E-News Updates

The Department of Public Health will hold a public hearing on amendments to the following regulations: 105 CMR 721.000 – Standards for Prescription Format and Security in Massachusetts.

As Mass Senior Care continues to work with the Baker Administration to ensure that nursing home Medicaid payments are made on June 24 th , we urge members to utilize MassHealth's hardship payment program by following the 3-step process below and be sure to request at least 50% of your anticipated monthly payment: 1) Complete this brief MassHealth form 2) Email the completed form to Optum at support@masshealthltss.com 3) Call Optum at 844-368-5184 to confirm receipt of the form Earlier

Governor Baker today signed into law legislation enacting a three-month delay in the start date of the required contribution for the Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML). The required contribution start date is now October 1. This action follows an agreement earlier this week between the Governor, Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo to adopt legislation that would delay the start date and clarify program design to ensure successful implementation of the PFML program this fall.

If you missed Mass Senior Care Association‘s in-person PDPM training earlier this year, you can now take AHCA’s Virtual PDPM Training . This on-line training mirrors the in-person training and can also be taken by those who feel like they could benefit from taking the PDPM course again. The virtual training allows AHCA SNF members to learn about the critical steps necessary on the pathway to success under PDPM. Included with the virtual training is access to all materials on

Mass Senior Care Association's 2019 Nursing Facility Employment Survey has been electronically distributed to nursing facilities and corporate offices. We are asking members to complete the survey based on data collected for the week beginning May 20, 2019. The survey is a fillable form that should be returned to Mass Senior Care by postal mail, fax (617-558-3546) or email to ddesimone@maseniorcare.org by Friday, June 28, 2019. Please note that, based on feedback from members, we have reduced the number of

The SNF PPS Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) relies on accurate coding of several MDS Section GG mobility and self-care items that impact the PT, OT, and Nursing component per-diem case-mix payment rates. On June 7, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a series of short videos to assist providers with coding select Section GG items on the OASIS, IRF-PAI, LTCH CARE Data Set, and the MDS. These videos, ranging from 4-12 minutes, are designed to

The Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety earlier this week issued a new report medical errors entitled The Financial and Human Cost of Medical Error … and How Massachusetts Can Lead the Way on Patient Safety . The report details two sets of research findings and also proposes a coordinated response through which the Commonwealth’s providers, policymakers, and public can accelerate safety and quality improvement. The Betsy Lehman Center was launched in 2004 within the state’s Executive Office of Health

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