General News 

Vol. 22 Issue 26

• Describe the legislative intent of the Nurse Practice Act.
• Identify specific laws and rules which govern the practice of nursing in Florida.
• Explain the levels of nursing practice in the State of Florida and the general scope of practice which accompanies each level.
• Discuss the continuing education requirements for nursing license renewal in Florida.
• Illustrate, through case study, actions which represent violations of the Nurse Practice Act.
• Specify methodologies which the professional nurse can adopt for career maintenance and development within the limits of the law.

Governor Scott Releases the Florida First Budget – Fresh off the press is the Governor’s Recommended Budget for FY 2016-17. As publicized in several previous media alerts and press conferences, the budget cuts taxes by $1 billion by permanently eliminating income tax on manufacturing and retail businesses ($770 million), permanently eliminating the tax on manufacturing machinery equipment ($77 million), and reducing the tax on commercial leases ($339 million). Below is a list of issues important to LeadingAge Florida members.

• 150 new slots for the Alzheimer’s Disease Initiative Program ($1.7 million)
• 330 new slots for the Community Care for the Elderly Program ($2 million)
• Additional funding for the Statewide Public Guardianship Program ($3 million)
• No price level increase for nursing homes and hospitals
• Funding for a study of a prospective nursing home payment plan ($500,000)
• Funding for an eight veterans nursing home ($4.1 million)
• No new PACE slots

LeadingAge Florida President/CEO Steve Bahmer was quoted in the Agency for Health Care Administration release regarding Governor Scott’s Recommended Budget.

Urban and Milliman, Inc. modeled several insurance options to demonstrate how new policies might shape the impact of LTSS costs on families -- who pay more than $100 billion annually out-of-pocket caregiving expenses -- and the Medicaid program, which is the agency that shoulders most of the federal burden. Other compelling statistics about the financial impact of paying for LTSS include:

• $182,000 - the average amount a woman can expect to pay in LTSS as she ages ($91,000 for men).
• 52% of Americans who reach age 65 will someday need a high level of help with everyday activities.
• Families are spending over 100 billion dollars a year, covering about half of paid care directly.

“We are excited and optimistic about what the results from this study reveal: there are options that can help the family pocketbook, help the taxpayer, and relieve the Medicaid financial burden,” said LeadingAge President and CEO Larry Minnix. “The bad news is that our aging society will have problems they don’t know they will encounter. But the good news is that there are solutions to help people plan better and relieve financial pressure.”

America’s population is aging and with that comes unprecedented rates of chronic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s, heart disease, and diabetes. Despite this, the United States stands out as one of the few remaining industrialized countries that does not have a planned approach for financing the care needed by its growing numbers of older adults.

The results of this new study show that this will likely require a public/private solution to help people plan for and meet their LTSS needs, honor the critical role of families without financially crippling them, and safeguard governmental resources by curbing reliance on Medicaid.

Minnix concludes, “LeadingAge -- in collaboration with our colleagues -- will put solutions on the table for Congress, governors’ offices, and the White House.”

Celebrating Our Veterans – After celebrating Veterans Day, we look at the calendar and want to celebrate Veterans again - with an eye on Pearl Harbor Day on December 7.

We are searching for stories from your residents who served in World War II. Please contact Greg Ungru at (850) 339-8271 with information for veterans or their spouses for recognition of their service as The Greatest Generation.

After Re-evaluation, OIR Adjusts Workers' Comp Decrease to 4.7 Percent – The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) approved a 4.7 percent decrease in workers’ compensation rates following a request from the National Council on Compensation Insurance to re-evaluate some aspects of its initial rate filing.

OIR originally said that NCCI should file a 5.1 percent rate decrease, but adjusted their expectations after NCCI urged them to re-examine three specific items pertaining to its annual rate filing: expense constant, indemnity trend, and the profit and contingency factor.

The Final Order issued today re-confirms the Office’s denial of the requested modifications to the expense constant and indemnity trend. However, the Office granted an increase in the profit and contingency factor from the current approved 2.5 percent to 2.75 percent, which lowered the decrease in workers’ compensation rates from 5.1 percent to 4.7 percent overall. The new rates become effective January 1, 2016 for both new and renewal workers’ compensation rates.

Happy Thanksgiving From LeadingAge Florida! – The LeadingAge Florida office will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27. The LeadingAge Florida Board of Trustees and Staff wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving!

Facts For Features on Thanksgiving (Provided by the U.S. Census Bureau)

In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims — early settlers of Plymouth Colony — held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest. This event is regarded by many as the nation’s first Thanksgiving. The Wampanoag Indians in attendance played a key role. Historians have recorded ceremonies of thanks among other groups of European settlers in North America. These include the British colonists in Virginia as early as 1619.

The legacy of thanks and the feast have survived the centuries, as the event became a national holiday 152 years ago (Oct. 3, 1863) when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving. Later, President Franklin Roosevelt clarified that Thanksgiving should always be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of the month to encourage earlier holiday shopping, never on the occasional fifth Thursday.

Thanksgiving By The Numbers

32
Number of counties, places and townships in the United States named Plymouth, as in Plymouth Rock, the landing site of the first Pilgrims. The two counties, both named Plymouth, are in Massachusetts and Iowa.

24.4 million
Number of U.S. residents of English ancestry as of 2014. Some could very well be descendants of the Plymouth colonists who participated in the autumn feast that is widely believed to be one of the first Thanksgivings — especially the 655,000 living in Massachusetts

66,286
The number of supermarkets and other grocery (except convenience) stores in the United States in 2013. These establishments are expected to be extremely busy around Thanksgiving as people prepare for their delightful meals

228 million
The forecast for the number of turkeys the United States will raise in 2015. That is down 4 percent from the number raised during 2014.

3.0 billion pounds
The total weight of sweet potatoes — another popular Thanksgiving side dish — produced by major sweet potato producing states in 2014.

ValueFirst: Are You In? – Value First, the group purchasing organization that is owned by LeadingAge Florida, is proud to welcome First Quality to our already impressive list of 400+ long-term care vendors. First Quality has become the market leader of Adult Incontinence Products in the U.S. Long Term Care market by creating value beyond providing products. With a Total Care Philosophy, First Quality offers the right products and works with facilities to meet their needs. This is one of many opportunities that ValueFirst brings to its LeadingAge Florida members.

Here are some of the key points that ValueFirst brings to you:

• Value First has a portfolio of more than 400 vendors
• You don’t have to change your vendor
• Value First identifies savings 90% of the time
• LeadingAge Florida members are saving 7% annually on medical supplies
• Savings are available on food, office supplies, environmental supplies, furniture and so much more!

All you need to enroll is a signed Participation Agreement. This Participation Agreement is not a contract and does not bind you to buy anything. No minimum purchase is required. For more information, please contact Robert Bernal at (850) 509-8112 to start saving money now! To view a complete list of Value First vendors please click here.

ICD-10 Manual Available – The AAPC ICD-10 Manual used in the LeadingAge Florida ICD-10 Zero to Hero Workshop is available now in limited supply! Diagnostic coding plays several important roles in every healthcare setting, including long-term care (LTC) nursing facilities. On October 1, 2015, LTC facilities will assign ICD-10-CM codes to capture a resident’s clinical conditions. HIPAA requires that healthcare providers, including LTC facilities, follow the guidance and direction in the ICD-10-CM code system. Purchase this ICD-10 coding book with the latest and most comprehensive update to the code set.  The cost is only $75 for LeadingAge Florida members and $125 for non-members.

For more information and to order your manual, please click here. 

Advertise in the LeadingAge Florida 2016 Membership Directory: Don't Wait! Be Among the First to Sign Up! – For 53 years, companies wanting to be of service to the senior market in Florida have recognized LeadingAge Florida as a resource for reaching their target market. LeadingAge Florida is a multidisciplinary non-profit organization that represents providers who deliver the entire spectrum of aging services in the state of Florida.

We invite you to advertise in our 2016 Membership Directory. Available in both print and digital editions, the directory will be distributed to all LeadingAge Florida members as well as 100% of the hospital discharge planning departments throughout the state.

LeadingAge Florida works with E&M Consulting, as our official publisher of our 2016 Membership Directory. E&M Consulting provides advertising services that build your company’s image and link your brand with buyers in the Florida aging services industry. They will manage all of the ad sales, creative design, and formatting for us. E&M Consulting will be contacting you about placing your message in the 2016 Membership Directory. Please give them a few moments of your time when they call as they are the real deal, are extremely professional, and produce a very high quality directory. For information on advertising, contact Mike Lindsay, Senior Sales Associate at (800) 572-0011 / (850) 270-6301. Click HERE to view the media kit. 

If you have any questions, call LeadingAge Florida and ask for Julie Copeland at (850) 671-3700.