You Asked... We Answered

You Asked...

Is there a survey entrance list for the life safety code inspection like there is one for the health inspection? We would like to have the life safety code documentation readily available and have a survey binder for life safety like we do for the health inspection.

We Answered...

Yes, The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has developed a list of required documents. This is a listing of various system inspection, testing, and/or documentation that are normally requested by surveyors during the annual and/or complaint surveys involving life safety code. This documentation list can be found on page 11 of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Preventative Maintenance Manual. This is housed on the ODH Nursing Home Publications webpage. The manual can be found within the Life Safety Code section. The ODH nursing home webpage also contains a Life Safety Code Tip Sheet which providers might also find useful.

*New Member Alert* SpringMeade Retirement Community and Daybreak Transportation and Adult Day Care

Help us welcome two new members, SpringMeade Retirement Community and Daybreak Transportation and Adult Day Care!

Near historic Tipp City, SpringMeade offers seniors an affordable lifestyle of independence in beautiful homes on a secure campus.

Daybreak in Coolville and McArthur, Ohio, offers quality care and support for seniors in a safe, fun, and comfortable environment, providing a home away from home feel.

*Member Benefit* Pathway Health on Nursing Home Staffing Mandate Resources, Free Webinars

LeadingAge is in the final stages of an agreement to engage with Pathway Health on creation of resources, tools, and webinars for the expected nursing home staffing mandate.

LeadingAge anticipates the final rule could impose requirements on providers as soon as 60 days after the rule is published, and the rule is expected to be published yet this week. LeadingAge’s Pathway Health work plan builds off the completed Facility Assessment (FA) toolkit. With Pathway Health, LeadingAge will host two webinars related to the Facility Assessment and the expected staffing mandate final rule: the first webinar will be a review of the FA and its components, and the second webinar will analyze the new components of the FA required by the final rule.

LeadingAge will also undertake a revision of the current Facility Assessment toolkit and develop additional sections to align with the current and new guidance. The updated toolkit will include short videos on how to use the FA. 

Members can anticipate the first webinar within a few weeks of the publishing of the final rule and the second webinar by mid-May. The toolkit revisions and new sections will be completed between May and June. The webinars will be hosted on the LeadingAge Learning Hub and the toolkit revision and new sections will be available to members for free and to nonmembers for a fee.

Fellowship Program for New CEOs and Executive Directors

Are you the highest-ranking leader in your organization? Have you been in this position for less than three years? The LeadingAge New CEO Fellowship is for you! The program is designed to give new leaders the tools, information, and support system to make a stronger impact. It focuses on leadership effectiveness, self-discovery, and the collective power of an unparalleled peer network. Learn more and register, or forward this opportunity to a peer who would benefit!

Senate Housing Committee Releases Recommendations Report

Yesterday, Senator Reynolds, Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Housing, held a press conference on the release of the much-anticipated report summarizing recommendations gleaned from over six months of testimony across the Buckeye State. 

The report is the product of a series of hearings throughout Ohio that occurred over more than six months. Senator Reynolds was joined by Senate President Matt Huffman (R-Lima), State Senator Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus), State Senator Louis W. Blessing III (R-Colerain Township), and State Senator Andrew Brenner (R-Delaware).

"The Senate Select Committee on Housing has been on a mission since our first hearing in August 2023. Over the course of 6 months, we facilitated 12 live-streamed meetings across Ohio to hear first-hand from our constituents. We heard over 35 hours of testimony from more than 200 witnesses, and conducted various site tours to explore Ohio’s current housing inventory and better understand what role the State can play to encourage housing revitalization," Reynolds said. 

The Select Committee on Housing Report includes several recommendations for consideration. The following eight recommendations were announced during the press conference and are eight of the twenty-three total recommendations:

• Recommendation 1: Encouraging the creation of the Ohio Housing Dashboard
• Recommendation 2: Developing the Ohio Housing Toolkit to provide an online resource hub for local governments as they navigate housing development and community planning
• Recommendation 12: Reviewing third-party services for building plans and permitting
• Recommendation 14: Assess the successes and barriers to the Welcome Home Ohio program and consider changes to improve its work
• Recommendation 18: Consider funding to administer an Ohio Housing Capacity Building Grant fund that encourages political subdivisions to build responsible density and assist local communities with housing challenges

Read the report here. Watch the full press conference on the Ohio Channel. The LeadingAge Ohio staff are currently reviewing the report in its entirety and will work with the association’s Affordable Housing Subcommittee and the Senior Housing Advocacy Coalition to identify where Ohio’s aging population can take advantage of the Select Committee’s recommendations.

To learn how you can get involved in LeadingAge Ohio’s housing work, contact Policy Director Tiffany Bukoffsky at tbukoffsky@leadingageohio.org.

SNF Provider Preview Reports – Now Available

The Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports have been updated and are now available. These reports contain provider performance scores for quality measures, which will be published on Care Compare and Provider Data Catalog (PDC) during the July 2024 refresh and are incorporated into Ohio’s Medicaid payment methodology via the quality incentive payment.

The data contained within the Preview Reports are based on quality assessment data submitted by SNFs from Quarter 4, 2022 through Quarter 3, 2023. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) measures reflect data from Quarter 4, 2022 through Quarter 1, 2023 for the Influenza Vaccination Coverage Among Healthcare Personnel measure, and Quarter 3, 2023 for the COVID-19 Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel (HCP) measure. The data for the claims-based measures will display data from Quarter 4, 2020 through Quarter 3, 2022 for this refresh, and for the SNF Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) measure, from Quarter 4, 2021 through Quarter 3, 2022.

Providers have until May 15, 2024 to review their performance data. Only updates/corrections to the underlying assessment data before the final data submission deadline will be reflected in the publicly reported data on Care Compare. If a provider updates assessment data after the final data submission deadline, the updated data will only be reflected in the Facility-Level Quality Measure (QM) report and Patient-Level QM report. Updates submitted after the final data submission deadline will not be reflected in the Provider Preview Reports or on the Care Compare website. However, providers can request Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) review of their data during the preview period if they believe the quality measure scores that are displayed within their Preview Reports are inaccurate.

For those users experiencing issues locating their agency’s SNF Provider Preview Report, follow the steps outlined below:

1. Log into iQIES using your Health Care Quality Information Systems (HCQIS) Access Roles and Profile (HARP) user ID and password. (If you do not have a HARP account, you may register for a HARP ID.)
2. From the Reports menu, select My Reports.
3. From the My Reports page, locate the SNF Provider Preview Reports folder. Select the SNF Provider Preview Reports link to open the folder.
4. Displayed for you is a list of reports available for download. The reports or files are listed in descending order with the newest displaying at the top of the list.
5. Select the desired SNF Provider Preview report name link and the report will display.

New Users

New users will automatically receive the latest SNF Provider Preview report in their SNF Provider Preview Report folder once their new IQIES user role is approved.  Follow the steps above to locate your agency’s report in the SNF Provider Preview Report folder.

For questions related to accessing your facility’s provider preview report, please reach out to the iQIES Service Center by email at iqies@cms.hhs.gov or call 1-800-339-9313. For questions about SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Public Reporting, please email SNFQRPPRQuestions@cms.hhs.gov.

Survey Tip of the Week: Specialty Mattress

The Accidents and Hazards F-tag 689 is the most frequently cited harm and immediate jeopardy deficiencies in Ohio in 2023. Within F-tag 689, nursing homes were cited for the failure to ensure an air mattress was utilized in a safe manner. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) alerts facilities that specialty mattresses have a risk for entrapment and residents falling out of the bed when performing repositioning. CMS has provided the following guidance in the State Operations Manual Appendix PP for specialty air mattresses: 

The use of a specialty air-filled mattress or a therapeutic air-filled bed may present an entrapment risk that is different from rail entrapment with a regular mattress. The high compressibility of an air-filled mattress compared to a regular conventional mattress requires appropriate precautions when used for a resident at risk for entrapment. An air-filled mattress compresses on the side to which a person moves, thus raising the center of the mattress and lowering the side. This may make it easier for a resident to slide off the mattress or against the rail. Mattress compression widens the space between the mattress and rail. When a resident is between the mattress and rail, the mattress can re-expand and press the chest, neck, or head against the rail. 

Examples of when harm occurred included a facility applying a bariatric air mattress to a bed frame that did not fit the mattress, repositioning with one person when the facility protocol was for two, not implementing bolsters as ordered, and not maintaining settings in accordance with manufacturer guidelines.

LeadingAge Ohio recommends auditing for specialty mattress compliance and staff competency in accordance with manufacturer guidelines and facility protocols as part of an ongoing Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI) process. Additional guidance on accidents and hazards can be found in the State Operations Manual Appendix PP.  LeadingAge has developed webinars and resources on the requirements of participation which are located on the LeadingAge learning hub. LeadingAge continues to add QuickCasts on the regulatory groups. Updated resources have also been added on the Nursing Home RoP Tools and Resources webpage.  

For more information about the updated requirements of participation and citations occurring in Ohio, please join us on the monthly STAT: Survey Tips and Tactics call. Register now for the May 8 call at 11:00AM. LeadingAge Ohio is sharing tips 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.

HUD Service Coordinator Mental Health Trainings Now Open

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has launched free Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training for HUD multifamily service coordinators. 

HUD multifamily service coordinators can register to attend one MHFA training. Training sessions will occur throughout 2024 and into 2025 but registration is rolling, with registration available for the next 90 days’ worth of session on an ongoing basis. Most trainings are virtual but some are in person; most trainings are in English but some are offered in Spanish. 

After the service coordinator fills out the first registration screen requiring name, property, HUD contract # or FHA #, address, etc., they will be able to select the date of their training (additional days will be added on a rolling basis). The registration sheet includes tips on how to find the property’s HUD contract # or FHA # (if the property has both, only one is needed). 

Register for MHFA training here. 

Course Format:

• Virtual (2 hour pre-work, 6-hour virtual Instructor-led session, 30 learners)
• In-person (2 hour pre-work, 5.5-hour Instructor-led session, 30 learners) 

Technology needed for virtual training:

• Computer: participants will need a desktop or laptop computer or a tablet.
• HD webcam.
• Microphone and speakers (or, there will be a dial-in option from phones for audio).
• Internet connection speed of at least 5 mbps upload/download speed. 

Course Participation MHFA is a very interactive and comprehensive learning experience.

• Participants must complete all required steps to receive their certification. There are no exceptions. Participants should keep in mind the following:
• Participants must complete all required steps prior to joining the instructor-led training.
• Participants must be present for the entire instructor-led training.
• Complete all required steps after joining the instructor-led training.
• MHFA trainers strongly encourage participation during the instructor-led training. However, given the sensitive content covered, MHFA follows a challenge by choice model. Therefore, participants will get to decide how and when you engage in each activity.
• Participant cameras must be on during virtual trainings. If participants need to step away temporarily, MHFA trainers welcomes them to do so. This requirement creates a participatory environment that allows everyone to feel a part of a community-like and psychologically safe classroom. 

Additional background about the MHFA training can be found here.

Discover the Future of Culinary and Dining Operations: Presented by Link-age Solutions

Technology is becoming a key differentiator as the aging population seeks more progressive and modernized community living. It empowers owners and operators to deliver unique, efficient, and autonomous resident experiences while aligning with business objectives.

The right technologies enhance consumer experiences and operational success. They support team members, automate tasks, and improve communication within dining operations and cross-functional teams, fostering meaningful interactions with residents. For residents, technology provides a sense of autonomy, promoting healthy aging and personalized hospitality experiences aligned with nutrition plans and preferences.

This summit will Immerse attendees in a day filled with insights and hands-on experiences with technologies that are redefining the landscape of digital hospitality in senior living.