The Lead June 8, 2021 - LeadingAge Illinois

From the Desk of Karen Messer, President and CEO

Nursing and Rehabilitation:
LeadingAge Submits Comments on SNF PPS Proposed Rule

Independent/Subsidized Housing:
Pre-1974 Section 202 Preservation
HUD Issues Updated Brochure to Address Resident COVID-19 Concerns

Home Health and Hospice:
LeadingAge Submits Comments on FY2022 Hospice Wage Index Rule

Home and Community Based Services (HCBS):
Upcoming CMS Webinar on HCBS and Community Reintegration
Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act Reintroduced in Congress

Other:
Strengthening the Direct Care Workforce
Webinar on Monoclonal Antibody Treatment

From the Desk of Karen Messer, President and CEO:
LeadingAge National continues to help members educate staff and older adults about COVID vaccinations. Through “Drive for 75” updates during Online Policy Updates and online information and resources, they are gathering ideas and options for members across aging services. Looking for funding for some of your vaccine communication? One way might be through FEMA’s Public Assistance Program. The agency is funding some activities to increase public confidence in and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines.

With gratitude,

Karen

Top Stories:

Medicaid Rate Reform Update
The discussions on Medicaid Rate Reform will now continue into the summer as a redesign was not formalized during the legislative session. LeadingAge Illinois will meet regularly with HFS, the other associations, and other stakeholders to work towards finalizing a model. This issue will be a priority and a large part of our discussions with legislators, particularly members of the Medicaid Work Group.

The Illinois General Assembly adjourned June 1, passing a state budget (SB2800) and the Budget Implementation Bill (BIMP; SB2017). The following language was in the BIMP that passed:

Sec. 5-2.10: Increased accountability for nursing facilities.
The Department (HFS) shall develop a plan for the revitalization of nursing homes licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act and shall report to the Governor and the General Assembly on a recommended course of action, including, but not limited to, the following:

(1) significantly increasing federal funds by streamlining and raising the nursing home provider assessment on occupied beds;
(2) improving payments through increased funding and providing additional incentives for staffing, quality metrics and infection control measures; and
(3) transitioning the methodologies for reimbursement of nursing services as provided under this Article to the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) developed by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

We will keep you abreast of all activity surrounding rate redesign as discussions continue.

Guidance to Long Term Care Providers Regarding the Implementation of HealthChoice Illinois ADT
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) has posted a new Provider Notice regarding Guidance to Long Term Care Providers Regarding the Implementation of HealthChoice Illinois ADT. LeadingAge Illinois attended a meeting led by HFS last week on the ADT.

Long term care providers are asked to complete a short survey to assist HFS in determining provider readiness and technology resources.

HFS will host an online demonstration of the technology platform for long-term care providers on Tuesday, June 15at 10:00 a.m. CST.

Tuesday, June 15, 2021 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. CST
Meeting link
Meeting number (access code): 177 505 0175
Meeting password: Yu336ATXVcX
Join by phone: +1-312-535-8110

CMS Bulletin on American Rescue Plan and Medicaid
On June 3, CMS issued a bulletin for state Medicaid agencies addressing the changes ARP made to the Medicaid program. Specific provisions covered include coverage of COVID-19 vaccination in Medicaid, the enhanced FMAP for HCBS, and how/why certain federal relief (e.g., the stimulus checks, unemployment insurance, certain tax credits) do not count against a person’s financial eligibility for Medicaid. See the bulletin here.

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Nursing and Rehabilitation:

LeadingAge Submits Comments on SNF PPS Proposed Rule
LeadingAge National has submitted comments on the Skilled Nursing Facilities PPS Proposed Rule. Click here to view the comment letter.

Independent/Subsidized Housing:

Pre-1974 Section 202 Preservation
Please join LeadingAge on Thursday, June 10 at 1 p.m. CST for a conversation about preserving pre-1974 Section 202 Direct Loan affordable senior housing communities. LeadingAge is working to promote preservation strategies for these homes. Register here. Speakers on the June 10 call will be John Ardovini, HUD Office of Recapitalization, to discuss preservation options, and Naren Dhamodharan and Mark Oswanski, Hampden Park, to discuss the process for nonprofits to preserve this housing. For more about pre-1974 Section 202 Direct Loan housing, see this HUD resource. To submit questions in advance of the June 10 event, please email Linda Couch. Please feel free to share this invitation with others.

HUD Issues Updated Brochure to Address Resident COVID-19 Concerns
HUD has issued an updated resident brochure addressing tenant concerns during the pandemic, including information about the current eviction moratorium. The brochure reminds residents that rent is still due during the moratorium, but clarifies how residents can make use of the eviction protections in place until June 30. The brochure also offers contact information for residents who want to notify HUD about unacceptable living conditions at HUD-assisted properties. The brochure is available here.

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Home Health and Hospice:

LeadingAge Submits Comments on FY2022 Hospice Wage Index Rule
LeadingAge National recently submitted comments on the FY2022 Hospice Wage Index Rule. Click here to view the comment letter.

Home and Community Based Services (HCBS):

Upcoming CMS Webinar on HCBS and Community Reintegration
CMS is hosting a webinar on June 22 at 12:30 p.m. CST on “Post-Pandemic Re-Integration and Assessment of Community Interactions.” The purpose of this training is to assist states to successfully re-integrate individuals receiving home and community-based services (HCBS) and supports into their communities by redefining the baseline for community access as the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic are relaxed or eliminated. Members in the Medicaid HCBS space may be interested in attending to hear directly from CMS and have the opportunity to take part in a question and answer session receiving feedback from CMS. Register here.

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Home Health Emergency Access to Telehealth (HEAT) Act Reintroduced in Congress
Introduced recently at the federal level was the HEAT Act, a bipartisan bill to provide Medicare reimbursement for audio and video telehealth services furnished by home health agencies during the COVID-19 emergency and future public health emergencies.

Other:

Strengthening the Direct Care Workforce
Last week, LeadingAge’s Senior Vice President of Research, Robyn Stone, joined Mathematica’s Center for Studying Disability Policy and other panelists for a webinar on strengthening the direct care workforce post-COVID. They highlighted state and local initiatives that scaled up evidence-based recruitment, retention, training, and career advancement strategies, and discussed adaptations made in response to COVID-19. Watch the webinar recording and check-out this article from McKnight’s Long-Term Care News about the webinar.

Webinar on Monoclonal Antibody Treatment
On June 15 at 2 p.m. CST, LeadingAge, AHCA, and AMDA are cosponsoring a webinar – Update on the Use of Monoclonal Antibody (mAb) Therapies for COVID-19:A Review of New Treatments and At-Risk Populations. Leaders from the Federal COVID Response Team and three experts, including Paul Reinbold, Chief Medical Director of LeadingAge member ACTS Retirement Life Communities, will provide the latest clinical updates on mAbs for COVID-19, including a review of the new NIH guidelines and talk about the use of these treatments. Panelists will discuss their experiences with these treatments. The webinar is free. It will be hosted on the AHCA learning platform. You can register here. It will look like it has a cost, but when you check out the cost will be $0.