As part of the Baker Administration's regulatory review and efforts to provide short-term regulatory relief to the nursing home provider community, the Public Health Council yesterday authorized the Department of Public Health (DPH) to promulgate revisions to 105 CMR 153.000, Licensure Procedure and Suitability Requirements for Long-Term Care Facilities.

Building on its 33 year legacy of assisting long term care staff in furthering their education, the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation is proud to announce its 2018 Foundation Scholars. This year's class of 36 exceptional awardees include Certified Nursing Assistants, nurses, admissions, dietary and other facility staff who will use their scholarships to further their professional development and leadership in the long term care profession. The 2018 Foundation Scholars represent a broad cross-section of staff and facilities across Massachusetts among

CMS has released the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Confidential Performance Score Reports, which contains each SNFs payment adjustment for FY 2019 along with information on rehospitalization rates and scores used to calculate payment adjustments beginning October 1, 2018.

CMS adopted the federal fiscal year 2019 (FFY 2019) Medicare SNF PPS rule. The final rule establishes a market basket increase of 2.4 percent, a figure statutorily mandated by Congress, and will start October 1, 2018. CMS also finalized a payment system called the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM).

In March 2018, Mass Senior Care began a quality initiative project to identify the most frequently cited deficiencies in Massachusetts long-term care facilities to obtain a better understanding of the reasons for these deficiencies as well as to identify trends.

The National Quality Award Program is pleased to announce that the 2019 application packets are now available online. In addition, the 2019 program calendar and submission checklist have been posted to each award level page. This is an opportunity to show residents, family members and the community-at-large your organization's commitment to continuous quality improvement, and to establish recognition on a national level. Get ready to begin your journey today! Please visit the Bronze, Silver or Gold application pages to download

With September less than a month away, the Mass Senior Care Association Fall Education Calendar is taking shape with educational offerings for all levels of staff. Registration is now open, please click on the links below to register online or download a registration form. September 25 – MDS 3.0 Updates for October 1, 2018, Presented in Partnership with Harmony Healthcare International (HHI), 8:30 am - 11:45 am, Boxboro Regency Hotel & Conference Center, Boxboro. Click here to register online or

Governor Baker today signed into law the State Fiscal Year 2019 (SFY 2019) budget, which maintains last year's $7.5 million funding increase, adds $12.8 million in new spending on nursing home care