Directors of Nursing Retreat - July 27 - 28, 2005 - Great Bend

Join your colleagues to learn and grow professionally and re-energize for the important work you do in a true retreat atmosphere designed especially for Directors of Nursing. A focus will be on leadership, management and communication. You will also have opportunities for pampering and relaxing: choose from a relaxing head and neck massage, a reflexology demonstration, facials, aromatherapy, and learning to make quick and healthy meals with Chef Herb Lewis.

This meeting will be very small, to keep the retreat-like atmosphere, so get your registrations in early! Click HERE to download a brochure and registration form. (Article submitted by Denise Howell.) Back to menu

Advance Care Planning Course for Facilitators -- August 4 – 5, 2005 -- Hays, KS

The Kansas LIFE Project and the NW Kansas Area Health Education Center present "Respecting Choices" which is a comprehensive Advance Care Planning Program developed in 1993 by Gundersen Lutheran in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. Through this curriculum, critical strategies will be presented that will facilitate the replication and individualization of the Lacrosse experience. Participants will receive a training manual and reading assignments in advance of the workshop. For more information, contact Ruby Jane Davis at (785) 628-6128 or Stacie Ogborn at (316) 263-6380.


Visit KAHSA's Education Calendars today! Back to menu

Kansas Nursing Facility Medicaid Rate Facts

• Medicaid providers operate 306 nursing facilities and 42 hospital-based long-term care units.
• There is at least one Medicaid provider in each county.
• The statewide average occupancy rate for Medicaid providers is 85.2%.
• The statewide average Medicaid occupancy rate for providers is 56.4%.
• The average rate as of July 1, 2005 is $112.49 representing a 4.63% increase of July 2004 rates.
• Over one hundred providers received a Quality & Efficiency Outcomes Incentive Factor.

(Article submitted by Edwina Glass.) Back to menu

Expedited Review Process Replaces Demand Bills

The expedited review process or the CMS Beneficiary Notices Imitative (BNI) allows beneficiaries or their authorized representatives receiving services the right to appeal a pending discharge from a period of covered care to the Kansas Foundation for Medical Care (KFMC). It is effective per regulation July 1, 2005 and affects home health, hospice, comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility (CORF), skilled nursing facility (SNF) and swing beds. The process is as follows: The beneficiary should notify KFMC of the appeal by noon the day before termination is to occur. KFMC will then request three documents from each provider: 1) Generic notice of termination, 2) Detailed notice of termination, and 3) Portions of the beneficiary's medical record. The provider will be required to send this information to KFMC the same day contact is made. Turnaround time for the entire process will be 72 hours. Exceptions may occur based on timing of the review request. Review can occur seven days a week, so it is important to educate weekend staff of this change and possible request. Vera VanBruggen, KDOA recommends that each provider establish a Medicare committee made up of the MDS Coordinator, therapists and other key individuals. This group should meet weekly to determine the status of each beneficiary. KFMC mailed an all-inclusive manual to providers on June 27, 2005. Members should locate this information in your buildings and keep the information accessible to key Medicare staff.

Resources for more information:

• Contact Jeanne Bridgewater at KFMC at 1-800-432-0407 or at 785-273-2552.
• CMS Beneficiary Notices Initiative (BNI) overview, notice templates, and frequently asked questions.
• Preliminary Instructions: Expedited Determinations/Reviews for Original Medicare -- To learn more click HERE.
• AANAC Website provides an excellent overview, however it is limited to members only.

(Article submitted by Dana Weaver.) Back to menu

Medicare Part D News

CMS has decided to begin sending nursing homes monthly messages on Medicare Part D through the electronic channel homes use to send in their MDS data. Click HERE to see the first message. AAHSA communicated to CMS that this means of communication may be faulty because it is not a direct line to administrators. However, CMS officials say they have no other means of getting to every nursing home. We will continue to alert you about these messages. (Article submitted by Debra Zehr.) Back to menu

Way to go Bethany Home Association in Lindsborg on their recent zero deficiency Survey. Congratulations to Marlin Johnson and the staff at Bethany Home.

Member Networking -- A Must in Today's Aging Services Field!

AAHSA has implemented several listservs that allow members to discuss issues important to you and are relevant to a variety of care levels. KAHSA encourages you to sign up for a forum that is of interest to you by clicking HERE.

A brief outline of available forums is as follows:

• Alliance: Discuss and share information including management, marketing, and business opportunities.
• Assisted Living: Discuss issues related to the field, including policy and legislation information.
• CCRC: discuss issues related to the field and federal policy and legislation.
• Home and Community Based Services: Discuss HCBS services including policy, funding, regulatory and operational issues.
• Home Health: Discussion and dissemination of Medicare policy and regulations.
• Human Resources Director: Discuss human resources development, staffing and workforce issues.
• Housing Management: HUD-subsidized and market-rate affordable housing providers; this listserv is meant to facilitate member-to-member discussions of hot topics, discretionary implementation options/experiences and other facility management concerns. It may also be used to disseminate information on latest HUD operational requirements.
• Housing Policy: The range of potential topic addressed by listserv members is very broad, from legislation and regulations to the "hows" and "whys" of housing financing, preservation, modernization and marketing.
• Marketing PR: Get advice and share success stories about topics relating to marketing and public relations. The listserv includes periodic media opportunities postings and marketing/public relations tools.
• Nursing Facilities: A forum for discussion among AAHSA nursing home members regarding operational and policy issues.

(Article submitted by Dana Weaver.) Back to menu

Preventing Scald Injuries

According to the Burn Foundation, it takes only 1 second for water at 156°F to cause a third degree burn, 5 seconds for water at 140°F, and 15 seconds at 133°F. Data from the National Center for Health Statistics shows that an average of 61% of people who die of hot water scalds are at least 65 years old. Here are some tips to help prevent scalding injuries:

• Comply with KAR 28-39-162(h)(1)(G) which sets maximum water temperatures in clinical areas at 120°F, and minimum water temperatures in dietary and laundry areas at 120°F.
• Train residents and staff to turn the cold water first, then add hot.
• For older people, tie a ribbon around the cold faucet as a reminder to turn it on first.
• Provide older adults with lightweight, easy-to-handle cooking utensils.
• Allow food cooked in a microwave to cool before eating.
• Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove.
• Place hot beverages toward the center of the table.

The National Fire Protection Association has published a resource to assist with education on this topic. For more information on Remembering When: A Fire and Falls Prevention Program for Older Adults visit www.nfpa.org and click on “Learning” in the blue menu bar across the top of the page, then “Public Education” in the drop down box. (Article submitted by Debra Zehr.) Back to menu

Dear DON

I have a charge nurse who is taking narcotics for a chronic pain condition. So far I have not noticed any problems with her ability to give care and provide supervision but I'm wondering if there could be a liability concern here. Signed DJS

Dear DJs,

A nurse who works in a clinical setting and takes narcotics for any reason may compromise patient/resident safety, risk his/her job, jeopardize his/her nursing license, and if a patient/resident is injured, face a malpractice claim. A nurse who takes narcotic analgesics and has a non-clinical job, such as an insurance reviewer, is less likely to face these risks because the position is one not providing direct care. I would encourage the nurse to have a re-evaluation of the condition that prompted the prescription for a narcotic analgesic and seek other methodologies to treat the pain. Perhaps such things as physical therapy and weight loss would reduce the intensity of pain so that an NSAID would be effective. Is there a non-clinical position she could be transferred to while the reevaluation takes place? You do not want to loose a valuable employee nor do you desire this person to continue indefinitely on a narcotic because of the tolerance factor. (Article submitted by Carol Moore.) Back to menu

Do you have an Adult Day program or are you thinking about starting one? The National Adult Day Services Association is a great place for more information. Click HERE to learn more. Back to menu