News In Brief - June 19, 2014

What day and time would you choose for the Community-based Care News Hour?
At the last LeadingAge Oregon ALF/RCF networking meeting, participants lamented that they rarely could listen to the Community-based Care (CBC) News Hour due to its timing, and wondered if state staff would be open to changing the date and time. We made that request, and the CBC team is sending out a survey to see if they can find a time that works better for larger numbers of ALF/RCF staff. Please complete their survey so they know what days and times work best for you!

Case managers must approve nursing facility services for under 65 Medicaid population
The Department of Human Services has issued an Administrator Alert clarifying that nursing facility services for individuals under the age of 65 who are in the Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) Medicaid program must be pre-authorized by the Medicaid case manager through a Pre-Admission Screening (PAS). Nursing facilities must assure that a resident’s service has been approved for payment by the Medicaid office prior to Medicaid-funded service. This is not a change, but the rule will now be consistently applied. Read the alert.

Additional nursing facility alert posted
DHS posted another Nursing Facility Administrator Alert this week with three attachments:

A notice with Medicaid rate changes effective July 1 (basic rate rises slightly to $257.66 per day)
A letter reminding nursing facilities that they must file their cost report or revenue statement by October 31. No extensions will be granted.
A letter listing the maximum allowable compensation for nursing facility administrators for 2014.

The alert and letters are posted on the Administrator Alert website under Nursing Facilities.

Check out the newly redesigned ADRC of Oregon website
The website for the Aging and Disability Resource Connection (ADRC) of Oregon has been redesigned to provide additional information and make it easier for consumers to find resources in their area. The new site includes a downloadable Planning for Your Future Toolkit, information about service costs and features that allow visitors to easily search for facilities and resources using their zip code. Access the site.

New entity to handle Medicare case review issues for Oregon
Acumentra Health will no longer handle medical case review for the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) program beginning August 1. Up until now, Acumentra has handled case review as well as quality improvement work, but under new federal rules those two tasks must be performed by separate entities. The new case review organization for Oregon is Maryland-based Livanta LLC. Providers must update contact information in the Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage and other documents. Read more.

CNA fingerprinting requirements clarified
Debbie Buck, policy analyst at the Oregon State Board of Nursing, has clarified that if an individual has a current CNA 1 license when they apply for their CNA 2, they don’t need to submit fingerprints and pay the fingerprinting fee. Fingerprinting fees are being refunded by the Board if they were sent in error.

Agency releases guide to protect nursing, assisted living residents from exploitation
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has developed a new guide to equip assisted living and nursing facility staff with the knowledge to prevent and spot the warning signs of elder financial abuse. The guide provides tools to educate staff, residents and family members as well as a model protocol for recognizing, recording and reporting financial abuse as early as possible. Although geared to assisted living and nursing facilities, the information is valuable for those who work with elders in all settings. Access the guide.

Be sure to comply with HUD security rules
Rhonda Crawford from Oregon Housing & Community Services passed along a reminder to HUD housing providers that it’s important to follow HUD rules related to Owner Authorization letters for EIV coordinators, and safeguarding/not sharing HUD log-in IDs. HUD is cracking down, and violations can result in sanctions or revocation of access to HUD systems.

Government attorney expects HIPAA enforcement, fines to rise
A high-ranking government attorney said he expects more aggressive enforcement of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and “substantially” increased fines for violators. Device theft continues to be the major source of HIPAA breaches, including the recent theft of a computer and laptop that belonged to an employee of the Michigan Long-term Care Ombudsman’s office. Read more.

LeadingAge Oregon members are growing!
Congratulations to LeadingAge Oregon members Mary’s Woods and Rose Villa, who celebrated ground breakings on new projects Friday! Mary’s Woods broke ground for their new Villa Estate homes 15 years to the day since the community’s initial ground breaking. Rose Villa is removing 80-plus units to make way for their new pocket neighborhoods and Main Street apartments. The community is donating cabinets, sinks, appliances and more from the vacated units to Habitat for Humanity’s Restore program. We know other members have projects going too, including Holladay Park Plaza and Dallas Retirement Village – we are enjoying watching the progress (via Facebook!) on Holladay Place and the Holladay Park Plaza first floor renovation as well as DRV's chapel expansion and new entrance! Let us know what’s going on with your organization, so we can share your news and share in the excitement!

Register now for Community-based Care Nurse class
Registration is open for our upcoming three-day class for nurses in ALFs and RCFs, which will be held July 30-August 1 at Sysco Food Services in Wilsonville. Designed for both experienced and new nurses, the class will provide a thorough overview of the special role of the nurse in these community settings and how the nurse can establish systems to ensure high quality health services. Read more. Register for the class.

AgeTech West

Exhibitor applications now open for AgeTech West Conference
LeadingAge Oregon business partners will want to consider joining us November 17-18 at this fall’s AgeTech West Conference & Technology Expo. The event will be held at the Hyatt Olive 8 hotel in downtown Seattle. The conference has become a must-attend event and catalyst for advancing technology-enabled care, and will include outstanding education content as well as ample networking time. Early bird exhibitor and sponsor deadline is October 10. View or download the Exhibitor Prospectus, or visit the conference website for more information.

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