UPDATE Weekly

NC Health Care Facilities Association is delighted to welcome Teepa Snow to North Carolina for a full day of training on caring for those with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. This seminar will help attendees use effective strategies for helping people with dementia during personal care, medical procedures, and tests. The goal is to reduce resistance to care by having caregivers develop better observational skills to recognize and intervene effectively when behavioral challenges occur.

This seminar will emphasize the value of matching helping behaviors to the person’s needs and retained abilities to promote a sense of control and self-direction. Matching the caregiver’s helping behaviors, task set-up, the environment, and routines, based on the person’s abilities and needs, improves interactions and outcomes for everyone concerned. In addition, improved interactions may reduce the use of medications and enhance care providers’ skills and knowledge.

The seminar date is September 10, 2014 at the Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, NC. Register today on-line by visiting our Web site http://www.NursingHomesNC.com and clicking on Demystifying Resistance in Dementia Care or click here to download the brochure to fax!

IMPORTANT! Please note that this seminar location has been moved to Concord, NC!

IMPORTANT! This seminar is during the Great Wolf Lodge’s “shut-down” period. The water park and restaurants/amenities will be closed during this time. Breaks and lunch will be provided to our attendees in the conference center, but the entertainment/food outlets will be CLOSED.

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NCHCFA thanks all individuals that participated in the Summer Symposium evaluation raffle. Congratulations to Tonia Bryant of Kindred – Elizabeth City for winning a $100.00 American Express gift card! Again, we appreciate your valuable input.

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Please plan to join your friends and colleagues in beautiful Pinehurst, North Carolina, on September 17th and 18th for the Third Annual Autumn Classic Golf Tournament. The event will begin on Wednesday evening with a reception, dinner and program held at the world famous Pine Needles Resort and Golf Club. The Pinehurst Autumn Classic is sponsored by the NC Health Care Facilities Association to benefit our political action committee (PAC). You do not have to play golf to participate! Visit the Association Web site at http://www.NursingHomesNC.com for registration details.

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It is time once again for the NCHCFA “Fabulous 50” awards! This time-honored event provides the opportunity to acknowledge front line, unlicensed personnel who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in the long term care profession. The Fabulous 50 awards program honors individuals who are the backbone in our facilities because of the support they provide to our residents. A panel of judges from the Education and Programs Committee will select ten nominees from each district. Each of the award recipients will be honored at a dinner and awards presentation in their district. The deadline to receive completed nominations is Tuesday, September 2nd. Please encourage your facility to participate in this special award program.

The dates for the 15th Annual Fabulous 50 Celebrations are

District I – October 16, 2014, Grand Bohemian Hotel, Asheville
District II – October 21, 2014, Hilton Charlotte University Place, Charlotte
District III – October 23, 2014, Grandover Resort, Greensboro
District IV – October 28, 2014, Mad Boar Restaurant, Wallace
District V – October 30, 2014, Renaissance North Hills Hotel, Raleigh

To fill out nomination forms on-line, visit the Member Center of the Association Website at http://www.NursingHomesNC.com. Click on “News & Updates”, select “2015 Fabulous 50 Nomination Packet” and choose “Survey Monkey”. If you have any questions about the Fabulous 50 awards, call the Association office at (919) 782-3827. Pictures for nominations submitted online may be e-mailed to karenl@nchcfa.org or mailed to the Association office.

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On July 31, CMS issued a final rule outlining FY 2015 Medicare payment rates for skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) under the Prospective Payment System (PPS). Based on changes contained within this final rule, CMS estimates that aggregate payments to SNFs will increase by $750 million, or 2.0 percent, from payments in FY 2014. Facilities in North Carolinas can expect to see changes anywhere from a 7% increase to a 5% decrease.

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has prepared an overview of the final rule that can be read by clicking here. In addition, AHCA is finalizing their SNF PPS Rate Calculator and will be posting it to their Web site once it is finalized.

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There have been changes within the QIO community involving Beneficiary Protection. There are now two organizations that hold the Beneficiary Protection contract for each region, Livanta and KePro. North Carolina is in Area 2, covered by KePro. Under the former system, each QIO had a division that investigated beneficiary complaints. With the new scope of work (SoW) the beneficiary protection work was taken out of the local QIO and given to Livanta and KePro to administer for the entire nation. This began on August 1 when the new contract was executed. This important function ensures the safety of beneficiaries, provides an appeal process regarding one’s care, and is a key element in our national dialogue around transitions of care.

If you are not aware of how this system works here is an example: if an 89-year-old woman is in the hospital and the hospital wants to discharge her and her family feels and has reason to believe that she is in no condition to move or transfer, the family can appeal that decision. Mom gets to stay at the hospital until the matter is investigated and a decision is reached. This formerly local process is now being administered nationally by the two companies.

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is aware, from many of their State Affiliates as well as providers, that there have been a wide-array of problems affecting Medicare beneficiaries in the short time that the new contract has been in place. AHCA is working with partners and makes the following recommendations:

1. The Beneficiaries should call 1-800-Medicare and should not accept being told to call Livanta or KePro. AHCA recommends they (or their advocate) ask for a supervisor to let them know they are having problems exercising their Medicare beneficiary appeal rights! (This specific language is important.)
2. Make any issues known to your local State Survey Agency and Ombudsman. This will help to bring the problem to light on many fronts to ensure it is resolved soon.
3. The local QIO, who many people counted on, no longer is doing the Beneficiary Protection work so they are unable to assist.

AHCA, in the meantime, is working hard to get providers information and is working with partners to resolve this issue. Safety and quality care is a critical concern.

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We are pleased to present to you the digital edition of the 2014-2015 NCHCFA Annual Membership Directory and Resource Guide. This year’s directory includes the listing of our facility members and trade associate members.

Please consider NCHCFA members first when looking for long-term care placement and professional services. For quick referencing, click on the Table of Contents on Page 5 and be directed to the page you would like to view. You may also view and download the directory through our Web site at http://www.NursingHomesNC.com.

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The NCHCFA Annual Convention and Trade Show will be held February 15-18, 2015 at the Sheraton Four Seasons Hotel/Koury Convention Center in Greensboro, NC! Brochures outlining specific program information will be mailed in December.

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The 65th Annual AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo registration is OPEN! This year’s convention will offer you the opportunity to deepen your professional knowledge, network with colleagues from across the country, spend time in the Expo Hall discovering new business solutions, and even rock out a little. This is the must-attend event for long term and post-acute care professionals.

For information or to register, visit http://www.AHCAconvention.org.

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The NC Culture Change Coalition and COAP-NC will present “Getting Away from the 5 B’s (Bible, Bingo, Beauty Shop, Birthdays, Bulletin Boards)”

• October 9, 2014 at Carolina Village, Hendersonville
• October 16, 2014 at Cypress Glen in Greenville
• November 13, 2014 at St. Joseph of the Pines, Southern Pines

Sessions will be from 10:15-4:45. Please help spread the word about this exciting, upcoming event geared towards activity professionals. CEUs are available.

Contact Becky Wertz for registration information, becky.wertz@dhhs.nc.gov.

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Creative Aging Network-NC (CAN-NC), with support from the NC Arts Council and the NC Division of Aging and Adult Services, is conducting a survey to learn more about arts and aging in our state and understand the current level of interaction between these two areas of service. Your feedback will help all three organizations better understand how to incorporate resources for these programs and work collaboratively as they develop strategic plans.

This information is important because research has proven that when older people engage in professionally conducted arts programs they:

• have fewer doctor visits
• take less medication
• have fewer falls
• increase participation in other activities

Your feedback will help CAN-NC build a state resource list of organizations currently providing arts programming for older people.

Here is the link to the survey: https://www.ncsurveymax.com/TakeSurvey.aspx?SurveyID=72409n7

If you have any questions about the survey please contact Lia Miller at lia@can-nc.org or call 336-253-0856.

The survey deadline is FRIDAY, September 5, 2014 at 5:00 pm.

The survey will take approximately 15 minutes.

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The “Updated LEIE” database file reflects all OIG exclusion and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in July 2014. This new, “Updated LEIE” (List of Excluded Individuals and Entities) is a complete database file containing all exclusions currently in effect. Individuals and entities that have been reinstated to the federal health care programs are not included in this file.

All the updated files are posted at http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/exclusions_list.asp.

Instructional videos explaining how to use the online database and the downloadable files are available.

• Online Database Video: http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/online.asp
• Downloadable Database Video: http://oig.hhs.gov/exclusions/download.asp

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This new edition continues to provide nurses with the most comprehensive, current, and reliable information available so they can develop the skills to efficiently and effectively respond to disasters or public health emergencies. Meticulously researched and reviewed by the world’s foremost experts in preparedness for terrorism, natural disasters, and other unanticipated health emergencies, the text has been revised and updated with significant new content, including 10 new chapters and a digital adjunct teacher’s guide with exercises and critical thinking questions.

To order, visit http://www.AHCApublications.org or call (800) 321-0343.

Product # 8320
AHCA Members (on-line price) $110.00

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Important information for residents and families This brochure outlines what physical restraints are, when they should be used, rules and regulations concerning restraints, and making decisions about using them. Contact Jan Williams at janw@nchcfa.org to order brochures for your facility.

• NCHCFA Member: $30.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping
• Non-Members: $60.00 per 100 brochures plus tax and shipping

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Self-Portraits Show Artist’s Descent Into Alzheimer’s

http://www.visualnews.com/2012/10/20/slipping-away-self-portraits-show-descent-into-alzheimers

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About 40 percent of almonds and 20 percent of peanuts produced in the world are used in chocolate products.

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