April 2014 - In This Issue: Inaugural Marcum LTC Symposium: May 5, 2014 House OKs Nursing Home Transparency Bill LTC Experts Concerned About Jimmo Implementation CMS Rebuilding Special Focus Facilities Program Long Term Care Update About HMS With over 25 years of in-depth knowledge and experience in healthcare, HMS Healthcare Management Solutions, Inc. provides the best strategic, operational, and financial support services to the healthcare industry through customized business solutions. New Bill Would Create Advanced Aide Positions in LTC Facilities A new bill called the Improving Care for Vulnerable Older Citizens through Work force Advancement Act of 2014 would create advanced aide positions in nursing homes to improve transitions and dementia care. The bill would establish six, three-year demonstration projects to train directcare workers to focus on several areas, including training workers to Inaugural Marcum LTC Symposium: May 5, 2014 See us at the Marcum Long Term Care Symposium on May 5 at Mohegan Sun! The Symposium is dedicated to providing long term care professionals with a glimpse into the future of long term care, both operationally and economically. Donna Galluzzo, HMS President and CEO, will be introducing the keynote speakers. Come and stop at the HMS booth to meet our consultants! We hope to see you there! Click here for more info House OKs Nursing Home Transparency Bill In Connecticut, a bill aiming to increase transparency in nursing homes was passed on an 86 to 57 vote in the House of Representatives. The measure, which would create a Nursing Home Financial Advisory Committee to regularly examine the financial solvency and quality of care in nursing homes, now goes to Senate. take on deeper clinical responsibilities related to dementia, diabetes and congestive heart failure. Long term care facilities believe the bill to be burdensome and unnecessary. Supporters of the bill say the state's heavy subsidy of the industry justifies the increased transparency. Experts believe that with adequate training and support, these new advanced aide positions could support health promotion, better chronic care management, and care transitions, leading to less institutionalization and re-hospitalizations. Click here to read more Click here to read more According to long term care experts, skilled nursing providers remain confused about Medicare changes related to Jimmo v. Sebelius, and beneficiaries are not aware that their therapy may be eligible for coverage. LTC Experts Concerned About Jimmo Implementation Under the Jimmo settlement, CMS were required to distribute educational materials to skilled nursing providers. CMS has recently posted online resources and updated the Medicare manual. The Jimmo settlement requires Medicare to reimburse for medically necessary skilled care, even if it is only to maintain a patient's condition. Before the settlement, Medicare only covered skilled care if it could lead to the improvement of a beneficiary's condition. Click here to read more CMS Rebuilding Special Focus Facilities Program On Friday, CMS announced that it will begin rebuilding the special focus facility program (SFF) for nursing homes with quality issues. The program, which was minimized last year due to budget cuts, focuses on identifying deficiencies in the quality of care in nursing homes and correcting them. If serious problems are not corrected, CMS will terminate the nursing home's participation in Medicare and Medicaid. CMS designates a certain number of SFF slots for each state and will start rebuilding the program by gradually increasing the number of slots. States are required to fill their slots by July 1. Click here to read more HMS Healthcare Management Solutions, Inc. 8 Research Parkway Wallingford, CT 06492 (203) 269-4667 www.hmsabc.com STAY CONNECTED Forward this email This email was sent to [email protected] by [email protected] | Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. HMS Healthcare Management Solutions, Inc. | 8 Research Parkway | Wallingford | CT | 06492