The LEAD August 6, 2020 - LeadingAge Illinois

The LEAD August 6, 2020

Table of Contents:

CCRC/Life Plan Communities:
Preparing to Resume Dining Services

Nursing:
SNF Provider Preview Reports Now Available
CMS Proposes 9% Cut to Medicare Therapy Rates
IDPH Adopts Rules on Infection Control Policies

Assisted Living:
Argentum’s COVID Preparation and Response Toolkit
Belmont Village Receives 2020 Best of the Best Award from Argentum
Assisted Living Update

Supportive Living:
Enrollment Transition Information Form Update

Independent Affordable/Subsidized Housing:
LeadingAge Illinois HUD Member Regional Conference Calls
HUD CSP Requests Tip Sheet
IHDA August Board Meeting Set for August 21
IHDA Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program Resources

Home Health & Hospice:
COVID-19 Hospice Respite Care Relief Act of 2020 Introduced
CMS Announces Corrected Provider Preview Reports and Star Rating Preview Reports Have Been Reposted

Home and Community-based Services:
Congress Needs To Hear From You
Department on Aging Launches Campaign to Protect Seniors from Abuse
Department on Aging Extends Deadline for 2020 Senior Hall of Fame Nominations
7th Annual Private Duty Home Care Symposium Goes Virtual

Technology:
Collaborative Care Health IT Summit Goes Virtual

Other:
Resource for Gloves
Personal Protective Equipment Update
Accessing Your TANS Status Reports
Telehealth Update
Member Spotlight: Mary Alice Ryan Inducted into Hall of Honor
Take Part in the 2020 LeadingAge Illinois PAC Campaign
LeadingAge Coronavirus Daily Update Call

Education:
Save the Date – LeadingAge Illinois Virtual Senior Living Conference
Free Webinar on August 13

Top Stories:

Testing Update
LeadingAge Illinois and the other associations continue to meet with the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) twice per week on COVID-19 issues.

Testing Coverage:
We alerted the departments that we have heard from members that their employee testing claims have been denied by an insurance company. HFS reported that they have been meeting internally on this issue. We will continue to push for this issue to be addressed by the State.

Point-of-care:
IDPH reported that they have drafted guidance on point-of-care testing. The guidance is under review by their legal staff. Once we receive it, we will have an update in an upcoming edition of this newsletter.

As LeadingAge discussed on their national member update calls, nursing homes are required to have a CLIA certificate of waiver to operate the new point-of-care testing devices that are being sent out through the HHS testing initiative. They are also required to comply with HHS Lab Data Reporting Guidance that requires, among other things, reporting all tests conducted in your nursing home to the state/local health department. The CDC released updated guidance this week that helps explain these requirements. You can also check out this new Q&A document from LeadingAge for answers to some of the questions they have been receiving.

LeadingAge Illinois Announces 2020 Honoring Excellence Award Recipients
LeadingAge Illinois recently recognized member organizations and their staff as the 2020 Honoring Excellence Award recipients. Each winner exemplifies the core values of the Honoring Excellence Awards. While we weren’t able to hold the awards program at this year’s LeadingAge Illinois Annual Meeting & Expo, we would like to congratulate each winner for their unwavering commitment to quality, excellence, and serving as inspiration to others as well as recognizing their considerable achievements! Click here to read more about the award winners.

IDPH Schedules August COVID-19 Webinars
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) is hosting webinars to provide COVID-19 updates and answer questions from long-term care and congregate residential settings.

Here’s the schedule for August:

Webinar attendance is limited. If you cannot register or get in, email Michael Moore.

IDPH will be recording the webinars and sending out the links of the recordings.

CLA Tool Helps Health Organizations Track COVID-19 Economic Relief Expenses
CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen LLP) has an innovative tracking tool to help health care organizations record COVID-19 economic relief spending. Now, organizations can arrange spending in accordance with the compliance and reporting initiatives.

Illinois General Assembly Announces Veto Session Dates
The annual six-day veto session schedule was released recently by the Illinois General Assembly. The 2020 veto session dates are November 17-19 and December 1-3. There has been no word on how the General Assembly will convene in person. In the spring session, the Senate met at the Illinois State Capitol, while the House met at the local Springfield Convention Center to allow for social distancing. LeadingAge Illinois will provide full updates of the veto session in The Lead.

Stay Connected – LeadingAge Illinois COVID-19 Resources
Stay up to date on state and federal COVID-19 information and updates by accessing the LeadingAge Illinois COVID-19 Resources page. You can also engage with other Illinois members through our listservs, connecting you with your peers by provider type. We have now added a COVID-19 listserv. Contact LeadingAge Illinois if you’d like more information about the listservs or would like to join one.

Testing Resources
We continue to track resources for testing to provide to our members. We will keep you updated on legitimate information we receive. Here is a look at some of the information and resources we have gathered to date (we will keep a running list updated in the newsletter):

Acutis Diagnostics Inc.
Paul Jaskowiak
Sales Specialist
219.508.6206 (Cell)
844.522.8847 (Support)
631.532.1680 (Fax)
Provides testing, supplies and results

Aegis Sciences Corporation
Brent Branneman
800.533.7052
Provides testing, packaging and results ($100 each test)

LabCorp
Indianapolis, Indiana
Services Offered: PCR testing, Courier services
Email

Mayo Clinic Labs
800-533-1710
E-Mail

Reditus
Pekin, Illinois
Phone: 469.498.0222
Services Offered: PCR Testing and courier services available

StarLab Corp
Richard Felicelda

Strategic Lab Partners
Products and Pricing
Order Form
Does not include lab processing.

Tempus
Chicago, Illinois
Services Offered: PCR testing, Shipping is available to and from the sites
Phone: 833.514.4187
Email

CCRC/Life Plan Communities:
Preparing to Resume Dining Services
LeadingAge Illinois recently hosted a CCRC/Life Plan Communities Member Connection Forum titled “Preparing to Resume Dining Services.” The virtual meeting featured a presentation from Dee Pekruhn, director of life plan communities services & policy at LeadingAge national. Members with interest can see her presentation here.

Nursing:
SNF Provider Preview Reports Now Available
Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. The data contained within the Preview Reports is based on quality data submitted by SNFs between Q1 2019 – Q4 2019 (1/01/19 – 12/31/19) (for assessment-based measures) and Q4 2017 and Q3 2019 (10/01/17 – 9/30/19) (for claims-based measures).

The data reflects what will be published on Nursing Home Compare during the October 2020 refresh of the website. Providers have until August 30, 2020 to review their performance data. Corrections to the underlying data will not be permitted during this time; however, providers can request CMS review of their data during the preview period if they believe the quality measure scores that are displayed within their Preview Reports are inaccurate.

Beginning with the October 2020 refresh, CMS will publicly display six new measures on the Nursing Home Compare website:

Changes in Skin Integrity Post-Acute Care: Pressure Ulcer/Injury,
Drug Regimen Review Conducted with Follow-Up for Identified Issues – PAC SNF QRP,
Application of IRF Functional Outcome Measure: Change in Self-Care (NQF #2633),
Application of IRF Functional Outcome Measure: Change in Mobility (NQF #2634),
Application of IRF Functional Outcome Measure: Discharge Self-Care Score (NQF #2635), and
Application of IRF Functional Outcome Measure: Discharge Mobility Score (NQF #2636)

SNF performance data for these measures will be included for the first time on this preview report.

The following existing measures will continue to be reported as part of the October 2020 refresh

Application of Percent of Residents Experiencing One or More Falls with Major Injury (Long Stay),
Application of Percent of Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Patients With an Admission and Discharge Functional Assessment and a Care Plan That Addresses Function,
Medicare Spending Per Beneficiary – PAC SNF QRP,
Discharge to Community – PAC SNF QRP, and
Potentially Preventable 30-Day Post-Discharge Readmission Measure – SNF QRP

CMS is implementing the annual refresh of the SNF QRP claims-based measures during the October 2020 refresh of NH Compare. The annual refresh will include updates to the Medicare Spending per Beneficiary (MSPB), Discharge to Community (DTC) measure, and the Potentially Preventable Readmissions (PPR) measure.

For more information:

Source: CMS

CMS Proposes 9% Cut to Medicare Therapy Rates
A recent CMS proposal to cut Medicare Part B therapy rates by 9% would be a major blow for physical/occupational therapy and speech-language services in nursing homes. The 2021 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule was released by CMS along with the announcement to permanently extend some of the telehealth waivers. The cuts would take affect January 1, 2021. We are in the process of further analyzing the proposal and determining any advocacy needed on the issue. More information will be made available in upcoming editions of The Lead.

IDPH Adopts Rules on Infection Control Policies
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) recently officially adopted emergency rules for skilled nursing facilities that went into effect July 14, amending a previous emergency rule adopted May 28 for the remainder of its 150-day term. The new emergency rules clarify IDPH’s infection control policies for long term care facilities in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Each facility must maintain its written infection control policies and procedures on site and make them available upon request to residents and their families or representatives (the previous emergency rule required that individual copies be provided to each resident and their families/ representatives). The rules also lists the specific Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for COVID-19 testing and infection control that facilities must follow; previously, facilities were directed to comply with any infection control recommendations provided by IDPH or a certified local health department.

Assisted Living:

Assisted Living Update
We have a few brief updates we wanted to share today on assisted living.

Annual and complaint surveys resumed the week of July 27.
Currently, there are 519 licensed assisted living establishments in Illinois. There are 10 pending licensure.
The LeadingAge Illinois Assisted Living Cabinet meets August 12. The Cabinet sets the agenda for the association’s assisted living agenda.

Argentum’s COVID Preparation and Response Toolkit
Argentum has a COVID Preparation and Response Toolkit with resources, links, and suggested best practices for a thoughtful approach to COVID-19 preparation and response in senior living communities. The information is updated often as they learn about new resources, guidelines, and public health directives.

Belmont Village Receives 2020 Best of the Best Award from Argentum
Belmont Village, which has five communities in Illinois, recently was recognized by Argentum in their 2020 Best of the Best Awards, receiving the Total Incontinence Management (TIM) Award.

While it is not often talked about, incontinence affects up to 49% of senior living residents; it can lead to serious health problems and raises costs for families and providers. Belmont Village, in collaboration with Secure Personal Care Products, developed a research-based, comprehensive approach called Total Incontinence Management (TIM). Caregiver education and selection of correct protocols and products for each resident has led to a 28 percent average decrease in falls, a 54 percent decrease in UTIs, and good to strong approval in caregiver surveys.

Supportive Living:

Enrollment Transition Information Form Update
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) reports that health plans were notified to begin using the Enrollment Transition Information (ETI) on July 1, effective immediately. Supportive Living Program (SLP) related updates include the requirement to share the ETI with the Supportive Living provider effective July 1. Previously, the SLP had a copy of this service plan, but with the new changes to service planning under the SLP waiver July 1, plans must complete the ETI and send to the SLP when a member disenrolls. That information has been added to the top of the ETI, as well as the bottom of Page 4. Providers with questions can contact Sara Reardon at HFS.

Independent Affordable/Subsidized Housing:

LeadingAge Illinois HUD Member Regional Conference Calls
The next monthly LeadingAge Illinois HUD Member Conference Calls is set for Thursday, August 20 from 12-1 p.m. The monthly calls take place every third Thursday each month and include members and staff from Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Missouri. The calls feature important updates from Linda Couch, vice president of housing policy and Juliana Bilowich, director, housing operations and policy at LeadingAge, Washington, D.C. To RSVP, contact Jason Speaks.

HUD CSP Requests Tip Sheet
HUD provided LeadingAge with a document titled “Tips for Completing HUD Form 52670-E.” The document follows HUD’s July 23 announcement of COVID-19 Supplemental Payments (CSPs) for multifamily housing providers to request reimbursement for pandemic-related expenses. LeadingAge has continued to ask HUD for clarification on the process for owners to requests CSP payments ahead of the August 5 deadline. HUD staff also answered additional LeadingAge member questions; more information will be available here.

IHDA August Board Meeting Set for August 21
The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) will hold their monthly board meeting on Friday, August 21 11:00 a.m. via video. IHDA welcomes and appreciates public participation in its public meetings. Join by video with the password: BOARD8. You can join by phone at 312.626.6799 with the ID: 818.4419.1602 and password:403512.

IHDA Rent and Mortgage Assistance Program Resources
The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) had an information session on Monday for the rental and mortgage assistance program. The rent assistance program launches on August 10. The mortgage assistance program will be starting August 24.

Home Health & Hospice:

COVID-19 Hospice Respite Care Relief Act of 2020 Introduced
LeadingAge and partner VNAA/ElevatingHOME have worked closely with lawmakers on creating a new proposal recently introduced in the U.S. Senate, the COVID-19 Hospice Respite Care Relief Act of 2020.

The legislation is in response to challenges in the field during the pandemic that have been heard from hospice members. The Act would provide the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) with the authority to make the hospice respite care benefit more flexible during any public health emergency, including the current COVID-19 pandemic. It would allow the Secretary to waive the existing benefit in the following two ways:

Authority to waive the 5-day maximum for respite care when the caregiver is unable to provide care due to illness or isolation, for up to 15 days.
Authority to waive the requirement that respite care only be provided in the inpatient setting, making the hospice respite benefit available to hospice patients in their place of residence, thereby keeping the patient safe and reducing exposure to COVID-19.

More information, including how you can contact Congress about this proposal, will be reported in the next edition of The Lead.

CMS Announces Corrected Provider Preview Reports and Star Rating Preview Reports Have Been Reposted
Home Health Agency Provider Preview Reports and the Quality of Patient Care Star Rating Preview Reports that were posted previously on June 25 contained an error. The previous reports contained the HHA observed values instead of the risk adjusted values. The reports have been corrected and are now available.

You can find both reports by selecting “My Reports” in iQIES. These reports preview data that will be displayed in the Home Health Compare website beginning around October 30. Providers are encouraged to save a copy of their preview reports for later reference. Providers have until August 20 to review their performance data. Corrections to the underlying data will not be permitted during this time; however, providers can request CMS review of their data during the preview period if they believe the quality measure scores that are displayed within their Preview Reports are inaccurate.

Learn more about the Home Health QRP data submission deadlines here and about the Home Health Star Ratings here.

Home and Community-based Services:

Congress Needs To Hear From You
Join us as we urge Congress to provide critical support to home and community-based services providers.

Leaders in Congress are negotiating the next major COVID-19 relief package. NOW is the time to make your voice heard to ensure that the critical needs home and community-based services providers are included in the final package. This includes support for adult day services providers, PACE organizations, and providers of in-home services (personal/home care, private duty nursing, and more).

The House-passed Heroes Act recognizes the importance of home and community-based services in the continuum of care for older people. However, the Senate package makes no mention of these important services.

Tell Congress that the next COVID-19 relief package must include home and community-based services provisions. Act now by emailing your members of Congress.

Deliver Your Message Now

Department on Aging Launches Campaign to Protect Seniors from Abuse
The Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) has launched a new public and professional awareness campaign to remind everyone about the importance of reporting suspected abuse, neglect and exploitation of persons ages 60 and older and also persons with disabilities ages 18-59.

Specifically, Engage2Change is a three-year campaign theme for IDoA’s Office of Adult Protective Services (APS). IDoA’s APS received a $2.1 million grant from the federal Administration for Community Living. The grant will execute a public awareness campaign through the CBS Community Partnership Division to include broadcast television, email marketing, and digital platforms which encourage people to do their part to assist in preventing abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable Illinoisans. Additionally, other components of the grant include APS Caseworker Simulation Training, Caseworker Trauma-Informed Training, and Legal Professional Training to educate the judiciary and legal professions about APS.

Department on Aging Extends Deadline for 2020 Senior Hall of Fame Nominations
The Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) has extended the deadline for accepting nominations for the 2020 Senior Illinoisans Hall of Fame Awards. These awards recognize adults, 65 years of age and older, and highlight the meaningful contributions they have made in Illinois. The deadline for nominations is now August 31.

7th Annual Private Duty Home Care Symposium Goes Virtual
This year’s event is virtual and you can connect from anywhere. The annual symposium is co-sponsored by LeadingAge Illinois, the Illinois HomeCare & Hospice Council, and the Illinois Chapter of the Home Care Association of America. It is one of the industry’s premier events in Illinois. Over 200 home care owners, administrators and clinical staff from across the state attend this educational and networking seminar each year. Registration information coming soon.

Technology:

Collaborative Care Health IT Summit Goes Virtual
The virtual 2020 Collaborative Care Health IT Summit will be held Sept. 15-17. LeadingAge CAST and the LTPAC Health IT Collaborative look forward to seeing you online for this premiere conference for information technology leaders in the long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC) sector. The Summit will feature several real-world cross-sector applications of interoperability, telehealth, health information exchange, care coordination, and data analytics technologies, especially in response to, and in light of, challenges and opportunities created by COVID-19. Register now!

Other:

Resource for Gloves
A number of members have informed LeadingAge Illinois/Value First that they are looking for gloves. Your Value First team has vetted and found a source for vinyl exam gloves ($7.25 per box of 100; all sizes) that are in stock and available for immediate shipping. This offer is available to all LeadingAge members. Members with interest can contact Terry Romin, group purchasing advisor for LeadingAge Illinois/Value First who will make the introduction to the supplier once you contact her and to help flag you as priority for service from this supplier.

Personal Protective Equipment Update
The LeadingAge Illinois and Value First team continue to work to keep you updated on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and items needed for the reopening phases in your communities. We encourage you to continue to work with your trusted food, medical, and janitorial distributors for your supply needs. However, we are also aware our “normal” channels may still be working to catch up with demands and realize that allocations are still in place. The following vendors have all been vetted for your use. See this letter from LeadingAge Illinois/Value First.

Accessing Your TANS Status Reports
LeadingAge Illinois will be discontinuing the distribution of the Transaction Audit Number
(TAN) lookup tool to members as a result of a modified contract with M. Werner Consulting. LeadingAge Illinois members can still access and track your Medicaid Admits/Pendings through the Illinois Department of Healthcare & Family Services (HFS) website. The 2020 report is available here. Members who need assistance accessing information through the above links or who have questions can contact Kirk Riva, Vice President of Public Policy.

Telehealth Update
President Trump signed an executive order (EO) this week that proposes a permanent extension of some telehealth policies that were put in place for the pandemic Public Health Emergency (PHE). Additionally, the EO aims to improve rural healthcare accessibility. The pathway to making these provisions permanent involves several steps. CMS issued its proposed Physician Fee Schedule rule, which includes some additional telehealth authorities as well as services added to the Medicare telehealth list during the PHE that will remain on the list through the calendar year in which the PHE ends. The current PHE goes until October 23. In order to make these temporary authorities permanent, however, Congress will need to take action. The Senate package now under discussion would extend the permanent authorities for a year.

Member Spotlight: Mary Alice Ryan Inducted into Hall of Honor
Mary Alice Ryan, President and CEO of St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System (STARSS), has been inducted into McKnight’s 2020 Women of Distinction Hall of Honor.

A leader in the industry, Mary Alice has previously served as chair of both the LeadingAge and LeadingAge Missouri Board and on the Board of LeadingAge Illinois. She hosted the LeadingAge Illinois and LeadingAge Missouri Housing Member Networking forum earlier this year, which spearheaded the Missouri affiliates’ joining of our monthly HUD member conference calls.

After seven years at STARSS, she was named president & CEO in 1990 as the first woman to lead the organization. The McKnight’s award is the latest honor for Mary Alice, which includes being first ever awardee for the Award for Excellence in Ageing Services from the International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing (IAHSA).

“It is quite an honor to be included with such a group of outstanding women in our field,” said Mary Alice, referring to her recent honor. “I can truly say I have loved doing this mission for the last 40 years and counting.”

Take Part in the 2020 LeadingAge Illinois PAC Campaign
The LeadingAge Illinois Political Action Committee (PAC) is a bipartisan, voluntary, not-for-profit organization representing professional men and women in the field of older adult care and services. Affiliated with LeadingAge Illinois, the PAC was created to support LeadingAge Illiinois’ friends in the Illinois Legislature and also to gain access to those legislators who may not be current on issues affecting our profession. The 2020 campaign is underway and we encourage you to take part today. Click here for information on how to contribute.

LeadingAge Coronavirus Daily Update Call
LeadingAge is hosting online updates that will occur Mondays and Wednesdays in August at 2:30 p.m. Subscribe to “LeadingAge Need to Know” via communications preferences in your MyLeadingAge account to receive email updates. Register for the online updates to add these calls to your calendar. You can find an archive of all member updates here.

Also, if you’re a member of both LeadingAge Illinois and LeadingAge National, stay connected with other LeadingAge National Members and share information and resources through the MyLeadingAge Member Community: COVID-19. This is a place to connect with your peers to share and discuss everyday practices related to the coronavirus virus. Take a moment now to log into your my.leadingage.org account and join the group to stay connected. LeadingAge also has a COVID-19 webpage with the latest updates, information and resources for members.

Education:

Save the Date – LeadingAge Illinois Virtual Senior Living Conference
The LeadingAge Illinois Senior Living Conference will take place September 30 and October 1. Schedule, presenter line-up, and registration coming soon!

Free Webinar on August 13
Fundraising During a Global Pandemic?
How to secure a six-figure gift to help get important technology engagement devices into the hands of your residents.

Overview:
Are you struggling to find the right donor ask during the COVID-19 pandemic? Join this webinar to learn best practices and how to build a compelling case for support for your donors surrounding a new customized senior friendly technology that will help connect your residents to loved ones during these challenging times.

This webinar will be presented for free due to the generosity of Birdsong.