Mass Senior Care is offering several webinars on important COVID-19 related topics, including life safety code, employment leaves and rebuilding census. Please click on the links below to register or email lnguyen@maseniorcare.org if you have any questions.

Please join us for Mass Senior Care Association’s 2021 virtual Spring Conference on Thursday, May 6, 2021. As we begin to slowly emerge from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that we begin to take steps to move forward. Our dynamic conference speakers, Steven Littlehale, MS, CGNS-BC, Chief Innovation Officer at Zimmet Healthcare Service Group and Martha Hayward, founding member of the Conversation Project and Lead Faculty for Patient Centered Care with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) will offer their respective perspectives on how the CMS Five Star System and our approaches to End of Life Conversations have been impacted by COVID-19 and will offer strategies we can implement to help our staff and our organizations adjust to the new operating environment.

Please join us for Mass Senior Care Association’s 2021 virtual Spring Conference on Thursday, May 6, 2021. As we begin to slowly emerge from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that we begin to take steps to move forward. Our dynamic conference speakers, Steven Littlehale, MS, CGNS-BC, Chief Innovation Officer at Zimmet Healthcare Service Group and Martha Hayward, founding member of the Conversation Project and Lead Faculty for Patient Centered Care with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) will offer their respective perspectives on how the CMS Five Star System and our approaches to End of Life Conversations have been impacted by COVID-19 and will offer strategies we can implement to help our staff and our organizations adjust to the new operating environment.

Members are informed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act suspended the sequestration payment adjustment percentage of 2% applied to all Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) claims from May 1 through December 31, 2020, DPH provided LTCF the Vaccination Options for Residents and Staff & Visitation FAQs to share with residents’ families regarding how the COVID-19 vaccination impacts families’ visitation with loved ones and interactions with staff, CEU requirements for nursing home administrators and the DPH weekly call.

Memo discusses DPH updated weekly report to remove any long term care deaths attributed to residents who had recovered from COVID, in alignment with the CDC’s NHSN requirements for long term care facilities; the most recent County Positivity Rates released by DPH on April 14, 2021 indicates Barnstable County remains above 5% at 5.14% and Dukes and Nantucket Counties above 5% at 8.31%; CMS and the CDC will hold a National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call on Wednesday April 21, 2021; Governor Baker Delays First-Quarter 2021 Unemployment Insurance Payments.

This week, the DPH released updated guidance on Vaccination Options for Long Term Care Residents and Staff following the Federal Pharmacy Partnership Program. The updated guidance now permits long-term care staff to receive a first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine at the long-term care facility.

Mass Senior Care is pleased to welcome new members to our Association. Our Associate Members have demonstrated their commitment to the senior care provider community by joining Mass Senior Care and participating as exhibitors and sponsors for events and educational conferences. Mass Senior Care members are encouraged to contact Associate Members when they are in need of long term care products and services. You can find all of our Associate Members listed on our website, www.maseniorcare.org/preferred-vendors.