E-News Update Articles

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is making at-home rapid antigen COVID-19 tests available to Councils on Aging, Aging Services Access Points (ASAPs), Senior Affordable Housing Providers, Health Care Providers, and other Community-Based Organizations, free of cost, while supplies allow.

The Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2022 awards. Scholarships from $500 to $2,000 will be awarded to selected applicants to cover direct, out of pocket expenses for tuition, fees, books, and supplies incurred during the period January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022.

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.

RecyclingWorks in Massachusetts is a MassDEP-funded program that offers free technical assistance to help Massachusetts businesses and institutions reduce waste. RecyclingWorks experts can guide your organization in implementing or expanding existing programs before these changes go into effect.

This week at its annual Convention & Expo, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) elected AHCA's Board of Governors and NCAL's Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 term. Phil Fogg, president and CEO of Marquis Companies, was re-elected as AHCA Chair, and Gerald Hamilton, co-owner of BeeHive Homes, was re-elected as NCAL chair.

Federal declaration that a public health emergency exists renewed, Mass Senior Care's response to a Boston Globe editorial, DPH released revisions to the Update to Caring for Long-Term Care Residents during the COVID-19 Response, DPH released updated Guidance for Health Care Personnel with SARS-CoV2 Infection or Exposure, and guidance for wearing face masks in certain settings.

The Massachusetts Senior Care Foundation’s annual scholarship program assists long term care staff in meeting their personal and professional goals through furthering their education. The Foundation is now accepting applications for its 2022 awards.

DPH has provided further details regarding DPH's approved request from CMS for an extension of the 1135 waiver of the requirements contained in 42 CFR §483.35(d) Training and Certification of Nurse Aides for Massachusetts nursing facilities, and Mass Senior Care has been notified by the DPH that, effective October 30th, Prometric will no longer process nurse aide recertifications or reciprocity.

CMS has rescinded QSO-22-25-CLIA, which prohibited the use of SARS-CoV-2 tests outside of the FDA test’s instructions for use. AHCA/NCAL strongly advocated for the rescinding of the memo as it limited the use of the BinaxNOW COVID-19 Ag Card being sent by the U.S.

AHCA is providing a free member webinar on Life Safety and Emergency Preparedness Compliance. Life Safety and Emergency Preparedness are two critical regulatory compliance components that are consistently areas of survey focus.

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) has scheduled a remote public hearing on Friday, October 28, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. relative to the adoption of the Rate Year 2023 Medicaid Nursing Facility Rate Regulation. Mass Senior Care will be testifying at this hearing.

Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) has released its World Alzheimer Report 2022. “ADI hopes this substantial and comprehensive report will contribute to overcoming some of the apprehensions surrounding post-diagnosis dementia support and help identify some of the barriers to overcome – but also some opportunities that provide direction and hope.”

The Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) has established a Hurricane Relief Fund through the Florida Health Care Education and Development Foundation, our 501c(3) tax exempt organization. The fund will benefit employees of FHCA member centers who were affected by Hurricane Ian.

AHCA/NCAL is holding sales this fall on several educational products

Over the past several months, Mass Senior Care staff conducted voter registration drives in member facilities across the state in support of our Vote 2022 Campaign, designed to ensure the long term care community has the opportunity to vote in the upcoming elections. At the November 8, 2022 Election, Massachusetts voters will elect a new Governor, Lt. Governor, Attorney General, constitutional officers, members of Congress and local elected officials. Many of our residents have participated in elections throughout their lives

Effective September 26, 2022, the CDC has updated the definition of up-to-date in the NHSN Resident and Staff Vaccination modules, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) will be holding a conference call for long-term care facilities on Wednesday, October 12, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.

On September 30, 2022, the DPH released ORDER OF THE COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC HEALTH COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Order No. 2022-18 related to Nurse Licensure.

The DPH’s Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management is making at-home COVID tests available free of cost, and the next CMS Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF)/Long Term Care (LTC) Open Door Forum scheduled for Thursday, October 6, 2022, from 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Eastern Time (ET).

CMS granted DPH's request for an extension of the 1135 waiver of the requirements contained in 42 CFR §483.35(d) Training and Certification of Nurse Aides for Massachusetts SNF/NFs, and on September 26. 2022, CMS released an update to QSO Memo QSO-22-25-CLIA​​ which rescinds enforcement discretion for the use of SARS-CoV-2 tests not FDA approved for use among asymptomatic individuals outside of the test’s instructions for use.

MassHealth has published a corrected version of All Provider Bulletin 354.

Here is what other providers are saying about their experience.

To assist nursing facilities in their ongoing infection prevention efforts, EOHHS is proposing $16.55 million in payments in rate year 2023 to facilities meeting certain COVID-19 preparedness criteria, DPH released Updated LTC COVID-19 Personnel Vaccination Requirement Guidance, and MassHealth has published a corrected version of All Provider Bulletin 354.

As providers prepare​ for the November 14 Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) deadline to submit staffing hours for July 1 – September 30, 2022, they should keep the following three things in mind. ​Providers should submit their data early and review the staffing reports that are available in CASPER to verify the accuracy and completeness of their submission. If errors are found, providers should correct the data prior to the final submission deadline. Providers must submit the number of hours each

On September 26, 2022, DPH filed a state-specific waiver request with CMS to extend the deadline for long-term care facilities in Massachusetts to come into compliance with the nurse aide training and certification requirements until December 31, 2022.

Wishing all of our colleagues who celebrate Rosh Hashanah a year ahead filled with many blessings, good health and happiness.

CMS is hosting a virtual listening session with individual health care staff on emergency preparedness on Tuesday, September 27 at 1 PM Eastern. Space is limited so registration should be limited to those who plan to provide input and the number of registrants per organization should be limited. CMS is looking to gather information from individual health care staff on emergency preparedness. The input and lessons-learned from this session will be used to evaluate CMS regulations regarding emergency preparedness for

Mass Senior Care will be hosting two virtual workshops to address the changes to the MDS that will become effective October 2023. Presenter for both workshops will be Maureen McCarthy, President and CEO of Celtic Consulting, LLC.

In March 2019, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released memorandum QSO-19-08-NH. The memo outlines a plan to update the five quality measure (QM) rating thresholds on the Nursing Home Compare website​ every six months. The plan is to increase the thresholds by 50 percent of the average rate of improvement in QM rating scores.

Join the Advanced Cybersecurity Center (ACSC), Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI), and the MassCyberCenter on October 13 for our monthly health care provider cybersecurity call. As always, we will be joined by representatives of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Massachusetts State Police and Commonwealth Fusion Center who will provide updates on recent cyber threats and trends. This call takes place during 2022 Massachusetts Cybersecurity Month and will include a discussion on cybersecurity threat sharing moderated by the ACSC.

Providers who received Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments exceeding $10,000, in the aggregate, between January 1, 2021- June 30, 2021, are required to report in Reporting Period 3 (RP3). There will be no extension. You must submit a report on use of funds by September 30, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Mass Senior Care is reaching out to our members as there is an urgent need for additional clinical testing sites for nurse aide skills testing, and your final chance to register for the Annual Life Survey Code Webinar.

Submit your ITA in the Quality Award Portal between September 15 and November 15 to receive an automatic discount on the overall application fee when you submit your 2023 application.

On September 12, 2022 the DPH released updated guidance on Admission of Residents on Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) to Long-Term Care Facilities.

Make sure to mark your calendar now for two important MDS programs in January 2023. We are offering sessions on Understanding the Changes to the MDS and Operationalizing the Changes to the MDS.

To show appreciation for EVS personnel, who ensure that healthcare facilities across the country are clean, safe places for patients, their families, and other staff members, Project Firstline partnered with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop a new resource, How to Read a Disinfectant Label.

CMS has posted a revised advanced copy of Appendix PP as an attachment to QSO-22-19-NH. The advanced copy was revised to include new regulatory language, which was finalized in the Fiscal Year 2023 Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) Final Rule (CMS 1765-F).

CMS recently issued a letter to all nursing homes and debt collectors regarding debt collection practices. The focus behind the letter is to draw attention to the prohibited practice outlined in the Nursing Home Reform Act (NHRA) of nursing facilities requesting or requiring that a third party personally guarantee payment to the facility as a condition of a resident’s admission or continued stay in the facility.

Join the Advanced Cybersecurity Center (ACSC), Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI), and the MassCyberCenter on October 13 for our monthly health care provider cybersecurity call. As always, we will be joined by representatives of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Massachusetts State Police and Commonwealth Fusion Center who will provide updates on recent cyber threats and trends. This call takes place during 2022 Massachusetts Cybersecurity Month and will include a discussion on cybersecurity threat sharing moderated by the ACSC

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.

As Mass Senior Care continues to promote Sepsis Awareness Month, we encourage members to utilize the resources below which can be used to educate staff about the signs and symptoms of sepsis.

DPH clarified that the Department’s definition for up to date (UTD) for COVID-19 vaccine/boosters in LTC facilities aligns with the CDC.

The NHSN announced updates and modifications being released for the long term care facility component of NHSN. The changes will take effect after the September 2022 NHSN release.

The Long Term Care Survey manual, Phase 3 is now available to pre-order from AHCA for September delivery. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will begin enforcing new Phase 3 Requirements of Participation (ROP) on October 24, 2022.

On August 31, 2022, the FDA authorized both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent boosters. These “updated” COVID-19 boosters were also recommended by the CDC on September 1, 2022. Administration of the bivalent COVID-19 boosters can begin now with the CDC’s official recommendation. Individuals 18 years of age and older are eligible for a single booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine,

Register now for the September 20th Virtual Annual Life Safety Code Workshop.

CMS has issued a draft version of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) Nursing Home Comprehensive (NC) item set version 1.18.11. This NC item set is to be used for both SNF PPS and OBRA assessments. These items were intended to be implemented in October 2020, but that implementation was delayed due to COVID-19 and other technical issues.

On 6/29/2022, CMS released QSO-22-19-NH Revised Long-Term Care Surveyor Guidance: Revisions to Surveyor Guidance for Phases 2 & 3, Arbitration Agreement Requirements, Investigating Complaints & Facility Reported Incidents, and the Psychosocial Outcome Severity Guide.

The deadline for nurse aides hired between March 20, 2020 and June 6, 2022 to become certified is only 23 days away! Nursing facilities are strongly encouraged to register nurse aide candidates for testing no later than September 15. Also, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) will be holding a conference call for long-term care facilities on Wednesday, September 14 at 11:00 a.m.

On August 31, 2022, the FDA authorized both Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent boosters. These “updated” COVID-19 boosters were also recommended by the CDC on September 1, 2022

The Boston Medical Center is offering free, virtual X-waiver training (link to pdf on Aug-Sept Xwaiver training in the folder) August and September 2022 for all prescribers regardless if they currently prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). The training is necessary to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) in 30 or more residents. For those who treat fewer than 30 residents, the training is still highly recommended.