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Volume 27 Issue 24 - May 29, 2020
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RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES
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Nonprofits Say President Offered Misleading Comments About PPE For Nursing Homes
LeadingAge pushed back after President Trump said during a speech Tuesday that the federal government is providing needed resources to states for personal protective equipment.
“He suggested that our country’s 15,000 certified nursing homes are being provided the personal protective equipment (PPE) they need to protect vulnerable older Americans, but we know that’s not true,” Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge said in a statement.
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Statewide Emergency Hurricane Shelter Plan To Consider COVID-19 Complications
Gov. Ron DeSantis and his Cabinet approved the 2020 statewide emergency shelter plan Thursday, weeks ahead of Florida’s hurricane season.
Submitted Jan. 31, the plan serves as a guide to determine new public school, college and university campuses that can be used as hurricane evacuation shelters.
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Nursing Home Reimbursement Updates
Late last week the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the extension of the attestation deadline, giving providers 90 days from receiving a Provider Relief Fund payment to attest to the terms and conditions. This announcement doubles the amount of time for providers to better understand and accept the Terms and Conditions or return the funds. This publication did not mention if June 3rd is still the last day for providers to submit financial data in order to be eligible for a second General Distribution payment, which was announced on May 20th so it shouldn’t be assumed that the June 3rd date is being extended.
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Also late last week another set of relief funds started flowing to SNF providers. According to the HHS, payments will be based off of the following formula: $50,000 per SNF, plus a per bed distribution of $2,500. More information about the provider relief funds can be found here with additional FAQs.
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COVID-19 and Nursing Homes: Let’s Get the Whole Story
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We have long known that older adults are among the highest-risk populations for infection and, sadly, death as a result of the coronavirus.
That is one of many reasons that, nearly three months ago, LeadingAge Florida-member nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, continuing-care retirement communities, and affordable-housing communities implemented a broad range of efforts to prevent the coronavirus from infiltrating their buildings.
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The breadth of seniors served in those settings — from active older adults in independent living, to the frailest elders in nursing homes — has meant LeadingAge Florida members have been working hard to protect their communities while simultaneously deploying creative methods and technology to avoid the detrimental effects of social isolation.
They have been checking temperatures of staff and residents daily, monitoring even the slightest changes in residents’ health conditions, restricting visitors, canceling events and activities, and communicating with residents and their families daily about these and other steps, well in advance of any directive to do so.
They have closely followed all CDC guidelines and state orders regarding screening, restricting visitors, shutting down common areas and group activities, and urging independent living residents to stay in their homes, among other things.
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COVID-19 Forces Senior Living Communities To Adapt To An Uncertain Future
COVID-19 has forced senior living communities across Southwest Florida to adapt to a rapidly changing social and economic landscape to keep members of the vulnerable population healthy.
If you asked Marlene DiDonato, who lives at Gulf Coast Village in Cape Coral, her community has more than risen to the occasion to meet her needs.
“I walk around every day and say ‘Thank God,’” DiDonato said. “They are doing absolutely everything possible that they can do to try to keep morale up.”
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Stock up! Disaster Preparedness Tax-Free Holiday Is Here
Save on flashlights, radios, batteries, coolers and generators — everything you need for hurricane season! It’s not just a TV advertisement, it’s the law! The Florida Legislature passed this tax-saving measure, and the Governor signed it into law to create the Disaster Preparedness Tax-Free Holiday.
Hurricane season starts June 1, and if the forecasts are accurate, it’s going to be a very active season here in Florida. That’s nothing new — this is Florida. We’ve grown to expect hurricanes.
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The 2020 LeadingAge Florida Hurricane Preparedness Guide is now available and posted on our Emergency Preparedness page.
Hurricane season begins June 1st and runs through November 30th. This season is predicted by many to be a more active year than usual with 16 named storms, eight hurricanes, and four major hurricanes.
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Modeling Suggests Florida Is Past The Coronavirus Peak, Facing 4K Deaths By August
Nearly 4,000 Floridians could die of COVID-19 by early August, according to one model referenced by state and federal officials.
The model, produced by the University of Washington-affiliated Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), predicts 3,899 COVID-19 deaths by Aug. 4 as daily deaths decline rather than increase.
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Ziegler Survey Indicates Low Incidence of COVID-19 Cases in Majority of Continuing Care/Life Plan Communities Nationwide
The May 2020 Ziegler CFO Hotline summarizes the responses of 320 CFOs for non-profit continuing care/life plan communities pertaining to COVID-19 related issues. These 320 responses represent approximately 600 communities across the country. According to Rich Scanlon, this level of response from the CFOs was nearly 30% greater than the number of responses received for other CFO Hotlines– an indication of the level of interest in the topic. 68.5% of respondents reported that 2% or less of their residents had tested positive for the virus. 70.5% reported that positive cases accounted for 2 % or less of the total number of staff. 31 % of respondents reported no cases of COVID-19 for either staff or residents.
One of the questions that Ziegler is asked quite frequently as a result of COVID-19 and its “macro” impact on senior living is – “Will people want to continue to move into a CCRC/LPC in the future.” Click here for an article with one resident’s perspective. Uplifting stories such as this from satisfied residents is a marketing tool that can help as you move forward.
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Webinar: Lessen Litigation with a Lesson in Litigation
June 3, 2020 | 3 PM EDT
This one-hour webinar is intended to educate you on the current theories of liability and to reduce the possibility of litigation by providing practical tips and best practices during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn about the intent to sue letters sent to nursing home and assisted living providers related to care during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Review the theories of liability claimed by plaintiffs
- Participate in a discussion of specific steps to take to reduce your exposure to COVID-19 lawsuits
Contact Hours: Up to 1 contact hour of credit for Nursing Home Administrators, ALF Administrators, Nurses and Social Workers.
Speakers:
Attorneys Kirsten Ullman and Brian Bursa (Ullman Bursa Law)
Why is this webinar important? Even if you are doing everything right, the risks of a law suit are greater than usual because of the pandemic. Now is the time to do a self-assessment to make sure that you are in a good position to defend your organization if that happens. Among other things, the speakers will discuss proper documentation, employee relations, media relations, survey findings, and much more.
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Home Health Agency License – an Option for Retirement Communities to Consider
Continuing care/life plan communities and other similar communities with a licensed home health agency may have had an advantage during the pandemic since they were able to provide a wider variety of services to residents while the campus was closed to private duty aides and other home health agencies. At the same time, the home health agency was a source of revenue.
If you do not have a home health agency and are interested in exploring the possibility of applying for a license, LeadingAge Florida was instrumental over the years in amending sections of law that may be of help. The statutes that follow provide exemptions to communities licensed under chapter 651, Florida Statute, and similar full-service retirement communities that offer personal care services to residents in independent living. They provide opportunities for providers to use staff more efficiently when multiple levels of care are offered to allow residents to age in place. Communities that use this option must establishes policies that give residents the option of contracting for services and care beyond that which is provided by the community through its home health agency.
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Webinar 10-part Series: 5-Star Insights - Achieve 5 Stars in 2020
Monthly through December | 2:00 pm ET
(Every 3rd Tuesday of the month)
If you missed the March and April webinars - you can still sign up for the 10-part series and the March and April pre-recorded webinars will be provided.
This 10-part webinar series will focus on advancing results in the three domains of the CMS 5-Star Quality Rating System: Health Inspections, Staffing, and Quality Measures. You will gain insight into how the health inspection, staffing, quality measure, and overall rating is calculated. Tips on how to analyze your data and develop an effective action plan to achieve 5-Star status will be emphasized, along with practical facility application of QAPI elements to drive your 5-Star Ratings.
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Personal Safety Mask Solution
Value First has been researching various suppliers that can fill member needs for critical supplies such as masks, gowns, sanitizer, etc. We believe we have found a viable solution for reusable antimicrobial personal safety masks. Click here to read the full announcement. We also have a resource for gowns through Jostens. To obtain the Jostens Surgical Gown Order Form click here.
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Copyright 2020 — Publication of LeadingAge Florida
Chair: Joel L. Anderson
President/CEO: Steve Bahmer
Managing Editor: Nick Van Der Linden
Copyright Information: Copies of the articles and other information in this publication may be non-commercially reproduced for the purpose of educational or scientific advancement. Otherwise, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form, or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying, microfilm and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the managing editor. For permission to reproduce, contact the managing editor via email or phone (850) 671-3700.
The information provided via this newsletter is provided “as is” without representations or warranties, express or implied. LeadingAge Florida makes no representations or warranties in relation to the legal information on this website.
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