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October 11, 2016
Join Us for a Webinar on the Revised Nursing Home Regulations
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) just released its revised nursing home regulations. These regulations are dramatically different from the previous regulations, and will impact the lives and care of nursing home residents for years to come. Consumers and advocates alike need to know what is new and what has remained the same.
Join this webinar to find out! Hear CMS provide an overview of the revised rule and experts from the Center for Medicare Advocacy, Justice in Aging and Consumer Voice discuss changes in key areas. Topics covered will include staffing, arbitration, admission/transfer-discharge/readmission, and more.
Presenters:
- Karen Tritz, Director, Division of Nursing Homes, Survey and Certification Group, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services*
- Eric Carlson, Directing Attorney, Justice in Aging
- Toby Edelman, Senior Policy Attorney, Center for Medicare Advocacy
- Robyn Grant, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Consumer Voice
Space is limited. Register now.
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ACL Announces Guidelines and Funding for APS Systems
During the recent Elder Justice Coordinating Council meeting, Acting Assistant Secretary for Aging Edwin Walker announced the first-ever voluntary guidelines for state Adult Protective Services (APS) systems and $2.2 million in grants awarded to 13 states to encourage innovation in elder justice. The new voluntary guidelines provide recommendations from the field about quality APS practice in the areas of program administration, response times, receiving reports of maltreatment, conducting investigations, service planning and intervention, training, and evaluation. The grant funding Walker highlighted will enhance statewide APS systems, improve practices and data collection, and interface with Administration for Community Living’s National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS). For more information about the guidelines and funding, click here.
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Involuntary Discharge An Issue for Maryland Nursing Home Residents
Several news sources have recently reported on cases of involuntary discharge happening in Maryland nursing homes. The Washington Post article highlights the story of Vonda Wagner, who was a resident of a nursing facility in Hagerstown, MD and was ordered to leave because her temporary Medicare benefits expired. She was sent to an unlicensed assisted-living facility and, following an altercation with the facility's owner, was left outside of a Baltimore homeless shelter.
Many advocates believe that Wagner's case is an example of a long-standing problem with the nursing care system in Maryland where nursing homes are required to discharge patients to safe and secure facilities, yet discharged residents often find themselves in a world of unregulated group homes and unlicensed assisted-living facilities. Montgomery County long-term care ombudsman Eileen Bennett was interviewed for the article, noting that most homes in her county work with residents to find payment solutions after their 100-day Medicare periods are up. However, nursing homes managed by NMS - like the one in which Wagner was staying - frequently discharge residents who can't pay. The practice is not illegal and appears to be the company's standard business practice. Read more in the Washington Post article.
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n4a Launches Campaign on Health Benefits of Volunteering for Older Adults
The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) has launched a new public education campaign about the major physical, mental and emotional benefits olders adults can get by volunteering for as little as two hours per week. Research shows that older volunteers may experience a reduction in depression, chronic pain and stress, while improving their mental functionality and even their chances of living longer! n4a produced a consumer brochure - Doing Good is Good for You: Volunteer! - which provides information about the health benefits of volunteering and a checklist to help find available opportunities. Order copies of the brochure here.
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GAO Report Shows Nursing Facility Expenditure Data Needs to Be More Accessible
A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) highlighted how skilled nursing facilities' expenditure data needs to be made more accessible. The GAO report sought to determine how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services collects and shares skilled nursing expenditure data and how facility costs vary by characteristics like for-profit or nonprofit ownership or staffing levels. The report found that though CMS collects data from expenditure reports and posts it online, the information is not readily accessible to the public nor is it regularly checked for accuracy or completeness. For more information, read the article from McKnight's.
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New Fact Sheets on How Medicare and Medicaid Changes Affect LGBT Adults
The Supreme Court's legalization of same sex marriage in all states has changed how Medicare and Medicaid works for LGBT people. Additionally, Medicare has begun covering Gender Reassignment Surgery and issued new rules that protect transgender older adults from sex discrimination in healthcare. Justice in Aging in partnership with SAGE (Services & Advocacy for Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, & Transgender Elders), the SHIP National Network (State Health Insurance Assistance Programs), and Administration for Community Living (ACL) have created new fact sheets to help consumers learn how these changes may affect them.
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NIDILRR Holding Stakeholder Listening Sessions
The Administration for Community Living's National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) is hosting several listening sessions across the country seeking comments on future funding priorities and strategic direction.
Public meetings will be held from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. local time on these dates:
- October 14, 2016: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Byron G. Rogers Federal Building, 1961 Stout Street, Denver, CO
- October 28, 2016: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 90 7th Street, San Francisco, CA
- November 1, 2016: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 233 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL
- November 18, 2016: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, John F. Kennedy Federal Building, Boston, MA
- December 5, 2016: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1301 Young Street, Dallas, TX
The meetings can also be listened to by phone. Visit the website for more information and registration.
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Spotlight on Educational Resources
The Consumer Voice and the National Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) have a multitude of resources available online covering a wide range of long-term care topics. Visit the Consumer Voice website and the NORC website to explore all the available resources. Take a look at this week's highlighted resource:
Involuntary Discharge - The threat of transfer or discharge from a nursing home can be both frightening and stressful for residents and their families. Too often, a facility may respond to resident’s difficulties or increasing need for care or repeated questions or complaints from family members by attempting to transfer or discharge a resident. This Consumer Voice issue page provides information and resources on involuntary discharge from a nursing home.
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In this Issue
Join Us for a Webinar on the Revised Nursing Home Regulations
ACL Announces Guidelines and Funding for APS Systems
Involuntary Discharge An Issue for Marlyand Nursing Home Residents
n4a Launches Campaign on Health Benefits of Volunteering for Older Adults
GAO Report Shows Nursing Facility Expenditure Data Needs to Be More Accessible
New Fact Sheets on How Medicare and Medicaid Changes Affect LGBT Adults
NIDILRR Holding Stakeholder Listening Sessions
Spotlight on Educational Resources
Combined Federal Campaign
#10552
Thank you for your support!
Get Registered to Vote!
Many states' voter registration deadlines are this week. Be sure to register to vote and encourage long-term care consumers to register so their voices are heard on election day!
Find voter registration deadlines here. Visit the Residents' Rights Month page for further voting resources, including this fact sheet about registering to vote, specifically for long-term care consumers.
Calendar of Events
October: My Vote Matters, Residents' Rights Month 2016
Friday, October 21: Introduction to the Revised Federal Nursing Home Regulations: What's In, What's Not, 2:00pm ET, Webinar from Consumer Voice
Tuesday, October 25: Sec. 1557 Civil Rights Protections - What Aging Advocates Need to Know, 2:00pm ET, Webinar from Justice in Aging
November 2-5, 2016: Consumer Voice 40th Annual Conference, Arlington, VA
Join the conversation and follow us on social media!
Last Week's Most Popular Post:
Thursday, October 6:
Chuck Glidden from Barnes - Kasson Skilled Nursing Unit in Susquehanna, PA shared what he stands for as a part of the Resident's Voice Challenge.
Last Week's Most Popular Tweet:
Wednesday, October 5:
Consumer Voice conference hotel room block is extended to October 11th. Book your hotel room asap!
Long-Term Care Resources & News
Read past issues of The Voice here.
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