News In Brief - July 24, 2014

Be sure to follow basic Fair Housing practices!
This morning's LeadingAge Oregon webinar on the new Oregon law prohibiting discrimination against Section 8 voucher holders is a great reminder for all LeadingAge Oregon members to be sure you are following basic Fair Housing practices: Treat all inquiries from prospective residents the same and don't discourage anyone from reviewing your eligibility criteria or submitting an application. You can still screen applicants for credit or criminal history, landlord references or income, but be sure you screen all applicants using the same criteria. And don't forget to remove any "No Section 8" references from any advertising or documents! If you missed today's webinar but would like to listen to it, you can purchase access to the recording by contacting Denise Wetzel [email protected] in the LeadingAge Oregon office.

CBC News Hour reviews common RN Delegation errors
Does your ALF/RCF nurse note that a resident is "stable and predictable" without any additional information? Have your caregiver staff continued to perform delegated tasks after the delegating nurse has left your employment? Are step-by-step delegation instructions generic rather than resident-specific? These are three of the common RN Delegation errors that state staff have encountered at Oregon assisted living and residential care facilities, according to a report by Deborah Cateora, RN, during this morning's CBC News Hour. Other news hour topics included:

Changes being proposed to CNA 1 & 2 duties and curricula
A workgroup established by the Oregon State Board of Nursing (OSBN) to review the CNA 2 authorized duties and training curricula is recommending collapsing the acute care, restorative aide and dementia care CNA 2 curricula into one curriculum for CNA 2. In doing so, certain items in the CNA 2 curriculum have been moved to the CNA 1 curriculum. Access a description of the proposed changes and summary. OSBN is soliciting written comments on the proposed changes are particularly interested in learning from long term care providers whether there are tasks they believe should be added to the curricula. Please submit your comments to Ruth Gulyas by August 8.

Nursing facility surveyors continue to chip away at survey interval
Nursing Facility Program Manager Dave Allm reported during this week's Nursing Facility News Hour that the state is continuing to work on shortening the nursing home survey interval, which now stands at an average of 16.8 months (with a goal of one year). Allm said the state is hiring five new surveyors who are starting in August, and will be posting job listings for two additional positions. The surveyors are also looking at streamlining training and other processes that they hope will move Oregon's survey interval back into compliance with federal regulations. Allm cautioned providers not to expect to be surveyed around 16 months, since that number is just an average; he says the state continues to survey some nursing homes early, so you never know exactly when those surveyors will walk in your door.

Immunization data available through state ALERT Immunization Information System
The state of Oregon is reaching out to long-term care providers to educate them about the ALERT Immunization Information System and encourage them to consider registering so you can share and access its immunization data. The ALERT system gathers immunization data from health care providers and health plans across the state and now has data on 90+ percent of the under 21 population and 70 percent of those 21 and older. Providers can use the system to access immunization records on their residents and employees and track their immunization inventory, as well as to share their own immunization data. This central database allows all providers to have access, which will help avoid over-immunization and help ensure on-time immunizations through reminders to patients. To begin using the system, you must register with the ALERT system and take an online user training. Access more information about the ALERT system. Contact the ALERT Help Desk for information about how to register, 1.800.980.9431.

Acumentra Health to continue quality improvement work in Oregon
Acumentra Health will continue to lead healthcare quality improvement initiatives for the Medicare program in Oregon over the next five years under a contract with HealthInsight Inc., which was selected by CMS this month as the Quality Improvement Network-Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for Oregon and three other states. Acumentra will serve as the QIN-QIO subcontractor for Oregon and will be able to continue its work with hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers on projects promoting high quality, safer and more efficient care.

National LeadingAge and State Leadership shape joint strategies
LeadingAge Oregon board members Greg Franks, President Elect and Dena Smith, and Ruth Gulyas, CEO joined national LeadingAge in Chicago last Tuesday at the LeadingAge Policy Congress to jointly shape legislative priorities for the 2015-16 Congress. The following day, other state leadership came together at the Leadership Forum to work on strategic priorities for the future from a public policy, provider and consumer perspective. Lastly, at week's end other heads of state associations worked with key LeadingAge staff on how to leverage our collective power to strengthen us all. Special thanks to Greg and Dena for taking time out of their summer to contribute to this strategic work that will benefit LeadingAge Oregon members and those they serve well into the future.

Upcoming webinars to focus on medication management, advertising for older adults

LeadingAge Insights offers new report on length of stay
The newest report from LeadingAge Insights uses calendar year 2012 Medicare fee for service claims data to provide information on length of stay, including hospital length of stay overall and by condition; average length of stay across the market's post-acute care settings; and post-acute length of stay. To access your organization's report, visit Market Position Reports by Avalere on LeadingAge Insights and log in with your LeadingAge ID.

NAB elects LeadingAge Oregon member Delvin Zook as President-Elect
Congratulations to Delvin Zook, CEO of Rock of Ages in McMinnville, on his recent election as President Elect to the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) at their annual meeting in Louisville. Del has served as President of the LeadingAge Oregon board and as a director for more than 20 years. In his NAB candidate statement Del stated “preparing administrators for the future is my commitment.” LeadingAge President/CEO, Larry Minnix, was the keynote speaker at NAB’s conference.