March 5, 2014

Administration for Community Living Publishes Fact Sheets on Advance Care Planning

The Administration for Community Living recently published a series of Advance Care Planning Fact Sheets on the Elder Care Locator.  The Fact Sheets are designed to help older adults and their families plan for the care they want when they have a serious illness. The Fact Sheets are about care planning generally, care during advanced cancer and dementia, family caregivers, and the services that can help families during serious illness. View the fact sheets.

Back to Top

Advancing Excellence Announces New Membership Category for Providers

Advancing Excellence has announced a new membership category - Provider Membership in the Collaborative.  This new membership category allows nursing homes and other providers the opportunity to connect with the most influential stakeholders in long-term care to influence national quality improvement efforts and create social change. For more information on the membership category, click here.

Back to Top

U.S. News & World Report Releases Best Nursing Homes 2014

U.S. News & World Report released its list of Best Nursing Homes 2014 which highlights the top nursing homes in every state and nearly 100 major metropolitan areas.  The ratings cover almost 16,000 nursing homes. The list provides data and information on care, safety, health inspections, staffing and more for nearly every nursing facility in the US.  Access the Best Nursing Homes 2014.

Back to Top

Materials Available from Webinar on Infection Prevention in Nursing Homes

Advancing Excellence, in partnership with the National LTC Ombudsman Resource Center, Administration for Community Living/Administration on Aging, and the Centers for Disease Control, held a webinar for long-term care ombudsmen on infection prevention. The February 25 webinar included topics: understanding how infections can be spread and how the ombudsman can be a part of the solution (hand washing, etc.); addressing issues with residents who are in isolation due to an infection; encouraging the nursing home to use this tool if infections are an issue; etc.  Find webinar materials on the NORC website.

Back to Top

CMS Addresses Questions on Estate Recovery Rules to MAGI Medicaid Individuals Eligible for LTSS

In a letter to State Medicaid Directors, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) addressed questions on the application of estate recovery rules to MAGI Medicaid individuals who are eligible for LTSS.  CMS claified that in general most of the estate recovery rules will apply to MAGI Medicaid individuals who receive coverage for LTSS. Read the letter.

Back to Top

NSCLC Releases Library of State Practices of Managed LTSS Contract Provisions

The National Senior Citizens Law Center created the Advocate's Library: State Practices in Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Contract Provisions, a comprehensive resource that allows consumer advocates to research and compare the contracts between states and managed care organizations.  Medicaid managed care programs differ significantly from one state to the next, and these differences often stem from these contracts.  The Library provides a summary of relevant contract provisions by topic along with a page number citation of each cited provision.  Access the library.

Back to Top

Community Catalyst Develops Tool to Assess Medicaid Managed Care

Community Catalyst has developed "Strengthening Long-Term Services and Supports: A Tool to Assess and Improve Medicaid Managed Care", a tool to promote consumer-focused MLTSS by making it easier to identify weaknesses in MLTSS and promote better practices.  The tool combines a checklist for assessing and shaping MLTSS with examples of practices, polices or contract language that implement the criteria.  Access the tool now.

Back to Top

About The Gazette