| April 17, 2008 |
Vol 15, Issue
19 | |
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FAHSA
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| Welcome to
this week's edition of the FAHSA Link.
FAHSA Members
Make a Difference! -- This week, more than sixty
FAHSA members made their way to Tallahassee to participate in
our annual legislative workshop. They met with dozens of
legislators on Tuesday afternoon to talk about proposed budget
cuts for nursing home care, hospice and home and
community-based services. It was clear that lawmakers are
overwhelmed by the prospect of reducing or, in some cases,
eliminating services to the most vulnerable Floridians.
Members who walked the halls of the Capitol helped put a face
on the issues. Through your stories, lawmakers in leadership
positions now have a better understanding of the many lives
that will be affected by the proposed budget cuts. Our job is
not over, however. Next week, budget conferees will start the
difficult task of ironing out the differences between the
House and Senate budgets. Our hope is that the less onerous
Senate spending plan for long-term care will prevail, but even
if it does, the cuts will have serious consequences for older
people who need care. Please call your legislators now and ask
them to tap into the Lawton Chiles Tobacco Trust Fund to
offset some of the proposed cuts for long-term care. Check the
FAHSA membership directory under the legislative section for
contact information.
To quote one of
our members who attended the workshop "Over the next few
years, the mettle of our association will be tested in ways
that we have not previously experienced. It is critical to
FAHSA's future and the future of the communities we serve,
that we remain focused on our mission in advocating for
excellence in elder care programs and communities - and that
we continue to speak with one united voice. We (FAHSA) must
remain the rational and thoughtful player at the table - there
is simply no alternative. It's important that staff continue
to call upon the membership so that we are all active
participants in helping to shape good and decent public
policy."
Those who attended
our legislative workshop did just that - they met with
lawmakers during this very critical time of the year and urged
them to keep their promise and do what is right for the
elderly and other disadvantaged groups.
Weekly TBRC
Update
Taxation
& Budget Reform Commission Rejects Spending Limits for
State and Local Governments -- On April
14th, CP 00045 with 29 amendments --Taxpayer Bill
of Rights (TABOR) -- failed by a 14 to 9 vote - three votes
short of the super majority needed for adoption. This proposed
constitutional amendment would have capped the growth of
government revenue based on a formula that was tied to
population growth, inflation, and a percent of revenue growth
in state and local governments. Of particular concern to FAHSA
members was the lack of an exemption for the Patient Medical
Assistance Trust Fund - state and local matching dollars for
Medicaid.
Although the Commission voted the proposal down, it
still has momentum in the Florida House of Representatives,
where a comparable constitutional amendment passed out of the
Policy and Budget Council this week as CS/HJR 7125. So far,
the Senate is silent on the issue.
CP
0022 was also on the Commission agenda on Monday. This proposed
constitutional amendment would have added two new trust funds
for affordable housing to the state constitution. After long debate,
Commissioners decided that the trust funds do not belong in
the constitution. This constitutional amendment failed and
will not be on the ballot in November.
On Monday,
Sen. Mike Haridopolos, Chair of the Senate Finance and Tax
Committee, asked to speak to the Commission about CP 0002. He
again requested that the Commission give the Legislature more
direction on which sales tax exemptions should be repealed,
assuming the amendment is on the November ballot and adopted
by voters. Commissioner McKay was quoted as saying his intent
in passing CP0002 was to TAX SERVICES, which added to the
confusion. There was additional discussion by the
commissioners and the importance of understanding the intent
of the tax swap options.
They were cautioned by TBRC Attorney Dudley Goodlette
to make sure that they clarify their intent for when this
constitutional proposal passes.
The
Style and Drafting Committee met today and made some
additional headway on the ballot summary and the text of draft
#4 of CP 0002. Clarifying language related to "charitable organizations" was left in the
draft as proposed by FAHSA. CP 0002 will now go to
the full Commission for final consideration on April
24th.
Although FAHSA's position is to oppose CP 0002, we
tried to fix the provisions in this amendment in case it
passes so it will be less problematic to the FAHSA
members.
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| District and Membership News |
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Miami Jewish Home
Celebrates Volunteers -- An
enthusiastic and appreciative audience gathered recently to
honor the contributions and celebrate the generosity of
volunteers at the 31st Annual Volunteers
Recognition Luncheon held at the Miami Jewish Home and
Hospital at Douglas Gardens (MJHH). In the spotlight were
Stanley and Marcia Kolber; Volunteers of the Year; Viola
Satin, Volunteer Auxilian; Myrna Bramson, New Volunteer
Achiever; Fritz Crevecoeur, Teen Volunteer of the Year; and
the Women's Department of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation,
Outstanding Service Award recipient.
Hundreds of
devoted volunteers were honored at this special event for the
90,779hours
they spent in the past year enriching the lives of the 700
elderly people who reside on the Douglas Gardens campus. The
Miami Jewish Home
is South Florida's leader in comprehensive geriatric
care.
In addition, MJHH is pleased to announce the
appointment of Lee Kaplowitz as director of major gifts.
A registered financial gerontologist, Mr. Kaplowitz relocated
to Miami from Los Angeles where he was a financial advisor
for nearly 18 years. A native New Yorker and former
Miamian, he holds a Master's degree in social work with a
concentration in gerontology and an AB from the University of
Miami.
FAHSA's
Upcoming Regional Meeting Schedule
June 3 SE Florida
Region
Jacob Building at the Douglas Gardens Campus
June
4 SW Florida
Region
Sunnyside Village, Sarasota
June
5 Central
Florida Region The Mayflower
Retirement Community, Winter Park
June
6 North
Florida
Copeland Community Center, Advent Christian Village
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| Education News |
Register for
Upcoming Webinar Courses - FAHSA has scheduled
several webinars in May and June. Please mark your
calendars and plan to participate. Also, mark your
calendars for the next set of regional meetings in early
June. More
information including registration forms coming soon.
Upcoming
Educational Events:
May
12-16, 2008 -
CASP, St. Petersburg Jr. College, St. Petersburg
May
16, 2008 -
Webinar - End of Session Wrap-Up
May
19, 2008 -
Webinar -- How to Submit Medicaid Claims through EDS New Web
Portal
June
10, 2008 -
Webinar - Changes in Eligibility Requirements for LTC Programs
July
27, 2008 -
FAHSA's 5th Annual Strategic Visioning Workshop,
Boca Raton Resort
July
28-31, 2008 -
FAHSA's 45th Annual Convention and Exposition, Boca
Raton Resort
FAHSA Calendar of
Events |
| General News |
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MedWatch Recalls
12 Dietary Supplements -- Herbal Science
International, Inc., and the FDA informed consumers and health
care professionals of a nationwide recall of twelve dietary
supplements that contain ephedra, aristolochic acid or human
placenta because they may present a serious health hazard to
consumers. FDA has long regarded dietary supplements
containing ephedra, a botanical that contains ephedrine
alkaloids, as a potential health hazards because the alkaloid
raises blood pressure and otherwise stress the circulatory
system. These effects are linked to adverse health effects
like heart attacks and stroke. FDA issued a rule in February
2004 prohibiting the sale of dietary supplements containing
ephedrine alkaloids because they present an unreasonable risk
of illness or injury.
Read the entire 2008 MedWatch
Safety Summary, including a link to the manufacturer's press
release regarding this issue and a list of the recalled
products at: http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2008/safety08.htm#Herbal
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| Housing
News |
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HUD
Sponsors Sustainable Communities Forum on April 24-25 -
The
HUD office in Miami is planning a statewide sustainable
communities conference to focus on successful strategies that
your organization and your customers can use to access
available resources to preserve home ownership, avoid
predatory lending practices and build stronger communities.
Available
workshop topics will include grant-writing strategies,
disaster preparedness planning for continuum of operations,
affordable housing development, home ownership preservation,
business development, fair housing issues and much more. This
three-track conference will provide up-to-date information for
government officials, industry partners and nonprofit faith
and community-based organizations.
Nonprofit faith
and community-based organizations can take advantage of a
grant-writing training track that is specially designed to
teach how to access funding and build capacity.
Download a copy of
the agenda and
register
online. Besides these informative sessions, the conference
includes two luncheons with renowned keynote speakers,
refreshments and parking for the two days at Jungle Island,
all for a registration fee of $95. This amount to cover
expenses needs to be paid to HOPE, Inc. Only registered attendees
who have paid will be admitted to the conference.
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| Legislative News |
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Watch Your E-mail
for Weekly Legislative Updates- Each week during
session, FAHSA will publish an update on the week's
legislative events.
Please watch your e-mail on Fridays for the 2008 Legislative Session
Weekly Update.
The Updates are also posted to the FAHSA Legislative
Issues page of the Web site.
Legislative Issues
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| Nursing
Home News |
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Nursing Home
Statewide QIS Process Continues -- During the
regulatory breakout at FAHSA's Legislative Workshop this week,
representatives from AHCA reported that there have been 123
QIS surveys since 2006.
Alachua and Miami trainings are almost complete, and
Orlando and Ft. Myers surveyor training will begin on May 12.
If anyone is interested in volunteering for the Orlando or Ft.
Myers mock survey, please contact Kim Smoak, smoakk@ahca.myflorida.com.
The following top
10 citations for the QIS Survey between October 2006 through
March 2008 were reported as follows:
Tag
Count
Description
1.
F281
71 Services
provided by the facility must meet professional
standards.
2.
F279
69 Facility
must develop comprehensive care plans for each
resident.
3.
F329
65 Facility
must not provide unnecessary drugs.
4.
F371
64 Food
must be stored, prepared, and distributed under sanitary
conditions.
5.
F272
58 Facility
must conduct a comprehensive assessment of
residents.
6.
F280
56 Comprehensive
care plan must be timely, accurate and periodically
reviewed.
7.
F253
45 Facility
must provide adequate housekeeping and maintenance
services.
8.
F156
39 Inform
resident of services, charges and legal rights.
9.
F431
37 Drugs
and biological agents must be properly labeled.
10.
F428
35 Drug
regiment of each resident must be reviewed at least once a
month.
US
Senators Martinez And Kohl Introduce
Fairness In Nursing Home Arbitration Act -- U.S.
Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) last week introduced legislation
to protect dispute resolution options for residents of nursing
homes. It will prohibit arbitration clauses in nursing home
admissions. Once a dispute arises the parties can agree to
binding arbitration or go to court.
It was reported
that this was in response to the increasing practice of
requiring nursing home residents to agree to arbitration as
the sole vehicle for dispute resolution prior to admittance.
Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) is the cosponsor. AAHSA's legal
office is currently analyzing the proposal.
CMS Plans Conference
Call on Electronic Health Records Demonstration --
The
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a
Special Open Door Forum on April
23, 2008 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the
CMS-developed, five-year Demonstration Project designed to
foster the implementation and adoption of Electronic Health
Records (EHRs) and Health Information Technology (HIT).
The EHR demonstration project will encourage small to
medium-sized primary care physician practices to use
electronic health records to improve quality of patient
care. The demonstration is designed to show that
widespread adoption and use of EHRs will reduce medical errors
and improve the quality of care.
CMS is soliciting partners
interested in working with CMS to implement the EHR
Demonstration in their communities. CMS Acting
Administrator Kerry Weems, along with representatives from the
CMS Office of Research, Development, and Information, will
discuss the scope and requirements of the project and the
application process, as well as allow time for question and
answer. Organizations seeking
to partner with CMS to implement this demonstration in their
regions must complete a "Medicare Waiver Demonstration
Application". In some states, this process has been
initiated by community partners. For information on
contacting community partners in your area, please contact
your CMS Regional Office.
States or areas where Medicare
already has similar projects and evaluations underway will be
excluded from participating in this demonstration. A
complete list of excluded areas can be found in the Demonstration Application
Instructions.
Conference Call
Instructions: Dial: 1-800-837-1935 -- Reference Conference ID:
44055307
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| Sponsor |
|
 Senior Crimestoppers
Program
DID YOU
KNOW!
- 1.
Senior Crimestoppers operates much like a neighborhood watch
program does in neighborhoods across the country. It sends a
strong message to everyone who lives, works or visits in
your community that "we don't have problems, we don't want
problems and we don't tolerate problems".
- Having
an active Senior Crimestoppers program in place will help
your community substantially lessen the risk of litigation
events and the costs that goes along with them.
- The
average cost to defend and settle one lawsuit against a
nursing home is a staggering $112,400.00. If Senior
Crimestoppers helps prevent only one incident that could
turn into a litigation event from occurring, your community
benefits tremendously.
- National
insurance brokerage firms have effected insurance premium
reductions in the areas of liability and workers
compensation for some of the communities that have
implemented the Senior Crimestoppers program.
- Safety
and security is one of the primary reasons cited by
consumers as a justification for selecting a particular
senior housing community. You can now directly address this
issue with customer through participation in the Senior
Crimestoppers program.
- Senior Crimestoppers
has been named a "Best Practices" award winner by the
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and USDA.
Several of our HUD/USDA housing venues have received a
"Superior" rating during their physical inspections and have
also received HUD National Safety
Awards.
Senior Crimestoppers
Program
TELEPHONE IN-SERVICE
SCHEDULE
Not enough time in the
day? Need help doing your quarterly Senior Crimestoppers
in-services? Let us do the in-service for you. Simply gather
your employees together, dial into a special 800 number and
refresh your entire staff on how to get the most out of your
Senior Crimestopper participation.
How to sign up - simply
choose a date listed below and notify Senior Crimestoppers
today: call 800-529-9096, fax to 901-529-4788 or email
judy.holcomb@seniorcrimestoppers.org
Times
Available
May 8, 2008 - 9:30am or 2:30pm
Central Time
June 17, 2008 - 9:30am or
2:30pm Central Time
COMPLETE DIAL-IN INSTRUCTIONS
WILL BE GIVEN UPON
REGISTRATION. |
| Preferred Business Associates
News |
|
 FAHSA's
Preferred Business Associates Program (PBAs) -- A
list of PBAs can be found by on the FAHSA Web site www.fahsa.org and
selecting Preferred Business Associates from the left side
menu bar or clicking on the FAHSA Preferred Business
Associates Page hyperlink. FAHSA members can also use the
on-line directory to search for PBAs by specialty.
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| Job-Mart |
| FAHSA is pleased to provide an opportunity for
you to advertise your "position wanted" or "position
available" through the FAHSA Link newsletter and on our
Web Page.
FAHSA members may use the Job Mart services at no charge. A
nominal fee of $25 will be charged to nonmembers.
Your Job Mart advertisement will be displayed on our Web
site for approximately three months. The FAHSA Link is
published weekly and distributed to our membership which is
comprised of nursing homes, CCRCs, HUD housing, assisted
living facilities, independent living facilities and
companies/firms.
To reserve advertisement space in our Job Mart program,
please complete the application and fax it
to FAHSA at (850) 671-3790 or E-mail Erin Steele at esteele@fahsa.org
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Copyright 2008 -- Publication of the
Florida Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
(FAHSA).
- FAHSA Chair: Alma Ballard
- FAHSA President/CEO: Janegale Boyd
- Managing Editor: Gail Matillo
Copyright
Information: Copies of the articles and other information in
this publication may be noncommercially reproduced for the
purpose of educational or scientific advancement. Otherwise,
no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in
any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including
photocopying, microfilm and recording, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without the written permission
of the editor.
Correspondence: Should be addressed to:
Editor, 1812 Riggins Road, Tallahassee, FL 32308. For
telephone inquiries, call (850) 671-3700. Or E-mail FAHSA at
info@fahsa.org. © 2008 FAHSA. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this
correspondence is not intended as a substitute for legal
advice. Please discuss any information gathered from this or
any other FAHSA publications with your legal counsel in the
context of your particular situation before implementing any
new policies or procedures.
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