MARK YOUR CALENDAR
2015 Annual Meeting & Trade Show: Plan to Attend
Registration Opens Next Week
Mark your calendars for our 56th Annual Meeting & Trade Show! Registration will open next week and brochures will be hitting your community’s mailbox soon! Visit www.leadingagetexas.org/AM next week and stay tuned to your email inbox for more information. We hope to see you in Austin!
Feeling Philanthropic?
Donate to the Silent Auction or Wine Toss!
www.leadingagetexas.org/donate
Consider supporting the professional development of individuals in the aging services field in Texas by donating to the Herb Shore Silent Auction and/or the EIA Wine Toss!
Both events are fun-filled opportunities held in May during the LeadingAge Texas 56th Annual Meeting & Trade Show in Austin. The proceeds from both events benefit EIA scholarships for LeadingAge Texas members to attend educational events throughout the year including the LeadingAge Texas Annual Meeting & Trade Show. Members who benefit from these scholarships include students working toward careers in the aging services field and individuals who are currently serving older Texans by working as certified nursing assistants (CNAs), nurses, social workers, and many other aging services disciplines.
Click here for more information. If you and/or your company are able to contribute, please complete the donation form by May 1.
2015 ArtsInspire Visual Arts Finalists
 Congratulations to the 2015 ArtsInspire Visual Arts Finalists! Click here to view this year's finalists - if you see the name of one of your community's residents, please congratulate him/her on this impressive accomplishment!
The Visual Arts finalists' pieces will be judged in person next month at which point the place winners will be chosen.
Winners in the Melodic and Written Arts categories will be announced next week.
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Advocacy Update
 @Advocate4Aging
Session Update: LeadingAge Texas Provides Testimony
Legislative Updates Blog Post by Alyse Meyer
On Wednesday, February 25th George Linial provided testimony on SB 304 (Schwertner) and voiced support for SB 553 (Schwertner) in the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. SB 304 would require mandatory licensure revocation of a nursing facility after three immediate jeopardy violations related to abuse and neglect in a 24 month period. SB 553 would move the Informal Dispute Resolution process out of HHSC to an independent third party. Read more.
In recent weeks, LeadingAge Texas has been present to provide testimony on FY 2016-2017 budget recommendations in the House and Senate. The current budget recommendations maintain current Medicaid reimbursement rates to nursing facilities. Read more.
Minimum Payment Amount Program (formerly UPL Program) Update
Nursing Facility Minimum Payment Amounts Program Eligibility and Vendor Hold Update
- Due to the lead time required to calculate, adopt, and implement capitation rates, participating Minimum Payment Amount Program (MPAP) nursing facilities (NFs) must be identified significantly prior to the effective date of the capitation rates.
- For September 1, 2015, capitation rates, HHSC Rate Analysis must supply HHSC Actuarial Analysis a list of qualified NFs by March 15, 2015.
- The NF MPAP is growing dramatically.
- When the NF upper payment limit program was implemented, there were 29 non-state government-owned NFs.
- For the March - August 2015 MPAP eligibility period (Eligibility Period One), there are 109 non-state government-owned NFs.
- For the September 2015 - August 2016 MPAP eligibility period (Eligibility Period Two), there are 158 CHOWS in process to change private NFs into public NFs.
- Issue: Due to the unprecedented number of CHOWs being requested and the majority of those applications being submitted incomplete, there is a large backlog of CHOW applications at DADS.
- Only 25 of the 158 CHOWs submitted complete applications. These CHOWs will be processed by the MPAP cut-off date for Eligibility Period Two of February 28, 2015, provided all completed application components are in place by close of business February 25, 2015, to allow for processing time.
- The remaining 133 CHOWs will likely not be processed by the cut-off date. Without further action on HHSC's part, these NFs would have to wait until September 1, 2016, to get into the MPAP program.
- Solution: HHSC will conduct a mid-year capitation rate review for capitation rates to be effective December 1, 2015.
read more
Clarifications related to Nursing Facility Services Transitioning to STAR+PLUS
From TMHP's Long Term Care News Articles
SS.B. 7, 83rd Legislature, Regular Session, 2013, directs HHSC to deliver nursing facility services through the STAR+PLUS managed care model. Effective March 1, 2015, STAR+PLUS managed care organizations (MCOs) will provide services to most Medicaid clients residing in a nursing facility.
Applied Income and Incurred Medical Expenses
Existing Processes and Requirements Remain in Effect
Applied income is the portion of the earned and unearned income of a Medicaid client, or if applicable the client and the client’s spouse, that is paid under the Medicaid program to an institution or long-term care facility in which the client resides. For Medicaid-eligible nursing facility residents, just as done in fee-for-service Medicaid, HHSC conducts posteligibility calculations to determine the applied income.
read more
Changes to the NH 5-Star Rating System
CMS Press Release (February 20, 2015)
CMS Strengthens Five Star Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today strengthened the Five Star Quality Rating System for Nursing Homes on the Nursing Home Compare website to give families more precise and meaningful information on quality when they consider facilities for themselves or a loved one. Today’s announcement also marks an important milestone to achieving the goal of implementing further improvements to the Five Star system in 2015, as the Administration announced last October.
read more
LeadingAge's Response (February 20, 2015)
LeadingAge Supports Transparency, But Still Finds Flaws in the CMS 5-Star Nursing Home Rating System
Washington -- Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it has updated the way it calculates the scores for the 5-Star Quality Nursing Home Rating System.
“LeadingAge still maintains that quality should be at the forefront of all discussions about nursing homes. The announcement today does not change our view that the 5-star rating system is a great idea, but was hastily and prematurely implemented. CMS continues to tweak it without addressing or correcting underlying fundamental flaws,” said President and CEO Larry Minnix.
This approach may impact many LeadingAge members, who could see a 1-to-2 star drop in their total number of stars based on the new calculation, in spite of the fact that their quality has not deteriorated.
read more
OIG study: CMS should pay more attention to Hospice in ALF
From Long-term Living
A January 13 study released by Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General evaluated all Medicare hospice claims from 2007 to 2012. Its findings showed that because assisted living (AL) residents generally have less-complex medical issues, residents of hospice are provided more days than are patients at home or in skilled nursing facilities.
The report also notes that for-profit hospices receive more in Medicare reimbursement for each patient than nonprofit hospice organizations.
read more
STAR+PLUS MCOs to Host Provider Trainings
Click on the links below to view each MCOs' training schedule:
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Regulatory Affairs
Recently Available Communications
From CMS
S&C: 15-25-NH: "MDS / Staffing Focused Surveys Update"
S&C: 15-26-NH: "Nursing Home Compare “3.0” - Five Star Quality Rating System - Expanded and Strengthened"
From DADS
Information Letter IL-15-10: "Nursing Facilities -- Claims with Other Insurance Liability"
Information Letter 15-11: "REMINDER -- Minimum Payment Amount Program (MPAP) Period Two"
Information Letter No. 15-12: "Nursing Facility Managed Care Transition: Selection of a Managed Care Organization Required by Individuals Receiving Hospice Services"
Information Letter No. 15-13: "Nursing Facility Managed Care Transition: Medicaid Managed Care and Service Coordination"
Infection Control Training
DADS and DSHS are hosting a series of joint training conferences around the state to increase awareness of infection control and regulatory requirements in assisted living facilities, nursing facilities and intermediate care facilities:
March 12 | Austin
Pickle Center, Commons Bldg, Big Tex Auditorium
No parking fee, lunch on your own.
March 19 | Abilene
Abilene State Supported Living Center, gymnasium
No parking fee, lunch on your own.
April 7 | Denton
Denton State Supported Living Center, chapel
No parking fee, lunch on your own
More information for all the training events -- including registration links, times and agenda -- is on the DADS Quality Matters website. Space is limited; register early.
Register Now: Positive Behavior Management & Supports Workshop
March 16-17 | Fort Worth
DADS stakeholders can now register for a free, 1.5 day conference at the Botanic Garden in Fort Worth on March 16 and 17. Discover "Why Problem Behavior Occurs and Why it is Important to Know the Answer." Participants will learn to establish positive relationships with and support individuals with IDD who engage in challenging behavior and to safely and effectively prevent potentially harmful behaviors.
Space is limited, so registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here to register.
read more
CMS Releases Two New ICD-10 Videos
CMS has released two animated shorts that explain key ICD-10 concepts. Less than four minutes each, the videos are available at ICD-10 Provider Resources:
- “Introduction to ICD-10 Coding” gives an overview of ICD-10's features and explains the benefits of the new code set to patients and to the health care community.
- “ICD-10 Coding and Diabetes” uses diabetes as an example to show how the code set captures important clinical details.
Visit the CMS ICD-10 website for the latest news and resources to help you prepare.
Nursing Facility Trainings Slated for Victoria in March
Nursing facility providers are invited to three trainings in March at the Golden Crescent Regional Planning Commission (GCRPC) in Victoria:
read more
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Around the Association
Eagle’s Trace Names Stephen Aigner as Executive Director
 Eagle’s Trace, the Erickson Living retirement community, promoted Stephen Aigner to the position of Executive Director.
Mr. Aigner brings fifteen years of experience in the senior living industry. Prior to joining Eagle’s Trace, he served as the Associate Executive Director for Ashby Ponds, a sister community in northern Virginia. Mr. Aigner was also a Regional Director of Dining Services with Erickson Living.
Previous to Erickson Living, he worked within the restaurant/hospitality industry in the Washington, D.C., area.
In his position as Executive Director, Mr. Aigner will be responsible for directing operations and the delivery of services to residents and staff at the 70-acre community in West Houston that is home to over 650 residents and 425 employees. Featuring both independent living and a continuing care neighborhood, Eagle’s Trace will celebrate its tenth anniversary in October, 2015.
Mr. Aigner earned a B.A. degree in Business Management from Western Governors University and holds numerous hospitality industry certifications.
A resident of Fulshear, TX with his wife and two children, Mr. Aigner has volunteered with the Virginia Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
The Buckingham Names Dillon Senior Living Counselor
 The Buckingham senior living community has named April Dillon Senior Living Counselor. The announcement was made by Julie Fenske, Executive Director of The Buckingham. In her role, Dillon will assist seniors during the sales process and help them navigate through the move-in process, while also having a variety of responsibilities in supporting the marketing team.
“We are extremely pleased to have April join our team,” said Fenske. “She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in the senior living industry to her role. She will be a vital contribution to The Buckingham as our staff continues to offer our residents the best care and service possible in the Houston area.”
April joins The Buckingham with over ten years of experience in nonprofit continuing care retirement communities. She has enjoyed working with seniors in a variety of roles, including Director of Life Enrichment, Director of Social Work Services and most recently, Community Outreach Director for Franke at Seaside in Charleston, South Carolina. April is a Licensed Master Social Worker in Texas and holds a Master’s of Social Work with a Certificate in Gerontology from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.
The Balcones Haus Celebrates Mardi Gras
On Tuesday, February 17, The Balcones Haus celebrated Mardi Gras in style with a Virtual Casino Night. Click here to read about the event and view photos.
What's Happening in Your Community?
We want to know the happenings of your community. From an event spotlight to a board appointment, share the triumphs of your organization with your fellow LeadingAge Texas members! Contact Amanda for consideration of a newsletter article and a feature in our newly created "Member Highlights" news section (for public view)!
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Education Update
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
2015 Annual Meeting & Trade Show: Plan to Attend
Registration Opens Next Week
Outside Educational Opportunities
FREE Webinar from Third Rock: HIPAA - What's Required Now
March 5 | 12:30 PM CST
Third Rock is offering an exclusive HIPAA webinar to LeadingAge Texas members!
- Topic: HIPAA - What's Required Now?
- Date: March 5, 2015
- Time: 12:30 PM CST
- Join:
If you cannot make the webinar on March 5, be sure to view one of Third Rock's previously recorded webinars at thirdrock.com/resources/videos/.
read more
SAVE THE DATE - FREE Conference: Texas Taking the Next Step: Dementia in Long Term Care and Community Settings
August 20 | Austin
DADS, in collaboration with Texas State University, is hosting an informative one-day training event focused on dementia in long-term care and community settings.
Keynote Speaker: G. Allen Power, MD
Virtual Dementia Tour® will be offered in multiple breakout sessions.
Target Audience: Nurses, social workers, certified nurse aides, ombudsmen, assisted living facility managers, nursing facility administrators, nursing facility activity directors, psychology professionals, and licensed professional counselors.
Registration: Registration opens May 1. Seats are limited.
Other Opportunities:
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Group Purchasing Spotlight
Third Rock's Worry-Free Compliance™
LeadingAge Texas has joined with Third Rock to provide a very important and timely service to our members. Third Rock’s Worry-Free Compliance™ is a comprehensive HIPAA/HITECH Compliance solution for LeadingAge members and Business Associates that enables your organization to conform to the current privacy and security regulations and better protect your residents and their information. The full solution includes, Third Rock Assurance, continuous network security monitoring which helps prevent and detect cyber breaches, improving the security of your resident’s Protected Health Information (PHI). Thereby reducing potential federal and state penalties. Worry-Free Compliance™ can be rapidly implemented and is easy to manage and maintain. Step-by-step guides and self-paced training help keep your organization in compliance and improve your organization’s efficiency while reducing costs and increasing profits. Third Rock’s goal is to improve your ability to protect critical data and better serve your customers and residents.
Third Rock is performing a complete HIPAA risk assessment and remediation program for C. C. Young (a fellow LeadingAge Texas member) in Dallas.
Discover how compliant your facility is by taking the HIPAA QuickCheck. For more information please visit Third Rock’s website, email compliance@thirdrock.com, or call Robert Felps directly at (512) 695-4621.
Value First, Inc.
Value First Contact:
Kevin Simpson, Regional Marketing Manager
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Aging Services News
Highlight:
"Cyber Crime"
By Ed Jones, Third Rock, Inc.
The Anthem Healthcare cyber-breach announced earlier this month on February 4th is by far the largest healthcare breach recorded more than tripling the total number of persons whose protected healthcare information (PHI) has been compromised. The Office of Civil Rights recorded that by the end of 2014 more than 40 million people’s PHI had been improperly exposed. The Anthem hack is estimated to affect approximately 80 to 100 million people in 10 states and has been ongoing for over a year! Early indications are the perpetrators are Chinese state sponsored cyber thieves. The Chinese have struck closer to home recently. Over the course of three days, hackers using a Chinese IP address infiltrated the St. Joseph Health System in Bryan, Texas, and exposed the information of 405,000 individuals, gaining names, address, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and other information.
The Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC) which tracks breaches published its annual report stating the number of U.S. data breaches tracked hit a record high of 783 in 2014. This represents a substantial upswing of 27.5 percent over the number of breaches reported in 2013. The number of U.S. data breach incidents tracked since 2005 also hit a milestone of 5,029 reported data breach incidents, involving more than 675 million estimated records. The Medical/Healthcare industry topped the ITRC 2014 Breach List with 42.5 percent of the breaches identified in 2014, continuing a three-year trend. On a recent CBS ”60 Minutes” show, security industry experts stated that an estimated 97% of US businesses have already been breached and the average time required to discover the breach is 229 days!
You might think cyber thieves are targeting large high profile companies where the potential payoff is most substantial. But actually the opposite is true, though not intentionally. The cyber criminals use sophisticated search and breach programs that automatically search the web and attack web sites. Smaller companies tend to have less sophisticated defences and users making them an easier target. Here are a few examples of assisted living facilities that have fallen victim. Lutheran Social Services of South Central Pennsylvania recently made 7,300 current and former senior residents aware of a data breach that was discovered in March. The root cause was a malware program that the organization’s IT staff found during a routine system check of the four York senior living locations. Potentially-compromised data includes residents’ names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, Medicare numbers, health insurance numbers and payer names and medical diagnosis codes. St. Anthony’s nursing home in the St Louis area suffered a 2,600-patient data breach on July 29 when a laptop computer and flash drive with protected health information (PHI) were stolen from a doctor’s car. Chicago's Assisted Living Concepts (ALC) recently began notifying approximately 43,600 current and former employees that their personal information may have been exposed when an unauthorized person gained access to ALC's login credentials at its payroll services vendor (business associate). The breach occurred between December 14, 2013 and January 14, 2014, and exposed current and former employees' names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers and pay information. The vendor notified ALC of the breach on February 14, 2014.
Why is the healthcare industry such a focus of cyber criminals? On the black market, a full identity profile contained in a single record can bring as much as $500. A credit card can be cancelled within hours of its theft, but information in a patient’s health record is impossible to undo. The record contains financial records, personal information, medical history, family contacts — enough information to build a full identity.
These statistics are fuelling the current drive by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) to enforce the HIPAA/HITECH regulations. What started out as laws to enable insurance portability between jobs and healthcare cost control has evolved into the front-line defence against worldwide cyber threats for healthcare. The OCR can levy substantial fines, up to $50,000 per patient record compromised, and has shuttered business who demonstrated contempt and disregard for the laws. In the past 12 months, OCR has handed out over $10 million in fines and investigated nearly 13,000 complaints. Jocelyn Samuels, OCR Director stated on January 13, 2015; "We will continue to identify and bring to resolution high impact cases that send strong enforcement messages to the industry about compliance. These types of cases can include the lack of a comprehensive risk analysis and risk management practices, ignoring identified threats and hazards to systems containing electronic protected health information, and insufficient policies and procedures, and training of workforce members.” Here are a few of the more recent fines issued.
- $1,000,000 - Massachusetts General Hospital for 192 patient records
- $50,000 - Hospice of Northern Idaho breach settlement involving less than 500 patients
- $1,500,000 - Massachusetts Eye and Ear infirmary and Massachusetts Eye and ear Associates
- $1,500,000 - Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Tennessee for data breach effecting 500 subscribers
If your business is breached, you will be investigated by the OCR. The cost of a breach is significant and can close your doors through high remediation costs and negative publicity. The average cost to the individual to resolve the effects of being a party to a breach is $18,000. Such costs are transferred back to the breached business through lawsuits. In early 2014 a study cited the average cost to remediate a healthcare breach was estimated at over $800,000 and is increasing at an estimated 23% per year.
Unfortunately, future trends indicate cyber-crime targeted at healthcare will only increase. With the advent of smart credit cards later this year, criminals will focus their efforts elsewhere. In general, the healthcare industry is known for being less technically sophisticated and budget constrained thus cyber defenses are not as robust. Internal identity theft will also remain a high risk due to low wages and high position turnover. Now is the time to move decisively to protect your customers, residents, and your businesses by improving your HIPAA compliance through a comprehensive unbiased risk assessment, improved policies and procedures, employee training, and advanced network monitoring.
News Clips
- BloombertBusiness, February 23: "Moore’s Oscar Win Propels Alzheimer’s Tale Into Wider Spotlight"
- The Center for Public Integrity, February 23: "Feds Announce Changes In Nursing Home Rating System"
- Lancaster Pollard, February 8: "Senior Care: The New Must-Have Asset Class"
- Long-term Living, February 19: "Alliance Will Help NCOA Assist At-Risk Seniors"
- Long-term Living, February 19: "Where Seniors Are Receiving Services"
- Long-term Living, February 23: "New Toolkit Aids Property-Provider Partnerships"
- Long-term Living, February 24: "Nursing Home Penalties Top $100 Million"
- Long-term Living, February 24: "Survey Reveals Home Safety Measures Among Seniors"
- McKnight's, February 17: "Senior Centers Should Lower The Music, Research Advises"
- McKnight's, February 19: "Medicaid Expansion Leading HCBS Programs To Rethink Strategy: Researchers"
- McKnight's, February 23: "Officials: More Additions And Rebasings Of Nursing Home Ratings To Come"
- McKnight's, February 24: "Studies Find Chronic Illness Could Increase Dementia Risk In The Impaired"
- McKnight's, February 25: "Medicaid Expansion Plans Fade In Several States"
- Medical News Today, February 17: "What Is Successful Aging? Gerontologists Strive To Build Consensus"
- Medical News Today, February 19: "Every Minute Of Activity May Benefit Heart Health For Mobility-Limited Older Adults"
- Medical News Today, February 20: "Giving Up Caregiving Associated With Increased Depression In Old Age"
- Medical News Today, February 20: "Videos Help Seriously Ill Patients Outline Their End-Of-Life Wishes"
- Medical News Today, February 23: "Diabetes And Depression Predict Dementia Risk In People With Slowing Minds"
- Medical News Today, February 24: "Employers Must Be Aware Of The Stress Of 'Eldercare'"
- Medical News Today, February 24: "Editorial Issues A Call To Action For End-Of-Life Care Of Older Adults In Nursing Homes"
- NPR, February 13: "Fraud Case Casts Spotlight On Medicare Advantage Plans"
- NY City Lens, February 15: "A New Housing Focus: the LGBT Elderly"
- National Law Review, February 26: "CMS Estimates that Medicare EHR Incentive Program Will Penalize Hundreds of Thousands of Eligible Professionals"
- The New York Times, February 19: "Long-Term Care Insurance: Costs Are Up but Vary Widely"
- The New York Times, February 22: "Health Care Opens Stable Career Path, Taken Mainly by Women"
- The New York Times, February 23: "Medicare Toughens Standards on Nursing Homes"
- The New York Times, February 24: "Congress Is Told Ruling Against Health Law Would Impact Poor"
- The New York Times, February 24: "Survey: Uninsured Rate Hit New Low in 2014"
- The New York Times, February 25: "Both Parties Face Risks as Health Care Law Court Case Nears"
- The New Yorker, February 15: "How Medicare Was Made"
- The Newtown Bee (CT), February 19: "Bullying: A Problem Behavior That Spans Generations"
- Senior Housing News, February 12: "Emerging Senior Care Tech Holds Huge Promise, Poses Big Risks"
- Sodexo: "Observations from Larry Minnix, President and CEO of LeadingAge"
- The Texas Tribune (Trib+Health), February 10: "Texas Has High Stakes in Lawsuit Over Health Law"
- The Texas Tribune (Trib+Health), February 15: "As State Ages, Families Face Caring for Elderly at Home"
- Time, February 24: "A Simple Skin Test May Detect Alzheimer’s"
- USA Today, February 23: "Home Care Workers Rally For Higher Wages"
- The Wall Street Journal, February 16: "Bills Would Let Doctors Help Terminally Ill Patients End Their Lives"
Highlight: News from LeadingAge
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Calendar
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Career Center
LeadingAge Texas Members Receive a 25% Discount when Posting a Job with Discount Code:
LATX25. The discount code must be applied prior to completing the posting.
Job Postings
Let the LeadingAge Texas Career Center help you make your next employment connection! Those employers who sign up for the LeadingAge Texas Career Center will automatically receive postings of the position in the LeadingAge Texas Connection.
Administrator | Presbyterian Manor | Wichita Falls
Behavioral Health Medical Director | Cenpatico Superior HealthPlan | Austin, TX
Director of Nursing | EdenHill Communities | New Braunfels
Fund Development Director | St. Dominic Village, A Senior Care Community | Houston
Home Health Administrator | Legacy Senior Communities / Legacy at Home | Plano
Licensed Psychologist Openings - Vericare | Vericare | Texas
MDS Nurse Coordinator | Westminster | Austin
Nursing & Nurse Aide Opportunities | The Legacy at Home | Plano
Staff Development Coordinator | Blue Skies of Texas | San Antonio
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