News In Brief - April 3, 2014

Training cancelled due to ICD-10 delay; webinar still on
President Obama signed legislation this week that includes a provision delaying the new ICD-10 coding system until no sooner than October 1, 2015. As a result we are cancelling the ICD-10 training scheduled for May (refunds will be issued), but next week’s webinar (April 10) is still on. The webinar will focus on how to best use this additional time to prepare for ICD-10, and will also review an additional provision in this legislation that calls for a publicly reported readmission measure for skilled nursing facilities by October 1, 2015. See more information on this legislation under National News below.

International dementia expert Dr. Al Power coming to Oregon June 18
We are excited to be partnering once again this year with the Alzheimer’s Network to bring a high-profile dementia consultant and trainer to Oregon. This year’s Dementia Symposium, to be held June 18 in Woodburn, will feature geriatrician and internist Dr. Al Power, author of “Dementia Beyond Drugs: Changing the Culture of Care” and a new book to be released this summer, “Dementia Beyond Disease: Enhancing Well-being.” Dr. Power promises his workshop will be highly interactive and will focus on issues and challenges identified by participants. Read more. Register online.

Be sure to phone Eagle Crest Resort when making your conference lodging reservations!
Please note that you must call Eagle Crest Resort to reserve a lodge room or condo in the LeadingAge room block; our block is not accessible through the resort online reservation system. Don’t forget to mention you are with the LeadingAge Oregon conference! Please make your reservations as soon as possible, as our rooms and condos will be released to the general public April 17. Call 1.800.682.4786 or 541.923.2453.

Temporary nursing facility rules on sexual assault, facility closure become permanent
The Office of Licensing and Regulatory Oversight has issued two nursing facility Administrator Alerts about the permanent rules related to sexual assault policy and nursing facility closure. Both rules became permanent April 1. The alerts outline elements that must be included in a facility policy on sexual assault and implementation guidelines for nursing facility closure. Access the Administrator Alerts.

Focusing on falls: prevention strategies offered
When it comes to falls, facilities often will identify the immediate cause of a fall (i.e., resident didn’t use the call light to ask for assistance) but neglect to dig into system-level factors that contributed to the fall (such as staffing levels, or long response times to call lights). As all healthcare providers receive increased scrutiny for adverse events, it’s important that long-term care settings learn how to investigate falls and implement effective fall prevention strategies. This month Oregon’s Patient Safety Commission has posted valuable information and resources to assist facilities with fall prevention. Access the resources.

Next CBC (ALF/RCF) News Hour to be held April 9
The Office of Licensing and Regulatory Oversight (OLRO) has scheduled a CBC News Hour next week, on Wednesday April 9, from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. During the CBC News Hours, OLRO staff reports on compliance trends, survey issues or other information of interest to ALFs and RCFs. Access the log-in information.

Therapy caps extension, nursing home readmission measure among Federal Update topics
LeadingAge achieved one of its primary goals for 2014 this week when Congress passed physician payment legislation that extended the therapy caps exception process for 12 months. The most recent LeadingAge Federal Update discusses the therapy caps issue as well as plans for a skilled nursing facility hospital readmission measure, which are to be publicly reported and posted on the Nursing Home Compare website. LeadingAge recommends that providers track their own hospitalization rates and have Quality Improvement systems in place to identify opportunities to reduce avoidable hospital admissions. Read more.

Large number of hospitalizations could be prevented for cognitively-impaired residents on feeding tubes
Newly-published research finds that residents of long-term care facilities who are cognitively-impaired and on feeding tubes have high numbers of potentially preventable emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Caregivers are advised to carefully weigh risks before sending residents on feeding tubes to the hospital. Read more.

Upcoming webinars to help employers understand responsibilities under “pay or play”
LeadingAge Oregon Platinum Partner and employee benefits consultant USI is sponsoring two upcoming webinars to help employers understand the shared responsibility provision (often referred to as “pay or play”) under the Affordable Care Act, which becomes effective in 2015. Certain large employers may face penalties if affordable minimum value health insurance coverage is not offered to substantially all full-time employees and their dependents. The 90-minute webinars are scheduled at noon on April 7 and April 14. Read more and register.

Annual conference registration tip
When using our online registration system for the Annual Conference (or any educational program), please remember to only use your user name and password to register yourself. If you wish to register someone else, you must use their user name and password or, if they haven’t set up their profile in our system yet, create a “new user.” If you have forgotten your user name and password, you can go to Member Tools/My Profile on the LeadingAge Oregon website and click on “Forgot your password?” and your user name and password will be e-mailed to you.

AgeTech West

Have you registered for the AgeTech West webinar April 8?
Figuring out what kind of technology platforms to adopt can be difficult unless you can see and hear how the technology works, and learn how other organizations are using it. AgeTech West will attempt to start answering some of those questions for you with its first webinar on April 8, “Boost Census and Streamline Placements through Web-based Technology.” Participants will learn about OpenPlacement, a new web-based platform that can connect nursing homes, assisted living and residential care facilities to discharge planners, care seekers and caregivers. Learn more. Register for the webinar.

(AgeTech West is a collaborative founded by LeadingAge California, LeadingAge Oregon and Leading Age Washington).