Memorandum
To: Mass Senior Care Members
From: Tara M. Gregorio, President
Re: COVID-19 Updates: Signing Bonuses for Eligible New Hires; MassHealth Limited Coverage Expanded; Infection Control Webinar; National CNA Week Op-Ed
Date: June 19, 2020
Signing Bonuses for Nursing Facility Staff – Enroll Eligible New Hires Thru Portal By Today
MassHealth has issued Nursing Facility Bulletin 147, Signing Bonuses for Nursing Facility Staff and AB 20-48, in regard to signing bonuses for nursing facility staff. The Bulletin describes the procedures for securing the $500-$1,000 state-sponsored signing bonuses for individuals who providers directly hire on or after April 8, 2020, and on or before June 12, 2020. The provider hired the employees or contractors listed in Table A of the Bulletin through the COVID-19 LTC Staffing Portal or registered their employment with the facility through the portal (Enroll clicking "I May be eligible for a sign on bonus") by today, June 19th. Facilities must also submit the executed Attestation form (Appendix A of the Bulletin) to Amar Parikh and Meera Ramamoorthy on or before July 24, 2020.
MassHealth Will Cover Full Duration of NF Coverage for MassHealth Limited Recipient Admitted During Pandemic
EOHHS has provided clarification on the period of Medicaid nursing facility coverage for a MassHealth Limited member who is admitted to the facility during the pandemic. As indicated in a June 2020 EOHHS Support Package for Step-Down Care in Long-Term Acute Care Hospitals, Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities and Nursing Facilities, the agency will provide assurance that MassHealth Limited will cover the full duration of a LTCH/IRF or nursing facility stay for members admitted during the state of emergency as part of a COVID-19 episode.
Mass Senior Care will be hosting a webinar on Friday, June 26, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. This webinar will guide leaders on how to incorporate audit results and individualized action plans into the QAPI process in order to educate and promote sustained compliance. Leaders will learn 3 strategies to target performance improvement efforts and operationalize action steps into successful outcomes.
Presenters:
Susan LaGrange, RN, BSN, NHA, CDONA™, FACDONA, CIMT, IP-BC™
Director of Education
Pathway Health
Lisa Thomson, BA, LNHA, HSE, CIMT
Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer
Pathway Health
Register for the webinar here.
Sister Jacquelyn M. McCarthy Op-Ed on National CNA Week
Yesterday, The MetroWest Daily News published an op-ed, “Column: Increased government funding for nursing homes is needed” authored by Sister Jacquelyn M. McCarthy, CSJ R.N., CEO/Administrator at Bethany Health Care Center in Framingham and a Board Member of the Mass Senior Care Association. “It’s National Nursing Assistants Appreciation week right now and what better way to show our nursing teams our gratitude than to recognize their worth.”