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June 4, 2019
List of Under-Performing Nursing Homes Released by CMS Following Inquiry by Senators
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has made public a previously unreleased list of hundreds of under-performing nursing homes. The release of the list comes following an inquiry by U.S Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Pat Toomey (R-PA).
CMS oversees the Special Focus Facility (SFF) program, which places special scrutiny on select nursing homes with a documented pattern of providing poor care. CMS publicly discloses the names of the facilities chosen to participate in this program, but the candidate nursing homes that are not selected for the program have always remained hidden from the public - until now.
Sen. Casey and Sen. Toomey have published a report - Families' and Residents' Rights to Know: Uncovering Poor Care in America's Nursing Homes - which includes the newly released list of 395 facilities. The report notes that the almost 400 facilities are eligible for the Special Focus Facilities program because they have a “persistent record of poor care,” yet are not selected due to CMS’ limited resources.
The two Senators advocated for the list of candidate facilities to be disclosed because these facilities are “indistinguishable” from participants in the program. "When a family makes the hard decision to seek nursing home services for a loved one, they deserve to know if a facility under consideration suffers from systemic shortcomings," Sen. Toomey stated.
For more information, read the article from the Associated Press. For tips on what advocates can do with this information, visit our website.
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Webinar on Latest Elder Justice Tools
World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) is June 15th. The purpose of WEAAD is to provide an opportunity for communities around the world to promote a better understanding of abuse and neglect of older persons by raising awareness of the cultural, social, economic and demographic processes affecting elder abuse and neglect. This year's theme is Lifting Up Voices. In preparation for WEAAD, the Administration for Community Living is holding a webinar on Friday, June 7th at 12:00pm ET entitled "Elder Justice Tools for WEAAD and Beyond." The webinar will highlight some of the latest elder justice tools and innovations.
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NORC Webinar on Incorporating Technology in Volunteer Management
Mark your calendar for an upcoming webinar from the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) entitled, "Using Technology to Recruit, Train, and Keep Volunteers in the Loop" on Wednesday, June 19th at 3:00pm – 4:30pm ET.
This webinar is for Ombudsman programs that work with volunteers. Participants will hear successful practices in using technology for recruiting, “on-boarding”, training, and retaining volunteers (e.g., an informative program website, social media, video conferencing, on-demand training, etc.). For example, the webinar will discuss strategies for utilizing social media to tell consumer's stories and other appealing content, to attract potential volunteers. Whether you are looking for new ways to recruit or retain volunteers, join NORC as they share how to incorporate technology into many aspects of volunteer management.
Registration information will be available soon.
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Bills Passed in Minnesota and Oklahoma Provide Better Protections for Residents and More Funding for Programs Supporting Older Adults
In Minnesota, the Governor signed H.F. 90, a bill establishing protections for seniors and vulnerable adults. The bill includes senior and vulnerable adult care reforms to establish greater protections for residents of assisted living facilities. The Minnesota Ombudsman for Long-Term Care Office worked on the bill along with several other organizations including Elder Voices (a family advocacy group), MN Elder Justice Center, AARP, Alzheimer's Association, Legal Aid, provider organizations, the MN Department of Health and MN Department of Human Services.
In Oklahoma, several pieces of legislation were passed which provided funding for long-term care facilities and support for family caregivers. Senate Bill 280 will increase staffing, increase the personal needs allowance for Medicaid patients from $50 to $75 per month, require four hours per year of training on caring for people with Alzheimer's disease, and increase the number of long-term care ombudsmen statewide from 10 to 15. Senate Bill 142 will prohibit nursing homes from prescribing antipsychotic drugs without consent from residents and their families. Senate Bill 888 will create a program to provide counseling to older adults who need long-term care about their options for care. For more information, read the article in The Oklahoman.
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National Observation Stays Coalition Submits Statement for Record to Hearing on Protecting Patients from Surprise Medical Bills
Consumer Voice joined with other advocacy organizations as a part of the National Observation Stays Coalition in submitting a statement for the record to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee Hearing on May 21st "Protecting Patients from Surprise Medical Bills". The organizations of the Observation Stays Coalition addressed the issue of Medicare patients in hospitals who are called observation status patients or outpatients, even when the care they receive is no different than the care provided to formally admitted inpatients. The classification as observation or outpatient is significant because Medicare will cover a post-hospital stay in a skilled nursing facility only if the patient was hospitalized for three consecutive days an an inpatient. The Coalition highlighted the observation stays matter as an area to be addressed to eliminate surprise medical bills. For more information, read the Coalition's statement.
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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:
Abuse, Neglect, Exploitation & Misappropriation of Property Fact Sheet
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In this Issue
List of Under-Performing Nursing Homes Released by CMS Following Inquiry by Senators
Webinar on Latest Elder Justice Tools
NORC Webinar on Incorporating Technology in Volunteer Management
Bills Passed in Minnesota and Oklahoma Provide Better Protections for Residents and More Funding for Programs Supporting Older Adults
National Observation Stays Coalition Submits Statement of Record to Hearing on Protecting Patients from Surprise Medical Bills
Spotlight on Resources
Calendar of Events
Friday, June 7: Elder Justice Tools for WEAAD and Beyond, 12:00pm ET, NCEA webinar
Monday, June 10: Trauma-Informed Care: Nursing Home Responsibilities and Ombudsman Program Advocacy, 3:00pm ET, NORC Webinar
Saturday, June 15: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day - Lifting Up Voices
Wednesday, June 19: Using Technology to Recruit, Train, and Keep Volunteers in the Loop, 3:00pm ET, NORC webinar, registration information coming soon
Wednesday, June 19: When the Guardian is an Abuser, 2:00pm ET, Webinar from National Center on Law & Elder Rights
Thursday, June 27: Palliative Care in the Continuum of Care, 2:30pm ET, Webinar from Quality Insights Quality Innovation Network
October: Residents' Rights Month
November 3-6, 2019: Consumer Voice Annual Conference, Crystal Gateway Marriott, Arlington, Virginia
Join the conversation and follow us on social media!
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Wednesday, May 29:
The National Center for State Courts launched an online training entitled - Finding the Right Fit: Decision-Making Supports and Guardianship.
Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:
Wednesday, May 29:
Join @NCLERlegal for a webinar 6/19 at 2pm ET - When the Guardian is an Abuser.
Long-Term Care Resources & News
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