HIghlights from March 25th Focus Newsletter

New Visitation Guidance

On March 22 CDPHE released the most recent version of Colorado’s Public Health Order.  The new order changes guidance related to visitation, testing and quarantine practice.  The Department also released a Residential Care Facility Comprehensive Mitigation Guidance document that incorporates all current guidance on visitation, testing, quarantine, and more.  There have been no updates to dining or activities guidance at this time, and providers are expected to continue using the Preparation and Rapid Response Checklist.  If you have specific questions regarding this guidance, CDPHE can be contacted at cdphe_infectionprevention@state.co.us.

Associate Member Promotion: Quiltt is a messaging, communication and efficiency platform designed specifically for senior living communities.  While Quiltt has a variety of different potential uses, the ability to schedule visitation is a real benefit as visitation is opening up more broadly in Colorado.  More details on Quiltt can be found here: Message From Quiltt.

Rebuilding SNF Census

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has launched a new tool for member SNFs to help them gain market insights and rebuild census.  As part of AHCA’s Data Solutions Platform, P3© is a SNF-centered report using hospital and SNF claims to track patient flow and availability in your market area, broken out by clinical categories relevant to the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM). The format of the P3© report is an Excel workbook with four data tabs:

  • Hospital Referral Data: shows discharge patterns from the top 5 hospitals by volume in your market, state and national benchmarks, the top SNFs receiving patients from the top 5 hospitals in your market, the top 5 hospitals referring to your facility by volume
  • SNF LOS and Referral Data: shows the LOS for your facility compared to state and top SNF benchmarks as well as a summary of what settings your facility discharges patients to
  • Market PDPM Data: shows your market’s hospital discharge volume by PDPM category
  • Top Hospital PDPM Data: shows hospital discharge volume by PDPM category for the hospital from which you receive the most referrals

More information can be found on the P3© Website

CDC’s Project Firstline

CDPHE is partnering with the CDC to present Project Firstline, a collaborative focused on providing a foundational knowledge of infection prevention and control basics and best practices.  Project Firstline will begin with short, no-cost, web-based, intensive modules focused on foundational

concepts of infection prevention and control and grounded in behavior change principles and practices.

This training will ensure every worker in every setting is empowered with the science and reasoning

behind essential IPC practices, and can confidently apply those practices to protect themselves, their

facility, their family, and their community. For more information, please review CDPHE’s Project Firstline Flyer.

Ensure that your Vaccine Data is entered into EMResource

CHCA has learned from CDPHE that nearly 2/3 of all long term care providers have not entered vaccine data entered into EMResource.  Just a reminder to members that entering information into EMResource on a daily basis is required, and that survey teams are looking for compliance with this requirement during all survey activity.  If you have questions or need assistance with EMResource, please consult the following links:https://cdphe.colorado.gov/residential-care-strike-team-faqs-emresource
https://www.cohca.org/cdphe-emresource-information/

AHCA/NCAL Covid Honors Program

Today, AHCA/NCAL unveiled its COVID-19 Honors program for long term care staff. This program was created for facilities to recognize their incredible staff in long term care who demonstrated strength and courage in the face of COVID-19. Any facility wishing to honor their staff can participate in this program.​ More information can be found on the AHCA/NCAL Covid Honors Website.

Medicaid COVID-19 Supplemental Payment: Colorado Health Care Policy and Financing (HCPF) has announced that a second COVID-19 supplemental payment will be made to Medicaid Skilled Nursing Providers in 2021.  They are currently waiting on CMS approval of the State Plan Amendment that allows for this this payment to be made.  Originally planned to occur in March, providers can expect to see funds by the end of April 2021.

Similar to the payment made in May of 2020, providers will receive a % of the $13.3 million that has been allocated for this payment.  The amount received will be based on a building’s Medicaid census from 10/1/19 to 9/30/20 divided by state-wide Medicaid census for the same period.  Also, similar to the payment received in 2020 provider’s will need to offset this revenue on their 2021 Med-13 cost report.  We will share further info on this payment as we receive from HCPF.

CHCA Season Ticket

The Colorado Health Care Association & Center for Assisted Living offers a diverse array of quality, timely and innovative professional development programs for 2021.The CHCA Season Ticket offers a great value to those that intend to participate in these programs.  In the past CHCA has offered the Season Ticket to allow up to three people from a building to attend each of 8 specific “Season Ticket” training events.  In 2021 we are enhancing the value of the Season Ticket.  The 2021 Season Ticket will provide access to 20 seats in any regularly priced ($75 or less) classes we host.  This provides your community with $1,500 worth of classes for $750 while significantly increasingly your flexibility! Contact Bonita Jones at bjones@cohca.org for more information.

 

2021 CHCA Member Directory

A reminder that the 20201 CHCA Member Directory is now available in digital format.  You’ll be able to find information and contacts for nursing homes and assisted living communities, management companies, associate members, and more.  This new format will be available to all members 24/7 through our website and through the CHCA APP, available on the App Store and Google Play. This also means that the directory can be updated weekly with new information as it becomes available.

CHCA has put together an Introductory Video to walk members through the functionality our new Directory. The Directory can be accessed here: https://www.cohca.org/directory/.  The Access code for the directory will be: CHCADIR21

If you have any questions about the directory, have any updates you would like to submit, or want to inquire about ad-space within the directory, please contact Katie O’Dell, kodell@cohca.org