E-News Update Articles

On January 30, 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration announced its intent to end the national emergency and public health emergency (PHE) declarations related to the COVID-19 pandemic on May 11, 2023.

On December 29, 2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 removed the federal requirement for practitioners to submit a Notice of Intent (NOI), or a waiver application, to prescribe medications like buprenorphine, for the treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD).

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association. Our members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and we are grateful for their support.

The Coalition will be holding a virtual event on Friday, March 17th from 11am- 12pm ET to give you a broader sense of what’s happening with the transition from MOLST to POLST and answer any questions.

Over the last year, the Biden administration has been exploring the implementation of a federal minimum staffing mandate for skilled nursing facilities as part the Administration’s nursing home care initiative. CMS is expected to make an announcement by May 1st of a new minimum staffing mandate that may be as high as 4.1 hours per patient day (HPPD).

The Massachusetts Legislative 2023-2024 Formal Session has convened and lawmakers have filed over 7,000 pieces of legislation including legislation related to nursing facility resident care, financial stabilization and workforce

Register now for these upcoming sessions.

As we continue to support members in complying with infection prevention reporting requirements, Mass Senior Care has developed a grid outlining the current Infection Control Reporting Requirements.

Dr. Rossana Lau-Ng and Dr. Zoe Weinstein of Boston Medical Center have developed a program to assist long-term care facilities in improving care for patients with substance use disorder

The Mass Chapter of ACHCA invites all practicing administrators to attend their second listening session, Echoes from Administrators virtually on Thursday, February 23 at 2:00 for one hour.

In a final rule released on January 30th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized technical details regarding the Medicare Advantage (MA) Risk Adjustment Data Validation (RADV) program that CMS uses to recover improper risk adjustment payments made to Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.

The Customer-Focused Research Group (CFRG) within the newly formed Office of Burden Reduction and Health Informatics (OBRHI) at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is currently conducting a Nursing Home qualitative research engagement focused on identifying the overall experience of National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) data reporting, Minimum Data Set (MDS) Assessment data reporting, and transitions in insurance coverage.

Over the last year, the Biden administration has been exploring the implementation of a federal minimum staffing mandate for skilled nursing facilities as part the Administration’s nursing home care initiative. CMS is expected to make an announcement by May 1st of a new minimum staffing mandate that may be as high as 4.1 hours per patient day (HPPD). While MSCA shares the Administration’s goal of increasing staff in nursing facilities in order to ensure the safety and well-being of our

Register now for these upcoming sessions. Please note the February 10th session is offered exclusively to MSCA members at no charge.

To assist members to take action in regard to the unwinding of the Public Health Emergency (PHE), we are notifying members that starting April 1, 2023 and continuing for 12 months, all current MassHealth members will need to renew their health coverage to ensure they still qualify for their current benefits. DPH will be holding a conference call for long-term care facilities on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. Communities of Practice webinar focusing on promoting COVID-19 bivalent vaccinations for older adults and residents/staff in LTC settings.

Yesterday, the Biden Administration announced its plans to end the COVID-19 national and public health emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023. This administration guidance meets the Administration’s promise of 60 days’ notice of the end of the PHE. MSCA offers new virtual education sessions.

AHCA/NCAL recently hosted a webinar to discuss the importance of and tips on contacting CMS to weigh in on proposals the agency is writing for SNF minimum staffing requirements. Presenters included AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson and Senior Director, Grassroots Program Matthew Smyth.

CMS recently released the third edition the SNF QRP Public Reporting (PR) Tip Sheet. The tip sheet provides the following updates:

The Cambridge Community Learning Center (CLC) offers a free 16-week CNA training course uniquely designed to support English language learners. Individuals who sign up for this CLC course should have intermediate English language ability.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association. Our members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and we are grateful for their support.

Enhanced Barrier Precautions (EBP) are a new infection prevention and control recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to protect residents from multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs).

Register now for these upcoming sessions. Please note the February 10th session is offered exclusively to MSCA members at no charge.

This week we celebrate all the dedicated and creative activity professionals who improve quality of life every day for residents living in nursing facilities across the Commonwealth. Activity professionals engage the body, mind and spirit in activities that enable residents to live the richest and fullest lives possible and we extend our sincere appreciation to all who serve in resident engagement activities.

The Mass Chapter of ACHCA invites all practicing administrators to attend their second listening session, Echoes from Administrators virtually on Thursday, February 23 at 2:00 for one hour.ACHCA MA Chapter welcomes practicing administrators to an ongoing virtual community of peers leading facilities across the Commonwealth. After over two years of constantly changing demands from every corner, you are invited to convene with an opportunity to hear what colleagues have happening in their buildings. Share your thoughts and hear from others

The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated by the CMS and are now available for review. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the April 2023 refresh.The data contained within the Preview Reports are based on: Quality MDS assessment data submitted by SNFs from Quarter 3, 2021 through Quarter 2, 2022. ​ CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) measure reflecting data from

Governor Maura Healey has appointed Kate Walsh, the CEO of Boston Medical Center Health System, as secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the CMS has announced new actions to reduce the inappropriate use of antipsychotic medications and to bring greater transparency about nursing home citations to families. In addition, EOHHS Issues SUD training update and reminders.

The Biden administration is “growing frustrated” with the low vaccination rates among residents in nursing facilities and has begun forwarding to state regulators lists of nursing facilities with few residents vaccinated. On January 24, 2023, from 1:00 pm -2:00 pm CMS will host a national stakeholder call to highlight CMS’ key 2022 accomplishments and look ahead to how CMS’ 2023 priorities will advance the CMS Strategic Plan.

The Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech (MeHI) is seeking digital health startups to compete in the Massachusetts Digital Health Sandbox Challenge Program. The first Challenge is aimed at finding unique digital health solutions that improve the lives of older adults and help them remain active, productive, independent, and socially connected.

The DPH is collaborating with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the development of infection control trainings for frontline healthcare personnel.

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) recently announced the launch of “Careers in Caring”, a national campaign to educate job seekers about the career opportunities in long term care and equip nursing facilities and assisted living communities with the resources they need to successfully recruit new caregivers to the field.

AHCA has a released a new life safety compliance webinar for new facilities managers. This 1-hour educational webinar walks through the CMS nursing home life safety inspection process, provides an overview of the applicable codes and standards, addresses how to access and navigate the codes, identifies CMS survey tools and reports, and discusses some of the most commonly cited life safety deficiencies

​​​​Yesterday, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra renewed the declaration​ that a public health emergency (PHE) exists.

Did you know? MSCA has a member program with Incite Strategic Partners, the exclusive Group Purchasing Organization of AHCA/NCAL. Members across the country have been saving on their everyday purchases on many products and services including Dining, Medical, Supplies, and Technology through their Incite membership. MSCA member communities of all sizes are eligible to participate in the Incite program. It’s free to join Incite and takes about 5 minutes using their online enrollment tool: Incite Member Enrollment. Incite recently evaluated

Register Now for MSD webinars, discounted rate available for attending both webinars.

​​​​Today, U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra renewed the declaration​ that a public health emergency (PHE) exists. Also, register for upcoming educational webinars.

The Massachusetts eHealth Institute at MassTech (MeHI) is seeking digital health startups to compete in the Massachusetts Digital Health Sandbox Challenge Program. The first Challenge is aimed at finding unique digital health solutions that improve the lives of older adults and help them remain active, productive, independent, and socially connected.

With sustained reliance on TNS we are providing an important reminder to members of the need to obtain and maintain current Certificates of Workers’ Compensation Insurance from TNS agencies prior to utilizing TNS employees.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) will be holding a conference call for long-term care facilities on Wednesday, January 11 at 11:00 a.m.

Prepare now for the upcoming changes to MDS!

Many nursing homes and rest homes successfully participated in the MA Department of Public Health (DPH) training and technical assistance program, Caring for Residents with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) in Long-Term Care (LTC).

Building on its 38-year legacy of assisting long term care staff in furthering their education, the Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation is proud to announce its 2022 Foundation Scholars.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a sharp jump in a new XBB variant level, particularly in the Northeast. Information on prior authorization for SNF admissions waived. Massachusetts regulations 105 CMR 721.000: Standards for Prescription Format and Security provided an exception to the ePrescribing mandate for prescriptions written for long term care (LTC) residents.

As we get closer to the January 1, 2023, deadline for meeting the MassHealth eligibility criteria for COVID-19 preparedness payments related to “at least 90% of the nursing facility’s staff are up to date with their COVID-19 vaccination”, Mass Senior Care would like to remind members that this data used to determine eligibility will be pulled from the NHSN data submitted by each nursing facility. Also, AHCA/NCAL has developed a new #GetVaccinated handout to help long term care staff discuss the value of the bivalent booster with their residents.

DPH released information for Massachusetts long-term care facilities on the steps needed to fulfill the DPH requirement to submit healthcare personnel (HCP) influenza data by May 15, 2023. In addition, long-term care facilities that are required to report annual healthcare personnel influenza vaccination data into NHSN must do so using the Healthcare Personnel Safety (HPS) Component.

Earlier this week, Governor-elect Maura Healey announced her first three senior staff Cabinet appoints to fill out her Administration. University of Massachusetts finance administrator Matthew Gorzkowicz will serve as secretary of the Executive Office for Administration and Finance, the state’s top budget official. Gorzkowicz previously served as the Senate’s budget director and he also served as assistant secretary for budget in Governor Patrick’s Administration.

On Thursday, December 15, 2022, Mass Senior Care along with several members and other stakeholders held a roundtable discussion with Department of Health and Human Services Region 1 as well as central office representatives from HHS and CMS.

As a reminder, all Massachusetts temporary nursing licenses will expire on December 31, 2022.  To continue to practice in Massachusetts after December 31, 2022, nurses now practicing with a temporary license, who have not already submitted an application for permanent licensure within the last year, must apply right away.    

The next 90 days are critical for the healthcare system due to the prevalence of three viruses, workforce shortages and hospital capacity issues. Governor Baker and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mary Lou Sudders have asked all providers in the Commonwealth’s health care system to assist in building capacity and ensuring timely throughput.

After a three year hiatus due to COVID-19, providers and associate members were happy to gather in-person at the Mass Senior Care Foundation’s Annual Fundraising Event held recently at Gore Place in Waltham.