To assist nursing facility members in complying with the CMS regulation mandating that each nursing facility have a designated and specially trained Infection Preventionist, AHCA is offering new registrants discounts on its IPCO training program.

Skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and ID/DD centers are required by OSHA’s Respiratory Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.134) to establish and maintain a respiratory protection program when employees are exposed to airborne hazards, including infectious agents such as COVID-19 and other respiratory illnesses.

CMS has announced that an updated Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice (SNF ABN) and accompanying instructions have been posted in the downloads section of the fee for service (FFS) SNF ABN webpage. The revised SNF ABN form is available for immediate use, and it becomes mandatory for Medicare Part A services on October 31, 2024.

DPH has issued new guidance to provide recommendations and resources to support the integration of harm reduction services in healthcare settings to people who use drugs (PWUD).

Honoring Choices has developed a new consumer handout to help consumers in the community complete a health care proxy.

CMS has issued Medicare billing guidance regarding the FDA-approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2024–2025 season and updated COVID-19 vaccine pricing.

CMS has released a new document titled the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) User’s Manual version (v) 1.19.1R Hyperlink Update Supplement.

Mass Senior Care congratulates The Terraces Orleans, owned and operated by EF Senior Care, on its 55th Anniversary Celebration.

Mass Senior Care Association is pleased to offer Associate Members sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor booths for the upcoming 2024 Annual Meeting & Trade Show on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at the Wellsworth Hotel in Southbridge, MA.

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) earlier this week issued the Rate Year 2025 (RY25) Medicaid Nursing Facility rate regulation.

Member Update: Honoring Choices Resource - Who is Your Health Care Agent?; DPH Issues Guidance on Harm Reduction and the Protection of Caregivers; Register Now for Upcoming Webinars and In-Person Life Safety Code Workshop

Member Update: EOHHS Issues Rate Year 2025 Medicaid Nursing Facility Rates

Member Update: SNF ABN Notice Form Change; Register Now for Upcoming Webinars and In-Person Life Safety Code Workshop

2024 AHCA/NCAL Convention in Orlando & 2024 AHCA/NCAL Bronze Quality Award Workshop

Putting Patients First Law Effective January 1, 2025: Are You Ready? Attend this Webinar and Receive the MSCA Putting Patients First Law Toolkit Wednesday, October 24, 2024 1:00pm – 2:00pm Via Zoom

Where Safety Meets Standards: Join DPH and MSCA for the Annual Life Safety Code In-Person Workshop! Tuesday, October 22, 2024 9:00 am – 12:00 pm enVision Hotel & Conference Center Mansfield-Foxboro 31 Hampshire Street, Mansfield, MA 02048

EOEA will host a webinar on October 8 at 3:30 pm to update stakeholders on the status of the Massachusetts transition from MOLST to POLST.

CMS has issued Medicare billing guidance regarding the FDA-approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for the 2024–2025 season.

CMS has released an updated series of web-based training courses that provide an overview of the assessment and Section GG guidance found in the Long Term Care Facility Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) 3.0 User’s Manual, Version 1.19.1. These courses are designed to promote accurate coding of the post-acute care (PAC) cross-setting data elements.

Register now for Reporting: LTCF Respiratory Pathogens Module: Updates to Resident Data Collection Form and Up to Date Definition for Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Data Reporting for Healthcare Personnel and Residents; and NHSN Person-Level Vaccination Forms: Quarter 4 2024 Updates for Long-Term Care Facilities

Effective September 30, 2024, facilities will need to report respiratory pathogen vaccination, case, and hospitalization data using a newly combined reporting form.

Effective September 30, 2024, an individual will be considered "up to date" if they have received a single dose of the 2024-2025 updated COVID-19 vaccine.

AHCA/NCAL has released a new resource to assist providers in developing their Facility Assessment in compliance with the requirements at 42 CFR 483.71. The latest addition is the Recruitment and Retention template, available to AHCA/NCAL members through the Strengthening Facility Assessments to Adapt to Regulatory Changes webinar on ahcancalED.

A recent webinar hosted by AHCA/NCAL with Incite Strategic Partners, Beyond Savings – What You Should be Getting from Your GPO, features information on up-front savings, industry expertise, workforce recruiting and retention resources, and ongoing recommendations which can be tailored to your specific needs.

Honoring Choices has developed a new consumer handout to help consumers in the community complete a health care proxy. The Who is Your Health Care Agent? consumer handout offers 3 simple steps to choose a Health Care Agent, complete a Health Care Proxy, and share your Proxy with your medical providers and others.

Mass Senior Care Association is pleased to offer Associate Members sponsorship opportunities and exhibitor booths for the upcoming 2024 Annual Meeting & Trade Show on Thursday, November 14, 2024 at the Wellsworth Hotel in Southbridge, MA.

Employing Work Authorized New Immigrants: Incentives & Supports Exclusive Complimentary Webinar for Mass Senior Care Facility and Corporate Members Only October 16, 2024 10:00 am – 11:00am Zoom Webinar Presented in Partnership with the Executive Office of Labor & Workforce Development

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently issued an announcement in the MLN Connects newsletter that all skilled nursing facility (SNF) providers will receive off-cycle provider enrollment revalidation notices from their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) to collect additional data on ownership, managerial, and related party information not previously required.

Member Update: New AHCA LTC Facility Assessment Recruitment and Retention Tool Now Available; Up-to-Date Definition Changes for NHSN COVID-19 Vaccination Reporting; New Combined Respiratory Pathogen Reporting Form for Residents; NHSN Webinars

Member Update: Mandatory Provider Enrollment Off-Cycle Revalidation for ALL SNFs; IntelyCare Cuts Jobs For Third time in 14 Months; Where Safety Meets Standards: Join DPH and MSCA for the Annual Life Safety Code In-Person Workshop!

Member Update: EOHHS Issues Notice of Proposed Agency Action on Rate Year 2025 Medicaid Nursing Facility Rates; Honoring Choices Resource - Who is Your Health Care Agent?; MOLST to POLST Transition Update