LifeSpan Enews March 30, 2010

DHMH to Survey Nursing Facilities on Flu Vaccine in April
Nursing home providers should expect to receive a flu vaccine survey in the beginning of April from DHMH. This will be the second year that DHMH will be surveying on this issue. Nursing homes will be required to report on all paid, full-time and part-time employees and medical staff such as physicians, physician assistants, or nurse practitioners paid by the nursing home who received FluMist® or injectable seasonal influenza vaccine (excluding Novel H1N1) on-site or off-site between September 1, 2009 and April 15, 2010 and annually thereafter. >Read more

Upcoming Bd of Nursing Meetings on Med Techs
There are two upcoming meetings at the Board of Nursing regarding the CMT process. The first meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 2, 2010 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM. Members of the CNA/CMT department and the Director of Information Technology will present at the meeting to discuss the current process for certifying the medication technician; issues surrounding the CMT renewal; and technology/computer issues. The second meeting is scheduled for Friday, April 30, 2010 1:30 to 4:00 PM. At the second meeting I will arrange for RNs representing School Health, Developmental Disabilities and Assisted Living to meet with you to share the issues and concerns they experience with the MT certification process. These meetings are open to the public.

Beacon Golf Tourney Set for May 17th, Part of Mini-Conference 5/17&5/18
For the first time ever, Beacon will be combining our traditional golf fundraiser with 2 days of education at Turf Valley on May 17-18th. We hope to attract golfers, learners and those who want to do a little of both over 2 days. Look for more details on Beacon's web site.

Both days of this training course will provide tools and resources needed by assisted living professionals to support and enhance client/caregiver relations when behaviors arise that may threaten a safe and harmonious environment. Situations where AL clients with ongoing or episodic psychiatric issues and those clients who develop behaviors that are disruptive to others will be discussed.
>Read more

Review Heightens Concerns Over Medicare Billing at Nursing Homes
Washington Post, March 29, 2010
More than a decade ago, Congress set out to squeeze the fraud out of Medicare billing at nursing homes, requiring more precise justifications for costs. It created new "ultra-high" billing categories intended to be used for only 5 percent of the patients needing highly specialized care and rehabilitation. But within a few years, nursing homes flooded the ultra-high categories with patients, contributing to $542 million a year in potential overpayments, federal analysts found. Since then, the numbers in the ultra-high categories have quadrupled, and the amount of waste and abuse could reach billions of dollars a year, according to nursing home experts and a Washington Post examination of the program. The billing program is specifically targeted in President Obama's health-care legislation passed last week by Congress, changing two rules that experts said have been exploited by nursing homes to inflate bills. >Read more

Volunteers Needed for QIS Mock Surveys
DHMH is currently seeking volunteer facilities to participate in QIS mock surveys on the Eastern Shore and in the Baltimore area. Please contact Vanessa Leuthold at 410-402-8104 or vleuthold@dhmh.state.md.us to volunteer. According to Deputy Director Margie Heald, DHMH has been informed by CMS that the QIS software upgrade, which was expected in May and had been postponed until June, has been delayed again until fall of 2010. Anticipating the software upgrade, DHMH had delayed surveyor training. However, with this most recent delay, DHMH has decided to begin training prior to the software upgrade. Team 5 - Eastern Shore - and remaining untrained surveyors will receive QIS training starting in April. Once this training is complete, all facilities, except Montgomery County, will have QIS Surveys.