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March 5, 2019
Senate Hearing on Abuse and Neglect on Wednesday
The United States Senate Committee on Finance is holding a hearing on Wednesday, March 6th at 10:15 am ET - Not Forgotten: Protecting Americans From Abuse and Neglect in Nursing Homes. The hearing will feature statements by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR); plus two panels of witnesses that will include daughters of residents who suffered from neglect or abuse, representatives from CMS and the Department of Justice, and others. Watch the livestream here.
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Money Follows the Person Legislation Introduced; National Call-In Day is Tomorrow - Tell Your Congressperson to Fund MFP
Two bills have been introduced to extend the Money Follows the Person (MFP) Program for five years! Called the Empower Care Act, a Senate bill (S. 548) by Senators Portman and Cantwell, and a House Bill (H.R. 1342) by Congresspersons Guthrie and Dingell, would continue and improve the program through 2023. Improvements include reducing how long someone must be in a nursing home before becoming eligible to transition from 90 days to 60.
The five year extension is critically important. Congress passed $112 million funding for the program in January 2019 (H.R. 259), but this money ends in September and could even run out sooner.
As we have previously noted, MFP benefits both long-term care consumers and states. MFP helps individuals with disabilities and seniors who want to move out of nursing homes or other institutions and back into their communities, where they can live independently and experience an improved quality of life. At the same time, it helps states improve access to home and community-based long-term services and supports and save money.
On March 6, join with others across the country to urge Congress to continue funding MFP.
Here’s how:
- Call the Capitol Switchboard at: (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091(tty) and ask to be connected to your Representative or your Senators. You can use this tool to find your Members of Congress if you don’t know who they are: https://contactingcongress.org/
- When you are connected to your Representative or Senator, ask him or her to co-sponsor and support the EMPOWER Care Act. You can use the script here if it is helpful.
- Repeat until you’ve called your Representative and your two Senators.
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CFPB Analysis Finds that Financial Institutions Report Widespread Elder Financial Exploitation
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a report entitled "Suspicious Activity Reports on Elder Financial Exploitation: Issues and Trends." The report examined 180,000 elder financial exploitation Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). SARs are filed by financial institutions like banks, credit unions, and casinos when their customers fall prey to financial exploitation. The CFPB's report analyzed SARs filed with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network from 2013 to 2017. The report found that SAR filings on elder financial exploitation quadrupled from 2013 to 2017. It also found that older adults ages 70 to 79 lost on average $43,300, and the loss was even greater - about $50,000 - when the older adult knew the suspect. The report also stated that while financial institutions are increasingly filing elder financial exploitation SARs, they often do not report the activity to adult protective services or law enforcement. For more information and to read the full report, visit CFPB's website.
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NQF Seeking Nominations for Person-Centered Planning Panel
The National Quality Forum (NQF) is seeking individuals to serve on a multi-stakeholder panel on person-centered care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is working with the Administration for Community Living through the NQF to address quality measurement in person-centered planning. Nominations for the panel are due by Friday, March 29th at 6:00pm ET. Over 18 months, NQF will address person-centered planning and practice as part of long-term services and supports systems. For more information about the projects and submitting nominations, visit NQF's website.
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CMS Memo on Increased Enforcement for Late Adopters
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have released a memo on increased enforcement of so-called "Late Adopters," facilities who have continued to have poor performance related to the issue of antipsychotic drugs. The memo, "Enhanced Oversight and Enforcement of Non-Improving Late Adopters," states that there are 235 late adopter nursing homes that have been cited two or more times since January 1, 2016 for noncompliance with federal regulations related to unnecesary medications or psychotropic medications and who have not showed improvement. If these facilities are determined not to be in compliance during a survey, they will be subject to enforcement remedies for such noncompliance. Stay tuned for more information on this topic in next week's Policy Break (our email update on the latest policy developments - sign up to receive Policy Break here) and read the full memo here.
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CMS Updates Data for Hospital 5-Star Rating System
Last week, CMS announced it had updated hospital performance data on the Hospital Compare website and on data.medicare.gov. The updated data includes specific measures of hospitals' quality of care and the Overall Hospital Star Ratings. CMS also posted potential changes to the Hospital Star Ratings for public comment. Comments on the changes are due March 29th. CMS is holding a call on Wednesday, March 6 at 1:00pm ET to discuss these announcements. It is recommended that you call in 15 minutes prior to the call - 1-800-837-1935; Conference ID: 3934159. For more information about the announcements, read CMS' press release.
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Spotlight on Resources
 Consumer Voice and the National Ombudsman Resource Center have a multitude of resources available online covering a wide range of long-term care topics. Visit the Consumer Voice and NORC websites to explore all the available resources. Check out this week's highlighted resource:
Video: Navigating the NORC Website
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In this Issue
Senate Hearing on Abuse and Neglect on Wednesday
Money Follows the Person Legislation Introduced; National Call-In Day is Tomorrow - Tell your Congressperson to Fund MFP
CFPB Analysis Finds that Financial Institutions Report Widespread Elder Financial Exploitation
NQF Seeking Nominations for Person-Centered Planning Panel
CMS Memo on Increased Enforcement for Late Adopters
CMS Updates Data for Hospital 5-Star Rating System
Spotlight on Resources
Calendar of Events
Wednesday, March 6: Not Forgotten: Protecting Americans from Abuse and Neglect in Nursing Homes, 10:15am ET, Senate Committee on Finance hearing
Wednesday, March 6: National Call to Discuss Hospital 5-Star Rating System, 1:00pm ET, CMS call on recent annoucement, Dial-in Number: 1-800-837-1935; Conference ID: 3934159
Tuesday, March 12: Traumatic Brain Injury Stakeholder Day, Hosted by ACL in Washington, DC, RSVP to NCAPPS@acl.hhs.gov
Tuesday, March 12: Dementia Care & Psychotropic Medication Tracking Tool Call, 1:30pm ET, Call from the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care
May: Older Americans Month
November 3-6, 2019: Consumer Voice Annual Conference, Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, Virginia
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Great news! Two bills have been introduced to extend the Money Follows the Person Program for five years!
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"Connect, Create, Contribute" - this year's theme for Older Americans Month in May
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