CMS 2008 Action Plan for Nursing Home Quality
Posted: Apr 25, 2008
The CMS 2008 Nursing Home Quality Action Plan consists of five approaches: Consumer Awareness and Assistance; Survey Standards and Enforcement; Quality Improvement; Quality Through Partnerships; and Value-Based Purchasing

Your Chance to Rate Your Fiscal Intermediary
Posted: Mar 28, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) began the next phase of their annual Medicare Contractor Provider Satisfaction Survey with a new sample of Medicare providers. Your input on the survey will help CMS improve their services to you and will also be used to evaluate performance of Medicare Administrative Contractors and support process improvement efforts. The survey is designed to be completed in about 15 minutes and you may submit your responses via a secure Web site, mail, fax, or over the telephone. This is your chance to make your voice heard, so we encourage you to fill out the survey if you are selected to participate.
For more information

CMS Press Release: Medicare Fact Sheet - Solicitations for Quality Improvement Organizations 9TH SOW
Posted: Feb 05, 2008
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announcement of solicitations for the Quality Improvement Organizations (QIOs) 9th Scope of work, including that the QIOs will work with a targeted number of nursing facilities during the three-year contract, beginning August 1, 2008.

AAHSA Seeks Withdrawal of Proposed DAB Rule
Posted: Feb 04, 2008
AAHSA submitted comments to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), urging HHS not to implement a proposed rule that would give the Secretary of HHS the authority to reverse decisions rendered by the Departmental Appeals Board (DAB) in nursing home survey and certification cases that do not reflect the "considered opinion" of the Secretary.

CMS Proposed Rule: Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Waiver of Disapproval of Nurse Aide Training program in Certain Cases and Nurse Aide Petition for Removal of Information for Single Finding of Neglect (11/23/07)
Posted: Nov. 27, 2007
This Rule would permit a waiver of the 2-year ban on nurse aide training for facilities assessed a civil money penalty (CMP) of at least $5000 for noncompliance that is not related to quality of care. The rule would also require States to establish a procedure allowing CNAs to petition for removal of a single finding of neglect from the Nurse Aide Registry if the individual's employment and personal history does not reflect a pattern of abusive behavior or neglect, and the original finding of neglect was a single occurrence. Comment to Evvie Munley by 12/17/07.

CMS Interim Final Rule with Comment Period: Revisit User Fee Program for Medicare Survey and Certification Activities (10/31/07)
Posted: Oct. 31, 2007
In accordance with the Continuing Resolution passed by Congress on 9/29/07, this Interim Final Rule, effective 10/1/07, continues the revisit user fee program for Medicare Survey and Certification activities for hospitals, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), dually-participating nursing facilities (SNFs/NFs), home health agencies (HHAs), and hospice, through 11/16/07.

CMS Proposed Rule: Establishment of Revisit User Fee Program for Medicare Survey and Certified Activities (6/29/07)
Posted: July 2, 2007
This Proposed Rule would allow the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to charge revisit user fees to verify correction for providers or suppliers cited for deficiencies under initial certification, recertification, and substantiated complaint surveys. Submit comments to CMS by August 27 or to Evvie Munley by August 13.

Health Care Policy Forum; FASC, March, 2007: CMS Power Point
Posted: March 28, 2007
Power Point Presentation by Cindy Graunke and Angela Brice-Smith, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), from the Health Care Policy Forum, AAHSA 2007 Future of Aging Services Conference, providing an overview of current CMS Activities and the QIS survey.

March 2007 revisions to the MDS 2.0 Resident Assessment Instrument Manual
Posted: March 1, 2007
The update includes revisions to the following MDS sections: H, P, and W, chapter 5 (Submission and Correction of the MDS Assessment) and chapter 6 (Medicare SNF PPS), and an updated Appendix B (State Agency MDS RAI coordinator contact list). These changes are effective as of March 1, 2007.

CMS Guidance on Whistleblower Staff Education
Posted: Dec. 15, 2006
Effective January 1, 2007, healthcare providers who receive Medicaid payments totaling $5 million or more per year must provide written information to their staff on the federal False Claims Act's whistleblower protections.

CMS Proposed Rule: Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Fire Safety Requirements, for Long Term Care Facilities, Automatic Sprinkler Systems (10/27/06)
Posted: Oct. 30, 2006
This Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Proposed Rule would require all long term care facilities to be fully equipped with approved, supervised automatic sprinkler systems. Comments and recommendations for change or amendment are due to Evvie Munley no later than Friday, Dec. 15, 2006.

SNF ABN Town Hall Meeting
Posted: August 23, 2006
CMS is soliciting input on the proposed revision of the Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice and instructions at a Town Hall meeting hosted by the Center for Beneficiary Choices, Medicare Enrollment and Appeals Group. The town hall meeting is on Tuesday, September 26, 2006 1:00p.m.-4:00p.m.

Location:
CMS Main Auditorium
7500 Security Blvd.
Baltimore, MD 21244

Participants can register by emailing to SNF_06_Town_Hall@cms.hhs.gov.
Registration begins Fri., August 25
Registration Deadline: Wed., September 20

A draft version of the revised SNFABN and instructions will be available or after Fri., August 25. These documents are in draft form only and are not for official use.

For questions please contact: Charlayne D. Van 410-786-8659

CARF Seeks Peer Reviewers for Culture Transformation
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) is recruiting peer review surveyors in order to begin accrediting Person Centered Long-Term Care Communities. [PDF Version]

AAHSA Develops Materials to Prevent Tuberculosis in Long-term Care
AAHSA, in partnership with the Academy for Educational Development (AED), recently developed training materials in English and Spanish for direct care workers on reducing the risk of exposure to respiratory diseases, including Tuberculosis, in LTC facilities. These free, easy to use, modules entitled, "Preventing TB in Long Term Care" are now available for our members to use.
See the materials in Spanish.