Member Resources

Mass Senior Care's recent letter to the editor at The Boston Globe was published in response to the Globe's article, “Nursing facilities, and their residents, will feel impact if Haitians’ status ends.” Tara Gregorio, Association President and Marva Serotkin, Foundation President say the repeal of the TPS designation will only worsen the impact on skilled nursing facilities and their residents who are already experiencing significant staff shortages, “We need to adopt immigration policies that help ensure that we can meet the care needs of our residents today and in the future and provide a living wage for our dedicated front-line staff.”

Effective March 1, 2018, MassHealth will begin offering an expanded selection of health plan options to managed care eligible members. These new options are Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), and a key part of MassHealth PCDI. MassHealth will also continue to offer Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and the Primary Care Clinician (PCC) Plan as managed care options.

Due to the changes in the Requirements of Participation and the re-organizing and addition of new F tags, and the new survey process, the Department of Public Health has revised the Nursing Home Survey Performance Tool. The Department will hold an informational webinar to update nursing homes on how the changes to the survey process will be incorporated into the Nursing Home Survey Performance Tool, which provides consumers a searchable website to aid them in selecting and evaluating a nursing

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued its final rule to Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses.

The new survey process for long term care facilities developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) went into effect Tuesday, November 28, 2017. The Department of Public Health (DPH or the Department) has developed a new website that features information and training resources, which may assist Massachusetts nursing homes in preparation for these changes to the Long Term Care Survey Process (LTCSP): https://www.mass.gov/service-details/long-term-care-survey-process . Please bookmark this webpage in your Internet browser. This webpage includes the slides

CMS will host the next National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care and QAPI on Thursday, December 14 from 1:30 to 3:00 pm ET.

As a direct result of Mass Senior Care’s member outreach and advocacy campaign over the last year, we are pleased to report that the DPH’s revised proposed long term care regulations, issued yesterday, retain the current construction ‘grandfather’ protection for homes constructed prior to March 19, 1968 and the regulations will also retain the provision permitting resident rooms to accommodate no more than four residents.

In an on-going effort to address implementation concerns and opportunities, the Massachusetts Senior Care Association has been meeting regularly over the past several weeks with senior officials at Department of Public Health to collaborate on the roll-out of the new survey process. During these meetings, DPH and Mass Senior Care have discussed many issues.

Memorandum To: Mass Senior Care Members From: Tara Gregorio, President RE: CMS Issues FFY 2018 Medicare SNF PPS Final Rule Rates Date: August 1, 2017 On July 31, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued its final rule for the skilled nursing facility (SNF) prospective payment system (PPS) governing Medicare rates for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2018 (October 1, 2017 through September 30, 2018). Below are the highlights of the final rule: Market basket (i.e. cost-of-living) adjustment

The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) has released draft regulations and an FAQ's - Updates in Employer Health Care Contributions and Experience Rate Schedule Adjustments for 2018 – 2019 regarding the changes that will result from the temporary two-year employer health contribution law that will take effect on January 1, 2018 and expire at the end of calendar year 2019. Please vist DUA's Updates in Employer Health Care Contributions for 2018-2019 for complete information, including the draft regulations and

Life Care Center at Wilbraham Raises Funds to Support Local Food Pantry Residents at Life Care Center of Wilbraham got into the holiday spirit with their 26th Annual Apple Harvest Festival. Two Mass Senior Care Members Recognized as Top Leaders of Women-Led Organizations in Mass. Resident Artwork on Display At Mass Senior Care Office.

The CMS website for long-term care facilities contains several resources for facilities to prepare for the implementation of the Phase II Requirements of Participation and the new survey process which will take effect on November 28, 2017.

On October 27, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released S&C: 18-01-NH Revised Policies regarding the Immediate Imposition of Federal Remedies- FOR ACTION . This S&C policy memo replaces previously released S&C: 16-31-NH released July 22, 2016 and the revision on July 29, 2016. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has revised guidance relating to the Immediate Imposition of Federal Remedies. Other sections of Chapter 7 have been revised to ensure consistency with these revisions

On October 27, 2017, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued S&C: 18-02-NH Clarification regarding Nurse Aide Training and Competency Evaluation Program (NATCEP/CEP) Waiver and Appeal Requirements.

Learn how the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Program will affect Medicare’s payments to your SNF beginning October 1, 2018, as well as details on how CMS will translate SNF performance scores into value-based incentive payments.

The American Health Care Association (AHCA), our national association, has provided the following information in regard to potential repeal of the Medicare therapy caps.

The US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (OIG) has released its updated list which reflects all OIG exclusions and reinstatement actions up to, and including, those taken in October 2017.

Please note that the December 1st meeting of Mass Senior Care Association’s Human Resource Group has been cancelled.

The American Health Care Association (AHCA), our national association, is making a special advocacy and research request for members to complete a survey that will allow the BDO Center of Center of Healthcare Excellence & Innovation to conduct a nursing facility and skilled nursing facility margin study.

In response to demand among health care providers for dining and food services staff, JVS CareerSolution is offering a Dining & Food Services in Healthcare Job Fair on Wednesday, January 10th from 1:00-2:30 PM at JVS CareerSolution at 75 Federal Street, 3rd Floor in Boston. For more information and to register for the event, see the attached flyer or visit http://bit.ly/DiningFoodServiceHealthcareJan10 . You can also contact Susan Buckey via email sbuckey@careersolution.org or phone (617) 399-3355.

On October 2, CMS made a number of problematic changes to billing programming, remittance advice and related guidance associated with QMBs.

CMS has updated and added several Critical Element Pathways that will be used in the new Long-Term Care Survey Process.

The recording of last month’s webinar: Health Care Personnel Influenza Vaccination for Long Term Care Facilities is now available for viewing.

In October, over 450 facility representatives participated in the Department of Public Health (DPH) webinars on the new Long Term Care survey process (LTCSP) for nursing homes developed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for implementation beginning November 28, 2017.

On November 8, 2017, the Public Health Council promulgated the proposed revisions to 105 CMR 725.000, Implementation of an Act for the Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana. This regulation sets forth standards for the medical use of marijuana, the registration of patients, physicians, caregivers, caregiver institutions, and registered marijuana dispensaries (RMDs), and the operation of the RMDs.

Mass Senior Care brought together long term care professionals from across the state at its 2017 Annual Meeting & Trade Show held at the DCU Center in Worcester on November 9th.

CMS announced a partial delay of Phase II of the Requirements of Participation (RoP) rule late last week. The Survey and Certification Group (S&C) at CMS issued two memos just after the Thanksgiving holiday delaying enforcement provisions of the rule, but were short of a complete delay.

Governor Charlie Baker earlier this week took the following actions on the State Fiscal Year 2018 budget recommendation that was sent to him by the Legislature

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) on September 29th issued a Notice of Final Agency Action in regard to the Medicaid nursing facility rate regulation revising payment rates effective October 1, 2017.