Iowa Governor's Conference on Aging & Disabilities- Call for Sessions Ends Next Month
The Iowa Governor's Conference on Aging & Disabilities in May 2016 will shine a regional and national spotlight on the actions the aging and disability community is taking to meet the current challenges and embrace new opportunities. Presenting at the Iowa Governor's Conference on Aging and Disabilities provides you with opportunity to share new ideas or highlight noteworthy programs and practices with other professionals in the field. Do you have a new program you think your colleagues could learn from? Are you delivering services in a noteworthy way? The Iowa Governor's Conference on Aging and Disabilities is looking for you.
Presenters include everyone from professionals who work in the field of aging and disabilities to practitioners in allied professions such as social work, healthcare, architecture, law, finance and more. The conference welcomes all interested presenters to submit proposals, particularly encouraging those showcasing replicable systems and models attendees can use to address common challenges. The deadline to submit applications is Monday, November 9, 2105.
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HCBS Clearinghouse E-Clips
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This section of Friday Update highlights reports that have been added to the HCBS Clearinghouse within the past week. Visit www.nasuad.org/hcbs for more information.
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Design Principles for HCBS Case Mix: A Primer
The University of Michigan Institute of Gerentology released a project about case mix payment design for Home and Community Based Services as part of a grant from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Primer is a design guide for state policy makers who are considering acuity-based resource allocation. Included in the report is: background
information on different HCBS case mix approaches, the steps in the development of a case-mix resource allocation system, essential decision points to consider during the state policy
development process, and best practice recommendations. This Primer is recommended as a tool for policy makers, state staff, and stakeholders to better understand the basic components of case mix.
Click here to access the primer.
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Tips for Engaging Providers in Integrated Care Programs
The Integrated Care Resource Center released a brief that offers tips for engaging providers in integrated care programs for Medicare-Medicaid enrollees. Integrated care programs are successful when a broad spectrum of providers are engaged in the process. This brief provides states with tips on how to engage physicians, hospitals, nursing facilities, and community-based service providers that serve Medicare and Medicaid enrollees. It also provides examples of different approaches from states that have launched integrated care programs.
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| Administration for Community Living |
Federal Grants Awarded to States to Bolster Adult Protective Services Programs
In 2011, a GAO report placed elder abuse in the public eye. To continue this fight, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) is awarding the first-ever federal grants that are specifically designated to improve the Adult Protective Service Systems in the states. The grants are being awarded to Alabama, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington, and will total up to $2.8 million for up to two years. Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc. is also receiving a grant for alomst $850,000 to provide support to state grant recipients and to manage ACL's National Adult Protective Services Resource Center.
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ACL Announces "No Wrong Door" Grant Awardees
The Administration for Community Living (ACL) awarded almost $5 million in grants to 13 states to advance the development of their "No Wrong Door" systems. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) have an ongoing partnership that is supporting these grants. Eight of the states, Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin, already have "No Wrong Door" systems in place and this funding will help them to advance their initiatives. The remaining five states, Alabama, Colorado, District of Columbia, Hawaii, and Virginia, are launching new initiatives. Each grantee is taking a different approach to the system in their state, which will help other states to find the best options for their populations of older adults and people with disabilities.
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Launch of the Native-One Stop Portal
Benefits.gov, the official benefits website of the United States, launched a portal of resources for Native American, Alaskan Native, and tribal populations. The portal, Native One-Stop, provides information about the services that are available through the Federal government. Native One-Stop conveniently houses any service that these populations may need with topics ranging from assistance for populations with severe disabilities to congressional internships for Native Americans.
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| Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services |
Final Rule to Advance Electronic Health Records
On Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released the final rule for 2015 Edition Health IT Certification Criteria (2015 Edition) and the final rule with comment period for the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHRs) Incentive Programs. These final rules simplify requirements and add flexibility to provide electronic health information for health care providers and consumers in the exhange of information. The final rule seeks to move the idustry of health care away from a paper-based system where important data can be lost. CMS and ONC are seeking public input on the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Records.The proposed rule has been published in the Federal Register with a 60-day comment period. All comments must be submitted by Tuesday, December 29, 2015, at 5 p.m. ET.
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Comments Needed on New Payment System to Improve Health Care for People with Disabilities
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is considering alternative methods to pay healthcare providers. They are seeking public input through a Request for Information (RFI) on implementing a Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Additionally, CMS is considering offering reimbursement to providers for improving quality, accessibility, and health care outcomes for specific populations that face barriers to care. Stakeholders are encouraged to comment with positive and negative feedback that will influence the payment approach CMS and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Burwell will adopt. The proposed rule has been published in the Federal Register with a 60-day comment period. All comments must be submitted by Monday, November 2, 2015, at 5 p.m.
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| National Institute of Health |
Alzheimer's Disease Genetics Fact Sheet
The National Institute of Health's National Institute on Aging released a fact sheet on the genetics of Alzheimer's disease. The fact sheet is intended for individuals who have a family member or members with Alzheimer's disease. Scientists do not understand the cause of Alzheimer's disease but they know that genetics plays a role in its development. The fact sheet offers information about genes associated with early and late- onset of Alzheimer's, genetic testing used in research to identify increased risk, major genetics research efforts, and the importance of volunteering.
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| Health Management Associates |
Webinar: California DSRIP 2.0: The New Accountability and What It Means for You
Health Management Associates is hosting a webinar on the new updates to the California Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program. DSRIP was originally a five-year program, set to end this month, which helped to lay the pavement for the transformation of California's safety net delivery system. Health Management Experts Don Novo, Principal, San Francisco; John Shen, Principal, San Francisco; Jason Silva; Senior Consultant, Sacramento; and Margaret Tatar, Principal, Sacramento will outline important components of the proposed DSRIP initiative. This webinar is recommended for executives of public hospitals, health systems, and safety net providers; Medicaid managed care plan executives; state and federal regulators and healthcare policy analysts; Medicaid directors and staff; and state and federal officials for public health. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2015, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.
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Briefing: Findings from the Annual Kaiser 50-State Medicaid Budget Survey
The Kaiser Family Foundation and the National Association of Medicaid Directors (NAMD) are hosting a joint briefing to discuss findings and trends from the Kaiser Family Foundation's Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured's (KCMU) 15th annual 50-state Medicaid budget survey. In addition to the briefing, Kaiser will release three reports based on the KCMU survey. Diane Rowland, Excutive Vice President, Kaiser Family Foundation, Executive Director, KCMU will moderate the briefing. The speakers will include Robin Rudowitz, Associate Director, KCMU and Vernon K. Smith, Managing Principal, Health Management Associates. Thomas Betlack, President, NAMD Board of Directors, Director, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System will moderate a pnael of state Medicaid Directors. The panelists will be Justin Senior, Deputy Secretary for Medicaid, State of Florida, Agency for Health Care Administration and Gretchen Hammer, Medicaid Director, State of Colorado, Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. This event will take place at the Barbara Jordan Conference Center in Washington, DC on Thursday, October 15, 2015, from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. ET.
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| The National Council on Aging |
Webinar: Medicare in 2016: Helping Your Clients with Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment for Medicare prescription drug coverage and Medicare Advantage plans begins on October 15, 2015, and runs until December 7, 2015. The National Council on Aging's Center for Benefits Access is sponsoring a webinar to provide organizations with the resources to help clients with Open Enrollment, particularly with the changes for this year. The webinar will specifically include what clients can expect to pay for their coverage in 2016, important dates and mailings that clients need to understand, changes coming to Part D and Medicare Advantage in the coming year, and how to help clients be savvy consumers in choosing plans and understanding costs. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, November 4, 2015, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. ET.
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| The National Consumer Law Center |
Webinar: Winning the Care for Supported Decision-Making
National Consumer Law Center, Administration for Community Living, National Legal Resource Center, and Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities are sponsoring a webinar about Supported Decision-Making as an alternative to guardianship. Presenters Jonathan Martinis, Legal Director, Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities, Project Director, National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making and Dr. C. Rick Ellis, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Forensic Psychologist, Spectrum Psychological and Forensic Services, will teach participants how to "win the case" for Supported Decision-Making. Participants will specifically learn about the three critical stages of winning a case of Supported Decision-Making: when helping the people you work with access supports and services to live independently; when a petition for guardianship has been filed; and when the person you're working with is under a guardianship. This webinar is part of a series of National Elder Rights Training Project/Elder Abuse Prevention webinars for the National Legal Resource Center. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, October 20, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. ET.
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| The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care |
Celebrate Residents' Rights Month
October is Residents' Rights Month, a month to honor residents living in long-term care facilities. This month is a time to celebrate and bring awareness to the dignity, respect, and value of every single individual living in a long-term care setting. This year's theme is "CARE Matters," which has the goal of encouraging residents and others to be educated about staffing and long-term care. The Consumer Voice held a competition for residents in the United States to submit pieces of art ranging from stories to photographs that represent this year's theme. These fabulous submissions can be seen on their website as well as a detailed listing of events to celebrate the month.
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American Society on Aging's Annual Aging in America Conference
The American Society on Aging is holding their annual Aging in America Conference. Each year, aging professionals come together to share ideas and knowledge, learn from the experts, gain new perspectives, and get reinvigorated to do great work. This conference features a wide range of issues that affect all professionals in the aging community. The event will feature topics on the current developments in the aging field, integrated care networks, the future of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security, and much more. Among the prominent keynotes are speakers are: Kathy Greenlee, ACL; Ken Dychtwald, Age Wave; E. Percil Stanford, Folding Voice; Robert Blancato, Blancato & Associates; Jo Ann Jenkins, AARP; Fernando Torres-Gil, UCLA; Yanira Cruz, NHCOA; and Louis Colbert, Philadelphia Corporation for Aging. Registration opened on October 1, 2015 and attendees will receive a lower rate by registering before October 31, 2015. The conference will take place in Washington DC from Sunday, March 20, 2016, to Thursday, March 24, 2016.
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Nebraska Seeks Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant
The State of Nebraska is seeking applicants for the position of Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant. The Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant, under the direct supervision of a licensed Physician, will be responsible for performing health care services to patients/clients who are under the care of a state institution, performing medical procedures and tasks in collaboration and consultation with a physician, and independently conducting appropriate examinations and recommend proper diagnosis and treatment. Qualified applicants must have successfully completed an accredited program for Registered Nurse and Nurse Practitioner, have a current license as a Registered Nurse, and be certified as a Nurse Practitioner in the State of Nebraska. Qualified Physician Assistants must have graduated from an American Medical Association approved Physician Assistant program or have passed the National Commission Certification examination. All applications must be submitted by December 22, 2015.
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World's Oldest Woman Shares Her Secret for Longevity
Susannah Mushatt Jones is the oldest woman in the world at 116 years of age. Jones was born in Montgomery, Alabama on July 6, 1899. Her secret to a long life is to eat bacon every day and to sleep a plentiful amount. Her daily diet always consists of bacon, eggs, and grits. Jones' family also credits her longevity to lots of familial love and generosity to everyone around her.
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