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May 22, 2008
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Vol 15, Issue 23
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FAHSA LINK
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Welcome to this week's edition of
the FAHSA Link.
On This Memorial
Day -- Memorial Day is celebrated each year on the last Monday
of May as an important reminder of those who died in the service of our
country. On this Memorial Day, resolve to honor the fallen, pause
to reflect on what has been given and sacrificed so freely, and remember
those who continue to serve our country on our behalf.
In December, 2000, the National Moment of
Remembrance Resolution was passed encouraging all Americans at 3:00
p.m., "to voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a
moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing
for a moment of silence." This observance represents a way to
commemorate our history, and to remember and reflect on the sacrifices
made by so many to provide freedom for all.
The renowned jurist and Civil War veteran Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.,
believed that this holiday was the most sacred day of the year. Memorial
Day, he declared, "Should have a meaning for all Americans. Do
not conclude the holiday with sad thoughts of the passing of our heroes,
but rather with thoughts of their legacy, of the life that was made
possible by their commitment and pain."
In observance of Memorial Day, the FAHSA office will be closed on Monday,
May 26.
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AAHSA Homecoming Week
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Make Plans for AAHSA's
Homecoming Week -- By now, you
have probably heard about AAHSA's First Annual
Homecoming Week: Community Treasures-Celebrating the Gift of Age. During
the week of May 26-30, AAHSA is asking all members nationwide to open
their doors to invite their greater community in and to discover how
their organization and the people they serve make the community a better
place to live. This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase your community
and to help improve the image of nursing home providers. It is a way to
demonstrate why our members stand apart from the others.
When you plan for the Homecoming Week, don't forget to make AAHSA a part
of your Homecoming celebration by visiting AAHSA's
online registration to
provide the details of your event. Please make sure to share your
plans with FAHSA. For your preparation, you may access the Toolkit. If you
have further questions, please feel free to contact Keesha
Atkins at 202.508.9440.
Click on the list to see how
many FAHSA members have planned Homecoming Events in their
communities.
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ALF News
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Check Out the Website for The Center for Excellence in
Assisted Living -- If you are looking
for information related to assisted living, be sure to check the CEAL
(Center for Excellence in Assisted Living) web site, www.theceal.org, and go to the clearinghouse section. The site
contains a significant amount of published material on various topics of
interest to ALFs. CEAL and University of
North Carolina are in the final stages of a research project on
medication management in ALFs, the results of
which should be available early next year.
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District and Membership News
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FAHSA Award
Nominations Due May 26th -- It is time once more to
acknowledge that special individual, organization or entity that has made
an "Outstanding" contribution to the field of
housing/retirement communities/or health care for seniors. The nomination brochure and forms have
been mailed to FAHSA members, however, the brochure and nomination form
are now online for your review. Go
to www.fahsa.org, click on Calendar of Events, then click on the
links below:
http://www.fahsa.org/Resources/2008AwardsProgram.pdf
http://www.fahsa.org/Resources/2008AwardsProgramNominationForm.pdf
If you have any questions contact the FAHSA Office at (850) 671-3700,
or if you wish to submit a letter of nomination, please send it to chart@fahsa.org or via FAX to (850) 671-3790.
Make Plans to Attend FAHSA's Next Regional Meeting -"Disaster
Preparedness" -- Disaster Preparednesswill be
the next featured educational topic at FAHSA's
regional meetings in early June. Meeting will be from 10:30 a.m. to
2:30 p.m., and include lunch and roundtable discussions. If you
have any discussion topics for this meeting, please e-mail them to Susan Tobin, FAHSA staff, stobin@fahsa.org Watch your e-mail
for more information on these programs and mark your calendar to attend
one or more of the dates listed below:
FAHSA's Upcoming Regional Meeting
Schedule
June 3 SE Florida Region Jacob Building at the Douglas
Gardens Campus, Pembroke Pines (Sponsored by MDI Achieve)
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, Dowling Park
FAHSA
Calendar of Events
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Education News
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Education Scholarships Available
from the Scott Boord Career Development
Scholarship -- The Scott Boord Career Development
Scholarship enables FAHSA members to send eligible staff to FAHSA or
AAHSA educational conventions, workshops and seminars. The maximum
amount of funding available per applicant is $500.00. The funds can be
used to cover registration fees, travel, or other conference-related
expenses. The selected recipients receive credit on the FAHSA
registration or reimbursement of expenses by submitting an expense form
with the attached receipts.
The scholarship is funded by the Silent Auction held each year in
conjunction with FAHSA's Annual Convention and
Exposition and FAHSA's Annual Housing &
Service Coordinator Workshops.
For more information, or to apply for a scholarship, please click here.
Register Now for FAHSA's Upcoming Webinar and learn
about the "New Changes in the Eligibility Requirements for Long-Term
Care Programs as a Result of Modifications in Law from Deficit Reduction
Act." Ron Hardcastle, and several staff from the Department of Children
and Families will explain what these new changes mean to you and your
facility. Plan now to attend this important and valuable Webinar by
registering Online
today!
Upcoming Educational Events:
June 10 - Webinar - Changes in
Eligibility Requirements for LTC Programs
July 27 - FAHSA's 5th Annual Strategic Visioning Workshop, Boca
Raton Resort & Club
July 27 - FAHSA's Preceptor Training Program, Boca Raton Resort
& Club
July 28-31 - FAHSA's 45th Annual Convention and Exposition, Boca
Raton Resort & Club
FAHSA Calendar of Events
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General News
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Senator Haridopolos and Representative Cannon Speak - During the TaxWatch
Board of Trustees meeting last week, Senator Mike Haridopolos
(R - Melbourne) and Representative Dean Cannon (R - Winter Park), both of
whom are in line for the top leadership position in their respective
chambers for 2010, were the featured speakers during a special
luncheon. FAHSA members, Alma Ballard, FAHSA Chair; Maureen
Gartland, District 3 Chair; Terri Barton, Executive Director, Cathedral
Foundation; and Janegale Boyd,
FAHSA President/CEO attended the event.
Senator Haridopolos praised the business
community and the leaders present and reiterated his charge that we
"make sure that our kids are blessed with the same opportunities
that we were." He then detailed his opposition to Amendment 5
(CP0002-the tax swap), explaining that: (1) the revenue that will be
needed to off-set the elimination of the Required Local Effort (RLE)
school tax will be very difficult to find, and that there will be
"an $11 billion hole that is not being filled and it's going to cost
our kids [through reduced funding for education in Florida]... or else it
will be taken from transportation, health care, or other important
programs;" (2) it is "not smart to raise taxes in a weakened
economy;" and (3) uncertainty in taxes is bad for the economy (and
Florida's taxes will be uncertain until 2011 when the constitutional
amendment takes full effect).
He also examined the merits of a limit on government revenue growth at
all levels, similar to the Taxpayer Protection Act (also known as the
Taxpayer Bill of Rights or TABOR) explored by the Taxation and Budget
Reform Commission but ultimately not cleared to appear on the November
ballot. Senator Haridopolos said that the
legislature will be taking up a similar measure in the upcoming session
and that he would like Florida TaxWatch to vet
the proposal. Finally, he explained the value of improving (state
and local) government transparency by requiring web-based disclosure of
expenditures.
Representative Dean Cannon then took the podium and discussed Florida's
current economic situation before agreeing with Senator Haridopolos' opposition to Amendment 5, adding that:
(1) the Floridians voting this November will not know what they will be
voting for because passage of the amendment will necessitate lots of
spending cuts and/or tax increases and no one knows yet what those cuts
will be; and (2) the passage of Amendment 5 will cause a sales tax
increase which will be "devastating" to a recovering
economy. Representative Cannon also praised Florida TaxWatch noting that: "We [the Legislature] look
to the independent assessment that Florida TaxWatch
has to offer."
FAHSA's Technical Assistance Bulletin on
"Preventing Sex Offenses in Long-Term Care Settings"
-- During the 2008 Legislative Session, Senator Ronda Storms (R-Brandon)
proposed SB 2216 which included a provision to expand nursing home and
ALF criminal background check requirements for contract workers and
residents. In its final form, the bill was improved from the original
proposal, but it still required clarification with regards to expanding
the list of disqualifying offenses for employment in nursing homes and ALFs. FAHSA also remained concerned about a proposal
requiring a plan of service for ALF residents. Although, SB 2214 died
during the 2008 Legislative Session, we expect that Senator Storms, the
current chair of the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs
Committee will file this bill again in 2009.
As a result of the recent activity and media attention on sexual offenses
in long-term care communities, we want to remind you and your staff about
a technical assistance bulletin that was prepared by FAHSA and
distributed in February. The technical brief encourages long-term
care communities to review current policies and consider adding relevant
updates. Consideration should be given to such factors as identifying who
the sex offender is; potential indicators of sexual abuse; strategies for
prevention; and appropriate responses.
Although this document was prepared specifically for long-term care
settings, the resources and recommendations may be very helpful for
providers of independent living. The Technical Assistance Bulletin
has also been posted to the Members Only Page of FAHSA's
Web site.
If you have sample policies on background screening for residents or
employees and if you would be willing to share these policies with other
FAHSA members please send to Carol Berkowitz via E-mail at: cberkowitz@fahsa.org.
AAHSA to Submit Nominees for AMDA Clinical Practice
Guidelines Project -- Call for Participants Needed -- The
American Medical Directors Association (AMDA) Clinical Practice Guideline
(CPG) Project has designated one topic this year, Transitions of Care, as
the priority for guideline development in 2008. This topic was
identified in several forums as critical to the long-term care continuum.
In response, Transitions of Care will be AMDA's
first non-clinical practice guideline and will also be AMDA's first public access guideline, available for
downloading from their web site, www.AMDA.com.
AMDA's process for developing CPGs involves a consensus conference, with workgroups
for each topic. This year's workgroup will consist of individuals
representing the interdisciplinary professionals involved in the care of
those patients/residents in the long-term care continuum.
AMDA is looking for nominees to this workgroup. If you are
interested in serving, or know of a prospective participant, including
medical directors, directors of nursing, social workers, administrators,
nurse practitioners, geriatric nurse practitioners, pharmacists, hospitalists,
case management specialists, representatives from assisted living
settings, home health physicians, hospice physicians, and ER
physicians, who would be willing to devote a week-end and some follow-up
telephone conference time to developing a CPG, please contact Evvie Munley, Sr. Health
Policy Analyst, AAHSA, (202) 508-9478 or by e-mail at emunley@aahsa.org. AMDA will be interviewing
nominees the first week of June.
FAHSA General Membership Alert Page
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Housing News
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Important HUD Announcement -- TRACS 202C and iMAX
Releases Rescheduled -- At a
meeting held on May 15 with industry leaders, HUD agreed to modify the
dates for the TRACS 202C and iMAX
implementation. The reason for the change is a projected delay in
getting the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval for the new
certification and voucher forms.
The new schedule has TRACS 202C and iMAX going live on October 13 (instead of August 8).
The end of the transition is scheduled for January 30 (instead of
November 21).
During the transition, TRACS files may be
sent in either 202B or 202C format, and by either TRACSMail
or iMAX. After January 30, 2009, only
202C files sent via iMAX will be accepted.
Treatment of
Medicare Premium -- When an applicant's/tenant's Medicare premium is
paid by the State or some other entity, the Medicare premium is not
included in annual income nor is it included as a medical expense.
The Medicare premium is excluded income under 24 CFR 5.609(c)(4) of HUD's regulations. This is a change to
guidance issued during the EIV training session in June 2007.
Owners/agents who have processed
certifications/re-certifications for elderly or disabled tenants that
include the Medicare premium as income should process corrections to the
certifications/re-certifications.
For more information, download a copy of the 63-page TRACS Release 2.0.2.C Updates
that was just
released on May 20, 2008.
- Urgent Notice on New
Lease Changes
FAHSA Housing
Alert Page
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Nursing Home News
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Double Citations
for K Tags - Recently, a
FAHSA member was cited under K0072 for having a couple of chairs and a
small table on one side of an eight foot wide entry corridor to the
nursing home. Similar furniture has been in the area for over a decade without
incident. The home was also cited under F 454 (483.70(a)(1)(i) -- which states the facility must meet the
applicable provisions of the 2000 edition of the Life Safety Code of the
NFPA. For more on this issue and those listed below, please see the latest
Nursing Home Alert, NH 08-16, dated May 22,
2008.
Other Nursing Home News:
- Electronic Health Record Demonstration Project
- CMS SNF PPS Proposal for FFY '09
- Two Distinct Cuts Threaten Skilled Nursing
Facilities
- Respond Promptly to Florida Medicaid Letters of
Inquiry
- New Florida Medicaid Fiscal Intermediary
Effective July 1
- Resident Assessment Protocols (RAPs)
FAHSA
Nursing Home Alert Page
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Person Centered Model
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A New Preferred Business Associate Announced -- The FAHSA Shared Services Committee
recently approved a new preferred business associate (PBA), the
Westminster Person-Centered Care Model™. Westminster Communities of
Florida believe people deserve the best care - care earmarked by personal
attention. They believe it is their responsibility and privilege to
give residents the best possible care and services. They can
deliver this care most effectively by asking them what they want,
listening to them, respecting their wishes, and honoring their desires.
To achieve this goal they have initiated Westminster's
Person-Centered Model™ where residents feel happy, well cared for, and
truly loved.
The Person-Centered Model™ allows residents to keep their
daily routine. They are asked what time they want to get up in the
morning or go to bed at night. They ask residents for their dining
preferences and what they would like to do each day. The focus is on
people, a powerful philosophical shift from regimented care to proactive
support of people enjoying enriched lives of dignity and personal
satisfaction.
For more information on this new PBA, please contact Eric Haider, Founder, Culture Change Specialist for the
Person-Centered Model, Westminster Services, at (800) 948-1881or
e-mail Eric at ehaider@wservices.org.
Congratulations and welcome.
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Preferred Business Associates
News
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 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.
FAHSA
Preferred Business Associates Page
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Job-Mart
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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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