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04/14/2021

Today's COVID-19 Report: Thursday, April 15

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Thursday, April 15 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and other topics of importance.

REMINDER TO ALL MEMBERS

LeadingAge Ohio releases weekly Affordable Housing newsletters on Mondays and Home Health and Hospice newsletters on Tuesdays. Please email info@leadingageohio.org to receive either/both publications.

In Today's Report

2021-2022 flu vaccines discounts and opportunities (one deadline today)

This flu season, LeadingAge is partnering with Member Solutions partner Seqirus. LeadingAge members are eligible to earn multiple discounts across Seqirus’ portfolio of innovative influenza and vaccine solutions, including prompt pay and early reservation offers.

Take advantage of these special savings:

For more information, please click here.

President’s budget request calls for 23% increase for HHS

Noting that the pandemic demonstrated the need to strengthen the nation’s public health response, President Biden’s FY 22 budget called for a 23.1% increase in funding for the Department of Health & Human Services programs over last year. President Biden requested a $1.6 billion increase in the CDC budget, the largest annual jump in two decades, aimed at heading off the next pandemic. The discretionary request builds on significant investments provided in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 by providing additional resources for the Administration for Community Living to help older adults and people with disabilities maximize their independence and well-being. The discretionary request provides relief to caregivers and families, including $551 million for home and community-based services, doubles funding for the Lifespan Respite Care program, increases resources for meal programs for older Americans, and expands services for individuals with disabilities. As entitlement programs, Medicare and Medicaid are not included in the discretionary budget.

New training website for fire safety healthcare training

The Division of State Fire Marshal Fire Prevention Bureau recently launched a new online training site for all employed at a healthcare facility requiring Ohio Department of Health's (ODH) fire safety training. This site will allow users to save their certificate of training completion and attendance. The link to this new training can be found here. This will give users direction on how to access the website and where specifically to go for the general fire safety for healthcare facilities.

For information about COVID-19, please visit the ODH Coronavirus website.

Survey tip of the week: ADL decline

Activities of Daily Living (ADL) F-677 was the seventh-highest cited F-tag in 2020. Residents who contracted COVID-19 were at risk for a significant decline. A decline due to the onset of an acute illness may be deemed unavoidable. The survey process will evaluate if the decline continued and whether the resident not returning to prior level of function was avoidable. To determine if the ongoing decline was avoidable, the surveyor will gauge the provider’s assessment of the decline, implementation of new interventions, and monitoring effectiveness of the interventions.

The Long-Term Care Survey Process (LTCSP) instructs surveyors to identify any resident marked as non-interviewable, refused, or unavailable, and to review the record for ADL decline. The ADL decline record review instructs surveyors to review the most current comprehensive assessment and most recent quarterly physician’s orders (e.g., therapy, restorative, and ADL needs), pertinent diagnoses and care plans. Resident interview questions may include: Do you feel you have had a decline in ADLs? Has your decline caused you to be less involved in activities you enjoy or caused a change in your mood or ability to function?

Residents will be observed to determine if care is being provided according to the plan of care. The record will be reviewed to determine if the facility assessed the resident’s risk and status, implemented interventions, and monitored the effectiveness of the interventions. Therapy notes will be reviewed to determine if they were aware of the decline, provided treatment if applicable, and developed a post discharge plan. Ohio Department of Medicaid has identified lack of ADL documentation as a top reason for records not being validated during the MDS exception review audit.

LeadingAge Ohio encourages facilities as part of their QAPI process to run ADL reports to identify any resident with declines in the prior year and to utilize the Activities of Daily Living survey pathway to audit those records. The survey pathways can be found on the CMS Nursing Home webpage, under the download section, and within the zip file called LTC Survey Pathways.

With the re-start of the annual surveys, LeadingAge Ohio is sharing tips each week to assist members during the survey process. Send questions you would like addressed in future Tips of the Week to Stephanie DeWees at sdewees@leadingageohio.org. LeadingAge Ohio is also always eager to hear member reports on recent surveys, so we can help all members be prepared.

Careers in Aging Week is next week, April 18-24 – show off your aging services pride!

LeadingAge Ohio is partnering with LeadingAge, the Gerontological Society of America, AHCA/NCAL, and Argentum on ‘Careers in Aging Week’ next week, April 18-24. Careers in Aging Week (CIAW) brings awareness to the numerous career opportunities available in long-term care and aging services, and celebrates caregivers for their heroic efforts.

According to the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, Ohio’s top three jobs all serve elders within the aging services fields (Home Health Aides, Registered Nurses, and Personal and Home Care Aides). While job fairs and site visits continue to be challenging, we continue to honor the heroic individuals who work in this field. LeadingAge continues to connect individuals in Ohio to jobs assisting elders through its jobs webpage.

LeadingAge Ohio hopes that all members consider highlighting ‘Careers in Aging Week’. Mentions by members give the aging services workforce a boost and encourage awareness of the vast career opportunities within the field, as well as highlighting the hardworking aging services workforce to policymakers. Social media participation should use the hashtag #CareersInAging.

LeadingAge has provided sample social media posts, which you are welcome to use or be inspired by, as part of the LeadingAge Careers in Aging Week toolkit. LeadingAge Ohio has also produced a series of graphics available for download.

2021 LeadingAge Ohio Awards call for nominations deadline is tomorrow: don’t miss out!

As we continue to navigate the daily challenges this pandemic has brought to light, the need to recognize staff has never been greater. The LeadingAge Ohio Annual Awards program offers members the opportunity to nominate staff in various categories and bring the amazing stories of caring, compassion and leadership to the forefront. This Friday, April 16, is the deadline to make those nominations a reality.

The Awards committee simplified the nomination process for each category with one simple question. “Using the criteria of the award, what do you most want the judges to know about this nominee that compelled you to make this nomination?” Members can write as much or as little as they want in the nominating process. Visit the LeadingAge Ohio website for all the details.

Questions regarding the annual awards program can be directed to Kathryn Brod at kbrod@leadingageohio.org or call 614-545-9014.

Oswald Companies offers "Navigating Technology and Cyber Risk" webinar: April 19

Is your organization protected from cyber risk? Cyber risk is shifting, as are specific protective measures businesses are using to mitigate exposure. Join LeadingAge Ohio associate firm Oswald Companies for a webinar with Ashton Solutions on Monday, April 19, at 12:00PM, where recent developments from cyber carriers stemming from the fallout of several well documented cyber events will be unpacked, along with technology considerations that help position organizations strongly within the marketplace.

Key topics of discussion include: 

For complete details and/or to register, please click here.

LeadingAge Need to Know: Early registration discount for Collaborative Care & Health IT Innovations Summit ending today and a reminder on the quarterly Housing Survey

LeadingAge shares the latest coronavirus news and resources with members twice each weekday. This morning's Need to Know featured early registration discount for Collaborative Care & Health IT Innovations Summit ending today and a reminder on the quarterly Housing Survey.

Check out the full report here.

                Linkage Connect                         Buerger

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Questions

Please send all questions to COVID19@leadingageohio.org. Additionally, members are encouraged to visit the LeadingAge Ohio COVID-19 Working Group facebook gro up to pose questions to peers and share best practices. LeadingAge is continuing its daily calls for all members.  To participate in these daily online updates, members should register here.  

LeadingAge Ohio is working to ensure that the information in our daily alerts, on our website, and all coronavirus-related communications is as accurate as possible. However, LeadingAge Ohio makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the information. 

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