The Lead July 9, 2021 - LeadingAge Illinois

From the Desk of Karen Messer, President and CEO

Life Plan Communities/CCRCs:
Life Plan Community (LPC) July Advisory Call

Supportive Living:
New Elopement Risk Assessment Form

Nursing/Rehabilitation:
NHSN Changes and Webinar

Independent/Subsidized Housing:
Eviction Protection Resources

Other:
Visit the LeadingAge Illinois Website for Resources and More

From the Desk of Karen Messer, President and CEO:
On July 2, LeadingAge National sent a letter to OSHA requesting a six-month delay on the compliance dates of the Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) for healthcare settings. The letter also requests an additional 30 days in which to file comments on the ETS. Employers must comply with most provisions by July 6th, and with provisions involving physical barriers, ventilation, and training by July 21st. LeadingAge has a virtual update on the OSHA Emergency Temporary Standard for healthcare settings live on its Learning Hub. The virtual update is free for LeadingAge members. OSHA has created many tools on its resources page to assist employers in compliance. Read the letter here.

Top Stories:

CMS Releases New COVID-19 Accelerated and Advance Payment (CAAP) Repayment and Recovery FAQ
CMS released a new FAQ on the CAAP. It answers questions on terminology, repayment generally, recoupment, paying off the balance, specific questions for Periodic Interim Payment (PIP) providers, cost report impacts, and other topics. It can be found here.

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TANs and Pendings Update
Matt Werner, LeadingAge Illinois Medicaid consultant, has provided on update on Transaction Audit Numbers (TANs) and Medicaid pendings. Click here for the TANs update and here for the Medicaid pendings report.

Life Plan Communities/CCRCs:

Life Plan Community (LPC) July Advisory Call
An open meeting for Life Plan Community members is set for July 13 at 12 pm CST. Topic and guest speakers will focus on Crisis Communication and Marketing for Life Plan Communities today and in the future. Please email Janine Finck-Boyle at LeadingAge National for the zoom link or to ask any questions.

Supportive Living:

New Elopement Risk Assessment Form
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) has issued this update to providers as a follow up to the recent public comment posted for an amendment to the Supportive Living Program (SLP) waiver and the provider notice regarding changes to the elopement risk assessment process for SLP dementia care settings (DCS). In order to be compliant with federal Home and Community Based Setting (HCBS) rules, SLP dementia care setting (DCS) residents are no longer required to have a need for delayed egress as a safety intervention. If a potential or current resident’s ERA does not indicate a need for delayed egress, they may still reside in the DCS. If a resident does not need delayed egress, they must be provided with the alarm code, fob, etc. that will allow them to enter and exit the building at any time independently. You must still provide the resident/family with referral information for other housing/program options for consideration.

Click here for the revised Elopement Risk Assessment (ERA) form. Please begin using this form from now on. The assessment portion has not changed. Language was revised on page two and in the Instructions. The ERA is required prior to admission and quarterly thereafter. All residents, including private pay individuals and those enrolled in Medicaid managed care, must have an ERA completed. For those enrolled in Medicaid managed care, please forward a copy to the MCO case manager. Additionally, the need for delayed egress as a safety intervention must be included in the resident’s service plan. This is very important because delayed egress prevents a resident from leaving the building independently whenever they choose. You must include this information on the ISP/ISS form.

HFS asks for you to update any policy you have related to delayed egress to reflect the new requirement and educate staff.

Nursing/Rehabilitation:

NHSN Changes and Webinar
The CDC has made several changes to the NHSN LTCF COVID-19 reporting module. Changes include removing the ventilator capacity pathway, updating therapeutics and point of care testing, adding pop-up alerts in a few pathways, and changing the layout of certain data elements. The overall goal is a streamlined, more user-friendly process. The CDC will host two webinars to review these changes on July 8 and July 12. Register for the webinar here.

Independent/Subsidized Housing:

Eviction Protection Resources
The national moratorium on evictions for nonpayment of rent will expire on July 31.The U.S. Treasury Department’s Emergency Rental Assistance program allows local programs to cover rent, utilities, and home energy costs. This includes electricity, gas, fuel oil, water and sewer, and trash removal. If a landlord normally pays for utilities or home energy costs, these are counted as part of someone’s rent. The emergency rental assistance may, depending on the local area, also cover reasonable late fees (if not included in rental or utility debt), internet service, moving expenses and other rental-related fees (such as security deposits, application fees, or screening fees) for families who have to move, housing counseling, case management, legal representation, and other housing stability services. Find a local Emergency Rental Assistance program by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s ERA Program finder or this database from the National Low Income Housing Coalition database of programs.

Other:

Visit the LeadingAge Illinois Website for Resources and More
Be sure to frequently visit the LeadingAge Illinois website for the latest resources and information to assist you and your staff. Our website resource include:

View these resources and much more at our website.