What am I doing, and why am I doing it?  

This isn’t an uncommon question for any 22-year-old. When I first joined the post-acute sector as a young professional and a recent college graduate, I found myself asking this question a lot. Why join this industry, when most of my firsthand life experience until now has been so far removed from it?

I found my answer during an overnight stay at Christian Living Communities’ Holly Creek Continued Care Retirement Community (CCRC). Recently, with little more than a vague goal of getting some ground-floor perspective on what such a community might offer its residents, I spent 24 hours as a resident with Christian Living. To call the experience ‘eye-opening’ would be an understatement.

My arrival at Holly Creek resembled my first steps onto a college campus excited to see what would be in store for me and again wondering “what am I doing”? When I stepped into the reception area, my nervous energy quickly dissipated thanks to the immediate aura of warmth and compassion coming from the Holly Creek admissions staff who greeted me. I’ve stayed at a fair number of hotels in my short career, and most of them can’t hold a candle to Christian Living when it comes to quick and stress-free check-ins. The admissions team floored me with their uncanny ability to ease the nerves of new arrivals.

To more closely mirror the experiences of long-term care residents, I was assigned a wheelchair, with a primary diagnosis of a non-weight bearing hip fracture that required me to stay off my feet for my length of stay. With my new wheels, I reluctantly let myself be escorted to my suite – which was quite a step up from my first college dorm, by the way. The temperature was mild, the amenities were numerous, and the La-Z-Boy recliner was a revelation to a newly chair-bound twentysomething.

The staff at Christian Living was second to none. During my brief residency, I was looked after by nurses Desta and “T”. They went above and beyond in making sure new arrivals like me got acclimated to their new environment. Evals and check-ins were common without being intrusive, and their cheerful banter kept a light atmosphere throughout the night.

Desta and “T” weren’t the only Christian Living staff who impressed me. As the day continued, I seized the opportunity to have one-on-one chats with CNAs, social workers, administrators, the Director of Nursing, and even the on-site chaplain. All of whom exhibited a joyous passion and dedication to their roles, which require a great deal of flexibility when attending to a broad spectrum of resident needs. I saw many residents whose level of assistance varied, and I couldn’t help but feel inspired by the staff’s relentless patience and attentiveness at each of those moments.

As I felt my 24-hour tenure at Christian Living winding down, I reflected on those moments more and more. This, I thought, is what working in the senior care industry requires—a deep and abiding understanding of the day-to-day life of these residents, with all the little frustrations, struggles, and triumphs that accompany it. It requires inherent selflessness of character. It requires discipline and empathy in equal measure. Seeing those qualities in the Christian Living team—and seeing that devotion and delight reflected right back at them from their residents—sealed the deal for me: this work is worth it. If you do it well, it will always be worth it.

So, with my stay concluded, my wheelchair and I soon parted ways. That self-imposed confinement was the only thing about my visit that I wouldn’t miss. Standing up from it, I was struck by the privileges of my youth in a way that had never really hit me before. I suddenly imagined an older version of myself, similarly confined but unable to spring out of his chair after an arbitrary time limit. I want to do my part in making senior living communities like Holly Creek a haven for the hurting and a sanctuary that any elder will be thrilled to call home. 

Thanks to Christian Living Communities for allowing me to visit and pick their brains for a night. I’m grateful to them because they helped me to answer those two questions that had been needling me since I joined the senior living field. What am I doing? I’m making a difference for people who never stopped mattering. Why am I doing it? Because it’s worth it, and it always will be.

We have more coming next week; email us; we want to hear from you!

Thank you, Christian Living Communities’ Holly Creek Continued Care Retirement Community (CCRC), for inviting and welcoming Evan Clark to stay at your facility! 

Technology has certainly advanced in recent years, but it’s still an imperfect system. So what happens when technology fails? Who are the real masked heroes? 

This week, it's all about giving technicians in tier 1 and 2 support their flowers!

In times of IT failure, technicians are the first line of defense. They are trained to quickly identify the root cause of the problem and take appropriate action to restore functionality. They possess a deep understanding of the systems they maintain and can navigate through complex technical issues with ease.

Technicians are an essential part of any organization, responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of various systems and equipment. They play a crucial role in maintaining and repairing IT infrastructure, including hardware, software, and network components. Their expertise and knowledge are vital in troubleshooting issues and resolving them efficiently.

Technicians play a proactive role in preventing IT failures due to their approach to risk management. By conducting regular inspections, performing routine maintenance tasks, and implementing preventive measures to minimize the risk of system failures, technicians are able to identify potential risks and issues that may arise during the course of a project and develop strategies to mitigate them. By identifying and addressing potential issues before they escalate, they help ensure the continuous operation of critical IT infrastructure and help prevent problems from escalating into larger ones that could lead to project failure.

Moreover, technicians are excellent problem solvers. They possess strong analytical skills and the ability to think on their feet. When faced with an IT failure, they can quickly assess the situation, devise a plan of action, and execute it effectively. Their resourcefulness and adaptability are crucial in maintaining business continuity.

In summary, technicians are the unsung heroes of an organization's IT department. Their role in ensuring smooth operations, minimizing downtime, and preventing IT failures cannot be overstated. Recognizing their value is essential for businesses to appreciate the crucial role they play in maintaining the efficiency and effectiveness of IT systems.

We have more coming next week, but we'd love to know who else YOU think deserves the spotlight!  Email us, we want to hear from you!

The New Year is all about starting fresh! Many people choose to commit themselves to a New Year's resolution, do you?

It's not always easy to choose where to begin, but we hope that the following suggestions will help you discover the best New Year's resolutions for your own personal growth and self-improvement, and set yourself up for success in the coming year!

Reflecting on the past year

Reflecting on the past year is an important step in selecting New Year's resolutions for personal growth. Take some time to think about what went well and what you could improve upon. Celebrate your accomplishments and learn from your mistakes. This self-reflection will provide valuable insights that can guide your goals for the coming year.

Setting realistic and achievable goals

When setting New Year's resolutions, it's crucial to set realistic and achievable goals. Avoid setting yourself up for disappointment by setting unrealistic expectations. Break your goals down into smaller, actionable steps that you can work on throughout the year. This will help you stay motivated and make steady progress towards your personal growth.

Prioritizing self-care and mental well-being

In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it's easy to neglect self-care and mental well-being. However, taking care of yourself is essential for personal growth. Make it a priority to engage in activities that promote your physical and mental health. This could include regular exercise, practicing mindfulness or meditation, getting enough sleep, and nurturing your relationships. By prioritizing self-care, you'll be better equipped to tackle your other resolutions.

Embracing new experiences and stepping out of your comfort zone

Personal growth often requires stepping out of your comfort zone and embracing new experiences. Make a commitment to try new things and expand your horizons in the coming year. This could involve taking up a new hobby, traveling to new places, or challenging yourself professionally or academically. By pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone, you'll discover new strengths and capabilities that will contribute to your personal growth. For example, members of our sales and marketing team have vowed to read more books, walk three miles a day, become more involved in the community, volunteer within their local senior care facilities, get outside more, and spend more time in nature! At the end of the day, your resolution doesn't have to be complicated, it just needs to challenge you to step outside your comfort zone.

Tracking progress and staying accountable

To ensure that you're making progress towards your personal growth goals, it's important to track your progress and stay accountable. Set up a system that allows you to monitor your achievements and setbacks. This could be a journal, a habit tracker, or a progress chart. Additionally, find someone who can hold you accountable and provide support along the way. Regularly reviewing your progress and staying accountable will help you stay motivated and committed to your resolutions.

Were we able to get the ball rolling? What are your New Year's resolutions?  Email us and let us know, we want to hear from you!

What does the future of post-acute care look like in 15 years and what does it mean for the future of healthcare? 

We may not be able to predict the future, but we can take note of the current trends and perform pattern analysis. Here are our predictions:

The Expansion of Home-Based Care Services

In the next 15 years, we can expect to see a significant expansion of home-based care services in the post-acute care landscape. With advancements in technology and a growing emphasis on personalized care, more and more individuals will have the option to receive care in the comfort of their own homes. Home-based care services could include a wide range of medical and non-medical services, such as nursing care, physical therapy, medication management, and assistance with daily activities. These services will be delivered by a team of trained professionals who will visit patients' homes on a regular basis to provide the necessary care and support. Additionally, advancements in remote monitoring technologies will enable healthcare providers to closely monitor patients' health conditions and intervene in a timely manner if any issues arise. This shift towards home-based care will revolutionize the way post-acute care is delivered, allowing individuals to age in place and receive the care they need in a familiar and comfortable environment, providing patients with a greater sense of independence and dignity and alleviating the strain on healthcare facilities and reduce healthcare costs.

Future Innovations in Technological Solutions

The future of post-acute care will be shaped by innovative technological solutions that aim to improve patient outcomes and enhance the efficiency of care delivery. While the development of wearable devices and sensors that can continuously monitor patients' vital signs and health conditions are already underway, the efficiency and widespread use of these devices will expand, enabling healthcare providers to track patients' progress in real-time, identify potential issues early on, and adjust treatment plans accordingly.

Another area of innovation will be in the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms to analyze large volumes of patient data and identify patterns and trends. By leveraging these technologies, healthcare providers will be able to make more accurate diagnoses, customize treatment plans based on individual patient needs, and predict potential complications before they occur.

Furthermore, the future will see the integration of virtual reality and augmented reality technologies into post-acute care. These technologies will enable healthcare providers to create immersive and interactive experiences for patients, helping them to manage pain, improve mobility, and engage in therapeutic activities.

Overall, future innovations in technological solutions hold great promise for improving the quality and efficiency of post-acute care.

The Value of Telehealth in 15 years' time

The use of telecommunications technology to deliver healthcare services remotely will play a crucial role in the future of post-acute care. In 15 years' time, telehealth will become even more integrated into the healthcare system, providing patients with convenient access to healthcare services and reducing the need for unnecessary hospital visits. Patients will be able to consult with healthcare providers via video calls, receive remote monitoring and follow-up care, and access educational resources to better manage their health conditions. This will be particularly beneficial for individuals in rural or underserved areas who may have limited access to healthcare facilities. Telehealth will also enable healthcare providers to collaborate and consult with experts from around the world, improving the quality of care and expanding treatment options for patients. Additionally, telehealth will help to streamline healthcare operations, reduce costs, and improve overall patient satisfaction.

In summary, the value of telehealth in 15 years' time will be immense, revolutionizing the way post-acute care is delivered and enhancing healthcare accessibility for all.

Data Analytics

Data analytics will play a crucial role in the future of post-acute care, enabling healthcare providers to make more informed decisions and improve patient outcomes. In 15 years' time, the integration of data analytics into post-acute care will be widespread, allowing healthcare providers to leverage the power of data to identify trends, predict patient outcomes, and optimize treatment plans.

By analyzing large volumes of patient data, healthcare providers will be able to identify patterns and correlations that may not be apparent through traditional means. This will enable them to develop personalized treatment plans that take into account individual patient characteristics, preferences, and risk factors. Additionally, data analytics can help healthcare providers identify areas for improvement in care delivery and implement targeted interventions to enhance patient safety and outcomes.

Moreover, the integration of data analytics will facilitate better coordination and communication among healthcare providers, ensuring that patients receive timely and appropriate care across different care settings. It will also enable healthcare organizations to track and monitor the performance of their post-acute care programs, identify areas of inefficiency, and implement strategies for improvement.

Staff Education and Training

As the landscape of post-acute care evolves, it will be crucial for healthcare organizations to invest in staff education and training to ensure that healthcare professionals are equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to provide high-quality care. In the next 15 years, there will be a greater emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork, as healthcare professionals from different backgrounds work together to deliver comprehensive and coordinated care.

Healthcare organizations will invest in ongoing education and training programs to keep healthcare professionals up to date with the latest advancements in post-acute care. This will include training on new technologies, evidence-based practices, and communication and leadership skills. Additionally, healthcare professionals will be encouraged to pursue advanced certifications and specializations to further enhance their expertise.

Furthermore, there will be a focus on fostering a culture of continuous learning and improvement within healthcare organizations. This will involve creating opportunities for healthcare professionals to engage in research, quality improvement projects, and interdisciplinary learning forums. By investing in staff education and training, healthcare organizations will ensure that their workforce is well-prepared to meet the evolving needs of post-acute care.

In summary, investments in staff education and training will be essential for driving positive change and ensuring the delivery of high-quality post-acute care in the future.

What do you think assisted living/post-acute care will look like 15 years from now? Give us your thoughts! Are there any trends that you've been noticing? What's happening in your communities? Comment below or email us, we want to hear from you!

The holidays can be a difficult time for many people. Even though they are typically filled with joy and celebration, for some, it can be a period of sadness and isolation. It's important to recognize and empathize with those who may not have the same room for holiday cheer this season. Here at Prime Care Technologies, we understand that the holidays can bring about a large range of emotions, and we want to help. So, if you are feeling down during these colder and more unforgiving months, here is a list of some things that may help keep things afloat.

Get Outside: Taking a walk, going for a hike, or just getting some fresh air can be a great way to boost your mood and get some much-needed Vitamin D. Going outside and being in nature can help to reduce stress and ground yourself in the present moment. 

Exercise: Moving your body is another great way to boost your mood and find a sense of calm. Exercise releases endorphins, which can help you to feel better and more energized. 

Set a Routine: Having a routine in place can help you to stay focused and give you a sense of purpose. It can also help you to create a sense of structure and normalcy in your day. 

Talk to Someone: Connecting with someone can help you to feel less alone and can be a great way to release stress and emotions. Talking to a family member, friend, or therapist can help to lift your spirits and give you a much-needed sense of support. 

Take a Break: Taking a break from your daily activities can help to alleviate feelings of stress and anxiety. Whether that’s taking a short nap or going for a drive, taking a break can help to give yourself some much-needed time to relax and reset. 

Connect Virtually: If you are experiencing the holidays alone, connecting with someone virtually can help to give you a sense of connection. Video chatting with friends or family can help to lift your spirits and make you feel less alone.

As the days continue to get shorter, the temperatures drop, and the colors around us grow a little duller, it's easy to understand why this time of year can be difficult for so many, especially if you are somebody who is more inclined to soak up the sun than bundle up and hit the slopes. But just like everything else in life, this season will soon pass, and we hope the tips we provided above can help make the time fly by a little quicker. Stay warm and we hope you have an easy holiday season!

Don't be a Scrooge this holiday season! Set you and your facility up for success in 2024 by investing in some of the following tools: 

primeVIEW

Our all-in-one online dashboard like primeVIEW, which allows you to track important data relating to your near real-time census, as well as your labor, financial and clinical systems. When it comes to post-acute care, having QAPI compliant data like this at your fingertips is invaluable to running a smooth and meticulous operation. By offering your staff near real-time access anytime, online they can better understand the how, what, where, and when! This powerful tool enables senior living facilities to efficiently manage and monitor the care of their residents by streamlining communication and coordination among healthcare providers so residents receive timely and appropriate care. By staying on top of your facility operations through digital platforms like primeVIEW, you will not only make residents feel well-tended to, but the increased level of organization will help simplify your day-to-day workflow as well. When used in combination with our managed care MASTER, embedded alerts within the primeVIEW morning meeting dashboard will allow for vital information regarding services rendered. 

managed care MASTER

managed care MASTER is your online case and contract manager. It is a case-to-contract app that ensures you meet the quality care requirements of your payers while capturing every dollar promised in the contract. The software contains integrations to EHR, therapy, contracts and pharmacy costs, as well as calendar functionality, contract alerts, authorization tracking, and pre-admission cost out, to name a few features. Simply put, it includes comprehensive authorization and payment documentation for rendered services, optimizing your revenue and streamlining your case management. With managed care MASTER, say goodbye to outdated reports, paper trails and poor cross-disciplinary coordination! Furthermore, when paired with primeCLAIMS, users have access to further capabilities that ensure that all work provided is on the claim by matching the resident number in source system and DOS/AR.

primeCLAIMS

primeCLAIMS is your revenue cycle management app built for, and supported by, post-acute billers. Designed to automate and simplify the tedious processes associated with ensuring you get reimbursed for the dedicated care hours you provide to your communities, the efficiency our claims app brings will reduce the staff and time needed to make sure you get paid every dollar, every day. The primeCLAIMS dashboard contains payment requests and payer responses, from remittance to denial. With two-way PointClickCare EHR integration, coupled with other senior care customization, the app drives up efficiency and productivity, better serving long-term, post acute communities! In addition, bidirectional data between primeCLAIMS and primeVIEW allows for instant alerts if a claim is stuck in primeCLAIMS, available on home screen, aging, and outstanding accounts.

ARC

ARC is your quality assurance and performance improvement platform (QAPI). Its comprehensive monitoring and oversight system provides the maximum legal protection that long-term care facilities need to minimize serious regulatory enforcement actions. As a web-based compliance system, it guides clinical and management staff through the complete audit process for ROP auditing standards for all federal regulations, and facilitates a collaborative review of audit results through real-time, interactive meeting templates in order to quickly correct issues and implement performance improvement plans to prevent systemic issues. ARC provides form-based corrective actions for every compliance issue to document and track all of your QAPI efforts. Say goodbye to costly CMPs and red hand alerts - It's time to move on to more cost-effective solutions with ARC. 

Does your IT team track reported security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches as often as weekly? We do. With primeCLOUD, you’ll have managed IT services at your fingertips. We partner with leading IT vendors to offer security services like ransomware protection, phishing training, multi-factor authorization (MFA), data backup/recovery, and assistance with other special projects such as a new location setup, data migration or integration. With 24/7 help desk services, primeCLOUD is your boots-on-the-ground service when needed, providing you with the strategy, security, cost control, operational efficiency, reliability, and agility to maximize your IT performance and increase your security. Furthermore, the same highly secure IT services we offer clients to support and integrate their most valuable healthcare data are available to all markets as part of our primeCLOUD managed IT services suite. We provide the tech, so you can provide the care. If your organization is considering IT outsourcing, we can help. Take a look at our primeCLOUD service suite or get in touch to discuss.

The new year is a time for new beginnings, and Prime Care Technologies wants to be a part of yours! We are confident that our software can uplift your facility through the leverage of data-driven tools. We strive to maximize the use of IT solutions in senior living facilities to save time so staff can focus where needed, with the residents.   

If there's anything you read above that caught your attention, or if you have any other products on your Holiday wishlist, we’d be happy to connect! Comment below, or email us, we’d love to discuss with you further.

The rise of technology in senior care facilities is largely a welcomed guest, allowing seniors to stay connected with loved ones through various communication tools such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, providing convenience and independence for seniors choosing to age in place and enhancing the overall level of healthcare. As we head into the final leg of 2023, we want to take a moment to recognize the different technologies that currently serve the senior living market and, more importantly, how these technological advancements are improving both the quality of life for older adults, as well as revolutionizing senior living facilities as a whole.

Smart Home Solutions

To begin, technology has revolutionized aging in place for seniors, as it offers a range of features that promote safety, comfort, and convenience. Popular smart home solutions such as Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant act as voice-activated assistants, allowing seniors to easily control various aspects of their home, such as adjusting the temperature, turning on lights, or playing music, simply by using voice commands. When combined with the integration of sensors and automation systems, which can detect falls, monitor activity levels, and even remind seniors to take their medications, smart home technology not only returns autonomy to seniors but also enables family members or caregivers to keep an eye on their loved ones from afar. 

These systems can provide peace of mind by alerting caregivers to any unusual activity or emergencies, allowing for quick intervention. 

Robotics and Automation

Robotics and automation have the potential to revolutionize senior care in various ways. One area where robotics is making an impact is in assisting with daily tasks. Robots can help with activities such as appointment or medication reminders, meal preparation, and housekeeping, reducing the burden on caregivers and promoting independence for seniors. Additionally, robotic companions are being developed to provide social interaction and emotional support for older adults, with robots that can engage in conversations and play games.

Senior care facilities are also implementing automation systems to streamline operations and improve efficiency. For example, automated medication dispensers can ensure the correct dosage and timing of medications, reducing the risk of errors. Automated monitoring systems can track vital signs and alert healthcare providers to any deviations from normal values.

EHR Systems and Dashboards

Technology has greatly improved the efficiency of facility operations in senior living facilities. One key technology is the advanced use of electronic health records (EHR) systems. These systems streamline the documentation and management of residents' health information, reducing paperwork and improving accuracy. EHRs also facilitate communication among healthcare providers, ensuring continuity of care and minimizing errors. 

Online Dashboards

Another technology that enhances facility operations is the use of automated scheduling and tracking systems. These systems optimize staff allocation, ensuring that the right caregivers are available at the right time. They also track tasks and workflows, improving accountability and reducing the risk of missed or delayed care. Dashboards, like our primeVIEW dashboard, are powerful tools that enable senior living facilities to efficiently manage and monitor the care of their residents by streamlining communication and coordination among healthcare providers so residents receive timely and appropriate care.

In summary, technology has revolutionized facility operations in senior living facilities, improving efficiency, communication, and maintenance processes.

It goes without saying that different individuals have different priorities, and the level of care needed depends on factors such as mobility, cognitive abilities, and overall health. Therefore, it’s important to be aware of the different levels of assisted living services available so that you and your loved ones can make an informed decision about the level of support and care that is required.

So which one should you choose? It’s time to put on your Goldilocks cap and find the level of care for you that's not too hot, not too cold - but juuust right!

Level 1: Independent Living

Independent living is the lowest level of care in assisted living services. This level is suitable for individuals who are still able to perform most daily activities on their own, but may require some assistance or prefer the convenience of having certain services provided:

• Residents typically have their own private apartments or houses within the assisted living community. 
• Freedom to come and go as they please and participate in various social activities. 
• May have access to services such as housekeeping, laundry, and transportation.
• Meals are often provided in dining areas where residents can socialize and interact with others.

Independent living is “juuust right” for individuals who seek to maintain their independence while still having access to a supportive environment and a sense of community.

Level 2: Assisted Living

Assisted living is the next level of care in assisted living services. This level is suitable for individuals who require some assistance with daily activities and personal care tasks:

• Residents typically have their own private apartments or rooms within the assisted living community
• May receive assistance with bathing, dressing, medication management, and other tasks as needed.
• Often provide 24-hour staff availability to ensure the safety and well-being of residents.
• Access to various amenities and activities, including dining areas, common areas for socializing, and scheduled transportation for appointments or outings.

Assisted living is “juuust right” for those wanting to find a good balance between independence and support, allowing them to receive the assistance they need while still maintaining a sense of autonomy.

Level 3: Memory Care

Memory care is a specialized level of care in assisted living services designed to cater to individuals with memory impairments, such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia:

• Designed to provide a safe and structured environment for individuals with memory loss.
• Residents typically have their own private rooms within a secure area of the assisted living community
• Designed to provide a safe and structured environment that minimizes confusion and promotes familiarity, with features such as clear signage, color-coded cues, and memory-enhancing activities. 
• Staff trained to understand the unique needs of residents with memory impairments and provide appropriate care and support.
• 24/7 Staff support with personal care tasks, medication management, and other needs.
• Often include specialized activities and therapies to help maintain cognitive function and enhance quality of life.

Memory care is “juuust right” for those needing a supportive and understanding environment for individuals with memory impairments, allowing them to live with dignity and receive the care they need.

Level 4: Skilled Nursing Care

Lastly, skilled nursing care is the highest level of care in assisted living services. This level is suitable for individuals who have complex medical needs and require round-the-clock nursing care, and often provide a separate area or wing of the assisted living community, known as a nursing home or skilled nursing facility:

• Access to 24-hour nursing staff who can provide medical care, administer medications, and monitor their health conditions. 
• Skilled nursing care may be necessary for individuals who have chronic illnesses, advanced stages of certain diseases, or have recently undergone surgery or medical procedures. Skilled nursing care facilities have staff trained to provide specialized care and support for these individuals.
• Rehabilitation services, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. 

Skilled nursing care is “juuust right” for those in need of comprehensive medical care and support with complex needs, ensuring safety, comfort, and well-being.

We hope that the information here provided here serves to clarify the differences between each level. Making a fully informed decision regarding the level of care required can be the difference between a less-than-satisfying experience and a fulfilling one. Senior living services should add to quality of life, not detract, and therefore it is the consumer’s responsibility to make sure that they are using all the resources available to them in order to make an educated decision. If each aspect is not carefully reviewed before committing, it is easy to overlook some of the differences - and you may just burn yourself!

We all know how expensive it can be to travel around the holiday season, I'm sure many of us just did it in the past few days! What's it look like as a travelling nurse?

Here’s a follow up from our November 20th blog, outlining another solution to the impending CMS mandates: Skilled Nursing Travel Visas.

Understanding the Importance of Nursing Work Visas

Nursing work visas play a crucial role in allowing skilled nurses to work internationally. These visas are necessary for nurses who wish to pursue employment opportunities within the United States or elsewhere. Nursing work visas are an encouraging solution because they would not only provide nurses with the opportunity to gain valuable experience in different healthcare settings, but it would also contribute to addressing the national shortage of healthcare professionals in this country.

Increasing the number of nursing work visas would offer many benefits and opportunities for hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and senior care homes nationwide. Nurses would have the chance to work in renowned hospitals or healthcare facilities that offer advanced medical technologies and techniques, granting them exposure that would enhance their skills and knowledge, and allow for better patient care in the long run. Additionally, nurses from abroad offer unique experiences, perspectives, and ideas, leading to the establishment of professional connections that can positively impact patients and communities in need around the country.

Pros

• Expands the search for RN’s beyond the United States’ borders.
• Introduces professional experience under differing healthcare models, thus expanding the scale of medical knowledge and expertise.
• Healthcare inclusivity increases due to diversified staff, allowing for the transcendence of language, race, religion, etc.

Cons

• Document and application procurement and preparation is complex and time consuming
• Political opinions could interfere with the immigrant RN procurement process.
• Required legal and travel fees can be hefty.
• Any errors and inaccuracies in paperwork can delay processing times or result in application rejection.

Determining the Eligibility Criteria for Nursing Work Visas

Before applying for a nursing work visa, it is essential to understand the eligibility criteria set by the destination country. While specific requirements may vary, there are common factors considered by most countries. These factors typically include the nurse's educational background, professional experience, language proficiency, and health and character assessments.

In terms of educational background, nurses are generally required to have completed a nursing degree or diploma from a recognized institution. The United States also requires additional certifications or specialized training in specific areas of nursing. Professional experience is another crucial aspect, with many countries preferring nurses with a certain number of years of experience in their field.

Language proficiency is also highly valued in nursing work visa applications. Nurses are expected to demonstrate proficiency in the language spoken in the destination country to ensure effective communication with patients, colleagues, and healthcare professionals. Additionally, health and character assessments are conducted to ensure the nurse's physical and mental fitness, as well as their suitability for working in a healthcare setting.

While obtaining a nursing work visa requires thorough preparation and submission of the necessary documentation, including a valid passport, educational certificates, professional licenses, language proficiency test results, health examination reports, and character references, it would grant access to healthcare personnel from abroad that could provide a legitimate solution to the ongoing skilled nursing crisis in the United States. For nurses that have the diligence, desire, and resources necessary to make it happen, looking abroad can be a truly viable option.

Have you heard of any other staffing solutions? Comment below or email us, we’d love to hear from you!

If you’ve been following our blog series outlining the ins-and-outs of the new CMS mandates, you might be relieved to learn that this week’s blog contains a note of, dare I say, optimism?

By now, you probably know all about the minimum staffing rule, the lack of funding, and the juxtaposition between post acute care facilities and rising patient acuity cases in hospitals. While all worrisome and anxiety-inducing, there comes a time when one must stop airing their grievances and focus on the solutions. 

This blog is highlighting one of them: College developmental programs.

In response to the rising demand for RNs in skilled nursing facilities, college developmental programs are making headway. Universities across the country, such as the University of New England, have launched accelerated 12-month nursing degree programs, cutting the time necessary to earn a bachelor's degree in nursing by 75%. The new programming supersedes the existing 'accelerated' 16-month nursing degree program, ultimately reducing the length of study by an additional 4 months. 

The highly intense, accelerated nursing programs are designed with the intention of fulfilling the nationwide staff shortages by reducing the time necessary to become a practicing nurse. It sounds great, right?

But, as we all know, there are two sides to every coin, here’s what we’re thinking:

Pros 

• Opportunity to gain significant nursing knowledge and skill at an accelerated pace.
• Accelerated programs garner additional attention because they are shorter in duration and will typically allow students to save money when compared to a 4-year commitment.
• Accelerated programs allow for quick career changes, which is good for individuals who may have already been interested in nursing but perhaps settled for other industries.
• Colleges and universities will be able to turn out practicing nurses at an expedited rate, helping to combat the nationwide nursing shortages.

Cons

• Such a short length of study raises questions of true preparedness and competency in the field of medicine.
• There is a wide range of prerequisite courses and admission criteria necessary to be accepted into the accelerated programs, blurring the academic timeline as far as how long students would actually be studying prior to practicing.
• The rigorous curriculum and rate of programming could result in burnout before students even reach the opportunity to practice professionally.

So there you have it, accelerated college nursing programs: a silver lining amidst the current plight. While not foolproof, they have their perks and penalties like any other, and it’s important to acknowledge the efforts of academic institutions across the country in answering the nursing shortages call. Time will tell whether it is all that it is being hyped up to be, but in the meantime, it is at least one solution to an issue that needs fixing; There’s not much room for complaint when there aren’t many remedies to choose from.

Heard of any other ways SNFs are looking to address the nationwide nursing staff shortages? Comment below, or email us, we’d love to know! 

The NBA, WNBA, NHL, and NFL leagues are all underway, so it’s time for you to recall the best sports team dynasty you can think of: The players on that team, each player’s role, and lastly, what set them apart from the other teams they competed against. What made them so successful? I have one hypothesis:

Culture.

The teams that are the most successful have a history of unrelenting culture - from the very top leader to the bottom. New members are indoctrinated into the routines, habits, standards, and codes of conduct set by seasoned players- players who want to win, who know how to win, and have a history of winning often. These seasoned players, or veterans, often spearhead the sports dynasties we see and support today, serving as an example of what can be achieved when skill and experience come together.  

So how does this relate to senior care facilities?

 Staff are much like the players on your favorite sports team - they are hired to do a job and do it to the best of their ability. However, in the same way that athletes cut contracts, request trades, and retire unexpectedly, there is a lot that happens behind the scenes that decides if the company is able to retain an employee or not. Whether it’s poor internal communication, lack of personal time, or salary disagreements, to name a few, there are plenty of reasons why an individual would choose to vacate a position and look elsewhere. Long story short, unhappy employees leave. 

For skilled nursing facilities, this presents a problem because there is not, in fact, more fish in the sea. Unlike athletes, many of whom compete for the same position and sense of glory, CNAs and RN’s are not as plentiful and SNFs everywhere are already scraping the bottom of the barrel due to the new, pricey CMS mandates. It’s not a simple task to recruit and onboard new staff when you don’t even have the resources or time to pay for it. 

So then the question becomes:

“Well, how do we ensure our current employees remain happy?”

Here are three ways:

1. Cultivate a positive work environment. 

A toxic work environment is not only a deterrent in and of itself, but it amplifies patient and staff safety issues. Nobody likes to wake up and already dread going into work! In a study conducted by Sage Journals, it was found that workplaces that promoted an environment that encouraged teamwork and civility experienced lower rates of turnover, burnout and CMS penalties due to low-performance scores. Fostering a positive work environment can look like many things: 

• Recognizing the work of employees publicly
• Frequently providing positive feedback to employees
• Creating open dialogue via check-ins or anonymous reviews
• Adding slowly to workloads in order to prevent burnout. 

Simply by ensuring that your employees feel seen, heard, appreciated, and rested, you will drastically reduce the turnover rate of your employees. 

2. Manage your scheduling. 

Employees do best when they know what to expect and are capable of fulfilling what is being asked of them. Maintaining a predictable, transparent and organized schedule gives staff the confidence that comes with being prepared. Just like athletes, clinical staff can only be truly prepared if they know what the game plan is and how to execute it. Therefore, consider how you can increase the level of communication and transparency throughout your facility. Do you know who is on the floor at all times? Do you know the strengths and weaknesses of each employee and their ability to meet each residents’ needs? Do you know which employees are approaching overtime? Being aware of the finer details allows you to see where there is opportunity for schedule flexibility, shift limits, and mandated time off - all of which have been shown to improve employee happiness. In many ways, it all comes down to having visibility throughout your facility, allowing you to confidently direct and prepare staff in a way that improves efficiency, patient outcomes and job satisfaction.

3. Update your systems.

While it may seem costly upfront, updating your systems will only pay off in the long run. In an industry that is already stressful and time sensitive, the last thing employees want to deal with is software and technology issues. Staff have residents and patients that rely on them to provide high-quality, timely and complete care, which is made harder when the technology is slow, poorly designed and dysfunctional. Keeping your software and operating system up to date will allow you to streamline the coordination of care between various interdisciplinary teams, enhance your cybersecurity measures, and reduce frustrations related to administrative failures.

In conclusion, experience and skill wins championships, regardless of what uniform is being worn. Make sure your team has the leaders (and followers) it needs to be successful!

Have any of your own tips to add? Let us know!

Autumn is now in full swing and winter is right around the corner, so you may be asking yourself: How do I keep my elderly loved ones or my residents engaged this season? It’s not always easy to find ways to stay entertained on those dreary, cold, and rainy days, however, we have compiled a list of activities for you that may just fit the bill:

Puzzles

As the well-known phrase goes, if you don’t use it, you lose it. As you age, extra measures need to be taken to ensure a sound mind and body. Puzzles are a great way to maintain hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and keep the brain active - and don’t limit yourself to the regular jigsaw puzzles either! Consider handheld brain teasers that require you to find a way to separate two pieces or strategy games like Connect 4. If you know somebody who is mathematically inclined or cruciverbalist, consider Sudoku or crosswords. Challenging yourself in such ways helps maintain vital connections between different areas of your brain.

Sports

When you hear the word ‘competitive’ does anyone in particular come to mind? Or do you know anybody who just likes to be included? Finding activities that everyone can partake in is not always easy when it comes to seniors, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get everyone involved, regardless of mobility capacities. There is something for everyone at an arcade, so don’t be afraid to get creative! Think jumbo ring toss, floor net basketball, indoor mini golf, giant ping pong, and even a dance party - all of which improve balance, flexibility, energy levels and decrease loneliness. Or, for those seniors who prefer something more relaxing, yoga, simple pool noodle exercises and swimming (if there’s a pool) comes with the same benefits as well. Long story short, make exercise fun and it will bring only good things! 

Arts & Crafts

Some days (and people) are just more on the quiet side, so how do you navigate this challenge, you may ask? Get creative, literally! Art takes many forms, including coloring, drawing, painting, sculpting and building. Provide residents with color (or paint)-by-numbers books, or lead drawing sessions that challenge them to use different drawing styles. Hold painting nights where residents can get familiar with different kinds of paint, or even set up your own “paint and sip,” where residents can follow an artist’s lead. If you want to take it a step further, you could even have an art exhibition, where residents can proudly display their work to others. When it comes to sculpting and building projects, consider clay (or Playdoh), and materials like Legos to help residents form their masterpieces! The benefits of art are as much mental as they are physical: from improving cognitive function, memory, self-expression and sense of community, to greater motor skills and coordination.

Music

The beauty of music is a universal experience, and any music lover will tell you how important it is in bringing people together. Ask residents what their favorite songs are and then play them for the whole group. You could even turn it into a game where other residents have to guess which resident chose the song, or guess which artist is singing the song! Not only will residents get a better sense of individual music tastes, but it will promote conversations between residents about songs, and the stories behind them. Since everyone will likely have different tastes in music, residents will walk away not only feeling more connected to their peers, but with new and refreshing music that could prompt personal exploration into a new genre. Another option is to hold karaoke or instrumental nights, where residents can sing out loud or play an instrument such as the piano. All the above has been shown to relax the body, lower blood pressure and improve sleep and digestion, as well as an increased sense of community and friendship.

When it comes to senior care, it's important to remember that everyone was young once, and the desire to feel included, to feel as though one's life has purpose, and to feel loved never goes away. Winter and autumn can be dark, cold and unforgiving, making seasonal depression an unwelcome guest to many. For seniors who are already living away from family and friends, this presents an additional challenge, as they are already feeling isolated from those they love. When considering activities for your seniors, consider those that are not only going to improve or maintain mental skills and bodily coordination, but, arguably more importantly, will build a sense of community and belonging that everyone strives for.

What are some ways that you are keeping your seniors active this season? We’d love to know -  email us or submit a comment below!

Everyone knows that the current state of the economy is stormy. However, not everyone knows what it takes to build the best shelter. Many industries, healthcare included, are taking a hit, and it's important to note that while the financial uncertainty justifies any emotional volatility felt, it’s not a conducive business practice, and there are precautionary steps you can focus on in order to increase the chance of your business’s survival.

Being able to adapt to the changing economic environment is the key to weathering the storm. In the world of senior care specifically, adaptability takes many forms.

Here are six:

During a down market, many companies choose to scale back their marketing expenses. However, when it comes to senior care facilities, that’s not necessarily the best approach. The aging population of America continues to grow, and consumers are always on the lookout for their future residences. Thanks to the internet, research is easily had, and most consumers do plenty of it. After all, choosing a senior care facility is often an expensive, lifelong purchase. Therefore, it’s important to have a very strong online presence through a user-friendly website, newsletters, blogs, testimonial videos, and online reviews and ratings. You must make it clear what you are selling by touting the superior experience and level of care you provide to your residents compared to your competitors, and this makes marketing an integral part of the resident-curating process.

Consumers want to feel as though they (and their loved ones) are treated as a priority in whichever residency they choose to invest in. A simple way to do that is to ensure that residents and their families have an easy time navigating the ins and outs of the facility as far as making appointments, speaking with residence staff, touring the facility, and having a knowledgeable representative available to answer any questions that may arise. Showcasing such a high level of care in the early days leaves consumers with a good impression of the level of care and safety that can be expected should they choose to commit to your residency. Stand apart from your competitors by demonstrating a higher level of organization, attentiveness, and responsiveness.

Consumers, current and future, want to feel as though they are getting the best deal and experience available to them. However, what one consumer may define as the “best” may not align with another’s definition. By identifying individual needs and values, you can tailor the overall experience to retain better current residents and increase your attractiveness to future residents. If residents feel as though you “get them,” they are more likely to choose your facility over one that provides a more generic-feeling level of care.

Once in the facility, it’s important that you demonstrate a consistent level of care to retain residents, as well as take advantage of opportunities later down the road with brand ambassadors and positive word-of-mouth reviews. One highly effective way of keeping residents satisfied is by improving the efficiency and productivity within your facility. Residents want fast care, meaning that if you are able to demonstrate that you understand what their problems are and how to solve them quickly, there is little room for lingering frustrations or complaints. By staying on top of your facility operations through digital platforms like primeVIEW, where you can track your census, labor, clinical, and five-star, you will not only make residents feel well-tended to, but the increased level of organization will help simplify your day-to-day workflow as well.

Customer service includes everything from answering questions and fulfilling general physical therapy to providing personalized tech support services for residents on an as-needed basis. The process of moving away from home, away from friends and family, and moving into an unfamiliar facility is an often-overlooked sacrifice, meaning that for residents and their families, communication becomes key. Communication reflects competency. Therefore, facilities that make a conscious effort to prioritize high levels of communication between residents and their families are seen as more attractive, as the increased transparency allows families to rest easy knowing that their loved one is being well taken care of.

6. Keep Your Finances in Order 

Senior care facilities have many moving parts, and sometimes, items fall through the cracks — including payments. One issue many facilities face is managing the billing process, thus prolonging payments and cash turnover. Luckily, platforms such as our primeCLAIMS can act as your revenue cycle management system, allowing you to streamline the billing process by reducing DSO, time spent collecting and organizing paperwork, and offering unique claim-to-claim reviews. During a time when financial resources are already scarce, the last thing you want to do is approach claims with negligence.

It’s not a matter of if but when the economy will begin to recover, and while not everything is within personal control, taking the above measures will serve to protect your business during the darkest days.

Focus on the positives, on the areas that you can improve upon, and you will be able to take advantage of the circumstances rather than become a victim of them.

Have any other tips you’d like to share with us? Let us know!

If you’re 65 years old, about to be 65 years old, or if you know somebody who is, here’s a message for you: Don’t wait to sign up for, or change, Medicare insurance plans - poor planning, procrastination and missed deadlines expedite the aging process!

The Medicare Open Enrollment Period is October 15^th through December 7^th, and it’s time to make decisions about your future now - changes made during this period will take effect January 1^st of next year.

Here’s a brief overview of some upcoming deadlines:

• Part A, B, D – Enrollment begins 3 months before and up to three months after you turn 65.
• Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) – Medigap open enrollment lasts 6 months and begins when 1) You are 65 or older 2) Have enrolled in Medicare.
• Working past age 65 – You must enroll within 8 months of being unemployed or dropping your health plan.

What each part means:

Part A – Hospital insurance: Covers inpatient care, hospice, home health and skilled nursing care.

Part B – Medical insurance: Covers outpatient care, preventative services and medical equipment such as wheelchairs and walkers.

Part D – Prescription drug coverage

Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) – Covers some of Medicare’s cost-sharing requirements and services not covered by Medicare.

Why you should take advantage of this enrollment period:

• Possibility of upgrading or downgrading plans (Medicare Advantage versus Original)
• Opportunity to reevaluate or change Part D
• Peace of mind knowing that you do not have to rely on COBRA or job security in order to be covered by insurance.

Good to know:

• The general enrollment period for Medicare is between January 1^st and March 31^st
• During the general enrollment period, coverage kicks in one month post-enrollment.
• You can apply for Medicare even if you are already covered elsewhere.
  
  

Excuse us as we take a victory lap celebrating another successful conference! The 2023 AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo was certainly one to remember, and we are excited about the new (and old) connections we have cultivated along the way. 

Amongst other opportunities, we had the chance to discuss with RevSpring's vice president of business development, Eric Langlee, in person about our new partnership with them, specifically regarding private pay integration with primeCLAIMS. The partnership, officially announced last week, empowers revenue cycle managers in the post-acute care industry to efficiently manage payments from guarantors for better financial outcomes. We'd be happy to discuss what this means for you via email!

Here are our Top 3 Takeaways from this year's 'Delivering Solutions' :

1. Congrats to all the newly elected board directors of AHCA/NCAL! Some notables: Phil Scalo of New Jersey was elected as AHCA Chair, Mark Maxfield of Idaho was elected as NCAL chair, and Chris Wright of iCare Health Network, a current client of ours, was elected Vice Chair.
2. There was a lot of buzz surrounding the new CMS staffing mandate and its anticipated impact. See our September 9th and October 1st blog posts for more details.
3. Managed Care insurance companies continue to squeeze providers on reimbursement, meaning that to manage the contracting process successfully, there needs to be more focused efforts on the providers side as far as effectively communicating their value to payors to drive down costs and improve healthcare quality.

Prime Care Technologies was also proud to sponsor this year's opening event, the Mile High Jamboree, to kick off the conference. We had a great time socializing, racing, and discussing all things post-acute care! Overall, AHCA was a blast, although we weren't quite ready for the white waters of Denver!

In case you didn’t know, October 8^th-14^th is National Case Managers Week, so now is an opportune time to celebrate the important work performed by case managers everywhere, but specifically those within the healthcare industry.

So what are case managers, and what do they do?

Case managers play a vital role in maintaining the operational efficiency within the companies they work for, from admission to discharge. They are the keystone in all workspace systems, processing and creating productive workflows, organizing and delegating responsibilities, maintaining order, handling sensitive data, and ensuring that all tasks are being completed in a timely fashion. It’s a job that requires immense attention to detail, excellent communication skills, flexibility, forward-thinking, and a little finesse. It certainly is not an easy position to hold, and challenges are abounding, especially if relying on a manual case management method.

Common challenges that case managers face are:

• Ineffective collaboration between individuals and teams due to lack of flexibility and coordination.
• Lack of transparency for customers and stakeholders due to the complex, multi-faceted nature of the position.
• Decreased efficiency due to mismanaged assignments, poor team communication, inefficient data collection, and weak process structure.
• Increased documentation mistakes due to human error render data unusable, making analyzing trends more difficult and timelier.
• Information salad due to sources being scattered across multiple platforms and channels, making the information-gathering process cumbersome and frustrating.
• Lack of customization makes it difficult for case managers to adapt operations to streamline the company's processes and workflows, dramatically increasing operational costs.

Luckily, digital and technological advancements have helped to lighten the load ̶ case managers rejoice! Platforms like our managedCareMASTER make managing complex contracts, EHRs, Rx costs, therapy, and CRM easier than ever. managedcareMASTER is your automated case management and contract workflow platform, covering everything from contract summaries, organizational visibility, and contractual alerts to concurrent reviews, denials, and appeals. Case managers no longer have to rely on papers and binders to keep track of everything they need ̶ it’s available to them in one, all-inclusive dashboard. The executive dashboard includes useful functions such as a concurrent review and authorization calendar, facility-based cost-out template, PDPM grouper tool, high-cost medication search, and real-time alerts, allowing case managers to take charge of their facilities with resounding efficiency. Say goodbye to poor collaboration, incomplete data, visibility issues, compromised security, and avoidable errors!

Have any questions about how our technology can help you? We’d love to hear from you!

Drop us a quick email, and we’ll happily discuss our solutions further with you.

Increased patient acuity numbers in hospitals do not usually signal something positive in the healthcare system ̶ unless you’re a post-acute care facility, that is. But wait, is that even true? It's true that both adult inpatient and tertiary inpatient days are expected to increase by 8% and 17% in the next decade… It's true that hospital inpatient capacity has remained relatively unchanged… It's true that there is a projected 13% growth in home hospice care...

So what’s the negative amidst all those "positive" statistics?

Hospitals and post-acute care facilities will only be able to reap the benefits if they don't get impaled by the small chink in the armor: The new CMS mandates.

Let’s digress for a moment so that we can better understand why that is:

In reviewing a report by Vizient and its subsidiary Sg2, from 2019 through 2022, hospitals saw a 10% increase in patient acuity rate alone on account of more Americans requiring inpatient chronic condition care. However, their capacity has remained relatively unchanged, which means current care delivery models will need to be revised in order to meet the growing volume. Why is that good for post-acute care facilities you may ask? Because in the coming years, hospitals are going to be at their wits end, and post-acute care facilities can be the knights in shining armor, as they have the resources capable of offsetting the additional strains hospitals will face.

So how do the new CMS mandates interfere with that again?

As we debriefed in our September 9^th blog, the new CMS mandates include a minimum staffing rule that increases RN hours from 8 hours/7 days a week, to 24 hours/7 days a week. They’ve been courteous enough to do the math on how much money is needed to implement the new requirements ($40.6 billion!) over the next 10 years, but seem to have run out of brain power when it comes to providing solutions on how to procure those numbers. With no answer on where the funds are coming from to support the additional RN and nursing aide hours being demanded of them, facilities everywhere are being sent into a scramble over how to stay in compliance.

In an ideal world, the CMS would provide some kind of funding solution and all would be well, but they haven’t. Because of this, if one does not move tactfully, the CMS mandates are a double-edged sword that could topple the delicate tower made up of hospitals and post-acute care facilities, with hospitals being at the top. The combination of ever-growing patient acuity cases, increased demand for post-acute care facilities and the lack of funding now has the capacity to overwhelm both hospitals and post-acute care facilities simultaneously. A 2-for-one special, very appetizing.

There’s a strong argument that the CMS mandates will only serve to increase the exclusivity of care, as many facilities will fall out of compliance, challenging the CMS’s opinion that the new proposal will better serve residents by ensuring that they are able to receive the safest and highest quality of care. It seems, rather, that the changes would ultimately limit the overall access to care. Would you rather Grandma have some care or none at all? It is not difficult to see how such ambitious, black and white thinking could severely jeopardize millions of Americans desperately in need of post-acute care.  

Let’s do a quick SWOT analysis of the situation to summarize:

 Strengths

• Post-acute care facilities have the necessary acuity settings to treat patients in need of specialized medical care.

Weaknesses

• The current hospital care delivery models will not support the growing patient volume.
• Hospital inpatient capacity is remaining relatively unchanged.
• Post-acute care facilities need more RN and nursing aides.
• Post-acute care facilities need funding to fulfill the new CMS mandates.

Opportunities

• Hospitals will look to post-acute care facilities to accommodate the increased demand for inpatient medical care.
• Post-acute care facilities can anticipate more revenue opportunities with increased demand.

Threats

• If CMS does not provide funding solutions, many post-acute care facilities will be out of compliance, thus disrupting the hospital-post acute care facility pipeline.

Whether the new CMS mandates are going to help or hinder the ability for post-acute care facilities to keep hospitals from drowning in the moat, time will only tell.

As many are aware, Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International experienced cybersecurity breaches last week that resulted in the shutdown of casino and hotel computer systems from Las Vegas to New York. The breaches were executed by ransomware groups, who gained access through tactics like text messages and phishing emails. In the case of MGM, hackers posed as an employee and contacted the help desk to request a password reset. Caesars Entertainment quietly paid a $15 million ransom to the hackers. The breaches proved to be a logistical and financial nightmare, affecting reservations, casino floors, room accommodations, and other issues that cost both the guests and venues tremendously.

The cyberbreaches serve as a painful reminder to all that the need for cybersecurity is at an all-time high. Casino security is often regarded as near-impossible to penetrate, however, that doesn’t deter nor prevent attacks, as we already know by now; Where there is money to be had, there will be thieves and unfortunately, MGM and Caesars are all too familiar. Entertainment venues are certainly not stand-alone victims, with other major industries targeted including healthcare, education, and government agencies. 

As healthcare continues to go digital through artificial intelligence and other avenues such as telehealth and telemedicine, the need to software that can ensure safe, secure data storage and protection is imperative. Although the healthcare sector has not seen the worst of data breaches, it has seen some of the most expensive; Multiple incidents have occurred within the past year of leaked personal information about patients and residents that have cost facilities hundreds of thousands. The topic of cybersecurity is no longer about if you need it, but how to implement it for maximum effectiveness.

Here are some ways to protect yourself:

• Training: Strengthen your weakest link by making internal spam/phishing training obligatory for all employees. Most cybersecurity breaches occur due to human error. Make sure everyone is well-versed in recognizing potential sources of malware and malicious modes of communication.
• VPN: Strengthen your home network via VPN encryption to ensure no sensitive data can be intercepted by cybercriminals. Limit identity theft opportunities for cybercriminals by guarding your personal information and practicing discernment when probed for personal details.
• Passwords: Use strong, unique passwords and change them often. Use multifactor authentication. Make sure that your one-time passwords are up to date. Doing all the above limits the ability for hackers to key track and recognize password trends.
• System Updates: Keep your software and operating system up to date and invest in the best cybersecurity system you can afford. Remember, nobody is safe and an educated investment, thought pricey, may save you far more in the long run.
  
  

While the current state of the economy can be described as moody, in some industries, there is still potential for growth, namely in the cybersecurity sector.

Everyone knows that when there is an economic squeeze, businesses resort to self-conserving methods to keep their companies alive. Workforces are downsized, contracts are slowed, and executives everywhere search every nook and cranny for money-saving solutions. While the economic downturn has not allowed the cybersecurity industry to go unscathed, the need for it prevails, albeit in a more particular fashion.

As businesses search for savings, the key lies within platforms like Microsoft. Now, with tighter budgets and more stringent purchasing processes, businesses no longer want to spend money on individual products for individual problems ̶ they want a platform that solves all of them concurrently. As the saying goes, they want more bang for their buck. Microsoft is well known for its all-inclusive platform approach, and now that businesses are becoming exceedingly selective, cybersecurity is well on its way, too.

In addition to the economic conditions, cybersecurity has another motive to speed the transition to platform-esque systems. On July 26, the SEC announced that all public cybersecurity vendors will be required to disclose cyberattacks within four business days of the breach if they have a material effect. According to the SEC, the decision was made with the intention of “[hardening] the financial system against data theft, systems failure and cyber-intrusions.” What this means is that many businesses are forced to be more transparent about cyber breaches, giving executives the kick in the pants they need to become more acquainted with their cybersecurity solutions and improve their overall protection. Now that platforms have become the preferred management system for cybersecurity vendors, it is in the best interest of cybersecurity companies to evolve their approach to meet the growing expectations.

The increased vigilance paired with the watchful eyes of penny-pinching CISOs means there is a great opportunity for cybersecurity to expand into a more inclusive, multi-functional, and user-friendly platform that can meet the demands of businesses and individual clients. Improving the level of cyber protection is a mounting necessity across all industries, opening a gateway of opportunity for cybersecurity companies that choose to embrace the new market demands.

There have been mixed reviews about the new mandates released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including a new proposal establishing minimum staffing standards for nursing homes nationwide. The proposal was made with the intention of raising the standard of service at senior care facilities that, according to CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, will better serve residents by ensuring that they are able to receive the safest and highest level of care at all times (https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/hhs-proposes-minimum-staffing-standards-enhance-safety-and-quality-nursing-homes).

But not everyone is happy.

While the intentions of the CMS mandates are in good faith, many senior care facilities are fighting back, referencing multiple issues with the minimum staffing rule. The primary issue is funding. The CMS has stated that in order to fund the new requirements, the total cost over the next 10 years will be $40.6 billion. However, they have not provided any solution for procuring those numbers, sending facilities into a scramble over how to stay compliant without any financial assistance.

The need for such extensive funding is thanks to new requirements that include increasing on-site RN hours from 8 hours a day, seven days a week, to 24 hours per day, seven days a week. RNs must now account for .55 hours per resident day (HPRD), while nursing aides must account for 2.45 HPRD. However, implementing such a demanding mandate requires more cash for the additional RN and nursing aide hours. This is a major flaw in the proposal because facilities do not have the means of increasing wages for current staff or hiring additional staff because there are no funds to pull from.

While there is a waiver process, it is not user-friendly and difficult to navigate, slowing down the efforts to find new workers and, in the meantime, deeming facilities unfit to operate. To keep it brief, the jump from 8 hours to 24 feels excessive to many facilities, making it unreasonably difficult to stay compliant. Critics argue that such an ambitious move will only decrease overall access to care because so many facilities within the sector will be out of compliance.

In preparation for the new CMS requirements, it’s important to look closely at the rule's phase-in parts to ensure a smooth transition. If and when the rules go into effect, it will be in your facility’s best interest to get ahead on your staffing plans for the coming years to maximize recruitment and retention. Staying in compliance will reflect positively on your five-star rating, which will only serve to attract potential residents and staff alike, both of which you will need to remain in good standing. The HPRD requirement for urban buildings will be effective three years after it becomes final, whereas for rural buildings it will be effective after five.

This means it is incredibly important to stay on top of your staffing hours by tracking who is working and when. If you can get in the habit of overseeing the movements of your staff in live time, you will be more prepared to regulate who is working and plan accordingly when the requirements come into full effect. Regarding the 24/7 RN requirement, it will be important to act proactively by reanalyzing and redistributing your staffing hours to see better where your facility falls short.

The 24/7-hour rule will take effect two years after the final rule is published for urban facilities and three years for rural facilities, so the time is now to get all your papers in order.

While the new CMS mandates are not yet rigid, it behooves facility operators to prepare for the changes now.

We want to hear from you! Let us know how you feel about these new mandates with a comment below. 

COVID-19 cases have begun to climb as we head into flu season.

The majority of new cases are a result of transmission from asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals that, thanks to less testing locations and less prudency, are elevating the dangers for high-risk populations. Many healthcare policies that emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are being dropped, raising concerns about the well-being of senior care staff and residents. Wearing an FFP2 mask has remained obligatory across many healthcare facilities globally and with great reason. There is countless data that supports the continued use of masks, namely in the reduction of active cases and overall morbidity rate. Despite most healthcare facilities across the United States dropping their mask mandates, there has been some pushback.

Several public health experts are advocating for year-round masking, masking during flu season, or masking when respiratory viruses reach their “critical threshold” should be mandatory healthcare policies in settings with high-risk populations. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has certainly garnered an elevated appreciation and understanding of health protocols that keep residents, patients, and healthcare workers alike safe. While community immunity and access to countermeasures have leveled out to some extent, older adults and those with underlying health conditions continue to represent the majority of new cases and based on observed trends, the same can be expected in the future.

While COVID-19 has been demoted to endemic, it is still disproportionately affecting our most vulnerable populations. Those in senior care are especially high-risk due to having more points of contact. Many facilities already have a vaccination process for their residents since vaccinating against the flu (and COVID, if not up to date) in advance of the upcoming season has proven to dramatically decrease the length and strength of respiratory illnesses.

According to the CDC, exposure to COVID-19 no longer requires isolation unless you have symptoms.  The CDC website has a new tool where you can type in the date of exposure, then, based on a number of factors, it can help you decide when to test or isolate. For more information about the upcoming Flu and COVID season, please check out the CDC data tracker.

You can also follow these guidelines provided by the CDC if you test positive: 

Any positive COVID-19 test means the virus was detected, and you have or recently had an infection.

• Isolate and take precautions, including wearing a high-quality mask or respirator, to protect others around you from getting infected.
• Tell people you had recent contact with that they may have been exposed.
• Monitor your symptoms. If you have any emergency warning signs, seek emergency care immediately.
• Contact a healthcare provider, community health center, or pharmacy to learn about treatment options that may be available to you. Treatment must be started within the first few days to be effective.

The short answer? Update your internet speed and services.

Slow WiFi is the arch enemy of productivity and revenue. It severely impacts the fluidity of facility operations, decreasing the level of performance of SaaS apps, customer relationship management (CRM) programs, and financial processing programs. Facilities lose valuable time waiting for programs to load, money on poor services, and confidence surrounding security breaches.

In the post-Covid era, businesses have come to rely on internet access more than ever, raising the standards for what internet speed and services entails. As companies continue to make the transition to remote work, strong and reliable WiFi has gone from preferable to necessary. Without it, companies are stuck with a bandwidth that’s unable to support high-speed uploading/downloading, video conferencing, VoIP calls, large data transfers, and cloud applications. As a result, facilities not only waste thousands of dollars on traditional landline phones but they end up barring themselves from entering the latest market of cloud applications altogether, as many cloud programs now rely on high-speed WiFi to support its function. Decreased bandwidth is also met with impatience on the client end, causing businesses to lose customers who don’t care to wait for pages to load or cannot trust a business’s ability to operate safely and efficiently due to unreliable performance.

The bottom line is, slow internet is like a big hole in your pocket. High-speed WiFi can patch it.

Top Benefits of High-Speed WiFi:

1. Seamless transitions from task to task allows for effective collaboration despite employees working remotely or those working while traveling. With access to high-speed internet, employees can collaborate through shared platforms, share files, print documents remotely, and perform tasks as if they were in the office.
2. Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone service renders landlines obsolete, saving time and money by replacing in-person meetings with video conferencing when possible.
3. With the additions of Ethernet ports, companies enjoy resilient and strong WiFi signal that supports multitasking across internet applications without service arbitrary data cap limitations, ensuring that businesses can operate at consistently high speed.
4. Greater security means that expensive security breaches are preventable thanks to more agile disaster response, which depends on speed. Fast backups ensure that companies can efficiently secure customer information and any other sensitive material at all times.
5. Superior hardware comes with superior service providers, meaning that in the case of bad weather conditions, electrical interference, and physical breakdowns, issues are resolved swiftly, avoiding downtime and lost productivity.
6. Increased efficiencies quickly absorb more direct savings than the initial installation cost.

The state of the economy has hit many industries hard, with the healthcare sector being no exception. With increased labor and direct supply costs, inflation costs, as well as a growing demand for diversified care solutions, the passing of recent federal mandates has left many in the Senior Living & Care industry scrambling to keep up.

Despite the further pressures, there are some positive trends that point to future business opportunities for progressive Senior Care Facilities. Since late 2022, unemployment and inflation rates have decreased across the boards, whereas consumer spending has remained constant. Senior care facilities have also benefitted from the deceleration of new construction sites, causing occupancy rates in current facilities to increase in response to the perpetual demand for senior home and behavioral health care.

Consumer demands and expectations continue to grow and evolve over time, making room for senior care facilities to leverage their businesses in new ways.

Here are three ways to take advantage of the current trends:

1. Pinpoint your facility’s unique selling point. Consumers want to have the best of everything, and usually that means having access to something others don’t. A great way to promote your facility is by demonstrating how you provide an exclusive service or amenity along with everything else that is typically offered. Residents and their families want to feel as though they are in the best of hands, whether it comes down to facility layout, dining options, recreational activities, or social engagements. The demand for more diverse health and wellness solutions means that your facility has the ability to stand out if you keep your residents’ best interests in mind at all times.
2. Stay up-to-date on the latest technological advancements designed to manage facilities of your size and scope. The more accurately you can expedite critical decision-making regarding your facilities, the easier it will be to generate revenue. Invest in an all-in-one online dashboard like primeVIEW, which allows you to track important data relating to your real-time census, as well as your labor, financial and clinical systems. When it comes to post-acute care, having QAPI compliant data like this at your fingertips is invaluable to running a smooth and meticulous operation.
3. Reevaluate your marketing and sales approach. In an era that concentrates on wellness and lifestyle, consider how best to promote the superiority of your facility compared to your peers. Potential consumers want to feel as though their overall health and quality of life is going to be improved by choosing you, and a large portion of that has to do with the coordination of care provided. Create a comprehensive care model with wellness plans that your facility can execute seamlessly every time; Not only will it increase the level of confidence your current residents have in you, but it will demonstrate to potential consumers that your facilities are capable of consistently providing favorable outcomes and solutions for everyone. 

Thanks to the exponential growth of technology in recent years, the answers are always at your fingertips, if you know how to use it. In senior living communities, this presents a significant issue for its aging populations, many of whom missed out on the technology learning curve. As a result, technology not only remains a foreign concept to a majority of residents, but its benefits are often overlooked and underutilized due to lack of education.

As technology continues to advance, the need for increased accessibility in senior living communities grows, making it pertinent that personalized tech support services are provided to all residents. The benefits of these services are two-fold, positively impacting both residents and staff. By having qualified IT professionals on-hand, residents can learn how to make the most of the technologically savvy world we live in, which in turn allows them to regain their sense of independence and feel more connected to loved ones and the greater world around them. Staff, on the other hand, no longer have to tend to the additional responsibility of being tech support proxies and can focus on more pressing responsibilities. Providing services that make integrating technology simple for aging residents and staff alike dramatically increases the overall quality and sophistication of care.

Personalized tech support services cover many areas of senior care; from wearable health monitoring devices to smart home technology. Senior residents and their families deserve the highest level of care, and with the right instruction, technology can get them there.

Five Benefits of Personalized Tech Support Services

1. Residents learn how to independently navigate applications and devices designed to monitor their own health, increasing their sense of autonomy and allowing them to stay up-to-date on their medical records.
2. Hands-on instruction setting up networking tools such as Facetime, Zoom, and social media platforms keeps residents in touch with loved ones and the rest of the world.
3. Tech advisors help residents build a more comfortable living environment by introducing home improvement products such as voice-operated Alexa, which helps alleviate some of their common daily difficulties, such as having to stand up to turn off a light switch, close blinds, or tune into their favorite radio station.
4. Tech advisors provide a far more extensive background in IT solutions than staff, therefore they are better able to address technology issues promptly and effectively. This increases both the efficiency of facility operations and the level of day-to-day communication between residents, their families and staff. 
5. Residents feel more safe and secure in their homes, confident that they can rely on technology to alert necessary parties and assist them in the case of accidents, falls, and other emergencies.

Memorial Day is a special day to honor and remember those who died while serving in the U.S. military. A day dedicated to showing respect and reflecting on the ultimate sacrifice of military personnel to defend our country’s freedoms.

This day can be honored in senior living facilities with a moment of silence for the fallen, a memorial parade in the halls, or the rising of the flag at half-staff.

It’s important to honor our heroes by highlighting the benefits available to them. Did you know the VA offers Aid and Attendance, an additional benefit program for veterans and surviving spouses?

Let’s get into the details. On average in the state of Georgia, the cost of staying at a senior living facility for a month is $3,500. According to the U.S. News, "Veterans and their spouses have multiple financial benefits that can help cover the cost of assisted living," says Rick Wigginton, Chief Sales Officer with Brookdale Senior Living, a Tennessee-based senior living company with 675 senior living communities in 41 states across the country.

These benefits are separate from Medicare or Medicaid benefits, adds Dana Taylor, a social worker and senior regional manager for Veterans Home Care based in St. Louis, Missouri. Medicare is a federal health insurance program for adults 65 and over. Medicaid is a combined state and federal program that provides health coverage to low-income individuals, regardless of age. The VA's Aid & Attendance and Housebound program is part of pension benefits for veterans and surviving spouses. These benefits, the VA reports, "are paid in addition to monthly pension, and they are not paid without eligibility to pension," meaning that you can't access this benefit if you're not a pensioned veteran or a survivor of a pensioned veteran.

To qualify for the program, you must:

• Be a veteran of war-era with an honorable discharge or be the surviving spouse of a veteran of war-era with an honorable discharge.
• Need medical assistance.
• Need financial assistance.

Aid & Attendance is received when you meet one of several potential conditions, including:

• Requiring the aid of another person to perform the activities of daily living. These personal functions include bathing, dressing, eating, toileting, or assistance in staying safe from hazards in your daily environment
• Being disabled to the point of being bedridden, beyond what would be considered normal recovery from a course of treatment like surgery.
• Being a patient in a nursing home because of physical or mental incapacity.
• Having very poor eyesight (5/200 corrected visual acuity or less in both eyes) or a field of vision limited to 5 degrees or less.

This program can make a huge difference for veterans and their families, offering peace of mind and much-needed support.

To find out more information, visit https://www.va.gov/health-care/about-va-health-benefits/long-term-care/

DULUTH, GA. (PRWEB) MAY 01, 2023

ARC is a web-based compliance system that guides clinical and management staff through auditing standards for all federal regulations and facilitates a collaborative review of audit results to quickly correct issues and implement performance improvement plans. ARC satisfies the industry’s critical need for an automated, data-driven compliance and oversight system that minimizes legal and financial penalties from federal regulators and improves quality of care. Created by long-term attorneys, nurses, and executives, ARC is accessible to executives, clinical teams, and facility administrators in real time.

As survey deficiencies and penalties for non-compliance increase with CMS’s commitment to enforcing of all phases of the LTC Mega Rule, those SNFs without a robust QAPI and compliance program will face: (1) more survey deficiencies at higher scope and severity levels; (2) excessive civil monetary penalties based on daily fines for non-compliance; (3) higher likelihood of denial of Medicare/Medicaid payments and new admissions; and (4) increased risk of OIG investigations and other litigation. ARC’s comprehensive monitoring and oversight system provides the maximum legal protection that long-term care facilities need to minimize these serious regulatory enforcement actions.

About Prime Care Technologies
Since 2003, Prime Care Technologies has offered long-term care providers flexible hosting, managed services, and cloud software tailored to their needs. This Atlanta-based company has 150 employees and 200+ healthcare/IT partnerships, and its technology-driven solutions are installed in more than 7,500 facilities. In addition to its multi-vendor interoperability expertise, Prime Care Technologies offers a data warehouse and claims clearinghouse that integrates 70+ healthcare applications and 3,500+ EDI payers. Visit http://www.primecaretech.com for more information.

About LTC Integrity
LTC Integrity LLC is the creator of ARC (Audit-Review-Correct) software, an innovative audit solution for long-term care. LTCI has unparalleled experience in developing and administering on-site and web-based compliance and QAPI programs and has the only software that was designed specifically for the RoPs and PPS. In addition to achieving compliance with all aspects of the new rules, LTCI’s innovative and comprehensive program results in risk reduction, improved clinical outcomes, increased regulatory success, PPS reimbursement optimization, RAC and ZPIC preparedness, PEPPER responsiveness, HIPAA compliance, and heightened peace of mind for nursing facility management. Visit http://www.ltcintegrity.com for more information.

New Transition for CMS

CMS, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, is a federal agency within the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It administers the Medicare program and works in partnership with state governments to administer Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and health insurance portability standards. It was founded on July 30th, 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson to protect the health and well-being of millions of Americans all while saving lives and improving the economic security of the nation. 

CMS recently announced the transition of CMS to iQIES (Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System) on April 17th for MDS record submissions and reports. According to cms.gov providers are expected to take into account all requirements provided by CMS. To properly prepare for this transition, submissions will be turned off on April 13. Providers need to submit completed MDS records before this Thursday. CMS will be providing more information on what to expect in the coming days through email. Failure to obtain access to iQIES before April 17th will impact your ability to submit MDS records moving forward. For information and instructions to register for an iQIES account, please visit: https://qtso.cms.gov/news-and-updates/action-required-register-iqies-account  

For those in question about iQIES, cms.gov provided key highlights for providers on what to expect in the upcoming days with the new shift. 

Key Highlights of iQIES

• Users will be able to securely access iQIES at any time, from any location (provided there is an internet connection).
• Users will log in once to iQIES. No longer will users be required to log into CMSNet and then into separate applications to upload MDS records or access reports.
• Users will have access to tips and information to guide them throughout the MDS submission process and accessing reports. 
• Users will be allowed to upload MDS assessments similarly as was done in the QIES.
• MDS reports will be similar to those in the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reporting (CASPER) application, with some new functionality built in.
• Users can initially view the report information on the screen and if desired, can then download the report to a Portable Document Format (PDF) or Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file.
• Users can schedule reports to run at their desired intervals and frequency.

AI Enhancing Roles for Senior Living Facilities

AI, also known as artificial intelligence, became popular around the 1980s. John Hopfield and David Rumelhart popularized “deep learning” techniques, allowing computers to learn user experience. Recently we have seen the rise of AI yet again as it made national news, explaining how the system can write term papers for students, update resumes for job seekers, and much more that even made people question their position in the work field. 

AI is taking on a more impactful part in various roles for Senior Living. With the help of AI, senior living facilities are getting assistance with staffing, financial management, fall prevention, and clinical care. According to argentum.com AI is not replacing human intelligence but enhancing it. Well, why AI? What makes this system so reliable for senior living facilities? "It is this analysis of unstructured data, from multiple sources, in real-time, that is perhaps the most unique benefit of AI", says Arena CEO Michael Rosenbaum. 

Now that we know the why let's dive into the how. Rosenbaum says, "AI can find patterns and 'signal' very quickly from massive amounts of data which is the incontrovertible advantage of AI over human capability." It's not that humans are incapable but we are limited when it comes to time and energy whereas a machine is not. As Heather Annolino, senior director of Healthcare Practice at Ventiv, put it, “Artificial intelligence empowers healthcare organizations to obtain and examine data and generate actionable insight quickly and concisely. By quickly uncovering insights and connections, facilities can efficiently enact new or updated protocols without biases—based on fact.” Keefe says better access to data leads to better AI-aided results—and senior living operators and others have better access to data than ever before.“It’s so much easier now for us to collect information from external devices—for example, vital sign monitoring like temperature, pulse, respiration, blood pressure—and also wearable devices such as Fitbits and Apple watches,” Keefe says. This helps not just to alleviate the burden on the caregiver but helps that caregiver provide much better care. 

One of the most compelling uses of AI in senior living today is the pursuit of preventing resident falls, a persistent and critical challenge for all providers. But, how does it work? AI “generally functions by recognizing patterns and then either suggesting optimal solutions for a human to implement or by actually implementing those solutions itself,” he says.

“For example, most modern cars have a multitude of sensors and other technologies that identify potential risks and then alert the driver to react,” Paprocki says. “That is very different from a fully self-driving car, where the AI not only identifies potential risks but reacts to those risks by autonomously operating the vehicle.”

Paprocki says AI solutions are still closer to the former part of the analogy than the latter—but change is coming.

As with other technological tools, the human component of AI is still vitally important. “We live in a time when staffing has never been harder in our industry,” Paprocki says. “Even if we had triple or quadruple the number of caregivers, we still couldn’t predict, observe, immediately react to, or know how to prevent all falls. And that’s where technology like AI can be lifesaving because it can function like an Iron Man suit for our frontline caregivers.” 

The future of senior care is here.

64% of Medicaid enrollees are unaware of the decision for redeterminations this spring!

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 disengages with the Medicaid continuous enrollment provision.  The termination of the provision is planned to start on April 1, 2023, and the states will then begin Medicaid disenrollment. Over half of the applicants have yet to be included in the loop. This is due to many factors, including lack of updated information, language barriers, and accessing information in needed formats, to name a few. Not enough people are receiving the data and will be disenrolled from having Medicaid. “The risk is that if the message is not delivered loudly and often, millions of people will simply lose coverage.” (Marissa Plescia, www.medcitynews.com)

The U.S.  Department of Health and Human Services has predicted that about 15 million people nationwide could lose coverage when this happens! The 15 million may include your aunt, friend's grandmother, neighbor's sister, or anyone you might know.

According to CMS, states must develop operational plans for implementing the process.  The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute has provided a tracking map. The tracker shows that 41 states have a public plan. 

What is being done?

• Planned State Actions
• Streamlined renewal processes.
• Outreach through community health centers

What can you do?

• Update your contact information. 
• Check your mail.
• Complete your renewal form. 

In the meantime, try to stay in the know and watch what your state might be doing next. Look at the tracking map and see who else you can inform. With Spring quickly approaching, time is of the essence and can’t be wasted! Start talking and informing your loved ones.

It has been three years since the COVID-19 outbreak and the unfortunate labor shortage struggle continues. We have created different alternatives that have allowed us to continue life as we once knew it. But the question is how are companies able to adapt to this labor shortage and how do they come out on the other side stronger than ever? These labor insufficiencies have affected the nursing population tremendously and are now trickling into the world of IT.

Sadly, healthcare industries took a heavy hit with this. Staffing poverties are nothing new for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF), yet it is highly unfortunate. When there is a staffing shortage not only does that overwork the staff that is already available, it puts a strain on the company as a whole. These businesses are unsure how to improve the facility crisis or how to properly prevent it!

IT industries are experiencing staffing shortages as well due to non-flexible work hours, a lack of remote working options, feeling under-appreciated, and even the possibility of a toxic work environment. According to Sherweb.com "A whopping 85% said they felt their company focused more on attracting new talent than investing in existing staff. It is estimated that the demand for IT specialists will increase by 22%." This is a much faster increase than any other occupation and can result in nearly 85 million tech talent shortages! However, primeCLOUD can provide the staff augmentation you are yearning for during these critical times.

Companies are always evolving and changing. People come and go, but what if you have staff resign unexpectedly? It happens. This same scenario recently happened to a company we partnered with. A senior networking staff member had resigned and the company did not have a backup plan. Luckily, we were their backup plan as our company was able to provide the work they needed to fill that position. Why replace a hard worker with a supplemented lack of talent quick hire? Rely on us to fill in the gaps when needed with high-quality and skilled technicians!

There are many different risks of labor shortages such as workplace injuries, product liability, and even property! To assist with the lack of time and resources, many healthcare facilities are upgrading to technologically advanced resources. Some are even installing automatic monitoring devices to provide simple and accurate contactless monitoring. These innovative monitoring devices can help provide a variety of vital signs and bio-data features along with indications in a continuous, contactless, and passive manner. With these technology upgrades, proper installation is necessary. Our expert technicians can come to the site and complete those jobs for you as well. 

primeCLOUD can provide over-the-phone assistance as they work effortlessly around the clock 24/7. Aside from primeCLOUDs impeccable 24/7 service, we also can provide network monitoring assistance that oversees problems such as slow traffic or component failure. Allow us to be your boots-on-the-ground service when needed. We provide the tech, so you can provide the care.

PrimeCLAIMS Clearinghouse Propels Proclaim Partners to "Company of the Year"

The Financial Services Review has awarded ProClaim Partners “Company of the Year in its Claims Processing Solutions Providers category for 2022,” for outstanding innovation with its primeCLAIMS clearinghouse.  We are honored to be acknowledged for the technology and performance we bring to Post Acute Care and other industry claims processing.

When healthcare billers transitioned out of COVID, they had to do more with less. In 2022, primeCLAIMS streamlined the claims process, creating a higher standard of superior performance through technology.

Jonathan Duvall, Senior Director of Product Management, says, “Our goal is to provide software that goes beyond processing claims and integrates into an organization’s revenue cycle workflow. By studying workflow, primeCLAIMS delivers an intuitive experience to get companies paid every dollar for every day of patient care.”

- primeCLAIMS Clearinghouse facilitates seamless electronic claim submissions by automating the claims handling process.

- primeCLAIMS Sequential Billings compares month-to-month billing through side-by-side, claim-to-claim comparisons to detect discrepancies.

- primeCLAIMS Enhanced Aging lets you compare what was billed VS what was paid and highlights discrepancies of missing payments.

- primeCLAIMS EzDDE enables billers to edit hundreds of lines quickly and move to the next claim - saving up to 30 minutes per claim.

PrimeCLAIMS continues to work towards innovations and deliver technologies that focus on billers. Don't hesitate to contact Jae Sparks VP of Sales & Marketing, at 770-543-0473, to schedule a demo.

DULUTH, GA. (PRWEB) JANUARY 17, 2023

primeFORCE, a leader in enterprise technology workforce and consulting solutions, announced today the expansion of its UKG (formerly Kronos, Inc.) consulting practice with the hiring of Bryan Jackson. He will serve as Senior Director of Operations and continue the rapid expansion of the company's UKG services and consulting practice.

As Senior Director of Operations, Bryan will bring over two decades of IT consulting and workforce management experience, including 20 years at UKG in Workforce Solutions, Presales, and Presales Management roles. Prior to joining primeFORCE, Bryan led the UKG service delivery and solutions divisions for a global consulting firm specializing in digital transformation. With experience in management and individual contributor roles, Bryan is well-versed in the end-to-end customer acquisition and delivery methodologies that drive customer success and retention. His deep knowledge of legacy and current UKG WFM and HCM solutions will provide guidance for the primeFORCE team to create game-changing technology that complements our full-service offerings.

primeFORCE is uniquely positioned by offering both services and technology for UKG customers. On the professional services side, customers looking to implement, optimize, or partner through a managed services arrangement can work with a team that offers domain knowledge specific to their industry. The primeARCHIVE solution, which earned UKG’s Innovation of the Year, provides technology that enables customers to store and easily access historical WFM and HCM data securely -- the result is delivering a turnkey solution for UKG customers migrating from Workforce Central to UKG Dimensions.

"With the rapid growth we delivered at the end of 2022 and the additional expansion plans for 2023, it was important to add another experienced leader," said Doug Montgomery, Vice President of primeFORCE. "Having worked with Bryan across the past 17 years, I am directly aware of the focus he has for delivering quality outcomes for customers, positively impacting their business results, and willingness to take on any challenge. I could not be more excited about the unique value our customers will gain from this addition to our team."

"primeFORCE is proud to offer its comprehensive and experienced UKG specialists and certified consultant team to the marketplace. Our goal is to be the premier UKG Services Partner to industries across the U.S.," said Montgomery. "We continue to broaden our value-add within the UKG customer community, guiding them to optimize their UKG solutions, and deepening our valuable partnership with UKG."

Tens of thousands of organizations and more than 40 million people in over 100 countries use UKG solutions for their workforce management and human capital management needs. primeFORCE is attending the 2023 UKG Healthcare Executive Summit West/East, Service and Distribution Executive Summit, Manufacturing Executive Summit, and Retail Hospitality & Food Service Executive Summit.

About primeFORCE
primeFORCE became an affiliate of Prime Care Technologies in 2014. In 2022, it merged its best-of-breed employee benefits platform with UKG consulting, Data Archiving and leading technologies to help clients optimize workforce software while maintaining compliance with legacy systems. Providing personalized peace of mind to customers in more than 40 states, its efficiency-driven workforce solutions put hours back in the day, enabling employers to focus on their best investment, their employees.  Visit primeforcetech.com.

Our team actively connected with many of you while attending events including the NIC Fall Conference, AHCA Annual Conference, LeadingAge Annual Conference, PointClickCare, SummitSenior Living Innovation Forum (SLIF), and CAHF Annual Conference. Each one enlightened our understanding of your challenges and how we can shape our technologies to meet your needs. Below, find highlights of a few of these.

NIC Fall Conference

At NIC, we heard a bit about the economical and financial outlook for the upcoming months, and picked up on their positive vibes around now being a great time to invest in senior housing, as well as a good time to reposition the marketing around senior housing. But, the big takeaway was…there is a rapidly growing active senior segment and serving the needs of this population will be key to success.

AHCA Annual Conference

Mark Parkinson assured senior care operators, saying ‘government is not going to let our sector fail’ and ‘recovery is possible’ and sharing these inspirational stats:

• 30% of sector is at or above pre-pandemic census
• 1/3 of sector is not using staffing agency

His advice for recovery is simple:

• Don’t quit – keep going
• Commit to top performance (hint: it’s about leadership and culture!)
• Fight and be active

He left us with a quote from Winston Churchill, “History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.” Translation, we as an industry now control our future.

And, we left you with a new solution for ensuring you get paid every dollar, every day for the care you provide. If we didn’t connect, read more about primeVIEW’s Century Therpy Plus module, which assures clinical and therapy assessments are always in alignment.

LeadingAge Annual Conference

LeadingAge touched upon what we learned from COVID and two take-aways that resonated for us were:

• Technology may have been ‘nice to have’ pre-COVID, but it became essential during and will remain so moving forward.
• Senior care operators realized the challenges of disparate technology platforms and data, which makes vendors who easily integrate key partners in gaining efficiency

We concur and we’re here to be both your guide, and your single source for integrated data and technology. We told you about our Century Rehab therapy data integration above, but we also announced a key integration with PointClickCare – two-way EHR intergration for more accurate and expedited claims processing via primeCLAIMS.

PointClickCare Summit

PrimeVIEW’s Customer Experience Manager, Tara Vantroost captures the spirit of what this and all events brought for us this year. Her favorite part was “not only giving hugs to so many people [she] has worked with over the years and finally putting a face with a name, but also being able to see the excitement on new prospective clients’ faces when they see what the dashboard actually does!” Tara strives to make your experience with primeVIEW exceptional and enjoys feedback from all prospects so we can always provide the best services.

Jonathon Duvall, our Senior Director of Product Management, also spoke at PCC Summit with Century Rehabilitation CEO Tammy Tuminaro about how staffing can have a significant impact on how your facilities are perceived. Did you know primeVIEW allows you to calculate your current staffing stars’ trajectory, be alerted to 1-star warnings, and calculate turnover and weekend staffing during the quarter to course correct before submitting data to CMS.

Need to see the dashboard? Want to see the future of the stars?

The Best Takeaways

Leverage primeVIEW see the changes in your operational data over time and across facilities to uncover meaningful information. By offering your staff near real-time access anytime online they can better understand the how, what, where, and when so they can spend more time on the how!

Rely on primeCLAIMS to automate and simplify the tedious processes associated with ensuring you get reimbursed for the dedicated care hours you provide to your communities. The efficiency our claims app brings will reduce the staff and time needed to make sure you get paid every dollar, every day.

Together we can better serve long-term, post-acute communities!

Are Long-term, post-acute (LTPAC) operators finding PDPM as a significant pain point? Prime Care Tech and Century Rehab's new primeVIEW Century Therapy Plus can help. Recently, in a joint press release we announced the addition of a first-of-kind technology for comparing therapist assessment data to that of clinical staff.

Automating this time-consuming process of tracking and comparing this data empowers senior care operators to achieve three goals: 

• Identify differences in assessment data captured by therapists and clinical staff in a near real-time alerts-based tool.
• Proactively address those differences before a care plan and associated reimbursement is finalized.
• Reduce reliance on manual and time-consuming analysis of assessment and care data.

This is HUGE! PDPM is fully implemented across the SNF industry. The ability to identify the differences between the therapist and the clinical assessment minimizes the time needed to collect and compare data throughout a patient stay.

We discuss this in more detail during our recent webinar with Century Rehabilitation, which was also a well-attended session during the recent PointClickCare Summit. Be sure to sign up for this replay to hear more.

Combining primeVIEW's dashboard analytics with Century Rehabilitation’s therapy care data offers our clients a complete view of their patients' care plan. This takes the guesswork out of calculating PDPM, enabling staff to convert two-hour meetings with therapy providers into quick 15-minute conversations over easy-to-compare assessments. 

Together we can better serve long-term post-acute operators! Learn more about the integration and dashboard for primeVIEW by downloading our primeVIEW Century Therapy Plus e-sheet. Or better, get in touch for a demo.

With today's rising costs, healthcare facilities must keep a tight grasp on their budgets! With that said, there's a trend of news articles suggesting CIOs are not seeing ROI from moving to cloud-based services.

But MedCityNews is debunking this, reminding us that change is neither easy nor cheap. In their article, Debunking Cloud Cost and ROI Hogwash for Healthcare, they explain how the cloud is in fact revolutionizing healthcare systems, delivering both cost and time savings. 

In another article from Becker's Hospital Review, 'Cloud projects are powering forward': Health system CIOs on cloud spending amid economic pressures, Scott Arnold, Executive Vice President and CIO of Tampa General Hospital, says “We don't view cloud service as a 'nice to have' or unnecessary expense.” 

Why? Because hospitals and healthcare facilities need to move EHRs around while storing patient data in a secure location. The cost to provide a facility with all the on-site equipment and energy for this would easily equal or trample the cost of an IT-provided cloud service that provides cybersecurity, resilience, agility, and scalability. 

The takeaway here is to have patience in seeking ROI from conversion to cloud-based services – and to strategically plan how and when you might embark upon this. But it is a necessary adaptation to meet the healthcare industry's critical and fast-changing needs.

"Cloud power is what drives the rapid digital innovation we see across pretty much every other industry — and it enables healthcare organizations to solve increasingly complex problems more affordably, quickly, and reliably."

Our primeCLOUD team can help by providing you with the strategy, security, cost control, operational efficiency, reliability, and agility to maximize your IT performance. Get in touch to strategize your transition to cloud-based services.

Each week our security team tracks threats, vulnerabilities, and patches announced by leading IT experts and vendors to ensure we prioritize, address, and communicate them to our managed IT services clients.

Below you'll find our recap of events they addressed in the last few months. To check previous reports, see 2022 Security Threats.

If you're not a client, make sure your team knows about these security events, as well as future ones. Just click below to sign up. 

High Impact

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact on Our Clients/FYI

As part of our primeCLOUD services suite, we partner with leading IT vendors to offer security services like ransomware protection, phishing training, multi-factor authorization (MFA), data backup/recovery, and more.

If you're not confident your organization is on top of security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it may be time to conduct a cyber security audit.

Or better, get in touch and let us walk you through critical items for your security checklist.

The team is gearing up for the November 1-4, PointClickCare Summit in Las Vegas. We're excited to sponsor two booths – Prime Care Tech is at #419 and our primeCLAIMS affiliates are at #306. 

Stop by for a chance to win a Louis Vuitton purse – and stay for a demo of our industry-leading applications.

If you're looking to take advantage of educational opportunities, we'll lead two breakout sessions:

• Wednesday, 4:15-5p
  We're not Great At PDPM, Yet; Using Data & Tools to Improve Care and Reimbursement
  Jonathan Duvall/Prime Care Tech and Tammy Tuminaro/Century Rehabilitation
• Thursday, 2:45-3:30p 
  Get Paid–Every Dollar, Every Day!
  Jonathan Duvall/Prime Care Tech and Kimberly Sturm, primeCLAIMS

After a busy year of enhancements, we look forward to sharing what makes our technologies the smartest in the marketplace. Get in touch if you'd like to connect!

DULUTH, GA. (PRWEB) OCTOBER 11, 2022 – PrimeFORCE, a leader in technology workforce and consulting services, announced today the expansion of its UKG (formerly Kronos, Inc.) consulting practice with the hiring of Doug Montgomery. He will serve as Vice President of Strategy and lead the continued buildout of the company's UKG service offerings and UKG-certified consultant teams.

PrimeFORCE assists organizations looking to optimize their workforce management systems and processes while capitalizing on their investment with UKG, a global leader in workforce management and human capital management solutions. The primeFORCE consulting team offers nearly two decades of experience specific to the implementation of UKG Workforce Dimensions (WFD) and UKG Workforce Central (WFC).

As an affiliate of Prime Care Technologies, primeFORCE achieved recognition as a UKG Services Partner. Last year, it earned UKG’s Innovator of the Year award -- the result of delivering a turnkey solution for UKG customers migrating from WFC to WFD. The primeARCHIVE solution enables customers to securely store and easily access historical time/HCM data, ensuring compliance with HR regulations.

As Vice President of Strategy, Montgomery offers over 25 years of IT consulting and workforce management experience, including more than 16 years as an account and partnerships executive at UKG. Most recently, he was Vice President of the Post-Acute and Senior Living division, specializing in growing UKG’s business within this industry.

"While our UKG consulting team is well established, the demand for strategic leadership and partnership experience continues to grow," said Spencer Thomas, General Manager of primeFORCE. "We're excited to bring Doug’s career history with UKG on board to help continue our momentum and grow the value-added consultancy we provide to our current and future UKG clients."

"PrimeFORCE is proud to offer its comprehensive and experienced UKG specialists and certified consultant team to the marketplace. Our goal is to be the premier UKG Services Partner to industries across the U.S.," said Thomas. "I look forward to broadening our value-add within the UKG customer community, guiding them to optimize their UKG solutions, and deepening our valuable partnership with UKG."

Tens of thousands of organizations and more than 40 million people in over 100 countries use UKG solutions for their workforce management and human capital management needs.

The primeFORCE team is attending upcoming UKG events including the UKG Sales Kickoff, October 17-19 at Rosen Shingle Creek, and the UKG Partner Summit, October 19-20 at the Caribe Royale – both in Orlando, Fla. Montgomery will also take a seat on the 2022 UKG Global Alliances Advisory Board (GAAB), replacing Spencer Thomas.

About primeFORCE
Founded in 2000 as EasyHRWeb, primeFORCE became an affiliate of Prime Care Technologies in 2014. In 2022, it merged its best-of-breed employee benefits platform with UKG consulting and leading technologies to help clients optimize workforce software while maintaining compliance with legacy systems. Providing personalized peace of mind to customers in more than 40 states, its efficiency-driven workforce solutions put hours back in the day, enabling employers to focus on their best investment, their employees. Visit primeforcetech.com.

DULUTH, GA. (PRWEB), October 10, 2022 - Today Prime Care Technologies and Century Rehabilitation announce a strategic alliance to deliver better patient outcomes by integrating therapy and clinical electronic health records (EHR) data to senior care providers. Prime Care will use its industry-leading primeVIEW dashboard application to offer these consolidated data analytics to mutual Century Rehabilitation clients.

The partnership’s new therapy capabilities achieve three important goals. First to identify differences in assessment data captured by therapists and clinical staff. Second to present those differences in a near real-time alerts-based tool, to be addressed proactively before a care plan and its associated reimbursement is finalized. Third to reduce reliance on manual and time-consuming analysis of assessment and care data. The result is improved patient care and reimbursement accuracy.

The therapy capabilities also enhance primeVIEW’s existing analytics and dashboard capabilities. Therapy, clinical, and administrative staff can view current statistics and trends for a single facility or as an aggregate of multiple facilities. This helps providers identify opportunities to train employees and improve coordination between therapy, clinical, and reimbursement staff.

Integrating and aggregating data directly from EHRs and other core information systems, primeVIEW offers a single analytics dashboard that transforms the way organizations make decisions. At its core, primeVIEW is data you care about, simplified. One login delivers a multi-dimensional view of single or multi-facility performance, empowering leaders to drive productivity using critical benchmarks, rankings, and trends

Century Rehabilitation is reinventing the therapy-SNF partnership by delivering therapy margin growth while helping to see patients through the continuum of care. The company provides therapy, recruiting, and consulting services to skilled nursing and outpatient facilities.

Said Steve Hemke, Chief Strategy Officer at Century Rehab, "PDPM is fully implemented across our industry. But facilities simply are not staffed to compare every aspect of therapy’s assessments to those completed by the clinical team. Automating this labor-intensive task is essential to great care and a facility’s financial health.”

Century Rehabilitation’s CEO, Tammy Tuminaro added, “This isn’t just about improving the therapy care. Patient outcomes are dependent on collecting the perspectives of interdisciplinary caregivers. Patient care plans and the associated reimbursement are optimized only when all caregiver perspectives are integrated.”

"Prime Care has deep senior care expertise and the primeVIEW platform already provided robust integration with clinical, staffing, pharma, and other data. It was a natural fit to integrate therapy data and offer our clients a single view of their patients and facilities,” said Helmke.

Said Jonathan Duvall, Senior Director of Product Management at Prime Care, "We understand the pressure nursing homes are under to provide therapy and ensure patients' progress while also facing a labor shortage." He continued, " Identifying and communicating care needs doesn’t have to be a time-consuming review of care plans and MDS data. This integration has the potential to convert two-hour meetings with therapy providers into 15-minute conversations over easy-to-compare assessments. Efficiency through technology is now essential to delivering high-quality care and receiving adequate reimbursement for this care.”

Coordinated interdisciplinary care between skilled nursing and therapy teams is the ultimate measure of success among senior caregivers in today's market. The Prime Care and Century Rehabilitation alliance empowers providers to efficiently coordinate, track, and deliver exceptional skilled nursing care.

About Prime Care Technologies

For nearly two decades, innovative senior care operators have relied on Prime Care Technologies for the integrated data and technologies they need to make real-time, performance-impacting decisions, within facilities and across communities. Our Atlanta-based operation empowers more than 7,500 facilities to leverage best-in-class technologies. The interoperability we drive across 70+ apps and 3,500+ payers within the senior care market makes Prime Care Technologies the industry-leading data warehouse. The same highly secure IT services we offer clients to support and integrate their most valuable healthcare data are available to all markets as part of our primeCLOUD managed IT services suite. Learn more at www.primecaretech.com.

About Century Rehabilitation

Century Rehabilitation provides therapy, recruiting, and consulting services to skilled nursing and outpatient facilities so they can focus on the quality care their patients deserve. Founded on the principles of “doing the right thing” each day for our facilities, patients, and employees, our goal is to be a valued partner and to help improve our clients’ financial, operational, and clinical performance so they can be leaders in compassionate care. Learn more at www.centuryrehab.com.

The Prime Care Tech team is onsite here in Nashville for the AHCA/NCAL Annual Convention. Stop by Booth 1422 to hear how our latest technologies are helping senior care operators work smarter. Here are just a few highlights to motivate you:

• Clinical enhancements including a new therapy module.
• CRM integration with partners like Enquire Solutions.
• Financial enhancements with general ledger functionality
• Five Star forecasting, updated with July metrics

primeCLAIMS, SNF-Customized Clearinghouse

• 2-Way PointClickCare EHR integration
• Bulk eligibility
• Payer enrollment
• Enhanced aging data

Managed Care MASTER, Online Case and Contract Manager

• Contract alerts and authorization tracking
• Pre-admission cost out
• Calendar functionality with reminders

primeCLOUD, Full or À la carte IT Services

• 24/7 Helpdesk services
• Cybersecurity plans to include multi-factor authentication (MFA) and endpoint detection response (EDR)
• Backup and firewall services
• Special projects (new location setup, data migration or integration, etc.)

We're looking forward to connecting. If you need help finding us, just get in touch.

If you're not at AHCA, we'd love to connect at the next event.

The reimbursement focus from Zimmet Healthcare's annual conference shared the spotlight with a topic still fresh of mind for many skilled nursing operators – staffing shortages. However, session speaker Tara Gregorio, President of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, advised staying away from staffing agencies – not only to reduce cost, but ensure a continuum of care for residents.

Attendees also discussed CMS's review of minimal staffing and how it might impact federal funding. This topic is better explained in the Infection Control Today article, CMS Proposed Minimum Staffing Requirements Could Cost $10B Annually.

As keenly noted in the Skilled Nursing News article, The Devil's in the Data: Why SNFs May Be Facing an Information Crisis, Marc Zimmet, President of Zimmet Healthcare Services Group, points out how randomly timed and siloed data results in inaccurate data. Said Zimmet, "The bottom line is everything you think you know about skilled nursing facility data is wrong, is inaccurate — and that’s the greatest danger facing skilled nursing."

Here's how we can help:

• Our primeVIEW KPI dashboard solves this issue of disparate and dated information by integrating data from your multiple systems into a consolidated real-time view. 
• Our primeCLAIMS revenue cycle management app is the only one built for and supported by post-acute billers. 

Take a step in the right direction and get in touch for a demo of primeVIEW!

East Sales Director, Joe Brown, sat on the "Problem Solving Innovations, Enhancing the Senior Living Industry" panel at HealthTAC West 2022. Central Sales Director, Scott Kozimor, also attended, as senior living operators talked candidly about the industry's current state.

Here's some advice from senior living operators on the topic of operational innovation:

• Continuously monitor your empirical data to support needed change.
• Consider 'firing yourself' and hiring a tech leader or partner.
• Innovate in a moving-forward, clearly defined way – no more 'throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks.'
• Champion and participate in whatever innovation you choose to assure success.

Also discussed was how to make new operational innovation successful:

• Build upon a strong technology foundation (i.e., best fiber, network, etc.)
• Make sure it fits within your culture; engage key players to weigh in (i.e., Can we bring it together? Can we sustain it?)
• Train your teams and staff well; measure profitability. 
• Don't get passed by in the market because you overthink it.

A key concern brought up as an obstacle to innovation success was staff burnout. But senior living leaders responded positively, suggesting ways to re-energize and realign staffing:

• Don't be afraid to try new ideas.
• Consider replacing agency roles with inside staff.
• Monitor and stabilize staffing trends (days, hours, etc.) to keep staff coming back.
• Deploy applicant tracking technology.
• Preserve internal knowledgebase – allow staff to go part-time or project-based.
• Engage and involve Millennial staff.

As always, our participation in this networking event gave us perspective on how we can help this industry innovate for success. Did you know we offered: 

• primeCLOUD – secure hosting, plus a line into best-of-breed technologies at partner-negotiated pricing.
• primeVIEW – dashboard app for easily tracking staffing trends, plus other key operational trends (e.g., census, admissions/discharges, billing/receiving, etc).

Get in touch if we can become a partner in your path to operational innovation.

Each week our security team tracks threats, vulnerabilities, and patches announced by leading IT experts and vendors to ensure we prioritize, address, and communicate them to our managed IT services clients.

Below you'll find our monthly recap of all events. To check previous reports, see 2022 Security Threats.

If you're not a client, make sure your team knows about these security events, as well as future ones. Just click below to sign up. 

High Impact

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact on Our Clients/FYI

As part of our primeCLOUD services suite, we partner with leading IT vendors to offer security services like ransomware protection, phishing training, multi-factor authorization (MFA), data backup/recovery, and more.

If you're not confident your organization is on top of security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it may be time to conduct a cyber security audit.

Or better, get in touch and let us walk you through critical items for your security checklist.

Each week our security team tracks threats, vulnerabilities, and patches announced by leading IT experts and vendors to ensure we prioritize, address, and communicate them to our managed IT services clients.

Below you'll find our monthly recap of all events. To check previous reports, see 2022 Security Threats.

If you're not a client, make sure your team knows about these security events, as well as future ones. Just click below to sign up. 

High Impact

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact on Our Clients/FYI

As part of our primeCLOUD services suite, we partner with leading IT vendors to offer security services like ransomware protection, phishing training, multi-factor authorization (MFA), data backup/recovery, and more.

If you're not confident your organization is on top of security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it may be time to conduct a cyber security audit.

Or better, get in touch and let us walk you through critical items for your security checklist.

It’s safe to say traditional antivirus software simply isn’t enough to protect against cyber-attacks anymore. The current threat landscape and cyber insurance carriers demand a proactive approach to security. It’s time to update your antivirus solutions – and immediately.

One updated defense solution is endpoint detection and response (EDR).  EDR complements and enhances current anti-virus and firewall security protocols to help thwart attacks and optimize threat hunting operations. It is not a replacement for these security platforms but another essential tool in the security stack. But what exactly is EDR?

How Does EDR Protect Your Organization

As threat actors are getting more sophisticated, you need to as well. Traditional anti-virus and anti-malware software are no longer considered sufficient to thwart cyberattacks; it’s too easily bypassed. One of the next-generation tools in protecting devices is EDR, which goes well beyond standard anti-virus/anti-malware.

EDR is an integrated endpoint (i.e., desktops/laptops) security protocol that combines endpoint data collection and continuous real-time monitoring with rules-based automated response and behavioral analysis capabilities. In other words, this is a security system that proactively detects and investigates suspicious activity on hosts (i.e., servers) and endpoints.

The primary objectives of EDR security systems are as follows:

• Automatically identify and respond to known threats, remove or contain them, and alert the security team
• Continuously analyze data to identify threat patterns or suspicious behavior quickly
• Monitor and collect activity data from various endpoints and look out for potential threats
  
  

Wrapping Up

We’re all acutely aware of the risks from various cyber threat actors around the world. It is our job and yours to do everything in our collective power to keep our networks and data safe. One small misstep by you or an employee (i.e., clicking on a link or opening an attachment in a phishing email), can lead to catastrophic results.

This is why many of you carry cyber insurance, and rightly so. The cyber insurance carriers are there to help “put you back together” in the event of a ransomware attack. As the success of ransomware attacks and cyber insurance carrier payouts increase, the cyber insurance carriers react by requiring you to implement more stringent information technology defenses, such as EDR. Consequently, deploying EDR has become table stakes in addressing cyber threats.

Prime Care's partnership with McAfee can help. 

• If you are a primeCLOUD client and do not have EDR, contact your customer success manager (CSM).
• Otherwise, get in touch and let's us take you through our cyber security checklist.

This week, McKnight's Senior Living highlighted the latest from Verizon – Ransomware attacks rise 13 percent year over year. This serves as an excellent reminder for organizations to continue in their vigilant tracking of threats, vulnerabilities, and patches. Our primeCLOUD clients receive a list of security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches weekly via email, along with our plans to address them. Below is the summary of May events. 

High Impact

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact on Our Clients/FYI

As part of our primeCLOUD services suite, we partner with leading IT vendors to offer security services like ransomware protection, phishing training, multi-factor authorization (MFA), data backup/recovery, and more.

If you're not confident your organization is on top of security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it may be time to conduct a cyber security audit.

Or better, get in touch and let us walk you through critical items for your security checklist.

Last week our team connected with leaders from senior care communities at the Senior Living Innovation Forum (SLIF) Spring event. Topics of discussion were around strategies for surviving and thriving among the anticipated shifts. Here are three key takeaways.

1. Stay True to Your Roots: Don’t chase shiny objects or the next new thing to attract residents. Trust, connection, consistency, and service are still key influencers in residents/families choosing your community.
2. Expect New Payer Types and Alliances: Expect payer types to grow beyond private and self-pay in assisted living (AL). This may trend further into AL operators joining forces with skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).
3. Focus on the Continuum of Care: Seniors value integrated healthcare and expect caregivers to review all medical data to deliver proactive, predictive, and prescriptive care – or complete senior health. 

So, how can we help with these strategies? Your chief ally in our software-as-a-service suite is primeVIEW, which offers an integrated analytics dashboard, customized with trends meaningful to your success. By using it to monitor areas of high (and low) performance, you can stay true to your roots – trust, connection, consistency, and service.

When it comes to bringing on new payers or aligning with SNFs, you may need our other apps:

• Our primeCLAIMS app with two-way PointClickCare EHR integration, coupled with other senior care customization, empowers you to do more with less staff while expediting payment.
• Our Managed Care MASTER case-to-contract app ensures you meet the quality care requirements of your payers while capturing every dollar promised in the contract.

We can also help with the technology and security infrastructure you need to run your business cost-effectively and wisely. Ask us about our primeCLOUD managed IT services.

If you missed us at SLIF, catch up with us for more recommended strategies and how our technologies can help.

Last week our team connected with leaders from long-term and post-acute care at LTC 100. As always, these events help us stay on top of the challenges our customers face in their day-to-day operations. Here's what we heard at LTC 100 and how we can help.

In addition to our software-as-a-service (SaaS) suite, we can help with the technology and security infrastructure you need to run your business cost-effectively and wisely. Ask us about our primeCLOUD managed IT services.

If you missed us at LTC 100, catch up with us for recommended strategies and how our technologies can help.

For more recap details, see McKnights Long-Term Care News: Distressed or ready to reset? At LTC 100, execs share thoughts on 2022 outlook.

If you missed the recent press release, primeCLAIMS is now leveraging PointClickCare (PCC)’s advanced claims API interface. We are offering a live demo of how the systems communicate on May 25, 12:30 p.m. ET, so please tune in.

primeCLAIMS-PCC API interface

We are excited to bring you this integration, which drives faster processing and faster reimbursements. Here are just a few efficiencies you'll gain:

• Claim files (837s) transmit automatically between PCC and primeCLAIMS
• Payment files (835s) pass back to PCC through primeCLAIMS
• Edits sent to payers automatically synchronize to PCC for future claims integrity and EHR compliance

If PCC is not your EHR vendor, primeCLAIMS will work with any EHR vendor that can produce a claim file – in any format!

primeCLAIMS post-acute innovation

We focus on streamlining workflows, empowering billers to efficiently collect every dollar, every day. Working with post-acute customers to understand these workflows enabled us to deliver the most intuitive interface and simplest training for:

• Primary claims editing/processing
• Secondary claims automation/filing
• Medicare DDE via modernized EzDDE interface
• Denials/ADRs submission/management
• Flu roster billing
• Eligibility
• And more – leaving users saying ‘Am I done already?’ 

More information

• Visit primeCLAIMS on the PCC Marketplace
• Visit primeCLAIMS on our website.
• Tune in to our webcast – Top 5 Ways SNFs Can Supercharge Claims
• Catch the May 25 demo live with Q&A – PrimeCLAIMS + PointClickCare: The Power of Two-Way EHR Integration

Or, get in touch – we're happy to tell you more.

What's top of mind for senior care operators in Ohio this year? Working smarter to achieve desired outcomes. And technology can help. As we illustrate in the infographic below, our customized software for senior care – primeVIEW and primeCLAIMS – can help with the top five priorities discussed at OHCA.

If you would like to learn more about our primeVIEW and primeCLAIMS SaaS applications, get in touch for a demo or 30-minute consult. 

Each week our security team tracks threats, vulnerabilities, and patches announced by leading IT experts and vendors to ensure we prioritize, address, and communicate them to our managed IT services clients.

Below you'll find our monthly recap of all events. To check previous reports, see 2022 Security Threats.

If you're not a client, make sure your team knows about these security events, as well as future ones. Just click below to sign up. 

High Impact

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact to Our Clients/FYI

As part of our primeCLOUD services suite, we partner with leading IT vendors to offer security services like ransomware protection, phishing training, multi-factor authorization (MFA), data backup/recovery, and more.

If you're not confident your organization is on top of security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it may be time to conduct a cyber security audit.

Or better, get in touch and let us walk you through critical items for your security checklist.

DULUTH, GA. (PRWEB) MAY 01, 2023

ARC is a web-based compliance system that guides clinical and management staff through auditing standards for all federal regulations and facilitates a collaborative review of audit results to quickly correct issues and implement performance improvement plans. ARC satisfies the industry’s critical need for an automated, data-driven compliance and oversight system that minimizes legal and financial penalties from federal regulators and improves quality of care. Created by long-term attorneys, nurses, and executives, ARC is accessible to executives, clinical teams, and facility administrators in real time.

As survey deficiencies and penalties for non-compliance increase with CMS’s commitment to enforcing of all phases of the LTC Mega Rule, those SNFs without a robust QAPI and compliance program will face: (1) more survey deficiencies at higher scope and severity levels; (2) excessive civil monetary penalties based on daily fines for non-compliance; (3) higher likelihood of denial of Medicare/Medicaid payments and new admissions; and (4) increased risk of OIG investigations and other litigation. ARC’s comprehensive monitoring and oversight system provides the maximum legal protection that long-term care facilities need to minimize these serious regulatory enforcement actions.

About Prime Care Technologies
Since 2003, Prime Care Technologies has offered long-term care providers flexible hosting, managed services, and cloud software tailored to their needs. This Atlanta-based company has 150 employees and 200+ healthcare/IT partnerships, and its technology-driven solutions are installed in more than 7,500 facilities. In addition to its multi-vendor interoperability expertise, Prime Care Technologies offers a data warehouse and claims clearinghouse that integrates 70+ healthcare applications and 3,500+ EDI payers. Visit http://www.primecaretech.com for more information.

About LTC Integrity
LTC Integrity LLC is the creator of ARC (Audit-Review-Correct) software, an innovative audit solution for long-term care. LTCI has unparalleled experience in developing and administering on-site and web-based compliance and QAPI programs and has the only software that was designed specifically for the RoPs and PPS. In addition to achieving compliance with all aspects of the new rules, LTCI’s innovative and comprehensive program results in risk reduction, improved clinical outcomes, increased regulatory success, PPS reimbursement optimization, RAC and ZPIC preparedness, PEPPER responsiveness, HIPAA compliance, and heightened peace of mind for nursing facility management. Visit http://www.ltcintegrity.com for more information.

DULUTH, GA. (PRWEB) APRIL 26, 2022 – PrimeFORCE announced today the rebranding of its benefits administration platform, EasyBenefits™, to primeBENEFITS. Also a consultant on building cost-efficient employee insurance packages, the company’s newly branded primeBROKERAGE will utilize technology to increase enrollment and the stability of coverage for insurance partners.

PrimeFORCE is also expanding its consulting division through primeSERVICES, offering an expansive list of white-glove services designed to optimize workforce/payroll software from leaders like UKG. Many primeSERVICES clients were acquired through the well-received primeARCHIVE solution, which provides secure storage and access to historical workforce data.

During his recent tenure at Prime Care Technologies as Chief Revenue Officer, Spencer Thomas was integral to the development of primeARCHIVE, which earned the company UKG’s Innovator of the Year Award in 2021. As General Manager at primeFORCE, he will be influencing partner strategy and developing solutions that pair well with our strategic partners. Recently Spencer was invited to join the 2022 UKG Global Alliances Advisory Board (GAAB).

Said Thomas, “I’m excited to grow the primeFORCE brand and reach as we deliver new solutions to new markets.” He continued, “Our collaborative partnership with UKG is constantly opening new doors for our consulting division. We look forward to simplifying benefit administration and workforce management for companies who prefer to manage people, not processes.”

Thomas will shift his responsibilities at Prime Care Technologies to Sales and Marketing Vice President Jae Sparks. The two will continue a close alliance to offer primeFORCE solutions to mutual customers.

Said Sparks, “Prime Care Technologies congratulates Spencer on his new role and looks forward to the opportunity it brings for both companies.” He continued, “The ongoing alliance supports our goal of delivering managed IT services to new markets as well.”

PrimeFORCE is an affiliate of Prime Care Technologies.

About primeFORCE
Founded in 2000 as EasyHRWeb, primeFORCE continues to deliver a best-of-breed employee benefits platform to multiple industries, as well as expert consulting and leading technologies to optimize workforce software while maintaining compliance with legacy systems. Providing personalized peace of mind to customers in more than 40 states, its efficiency-driven workforce solutions put hours back in the day, enabling employers to focus on their best investment, their employees. Visit primeFORCEtech.com.

DULUTH, GEORGIA (PRWEB) APRIL 14, 2022 – Today, Prime Care Technologies, a leading data warehouse, application provider, and IT services company in senior care, announced its partnership with Connected Living, the leading provider of enterprise content management, communication, and engagement technology for senior living communities. This relationship helps Connected Living meet increasing demand to deploy its resident engagement solutions while providing its current senior living clients with an easy-to-access helpdesk, powered by Prime Care Technologies.

Connected Living’s technology ecosystem includes a centralized content management system that allows for seamless broadcasting of community content directly to mobile apps, premium digital signage, calendars/newsletters, in-room TV, and a proprietary Alexa skill for voice technology. Prime Care Technologies will provide IT services to Connected Living’s senior living clients, including connectivity and helpdesk services.

Said Connected Living COO Gineane Haberlin, “In today's fast-paced world, support for technology products and services is essential to drive positive outcomes. Our combined service delivery with Prime Care Technologies allows us to continue to provide unique digital experiences that are backed up by unparalleled support.” She continued, “We are pleased to add Prime Care Technologies’ expertise and helpdesk support to the equation and have their help supporting the many senior living communities we serve.”

For nearly two decades, Prime Care Technologies has equipped senior care organizations, as well as businesses outside of this industry with end-to-end IT services. With more than 200 vendor partnerships, being able to bridge gaps between vendors and senior care continues to meet the demand for efficiency-driving technology.

Said Carl Mickiewicz, Prime Care Technologies CEO, “We are excited to support Connected Living in their mission to strengthen personal connections in senior communities.” He continued, “Prime Care Technologies is providing Connected Living with a reliable, scalable deployment and support model, allowing them to focus on developing great software and end-user content. We look forward to helping the communities they serve enhance technology and increase communication in meaningful ways.”

About Prime Care Technologies
For nearly two decades, innovative senior care operators have relied on Prime Care Technologies for the integrated data and technologies they need to make real-time, performance-impacting decisions, within facilities and across communities. An Atlanta-based company, more than 7,500 facilities leverage our technologies. The interoperability we drive across 70+ apps and 3,500+ payers within the senior care market makes Prime Care Technologies the industry-leading data warehouse. The same highly secure IT services we offer clients to support and integrate their most valuable healthcare data are available to all markets as part of our primeCLOUD managed IT services suite.

About Connected Living
Founded in 2007, Connected Living delivers a comprehensive product ecosystem designed specifically for the senior living and healthcare industries. Through a single centralized content management system (eCMS), the Connected Living platform allows communities to simplify staff workflow and enhance resident engagement. Connected Living’s innovative suite of technology solutions allows for swift communications to everyone in the senior living operation. Connected Living operates in more than 700 communities across the country.

Last week our team connected with leaders from aging services communities at HealthTAC East. The two-day idea exchange, which included thought-provoking speakers and provider-vendor meetings, produced discussion around these key themes:

• Innovation and technology 
• Staff shortages and retention
• Resident wellness and engagement for growth, satisfaction, and occupancy
• Marketing strategies to attract more residents

If you missed it, catch up with us for recommended strategies and how our technologies can help. 

Innovation and technology

As a leading data warehouse, application provider, and IT services company in senior care, we are here to support you in the efficiencies to be gained with technology. Relying on nearly two decades of experience and feedback from innovative senior care operators who rely on us, we have the solutions and partnerships to provide you with end-to-end technology.

Staff shortages and retention

When staff is short, you need instant access to your current staffing and census data to manage the financial impact, as well as how it might impact your Five Star rating. Our primeVIEW KPI analytics dashboard serves up the data you care about, simplified.

Resident wellness and engagement

According to the IN2L annual report, "86% of senior living leaders using engagement technology said that it was either “very” or “extremely” important, a 10% increase year over year. And 65% of respondents said that engagement technology delivers a clear return on investment."

We agree, which is why we are bridging gaps in bandwidth and helpdesk availability for communities that wisely invest in engagement solutions. Ask us about our primeCLOUD IT services suite. Why? Because IT just works!

Attracting more residents

Once again, our primeVIEW analytics app is the hero you need. With real-time visibility into comings/goings – as well as the 'whys,' you can think strategically about when and how best to fill vacancies. We also have CRM integration on our radar, with Enquire Solutions slated as our first partner to come on board. 

The Short of It

We attend the industry's top events to track the trends and topics most important to operating an aging services organization. What we learn is incorporated into the continuous enhancements we make to the applications and technologies. We heard the demands loud and clear at HealthTAC East and we confirmed our solutions are on target to serve your needs. 

Each week our security team tracks threats, vulnerabilities, and patches announced by leading IT experts and vendors to ensure we prioritize, address, and communicate them to our managed IT services clients.

Below you'll find our monthly recap of all events. If you're not a client, make sure your team knows about these security events, as well as future ones. Just click below to sign up. 

High Impact

Nothing new in the high category was reported in March. To check previous reports, see 2022 Security Threats.

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact to Our Clients/FYI

As part of our primeCLOUD services suite, we partner with leading IT vendors to offer security services like ransomware protection, phishing training, multi-factor authorization (MFA), data backup/recovery, and more.

If you're not confident your organization is on top of security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it may be time to conduct a cyber security audit.

Or better, get in touch and let us walk you through critical items for your security checklist.

Driving efficiency to your workforce and revenue recovery process is critical to SNF survival in 2022. In our March 22 webinar, we'll discuss five ways providers are supercharging their claims cycle to ensure success.

Previously, you may have gotten away with slow claims reimbursement, but COVID is making it all the more essential for revenue to flow in. Why?

• Costs are higher – you must recover all of the revenue you've earned.

• Staff is harder to find and keep – you must use staff efficiently and provide tools to make their jobs easier.

• Care is shifting toward home and value-based care – you must have the revenue and flexibility to shift your strategy.

With the Biden Administration's announcement of increased focus on nursing homes and CMS' mandate on staffing and higher penalties, you can't afford to leave money on the table. So, save a seat, and let us show why Every Dollar, Every Day matters for every SNF.

On March 4, AHCA/NCAL held a Post-State of the Union call as a response to President Biden’s proposals for nursing homes. Here's the replay link, as well as our summary of what was discussed.

In general, don't panic! 

• Major reforms often fail in Congress
• Rulemaking takes time
• Some of the proposals require Congressional action
• AHCA/NCAL is working on a response plan

Proposed for Nursing Homes

Quality Measures

• Phase-out rooms with 3 or more beds
• Reduce inappropriate use of antipsychotics
• SNF Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) includes more staffing and resident experience measures

Readiness for Pandemics

• Continue to support COVID testing
• Continue to support vaccine efforts
• Review on-site infection control rules and increase the standards
• Review emergency preparedness rules to improve readiness

Proposed for CMS

Transparency

• Create a new database of building owners and operators
• Make Nursing Home Compare easier to understand
• Examine the role of REITS and private equity

 Jobs

• Make nurse aide training cheaper
• Support state training programs
• Work with Dept. of Labor to launch a national campaign for recruiting, training, retaining, and transitioning workers to long-term care.

Proposed Oversight

• Add $500 million for survey inspections
• Change Special Focus Facility Program
• Increase civil fines (CMP) to $1million
• Consider CMPs on a per diem basis
• Congress to develop standards for chain owner participation in Medicare/Medicaid
• Congress to give CMS more authority to validate data and enforce incorrect reporting

AHCA/NCAL Plan of Response

• Determine what AHCA/NCAL can support
• Determine which proposalsAHCA/NCAL might make more acceptable
• Try to kill proposals AHCA/NCAL can’t modify or support
• Question Minimum Staffing Study
  • Where can nursing homes find the workers?
  • What’s their implementation timeline?
  • What are the penalties for non-compliance?

As you may have seen this week, the AHCA/NCAL action plan is already underway. AHCA/NCAL contacted the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to outline their position and request a meeting.

Each week our security team tracks threats, vulnerabilities, and patches announced by leading IT experts and vendors to ensure we prioritize, address, and communicate them to our managed IT services clients.

Below you'll find our monthly recap of all events. If you're not a client, make sure your team knows about these security events, as well as future ones. Just click below to sign up. 

High Impact

Nothing new in the high category was reported in February. If you missed last month's report, see the January Security Threats Summary.

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact to Our Clients/FYI

As part of our primeCLOUD services suite, we partner with leading IT vendors to offer security services like ransomware protection, phishing training, multi-factor authorization (MFA), data backup/recovery, and more.

If you're not confident your organization is on top of security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it may be time to conduct a cyber security audit.

Or better, get in touch and let us walk you through critical items for your security checklist.

It's a new year with new challenges on the horizon. Do you want to know how fellow senior housing and care professionals are feeling?

Senior Housing News (SHN) conducted an online poll among 350 subscribers between Nov. 12, 2021, and Dec. 9, 2021, and these are the top takeaways.

• 87% are somewhat/very positive outlook on the health of the senior housing industry in 2022.
• +78% have strong confidence in restoring pre-COVID occupancy levels between 2H2022 and 2023.
• Majority say staffing is the greatest non-COVID-related challenge and most significant expense for 2022.
• Majority say the staffing challenge will not improve until after 2023.
• 55% (of those applicable) plan to buy assets in 2022, with private equity expected as biggest buyer and second-biggest financer

Summarized below are a few of the survey questions and the results. 

Which of the following areas will have the largest impact on 2022 expenses?

What is your company’s primary growth strategy?

What will be the most attractive category of senior housing in which to invest?

To read the full report, visit seniorhousingnews.com.

Introduction

Maintaining a strong security posture means being vigilant and aware of threats and vulnerabilities across the vast Information Technology spectrum. An important security layer to consider is called multi-factor authentication (MFA), also known as two-factor authentication (2FA).

More insurance carriers now require the implementation of MFA before issuing a cyber insurance policy. Depending on the carrier, they may require MFA for just Microsoft 365 Cloud Mail or Exchange OWA mail, or they may extend it to everyone’s login – as well as their devices. 

So, what is MFA?

MFA protects us from hackers by ensuring that digital users are who they say they are. When MFA is enabled, a user must provide two or more pieces of evidence (or factors) to verify their identity and gain access to an app or digital resource.

There are three main types of MFA authentication methods:

1. Things only you know (knowledge), such as a password or PIN;
2. Things only you have (possession), such as a badge, fob, or smartphone; or
3. Things only you are (inherence), such as a biometric like fingerprints, retina scan, or voice recognition.

Why is MFA important?

MFA makes stealing your information much harder for the average criminal. The less enticing or harder to access your data it is, the more likely threat actors will choose someone else to target.

As the name implies, MFA blends at least two separate factors to verify it's actually you requesting access to your data. So even if a hacker has your user ID and password, MFA will require the entry of one more piece of information before granting access. It is a simple but powerful method to add a layer of extra protection so only authorized users access your data.

How do I obtain MFA?

Various vendors offer MFA. A very common and effective MFA is to use an app loaded on your mobile phone or a key fob. Both receive a random number generated at regular intervals, usually 60 seconds, from the MFA vendor’s random number generator.

When entering your user ID and password to access an application or other digital resource, the last step is to enter the number displayed on the MFA app or key fob. Once you enter the correct number, the authentication process is complete and you have access. 

Wrapping Up

One could look at MFA as peace of mind since it makes hacking into user accounts much more arduous. We partner with best-of-kind MFA vendors if you need our help to get started. 

Each week our security team tracks threats, vulnerabilities, and patches announced by leading IT experts and vendors to ensure we prioritize and address them for our managed IT services clients.

Below you'll find our monthly recap of all events. If you're not a client, make sure your team knows about these security events, as well as future ones. Just click below to sign up. 

High Impact

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact to Our Clients/FYI

If you're not confident your organization is on top of weekly security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it's time to conduct a cyber security audit. Or better, get in touch so we can walk you through critical items for your security checklist.

Each week our security team tracks threats, vulnerabilities, and patches announced by leading IT experts and vendors to ensure we prioritize and address them for our managed IT services clients. Below you'll find our monthly recap of all events. If you're not a client, make sure your team knows about these security events, as well as future ones. 

High Impact

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact to Our Clients/FYI

If you're not confident your organization is on top of weekly security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it's time to conduct a cyber security audit. Or better, get in touch so we can walk you through critical items for your security checklist.

In this week's McKnight's Long-Term Care News, a warning was issued about Worker data under threat: Another concern for providers desperate for staff.

With many providers using third-party staffing agencies, the article reiterated our warning to clients. "Prime Care Technologies, an IT firm that offers cybersecurity services to long-term care clients, reported earlier this year that some two-thirds of breaches are now vendor-related."

Ongoing and growing cyber threats to your data may prompt conversations around outsourcing cybersecurity protections and considering cyber insurance policies. Following are additional resources to help you weigh these decisions:

• McKnight's LTC News, April 2021: Ransomware ‘bull’s eye’ grows, clouding telehealth’s rise in long-term care
• Webcast: Want to Avoid Cyber Sharks? Swim with the School - Prime Care Tech and Willis Towers Watson
• Self-Audit: Cyber Security 10-Point Checklist
• SMB Trends: Cyber Security Protection Starts with Employee Training and Passwords

We're here to help!

Each week our security team tracks threats, vulnerabilities, and patches announced by leading IT experts and vendors to ensure we prioritize and address them for our managed IT services clients. If you're not a client, make sure your team knows about these security events from November 2021, as well as future ones.

Subscribe Yourself or Colleague

High Impact

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact to Our Clients/FYI

If you're not confident that your organization is on top of weekly security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it's time to conduct a cyber security audit.

Or better, get in touch so we can walk you through the critical items for your security checklist.

In a November press release, UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group) calls out Prime Care Technologies as one of its technology partners helping to simplify the technology experience for healthcare employees. By integrating senior care data from our primeVIEW intelligence app into the UKG Dimensions dashboard, we save overburdened administrators from logging into multiple places to evaluate how they can staff enough nurses to meet both census and Five Star rating requirements.

Prime Care is pleased to be among the nearly two-dozen technology partners added to the UKG Marketplace and to in the company of industry leaders like Microsoft. To read more, see UKG Marketplace Partners Keep People at Center of Everyday Experiences.

To learn more about integrating critical KPI data from primeVIEW to UKG Dimensions, visit our UKG Technical Services page and check out this snapshot from the UKG Dimensions dashboard.

We would like to thank our partners at UKG for recognizing our innovation in developing primeARCHIVE for clients transitioning to the UKG Dimensions platform from previous UKG versions – or, other workforce management software.

Our primeARCHIVE Service

Since its launch, we have consulted with over 75 UKG clients, 40% of whom now trust primeARCHIVE for historical data access. Our mutual clients are both for- and non-profit and span multiple industries, including healthcare, government, education, manufacturing, service, and distribution.

According to UKG customer success manager Landon Smith, "PrimeARCHIVE was a perfect fit for a client who presented a last-minute need to maintain access to their historical Workforce Central data." He continued, "They were easy to engage with, very responsive, and presented several cost-effective options to meet the customer's needs. I would recommend it to anyone in need of their services and look forward to partnering again in the future."

As a partner for over 15 years, we are committed to delivering a red carpet experience to UKG clients. Said UKG account executive Jay Sharris, "The Prime Care Tech team had a ton of legacy Kronos experience and was great at keeping a cohesive sales process between all three parties." 

Additional UKG Services

Our archiving service is just one way we partner with UKG for client success. We are certified to provide end-to-end UKG implementation support. We also offer primeVIEW analytics integration, which adds acuity staffing and Five Star data to your UKG Dimensions dashboard.

You'll also find information about our services on the UKG Marketplace. If we can help you maximize your investment in UKG software, get in touch.

On November 18 at 2 PM ET, Health Dimensions Group (HDG) executives Sarah Friede and Kim Watson will join us for Interim Staffing When the Well Runs Dry in Senior Care. This session is part of our Senior Care 2022: Evaluation to Reinvention webinar series.

What to Expect

• Tips on thinking creatively and moving quickly when organizational or staffing changes strike
• Short demo of how primeVIEW – our powerful KPI analytics dashboard – can help
• Live Q&A with our experts

Recap of Previous Session

• Webinar Replay: Resizing operations based on your data
• McKnight's Recap: Resizing operations an option for providers struggling to rebound
• Skilled Nursing News Recap: Health Dimensions Group CEO: Learn the Ins and Outs of Your Market Before Downsizing

Next-Up

The next session in our Senior Care 2022: Evaluation to Reinvention series is December 2: The value of data beyond acquisition. So, keep tuning in for ongoing expert advice on refocusing and right-sizing when you need it most. 

Each week our security team tracks threats, vulnerabilities, and patches announced by leading IT experts and vendors to ensure we prioritize and address them for our managed IT services clients. If you're not a client, make sure your team knows about these security events from October 2021, as well as future ones.

Subscribe Yourself or Colleague

High Impact

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact

If you're not confident that your organization is on top of weekly security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches, it's time to conduct a cyber security audit.

Or better, get in touch so we can walk you through the critical items for your security checklist.

Does your IT team track reported security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches as often as weekly? We do. In fact, our primeCLOUD customers receive notifications about the impact each week, along with an explanation of how our team is mitigating risk on their behalf. Review last week's summary to understand the potential impacts and interventions. 

Effective Week Ending October 24, 2021

High Impact

No new impacts since Oct 3, 2021 report.

Medium Impact

No new impacts since September 19, 2021 report.

Low Impact

No Impact

*Prime Care Tech team assessed and determined our clients are not impacted/using product

The constantly increasing demands of securing your data against cyber criminals make it challenging to keep up. If you need help staying on top of your game, get in touch.

Perhaps someone from your organization could also benefit from these security alerts?

Maintaining a strong security posture means being vigilant and aware of threats and vulnerabilities across the vast IT spectrum. An additional security layer to consider is multi-factor authentication (MFA). MFA is also known as two-factor authentication (2FA).

If cyber insurance is in your plans, you should know more and more insurance carriers require organizations to implement MFA before issuing a policy. Depending on the carrier, MFA may be required for web-based mail, system login, or even devices.

What exactly is MFA?

Multi-factor authentication protects against hackers by ensuring digital users are who they say they are. Users must provide two or more pieces of evidence (or factors) to verify their identity to access an app or digital resource. There are three main types of MFA:

1. Things only you know (knowledge), such as a password or PIN
2. Things only you have (possession), such as a badge, fob, or smartphone
3. Things only you are (inherence), or biometric details such as fingerprints, retina, or voice

MFA blends at least two separate factors to verify it's actually you requesting access to your data.

Why is MFA important?

It makes stealing information much harder for the average criminal. Because MFA requires one more piece of information, in addition to user ID and password, it's likely hackers will choose someone else to target. It is a simple but powerful way to add an extra protection layer so only authorized users can access your data.

How do I obtain MFA?

Two common and effective MFA options are to install/use a client app on mobile phones or a key fob. Both receive a random number generated at regular intervals, usually 60 seconds, for users to enter along with a user ID and password. Prime Care Tech partners with MFA vendors and would be happy to help you connect.

Conclusion

MFA strengthens your security posture, making hacking into user accounts much more arduous. Even with MFA installed, you should not let your guard down! It takes effort and vigilance on the part of all staff members, particularly when it comes to email phishing attempts. Every organization must build a human firewall to prevent compromises to your data and systems.

Featuring executive advisors Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey and Darrin Hull from Health Dimensions Group, the October 21, 2pm ET session from our webinar series focuses on Resizing Operations Based on Your Data.

Our experts will walk you through realigning operations to impact your financial success and improve quality. Topics include:

• Trends and data
• Steps to redesign
• Risks to consider

After each session, we'll offer a brief demo of how technology can help, namely our primeVIEW SNF and senior living analytics dashboard.

So, save your seat(s) and invite some colleagues!

Does your IT team track reported security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches as often as weekly? We do. In fact, our primeCLOUD customers receive notifications about the impact each week, along with an explanation of how our team is mitigating risk on their behalf. Review last week's summary to understand the potential impacts and interventions. 

Effective Week Ending October 17, 2021

High Impact

No new impacts since Oct 3, 2021 report.

Medium Impact

No new impacts since September 19, 2021 report.

Low Impact

No Impact

*Prime Care Tech team assessed and determined our clients are not impacted/using product

The constantly increasing demands of securing your data against cyber criminals make it challenging to keep up. If you need help staying on top of your game, get in touch.

Perhaps someone from your organization could also benefit from these security alerts?

Does your IT team track reported security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches as often as weekly? We do. In fact, our primeCLOUD customers receive notifications about the impact each week, along with an explanation of how our team is mitigating risk on their behalf. Review last week's summary to understand the potential impacts and interventions. 

Effective October 10, 2021

High Impact

No new impacts since Oct 3, 2021 report.

Medium Impact

No new impacts since September 19, 2021 report.

Low Impact

No Impact

*Prime Care Tech team assessed and determined our clients are not impacted/using product

The constantly increasing demands of securing your data against cyber criminals make it challenging to keep up. If you need help staying on top of your game, get in touch.

Perhaps someone from your organization could also benefit from these security alerts?

Does your IT team track reported security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches as often as weekly? We do. In fact, our primeCLOUD customers receive notifications about the impact each week, along with an explanation of how our team is mitigating risk on their behalf. Review last week's summary to understand the potential impacts and interventions. 

Effective October 3, 2021

High Impact

Medium Impact

No new impacts since September 19, 2021 report.

Low Impact

No new impacts since September 19, 2021 report.

No Impact

*Prime Care Tech team assessed and determined our clients are not impacted/using product

The constantly increasing demands of securing your data against cyber criminals make it challenging to keep up. If you need help staying on top of your game, get in touch.

Perhaps someone from your organization could also benefit from these security alerts?

Join executive advisors from Health Dimensions Group (HDG) for an exciting Fall webinar series to help senior care/living operators with a 2022 strategy.

Our first session, Resizing operations based on your data is on October 21 at 2PM ET and will include HDG's CEO Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey and consulting EVP Darrin Hull. They'll discuss the importance of evaluating operational areas and strategies for realigning to impact your financial success and improve quality.

Additional sessions include:

• November 18: Interim staffing when the well runs dry
• December 2: The value of data beyond acquisition
• Jan TBD: Looking back at top trends in 2021

After each session, we'll offer a brief demo of how technology can help. So, save your seat(s) and invite some colleagues!

Does your IT team track reported security threats, vulnerabilities, and patches as often as weekly? We do. In fact, our primeCLOUD customers receive notifications about the impact each week, along with an explanation of how our team is mitigating risk on their behalf. Review last week's summary to understand the potential impacts and interventions. 

Effective Week Ending September 19, 2021

High Impact

Medium Impact

Low Impact

No Impact

*Prime Care Tech team assessed and determined our clients are not impacted/using product

The constantly increasing demands of securing your data against cyber criminals make it challenging to keep up. If you need help staying on top of your game, get in touch.

Perhaps someone from your organization could also benefit from these security alerts?

The growing risks associated with data/system security have prompted many senior care organizations to wonder if outsourcing IT is better than managing it in-house. Certainly, it relieves executives of some worries, but how do you decide what's right for your organization?

So, what are some drivers for IT outsourcing?

• Organizations want to achieve efficiency and cost savings.
• Organizations do not have financial or technical resources to develop/maintain an enterprise risk management plan.
• Organizations struggle to bring all parts (procurement, operations, security, etc.) together to establish IT requirements

To help, the National Risk Management Center (NRMC) at the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) compiled Risk Considerations for Managed Service Provider Customers. Following are some highlights on what to consider when outsourcing.

Strategic Considerations

• Balance cost-effectiveness and efficiency with reliability and security
• Account for risks with multiple IT vendors
• Even with outsourcing, executives should still:
• Maintain awareness of the technologies and systems
• Understand risks from potential loss of 1) core systems/services; 2) confidentiality, integrity, and data availability; 3) consumer/market confidence; and 4) productivity and financial (fines, legal fees, or other regulatory costs).

Operational Considerations

• Coordinate procurement, operations, continuity, and security requirements to decrease enterprise risk and improve system performance.
• Organizations with staff dedicated to each of these functions should coordinate IT requirements across organizational silos.
• Organizations with non-dedicated staff should have an enterprise risk management plan to account for each requirement.

Tactical Considerations

• Continue to drive policies around network access, controls, and logs.
• Identify staff to monitor/manage the day-to-day activity of IT providers.
• Set careful access policies for all third-party vendors.

If your organization is considering IT outsourcing, we can help. Take a look at our primeCLOUD service suite or get in touch to discuss.

Last week, our team attended the annual Ohio Health Care Association (OHCA) convention. Our Senior Customer Success Director Debi Damas also lead a session on the state of senior care. She discussed pandemic challenges and encouraged the exchange of strategies to mitigate change. The following is a recap of this valuable session.

Where does senior care stand and what the heck happened?

• Nursing home staffing shortages only worsened as 2020 came to a close
• 48 states saw occupancy of 80% or less, with some as low as 56%

What can senior organizations do right now?

• Develop purpose-driven, compassionate staff
• Adopt technology to increase connectedness, efficacy, and optimal health
• Embrace telehealth
• Develop a culture of positive aging framed by wellness
• Establish trust by being prepared for emergencies and unexpected events

What happened with senior living census?

• Increased push to home health care
• People wanted no part of facility-based care
• Long-term care (LTC) facilities were not admitting
• Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) turned beds/halls into COVID units
• Senior care providers are now seeing slight increases in census

How can senior organizations build census?

• Marketing value-adds to prospective residents:
• Amenities
• Telehealth
• Wellness focus
• Sharing positive performance data with hospitals:
• Vaccination rates
• Infection control
• Outcome data, readmission rates
• Identifying an ideal niche based on ICD code(s)

How does revenue look in senior care?

• 55% of SNFs are operating at a loss
• Significant increases in claims denials, resulting in more reviews
• Some managed care is moving from PDPM to levels
• Per Mark Parkinson (CEO of AHCA/NCAL), long term success comes down to: 
• State Medicaid rates
• Payer mix
• Financing
• Operational excellence

What staffing trends emerged among senior care employers?

• Rigid schedules/Inflexible call off policies
• 23% of nursing homes had direct care staff shortages in May
• 96% received some government assistance
• 47% received funds from Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP)
• 82% received funds from CARES Act/Provider Relief Fund
• 52% received Medicaid add on or increase from state government

What can senior care organizations do to improve staffing?

• Increase the ways you make staff feel valued
• Change your pay structure
• Offer bonuses – sign-on, working all scheduled shifts, etc.
• Revise staffing policies to benefit employees
• Increase flexibility to accommodate child/eldercare challenges
• Provide a career path; demonstrate benefits of added skills and education
• Be attentive and thorough with screening and hiring
  

To reiterate one of Debi's earlier points, technology can help. Here are three senior care providers who are benefiting right now from our software.

• Embassy Healthcare saves $1.5M in labor with primeVIEW App
• Symphony Care Network increases revenue $1,200/stay with Managed Care MASTER app
• Hyatt Family Facilities rely on primeVIEW app to consolidate data for monitoring Five Star and PBJ reporting

Recently, CEO Jim Hoey and Sales VP Jae Sparks attended Reimbursement-Con by Zimmet Healthcare. CMS' Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) was a hot topic, with speakers offering strategies for skilled nursing facilities (SNF) to maximize reimbursement.

To fully appreciate these strategies, let's back up to what we know, what we expect, and some wildcards with PDPM. 

What We Know

• PDPM was the biggest overhaul in SNF payments in a generation.
• PDPM was supposed to be budget neutral.
• Before the March 2020 public health emergency, experts said PDPM was more generous than CMS intended. 

What We Expect

• CMS wants $1.7 billion back, which could mean a 5% recalibration.
• Using average daily rates in a post-pandemic world could cause a larger recalibration next year, more like 10-12%.

The Wildcards

• CMS did not compensate SNFs for COVID care until April 1, 2020.
• CMS assumed all SNFs were affected by COVID in the same way.
• ACOs and value-based purchasing are forcing shorter lengths of stay with sicker patients.
• Due to transitional care units, hospitals are seeing most of the PDPM benefits.

While legislators seek reform, SNFs must still try to survive in the PDPM world. To this point, speakers discussed the best practices. An overriding theme here was using Interim Payment Assessments (IPAs). Only 3% of SNFs are, and it's to your disadvantage.

IPAs

• CMS wants IPAs to help SNFs track the status of a patient’s conditions and needs for a higher level of care.
• The purpose of IPAs is to establish a payment rate or billing code for billing Medicare Part A.
• Implement IPAs when a resident condition changes and may last 14 days or more.
• Conduct IPAs as a routine when resident stays hits day 21; a lot can change in three weeks.

Other Suggestions

• Offer specialty care and therapy, like speech and language.
• Stress the importance of documenting all work, using multiple documenters, where possible.
• Correct coding, correct coding, correct coding; billers may need refresher courses.
• Applaud payers when they do the right things, but never take that as enough.

Technology can help.

• Our primeVIEW and Managed Care MASTER solutions allow you to customize alerts on certain clinical conditions or changes that should trigger staff to conduct an IPA. 
• Our primeCLAIMS solution makes coding and editing simple and its backed by a support team experienced in post-acute billing.
  
  

Tired of reading documentation in long-paragraph format? We are too. That's why we put together easy-to-scan bullets and a printable infographic for the CDC's Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People. 

Why the change? 

While it's safe to resume most pre-pandemic activities, even without a mask, the CDC believes:

• COVID-10 infections can still occur in a small proportion of fully vaccinated
• Fully vaccinated people infected with the Delta variant can spread it 

Self-Quarantining

• DO if you have tested positive in prior 10-days
• DO if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• DON'T after travel

• DO if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
• DO at 3-5 days after exposure to suspected/confirmed COVID-19
• DON'T before/after domestic travel 
• DON'T before international travel unless required by the destination
• DON'T as part of routine screening, if feasible

Masks

• DO wear it indoors in public in areas of substantial/high transmission
• CONSIDER it in public indoors, regardless of transmission rate and especially if household members are:  
  • Immunocompromised
  • At increased risk of severe disease
  • Unvaccinated

• DO follow any applicable federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations.

• Seek medical counseling on the potential for reduced immune responses to COVID-19 vaccines
• Follow previous COVID-19 prevention measures (mask, 6-foot distancing, avoid crowds and poorly ventilated indoor spaces)

For more information, visit these CDC resources:

• Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People
• Substantial or High Transmission Areas
• Increased Risk for Severe Disease
• COVID-19 Symptoms
• COVID-19 Prevention Methods

We see many ads on TV about protecting our personal information. But what about protecting your business? Protecting your business is just as important. So treat your business like a modern-day castle. Review this Q&A for a quick education on how you can do it.

• How can my business be attacked?
• How do these attacks impact my organization?
• How can I protect our network from hackers?
• How can I build a wall for our 'castle'?
• How can I lock the gate of our 'castle'?
• How can I train staff to guard our 'castle'?
  
  

How can my business be attacked?

• Ransomware
• Hackers encrypt your files
• Work comes to a stop
• Potentially a permanent file loss
• Even if you pay, no guarantees

• Cyber email/extortion
• Very common as part of ransomware attacks now
• Steal your files and release them on the dark web if you don’t pay

• Access your computer system
  • Steal intellectual property or company secrets to sell to competitors
  • Gain access to your bank account; transfer funds
  • If you store/process confidential information, they can sell:
    • Financial – average $6/record
    • Medical – as much as $259/record

How do these attacks impact my organization?

• Ransom cost to recover data
• Competitor access to your company secrets
• Federal/State fines due to loss of confidential information
• Negative impact on the reputation of your company
• Criminal negligence charges from State governments

How can I protect our network from hackers?

Think of your organization like it’s a castle from the olden days. What would you need to protect your castle? A high wall, a locked gate, and armed guards inside might help?

How can I build a wall for our 'castle'?

• Modern and managed firewall
• Wi-Fi password changed regularly
• Separate guest and business Wi-Fi with different passwords
• Antivirus on your servers, laptops and desktops
• Email protection

How can I lock the gate of our 'castle'?

• Passwords
  • Require them, change them often
  • Employ multi-factor authorization (MFA)
• Physical security
  • Lock server and network equipment rooms
  • Encrypt computers/laptops in case of theft
• Appropriate access
  • Limit access to need to know
  • Extend minimum access necessary
• Data backups
  • Keep backups of your backups somewhere safe

How can I train staff to guard our 'castle'?  

• Provide ongoing training, not just for new employees.
• Conduct phishing awareness training and exercises
• Train staff on response to suspicious emails, websites, and computer behavior
• Prepare an incident response plan (IRP) in case you are a victim of an attack

If you need help protecting your castle, get in touch for an IT assessment today.

Prime Care Technologies announced today the addition of Michelle Burdette as Vice President of Operations. Michelle now oversees operations for the primeCLAIMS post-acute claims revenue management application and the primeVIEW analytics dashboard for skilled nursing/senior living facilities (SNFs/SLFs). She is responsible for driving adoption, utilization, and retention across the two product lines.

With more than 25 years of experience serving the healthcare/skilled nursing industry as a financial leader, Burdette has overseen multiple software implementations across billing, accounting, and operations groups. Most recently, she was the Chief Financial Officer at Prema Financial Solutions, a back-office consultant to SNF and other healthcare organizations.

Said Prime Care Technologies Chief Operating Officer, Carl Mickiewicz, “Michelle's knowledge of both the operational and financial needs of senior living organizations positions her to meet our ongoing goal of providing senior care operators with decision-driven data applications.”

Added President and CEO, Jim Hoey, “We are pleased to add a highly experienced and qualified team member like Michelle to our operations team. We look forward to her ideas for growing the software and delivering operational efficiency to more senior care clients.”

About Prime Care Technologies

For nearly two decades, Prime Care Technologies has provided senior care operators with integrated business intelligence and software solutions, driving proactive decision-making and the highest quality care. Based in Atlanta with 175 employees and 200+ healthcare/IT partnerships, its technology-driven solutions have been leveraged in 10,000+ facilities. With deep multi-vendor interoperability expertise, including the integration of 70+ healthcare applications and 3,500+ EDI payers, Prime Care Technologies offers the leading data warehouse in post-acute care. Learn more at http://www.primecaretech.com.

Are you a small or midsize business (SMB)? Most skilled nursing and senior living organizations find themselves in this category and like all other SMBs, cyber security should be a top concern given that 60% of companies impacted by cyber attacks go out of business. If that gets your attention, you'll be interested to see these related stats.

• IT Assessment Service
• Bait & Phish Employee Training
• primeCLOUD IT Service Suite

COVID's toll on senior care, unfortunately, extends beyond precious lives lost to the loss of valuable staff, according to the AHCA/NCAL Survey on Workforce Challenges. It's a headache for administrators and an energy suck for staff working more days or longer shifts to fill the gap. If you're facing these challenges, we've got some ideas!

Rebuilding Staff

Incentives and support

• Consider bonuses and extra time off (e.g., mental health days, extra PTO)
• Partner with nearby child care providers on discounted programs
• Build support groups for common challenges – parenting, child/pet care, transportation, fitness, emotional health, etc.
• Foster a collaborative environment where opinions are heard
• Communicate often and using various channels – posters, emails, text, chat, meetings
  
  

Adaptive hiring and training

• Streamline hiring/onboarding – 'there's an app for that!'
• Consider RMTs and HHAs as fill-ins in for CNAs
• Recruit/incent EMTs for nurses aid positions
• Provide tuition assistance and continuing ed
• Offer work/practice programs for nurses/others
• Offer mentor program for new hires
• Build growth tracks and leadership opportunities
  
  

Supportive workforces

• Partner with telehealth providers
• Consider travel nurses
• Build volunteer programs/relationships

Combating Fatigue

Increased Check-Ins and Communications

• Conduct more all-hands calls and use them to recognize staff efforts
• Consider random check-ins with communities 2-3 times a week
• Support efforts with staff newsletters and websites
  
  

a Culture OF FUN AND FAMILY

• Welcome staff to work; thank them as they leave
• Offer virtual breaks, include games and contests
• Host parking lot events/parades with food, buttons, leader drop-ins (even virtual)
  
  

SHOWS OF APPRECIATION

• Offer 'hero' pay, extra PTO, flexible schedules
• Increase employee appreciation budgets and keep rewards flowing
• Follow-up with personal notes and certificates from leadership
  
  

Diversity and Equality

• Drive diversity and equality to recruiting and development
• Offer active listening sessions for employees to share experiences
• Create employee-led diversity, inclusion, and belonging council
  
  

SIMPLICITY IN TIMES OF CHALLENGE

• Shelve non-priority tasks and assignments
• Offer employee webinars for stress, parenting, protecting self/family/residents, etc.
• Partner employees up for 'listening with empathy' or 'staff buddy' programs
  
  

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

It's been a challenging time for senior caregivers, but just remember how far you've come. The pandemic has brought previously overlooked challenges to light, empowering advocates to drive more focus to strengthen the workforce in SNFs and ALFs. 

As always, technology can help. If you don't know how your staffing stands on a weekly basis, or if you're trending toward overtime or not enough nursing hours, talk to us about our SNF/ALF analytics dashboard, primeVIEW.

As outlined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Complying with Medical Record Documentation Requirements remains critical to senior care success.

Proper documentation:

• Helps patients get reasonable and necessary items/services
• Facilitates proper claim payment
• Supports favorable medical review decisions

Specific to claims reimbursement, CMS identified the top five reasons for errors. Note, two are related to documentation. 

So, what does insufficient documentation mean?

• It does NOT mean documentation doesn’t exist.
• It means something was incomplete or missing at claim submission.

And, what are the consequences of improper documentation?

Improper documentation disrupts the revenue cycle, which results in loss of financial revenue. CMS claim denials also cost your staff time, requiring them to:

• Complete forms
• Submit additional documentation
• Send a letter explaining why the claim should be paid
• Resubmit claim

Secondarily, if your order for item/service is illegible, your patient care suffers.

What are some tips for improved documentation?

• Send ALL associated documentation supporting the item/service billed
  • Some information may come from a prior claim or test
  • If you're not sure if certain documentation is required, send it anyway
• Send the documentation by the deadline indicated in the request
• Review documentation to make sure it:
  • Answers who, what, when, why, and how
  • Verifies item/service was performed
  • Verifies medical necessity

Where can I get more information regarding CMS claims errors, including documentation?

• Complying with Medical Record Documentation Requirements
• Complying with Medicare Signature Requirements

Lastly, senior care and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) can greatly simplify claims revenue management by employing a system customized for this industry, and supported by seasoned claims professionals. Get in touch if we can help.

In Feds to deliver ‘positive news’ on Provider Relief Fund in coming days: Parkinson, McKnight's LTC News summarized recent comments from AHCA President and CEO Mark Parkinson at the Synergy Summit in Utah.

Among other things, Parkinson stressed managed care is not going away and encouraged senior care providers to embrace it by:

• Becoming a top provider in a given market
• Improving demographics
• Becoming part of a network
• Taking advantage of institutional special needs plans (I-SNPs)

Naturally, you may want to know more about I-SNPs and if/how you might take advantage of them. The below Q&A may be of help to you in assessing this.

What is an I-SNP?
I-SNP stands for Institutional Special Needs Plan and is designed for those who will live in a long-term setting for 90 days or more with no immediate plans for discharge

How does it fit within Medicare?
An I-SNP is a Medicare Advantage plan focused on the care of specialized populations. It replaces traditional Medicare to cover inpatient and outpatient services, plus prescription drugs (as a Part D service).

Who is eligible for an I-SNP?

• Reside in a long-term care facility with no anticipated discharge
• Currently enrolled in Medicare A/B
• Live in a county where I-SNP is licensed

*Check CMS' Special Needs Plan (SNP) Data to see who is operating in your state.

What are the highlights of an I-SNP?

• Nurse practitioners provide preventative and proactive care
• RN case managers coordinate care according to the Model of Care (MOC) required by CMS
• Residents are assigned a 'Risk for Hospitalization' level, which determines care plan and a schedule for proactive rounds
• Rounds occur as often as weekly or can be more frequent for high-risk residents
• Provider visits are not subject to medical necessity requirements of traditional Medicare, so they can be more proactive and frequent

How do I-SNPs benefit SNFs/residents?

• Increased provider visits; faster identification of conditions/treatment
• Treatment-in-place advantage – visits can happen in the nursing facility
• Proactive and preventative care; prevents unnecessary hospitalizations
• Reduce risks and stress associated with hospital stays

How can technology help facilities with I-SNPs?

• Case-to-contract management is essential to following an ISNP
• Our Managed Care MASTER software brings contracts online, PLUS pairs them with best-practice workflows and alerts
• With this automation, you can easily train anyone to act as a case manager and ensure reimbursement

If our Managed Care MASTER can help you 'manage' your managed care, including I-SNP contracts and care, let's connect.

As seen in McKnight's article, CMS: Educate, vaccinate and be ready to prove it, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will start enforcing their Interim Final Rule for COVID-19 Vaccination the week of June 14. Officially effective May 17, CMS is motivated to get staff vaccination rates up to 75 percent. Here's what's expected for both residents and staff.

1. Offer COVID-19 vaccines
2. Educate on COVID-19 and document efforts
3. Report COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutic treatments each week to the National Health and Safety Network (NHSN) 

The data collected will also be posted on the agency’s COVID-19 Nursing Home Data website as soon as possible, likely in mid-June.

Said Evan Shulman, CMS’ director for its Division of Nursing Homes, "For starters, let’s remember that the intent of this is to get as many people vaccinated as quickly as possible." He continued, "So, we will likely start prioritizing those individuals who are not vaccinated and start asking them how they were educated and if they were offered the vaccine.”

In other words, your first priority should be reporting who has received the vaccination, as those who aren't even achieving that goal are likely to be targeted first for audits. Next up, make meaningful attempts to educate residents and staff on vaccine safety – and track these efforts. Following are some educational resources that may be of help.

Webinars & Training

• COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring - World Health Organization (WHO)
• AHA’s Newest COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Resources Include Video, Webinar and Infographic - American Hospital Association (AHA)
• COVID-19 Vaccination in Long-Term Care: Safety, Efficacy, and Residents’ Rights - NursingHome411.org
• Vaccination for COVID-19 QuickPATH - Pathway Health

Videos

• Is the COVID-19 Vaccine Safe? - National Institutes of Health (NIH)
• 9 COVID-19 Myths Debunked - Cleveland Clinic
• Your COVID-19 vaccine questions answered - Mayo Clinic
• COVID-19 Vaccines: How Do We Know They Are Safe? - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Resources

• Tips for Building Confidence in COVID-19 Vaccines Among Patients
• COVID-19 Vaccination Communication Toolkit
• COVID-19 Vaccination Training Programs and Reference Materials
• Importance of COVID-19 Vaccination for Healthcare Personnel

Other Resources

• Invest in Trust: A Guide for Building COVID-19 Vaccine Trust and Increasing Vaccination Rates Among CNAs- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Patient education: COVID-19 vaccines - UpToDate.com Doctor Team
• COVID-19 vaccines: Get the facts (Q&A) – Mayo Clinic

In related news, long-term advocates encourage senior living caregivers to begin planning for the possibility of giving COVID-19 boosters. If you don't already have a good grip on vaccination tracking, know that technology can help. Our primeVIEW facility dashboard now has the ability to track which residents have received COVID-19 vaccinations.

In our recent webinar, executive panelists from Health Dimensions Group (HDG), SageLife, and Titan Healthcare Solutions joined our tech expert, Jonathan Duvall to discuss what senior care providers should take forward from this time of forced management innovation. We've simplified these takeaways into an infographic for your quick read.

A key theme heard repeatedly was for operators to have real-time access to data to track and trend what's going on in each of these key areas. As our clients at HDG have learned, technology can help. We would love to show you exactly how our primeVIEW dashboard can be there for you – today, or in times of crisis.

In good news, the CDC says those vaccinated for COVID-19 do not need to wear masks – even indoors. If trading masks for the vaccine doesn't sway staff, you may wonder how others are driving vaccine acceptance.

A recent McKnight's article, Mandate staff vaccines or promote them with a $1K bonus? compares Jewish Senior Services' decision to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine to The Gardens at DePugh Nursing Center's offer of a $1000 bonus, which helped them achieve a 92% vaccination rate.

Adding to that, we've put together a summary of how other organizations are getting it done based on an article from Becker's Hospital Review, 15 employers, hospitals rewarding workers to get COVID-19 vaccines.

Additionally, take look at our previous infographic, 9 Tactics for COVID-19 Vaccine Acceptance in Nursing Homes.

These tactics come at a good time, given CMS' release Tuesday of a new rule, asking requires long-term care facilities to report weekly COVID-19 vaccination data for residents and staff.  

For those of you using our primeVIEW KPI dashboard, you now have the ability to track COVID-19 vaccinations across residents. If you're not using primeVIEW, request a demo. Vaccinations aren't the only critical measurement it tracks!

In a May 5 article, 'CMS let the cat out of the bag, but it’s managed care that’s ready to pounce,' McKnight's Long-Care News recapped critical points from our recent Managed Care Webinar: Goodbye PDPM, Hello Levels! with Mix Solutions.

• Webinar poll: 42% of attendees said they’d already had to convert at least some contracts from PDPM to levels.
• Susie Mix: "They (the plans) are very aggressive in not only cutting our rates 30% to 40%, but they’re also very aggressive in starting this right now."

If you missed advice offered during our webinar, there's still time to tune in.

In an April 19 article, Ransomware ‘bull’s eye’ grows, clouding telehealth’s rise in long-term care, McKnight's Long-Care News recapped suggestions from Prime Care Tech's Mark Owens.

• Providers pursue a multipronged approach to data protection, with a "modern and managed firewall" with:
  
  • Geo-blocking to limit access to out-of-area attackers
  • Access that is restricted to specific users and departments
  • Backups that are stored on separate servers in different locations.

• Facilities require repeated employee training about IT security, keeping in mind the going rate for resale of medical records is about $250 per record.

Related resources:

• On-Demand Webinar: Want to Avoid Cyber Sharks? Swim with the School
• Cyber Security Audit: 10-Point Check
• Willis Towers Watson: Insurance Marketplace Realities 2021 Spring Update – Cyber risk
  
  

We're teaming up with Marcus Evans for this May 13 webinar on post-pandemic operations optimization in senior care. SNF and senior living operators from Health Dimensions Group, Sage Senior Living, and Titan Senior Living, along with our SNF technology expert, Jonathan Duvall, will join the discussion on:

• Embracing technology to enhance census management

• Improving data management for operational effectiveness

• Monitoring clinical trends with technology to promote better patient outcomes

This panel will update you on how they're pivoting and adapting to the new normal while keeping a close eye on sustainability and growth.

About Our Senior Living Expert Panel

 

Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey, MA, NHA, CPG
Chief Executive Officer and Principal
Health Dimensions Group

Erin Shvetzoff has expertise in the senior health care industry, advising providers in the areas of post-acute care management, operational and financial performance improvement, and organizational and ownership structure, as well as hands-on experience as an administrator of skilled nursing and senior living facilities in several states. She is active in senior services trade organizations to provide them with education resources, industry information, and support for members, and speaks at state and national meetings on senior health care, health care reform, and planning for aging populations. Ms. Hennessey is a certified gerontologist and was named a 2019 Senior Living Leader Under 40 by Argentum, a national senior living association. Most recently, she was named to the LeadingAge Minnesota board of directors.

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Kim Smith
Vice President Operations
Sage Senior Living

 

Kim Smith brought a diverse background to SageLife; having served on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide to two Colorado representatives, as an organizational development consultant, and later, owning and operating a lodge and spa in New Mexico. Joining Sage in 2011 as Executive Director at The Maples of Towson in Maryland, Kim brought the community to full occupancy and implemented electronic healthcare records.

A Certified Dementia Specialist, Kim was well suited to her next role as Vice President of Wellness. Kim led the development and implementation of an innovative dementia program at Lighthouse Senior Living in Ellicott City, Maryland, a Sage-managed community. Kim oversees operations at all the Sage and Lighthouse communities.

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Jonathan Duvall
Senior Director, Product Management
Prime Care Technologies

 

As the Senior Director of Product Management, Jonathan oversees customer onboarding while continuously looking for ways to make our senior care apps easier, so caregivers can spend less time gathering reports and more time driving better patient and financial outcomes. Prior to Prime Care, Jonathan spent 5 years overseeing finance and business applications at Pruitt Health, the 14th largest skilled nursing provider.

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Justin Border
Founder & President
Titan Senior Living

 Mr. Border began his career as an Occupational Therapist in 1998. In his career, he has developed and led multiple aspects of acute and post-acute continuum operations, including clinical services, human resources, managed care contracting, case management, business development, financial planning, and compliance. Justin has been a featured speaker at the American Occupational Therapy Association annual conference and multiple other local, state, and national conferences. Justin is also a member Healthcare Workforce Forum Advisory Council.

Early this month, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) released Dobson DaVanzo TOPS study findings in a joint statement. The study calls on payers to model their reimbursement based on these results, instead of disincentivizing appropriate therapy use. Get the highlights via the summary infographic or continue reading for more detail.

PT/OT provides functional benefit to most patients:

• Significant rehabilitative value seen across 1.4 million Medicare cases.
• Direct and positive impacts seen with patients in post-acute care (PAC) settings, including improving the functional ability of patients and reducing readmissions to acute care hospitals.
• Patients who receive OT and PT during their initial post-acute episode are more likely to have better outcomes and better quality of life
• Therapy increased meaningful participation in everyday living

PT/OT provides direct and positive value in post-acute care:

• There are positive ramifications for PT/OT reimbursement under the current fee-for-service and any future unified payment system.
  • Improving the functional ability of patients
  • Reducing readmissions to acute care hospitals
• There is positive value in PT/OT provided in PAC settings – rehabilitating and preventing decline of core function in daily living activities.
• Increased therapy intensity is positively correlated with increases in measured functional status in patients following discharge from initial hospitalization.
• Thirty-day readmission rates to acute-care hospitals following a PAC episode decreased after therapy and appear to have varying threshold effects within each setting.

The takeaway is obvious. Therapy improves the quality of patient care and outcomes. The hope is that payers like Medicare will take this into consideration when it comes to reimbursement models. 

For help managing contracted therapy costs, contact us about our Managed Care MASTER software for PAC contract and case management, or join our 4/27 webinar with Mix Solutions – Goodbye PDPM, Hello Levels!

Today, Prime Care Technologies, senior care business intelligence and technology provider, announced two new members in its business development organization. Scott Kozimor now serves as Enterprise Sales Director for the central U.S., and Jason Barrett as Enterprise Sales Director for the West region.

Kozimor brings extensive experience in senior care software, including a history with the top three EHR vendors used by long-term care providers. Barrett has held various leadership roles in business development and customer success working with health care vendors of all sizes. They will be responsible for growing trusted relationships with new clients and expanding solutions and services to current valued customers. Both will report to Jae Sparks, Vice President of Sales.

"I’m very excited to add two highly experienced and qualified people to drive our decision-driven technologies to senior care," said Sparks. "I look forward to working with them to increase revenues while helping senior care providers achieve performance goals with our affordable IT solutions."

Chief Revenue Officer Spencer Thomas added, "The growth of our organization positions us to better educate senior living and skilled nursing facility (SNF) operators on using our software and analytics to sharpen the focus on high-quality care."

About Prime Care Technologies
Since 2003, Prime Care Technologies has provided senior care operators with integrated business intelligence and software solutions, driving proactive decision-making and the highest quality care. Based in Atlanta with 175 employees and 200+ healthcare/IT partnerships, its technology-driven solutions are installed in 6,500+ facilities. With deep multi-vendor interoperability expertise, including the integration of 70+ healthcare applications and 3,500+ EDI payers, Prime Care Technologies offers the leading data warehouse in post-acute care. Learn more at http://www.primecaretech.com.

The one constant in senior care is change, right? A lot is changing right now. If the headlines flew past you, we've got your back. This infographic will bring you up to speed.

You should also know we have tools to help you flexibly adjust to change. Get in touch with us to hear more.

Mix Solutions CEO Susie Mix will join us for this advice-packed webinar on managed care, updating senior care providers on the latest factors impacting your reimbursement and how you can manage to your advantage.

• What are MCOs up to now?
• MCO change is SNF gain – in what world?
• System-tight operations for all reimbursement methods
• Best practices for plugging leaks to financial loss
• Effective managed care contract management – it's imperative! 

After, our Managed Care MASTER expert Melanie Miles will offer a quick demo of how our application can help in these areas. Don't let this expert advice pass you by!

With COVID-19 came the accelerated implementation of telehealth to all kinds of providers, including skilled nursing facilities. Understandably, changing the way you provide care is well...big change, at a time when staffing is stretched. But, what if telehealth could expand your staff. Remote patient monitoring is one example.

Whether or not the time is right for change at your facility, telehealth demands consideration. Having show proven benefits during the pandemic, one thing is clear. It is here to stay.

So, here are the top 5 ways telehealth is benefiting caregivers in an at-a-glance infographic.

If you're not using it, maybe it's time to reconsider. Full details can be found in this cdc.gov article – Healthcare Facilities: Managing Operations During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

AHCA/NCAL's participation in the Senate Finance Committee hearing, 'A National Tragedy: COVID-19 in the Nation’s Nursing Homes,' drew focus to the Care for Our Seniors Act, introduced in a press release and member webinar this past Monday.

In his testimonial, Chief Medical Officer David Gifford, MD, explained how reimbursement gaps between residents' cost of care and what providers are paid directly impact a nursing home's workforce. Workforce is just one of the four core areas for reform in the act.

Additional points made by Dr. Gifford to lawmakers included these:

• The most meaningful way to improve care is by focusing on infection control and increasing workforce availability
• Addressing poor nursing home care means incentivizing better care and increasing the number of staff at each bedside 
• If nursing homes can't improve with appropriate assistance, they shouldn't continue to operate

Most importantly, he stressed that because LTC providers rely almost entirely on government reimbursement, their support is needed to make it happen. 

What is the Care for Our Seniors Act?

In short, AHCA/NCAL and LeadingAge are joining forces to help long-term care (LTC) providers reform in four major categories:

• Clinical – enhance the quality of care
• Workforce – strengthen and support frontline caregivers
• Oversight – improve systems to be more resident-driven
• Structural – modernize for resident dignity and safety

Why Now?

As evidenced by AHCA/NCAL's participation in the hearing, COVID-19 shone a light on long-standing challenges for LTC to include:

• Workforce shortages
• Aging physical plants
• Underfunded government reimbursements

Now that the industry has our government's attention, the hope is that it will receive the funding needed to support these critical reform initiatives.

what Does reform really mean?

Upon securing government funding, AHCA/NCAL and LeadingAge hope to reform the LTC industry as explained below. 

Clinical Goals

Equip each nursing home facility with:

• Enhanced Infection Control Preventionist 
• 24-Hour RN
• Minimum PPE Supply (30-day average conventional use)

Workforce Goals

Implement a multi-phase approach to supply, attract and retain facility workforces, including:

• Student loan forgiveness and scholarships
• Tax credits for licensed LTC health care workers
• Housing and childcare assistance
• National, LTC-targeted campaign to increase the supply of nurse faculty/RNs
• Pathway for temporary nurse aides to become CNAs
• End to CNA training ban
• Expedited LPN-to-RN bridge programs

Oversight goals

• Improve surveys
• Address chronic poor performing facilities
• Monitoring customer satisfaction of residents and families

Structural goals

• Upgrade outdated HVAC
• Drive national study and funding to support a transition to private rooms

What's Next

AHCA/NCAL and LeadingAge can continue to use opportunities like last week's Senate Finance Committee hearing to advocate. So, get ready for reform. Think about how changes in surveys and the addition of customer satisfaction to star ratings might change your world. If you don't have ready access to clinical, staffing and census data for monitoring performance, we can help. 

Care for our senior act Resources

• Care for Our Seniors Act - Full Provisions
• Care for Our Seniors Press Release
• AHCA/NCAL Member Webinar Resources
• Provider Magazine: Workforce Crisis in SNFs Points to Need for Greater Reimbursement

This week, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated nursing home guidance on visitation. With roughly 80% of residents and 55% of staff fully vaccinated¹, they have okayed visitation unless nursing homes fall into these COVID-19 categories:

• County positive is greater than 10% and less than 70% of residents vaccinated
• There are confirmed resident infections
• There are residents in quarantine

CMS also stressed the reminder to follow the Core Principles of COVID-19 Infection Control. Finally, CMS reiterated compassionate care visits should continue to be allowed under any circumstance.

What Constitutes Compassionate Care?

It is not just when a resident is in the last stages of life and can include situations where the resident is showing deterioration in mental health.

• Resident was living with family before recent admission and struggling with the change.
• Resident is grieving after a recently passed friend or family member.
• Resident needs help and encouragement with eating or drinking and is experiencing weight loss or dehydration.
• When a resident who used to talk to others, is experiencing emotional distress, seldom speaking, and crying frequently.

Just keep contact as limited as you can, and again, try to adhere to the Core Principles of COVID-19 Infection Control.

Resources to Assist Nursing Homes with Visitation

In case you missed them last week, again, here are resources to help:

• CMS Fact Sheet on Updated Nursing Home Guidance
• CMS County Positivity Rate Reports
• Core Principles of COVID-19 Infection Prevention [Shareable Flyer]
• Core Principle #1-4 Flyers: Screening | Hand Hygiene | Mask Dos/Donts | Social Distancing
• Delaware's Best Practices in Visitation

Source: 1) NIC.org, Executive Survey - Wave 23 Summary of Insights and Findings (February 22 to March 7, 2021)

CareChoice Cooperative Selects primeVIEW Dashboard to Help Non-Profit Senior Care Communities Optimize Operational Performance

[PRWeb] Duluth, GA, March 11, 2021 – Prime Care Technologies, Inc. today announced CareChoice Cooperative has adopted the primeVIEW decision-driven dashboard, providing its 18 members representing 31 non-profit communities with a powerful tool to sharpen operational performance. Utilizing the collective, actionable data in primeVIEW equips operators to make proactive, expedited decisions that directly impact resident care.

Integrating and aggregating data directly from electronic health records and other core information systems, primeVIEW offers a single analytics dashboard that transforms the way organizations make decisions. One simple login delivers a multi-dimensional view of facility performance, empowering leaders to drive productivity using critical benchmarks, rankings and trends.

CareChoice and Prime Care will also work together on member enhancements to primeVIEW that surgically address the needs of non-profits. These enhancements include a cost-of-care tool, clinical trending visualizations, a clinical risk scoring matrix and the ability to document case management.

“CareChoice is building a 'next generation' post-acute care organization designed to support nursing facilities and related services in value-based payment arrangements with market partners," said Bill Knutson, CareChoice CEO. We see this integrated data platform as an essential tool that will drive performance improvement and advance development of the new CareChoice Clinically Integrated Network.”

PrimeVIEW is a cloud-based application that brings together census, staffing, revenue, clinical, and Five-Star quality ratings into one decision-making platform. Data is constantly refreshed, providing near real-time views of operational performance.

“CareChoice has a mission to provide financial and operational benefits to its members through innovation and collaboration,” said Prime Care Technologies CEO Jim Hoey. “Putting our primeVIEW decision dashboard into the hands of its facility operators delivers on this promise.”

About Prime Care Technologies
Since 2003, Prime Care Technologies has provided senior care operators with integrated business intelligence and software solutions, driving proactive decision-making and the highest quality care. Based in Atlanta with 175 employees and 200+ healthcare/IT partnerships, its technology-driven solutions are installed in 6,500+ facilities. With deep multi-vendor interoperability expertise, including the integration of 70+ healthcare applications and 3,500+ EDI payers, Prime Care Technologies offers the leading data warehouse in post-acute care. Learn more at primecaretech.com.

About CareChoice Cooperative
Organized in 1996, CareChoice Cooperative is the nation’s first senior care cooperative formed by nonprofit, mission-driven providers of aging services. There are 21 Member organizations in CareChoice representing 43 nursing homes primarily located in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan region. In addition to nursing facilities, many Members offer senior living options such as assisted living, independent living and memory care units. Some Members also operate Medicare-certified Home Health Care, therapy and hospice programs in their communities. Learn more at carechoicemn.org.

With the majority of nursing home residents now vaccinated, families are naturally asking 'When can we visit?' Though CMS has not updated requirements since September, vaccinations now put nursing homes in a better position to meet them. 

CMS Requirements for Visitation

[With the exception of compassionate care visitation]

• No COVID-19 cases in last two weeks
• No outbreak testing currently underway
• COVID-19 county positivity rate less than 10 percent
• Adherence to the core principles of COVID-19 infection prevention (printable PDF)

CMS further stipulated:

• Visitors adhere to core principles with staff monitoring
• Visitors are limited per resident and by facility size with recommendations:
  • Scheduled
  • Maximum must not exceed 20% facility residents
• Visitor movement is limited and kept to designated spaces, with outdoor preferred

States Reopening This Week

These recommendations reconsidered, we've seen states like Delaware, Ohio, Michigan, New York and Tennessee opening nursing homes this week. Delaware's policies seemed carefully thought out and perhaps offer a good starting point for others.

New York also added the requirement of testing within 72-hours of visit for those in counties with a 5-10% positivity rate. CMS also encourages testing in this scenario, as well as among those who visit as often as weekly.

Pressures from AARP

AARP joins families in pressing for visitation decisions from nursing homes, asking facilities to provide clear, advanced guidance to loved ones. Further, they ask virtual visits to be made a priority. 

Resources to Assist Nursing Homes with Visitation

Understanding your plates remain full, we've collected the following resources as quick reference or help.

• CMS County Positivity Rate Reports
• Core Principles of COVID-19 Infection Prevention [Shareable Flyer]
• Core Principle #1-4 Flyers: Screening | Hand Hygiene | Mask Dos/Donts | Social Distancing

The news this week is good. Various sources are reporting drastic declines in nursing home cases of COVID-19. The New York Times reports, "From late December to early February, new cases among nursing home residents fell by more than 80 percent, nearly double the rate of improvement in the general population." This decline syncs with the arrival and prioritization of vaccines for nursing homes. 

According to February 8-21 responses to NIC's Skilled Nursing COVID-19 Tracker, the majority of residents and staff have taken the COVID-19 vaccines. 

• Dose #1 received by 84% of residents and 59% of staff
• Dose #2 received by 76% of residents and 55% of staff 

Some staff are still reluctant, but NIC's survey also provides data on the top nine tactics nursing homes are using to achieve vaccination acceptance among residents and staff. 

AHCA and LeadingAge, with the help of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have committed to the nationwide goal of getting 75 percent of approximately 1.5 million nursing home staff vaccinated by June 30, 2021. So, expect more vaccine success tips to assist with this effort.

Meanwhile, senior care inches back toward a more normal mode of operation. Operators are finding time to focus on what is now promising to be an even more competitive market and we're here to help. Our March 4 webinar will offer leading experts discussing post-pandemic repositioning strategies.

In addition to expert advice from Health Dimensions Group (HDG) CEO/Principal, Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey (MA, NHA, CPG), we'll talk about how multi-facility operators like HDG are using our primeVIEW decision dashboard to their strategic advantage.

Until then, keep up the great work out there and celebrate this wave of good news on the COVID-19 front. As always, thank you for your many months of tireless care across senior care communities. 

The February 12 Washington Post article 'I work in a nursing home. Here’s why my colleagues are skipping the vaccine,' provided great context around why staff still seem unsure about getting vaccinated. Below are some interesting stats and highlights it included. 

November 2020, regarding COVID-19 Vaccines

• 80% of MD/D.C. nursing home union members opted out of first offer
• 50% of Miami health system employees did not want immediately
• 15% of Miami health system employees did not want at all

Late December 2020, regarding COVID 19 vaccines

• Approximately 72% of CNAs in the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA) did NOT want
• 60% of Ohio nursing home staffers elected NOT to take the vaccine

Causes of uncertainty about COVID-19 vaccinations

• People of color have deep-rooted mistrust due to a history of doctors experimenting on them
• U.S. government seemed to marginalize and neglect elderly/nursing homes when COVID-19 began
• Educational materials produced only in English
• Expedited development raised doubts and questions about testing
• Questions about testing across various conditions (e.g., autoimmune conditions, food/medicine allergies, pregnancy)
• Assumptions vaccine tracking meant inserting chips into people (vs. just coding vaccine packaging).
• Confusion about the connection between RNA and DNA

Educational help

In January, CMS/CDC conducted educational sessions around these topics to help staff allay doubts and fears. If you missed it, check out our summary blog, CMS/CDC Q&A on COVID-19 Vaccination Safety. 

In December, AMDA, also known as The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC) Medicine has released a COVID-19 vaccine education toolkit that we summarized in blog, AMDA COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A Summarized.

You might also find the flyer Answers to Your COVID-19 Vaccine Questions helpful to distribute or hang.

This week, Prime Care Technologies, senior care business intelligence and technology provider, announced the promotion of Jae Sparks to Vice President of Sales. Spark’s responsibilities will now include sales leadership, revenue acceleration across all customers, and expansion into complimentary verticals. He will continue to play a strategic role in marketing and business development.

Sparks has worked within the company for the last five years, starting as Senior Director of Business Development and establishing himself as a valuable player in recruiting and nurturing new clients.

“Jae continues to build trusting relationships with our newest clients,” said Jim Hoey, CEO. “He understands the challenges of being a long-term care provider and helps his clients realize the power of technology in solving these challenges.”

Before joining Prime Care Technologies, Sparks was the Director of Sales at electronic records (EHR) vendor SigmaCare (now MatrixCare) for two years. Prior, he served in various leadership roles with Novartis Pharmaceutical and Abbott Labs.

Said Sparks, “I’m excited to mentor a sales force that is equally motivated to serve the senior care industry with time-saving technology.” He continued, “By wrapping decision-driven data into easily accessible applications, we’re helping providers deliver the highest quality care to their senior care facilities.”

About Prime Care Technologies

Since 2003, Prime Care Technologies has provided senior care operators with integrated business intelligence and software solutions, driving proactive decision-making and the highest quality care. Based in Atlanta with 175 employees and 200+ healthcare/IT partnerships, its technology-driven solutions are installed in 6,500+ facilities. With deep multi-vendor interoperability expertise, including the integration of 70+ healthcare applications and 3,500+ EDI payers, Prime Care Technologies offers the leading data warehouse in post-acute care. Learn more at www.primecaretech.com.

Set Your New Operations Strategy

Take your community through and beyond the pandemic with expert advice from Health Dimensions Group CEO/Principal, Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey (MA, NHA, CPG). She will provide a brief overview of COVID-19's impact on senior care, the rebound predictions, and strategies to help you adapt to new realities. 

In addition to offering strategic senior care consulting, HDG manages more than 40 communities, which utilize our primeVIEW business intelligence dashboard. Our Senior Director of Customer Success, Debi Damas (RN), will offer a brief preview of primeVIEW at the end of the webinar.

Agenda

1:00 PM - INTRODUCTIONS with Debi

HDG guest speaker Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey actively advocates for aging populations, is a 2019 Argentum Senior Living Leader Under 40, and is on the LeadingAge Minnesota board of directors

1:10 PM - REPOSITIONING POST-PANDEMIC with Erin

A brief overview of COVID's impact on senior care, the rebound predictions, and strategies to help you adapt to new realities

1:40 PM - HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN HELP with Debi

Our primeVIEW KPI dashboard brings together timely, decision-driven data to help you proactively impact census, labor, clinical and financial performance.

1:50 PM - Q&A with Attendees

Text questions to our experts using the webinar console and get the answers you need to sharpen your operational focus.

Don't let COVID fatigue get to you. This is your chance to set an operations strategy that takes your community forward to the next chapter.

Until then, be sure to check out our COVID-19 Partner Resource Library with free resources from partners like HDG. And, stay tuned for their latest blog.

In researching the link between social and mental health among long-term care (LTC) residents, The Journal of Post-Acute and Long-Term Medicine (JAMDA) identified 12 ways to maintain social connections during COVID-19. The full research is available on their site.

[Click for PDF version]

We hope these strategies might help families, and staff build and maintain social connection for LTC residents during this challenging time. For additional COVID-19 resources, see our COVID-19 Partner Resources library.

Throughout January, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) co-hosted a series of fireside chats on COVID-19 vaccine safety. Below are highlights from these sessions.

What is the difference between the two COVID-19 vaccines?
The major difference is the cold storage requirement (minus 75 degrees Celsius) of the Pfizer vaccine and its expiration after five days of refrigeration. There are minor differences in dosage and timing – with Moderna's administered as two 100-microgram doses given 28 days apart and Pfizer's administered as two 30-microgram doses given 21 days apart. 

Do the COVID-19 vaccines contain the virus?
No, the virus acts like an avatar. It makes the virus seem as if it is already in the body.

How can we be sure the COVID-19 vaccines are safe?
Multiple U.S. partners are working together to ensure the safety of these vaccines, imploring measures to include expedited clinical trials and extensive vaccine safety monitoring. Learn more via the CDC.gov website, Ensuring the Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States.

Can the COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility?
No.

Will the COVID-19 vaccines alter my DNA?
No.

Were the COVID-19 vaccines tested on individuals of different races?
Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian representatives were included in trials. According to Newsday.com, they were represented as follows:

* Black (13% U.S. population): 10% U.S. Pfizer participants; 10% Moderna participants
* Hispanic (<19% U.S. population): 13% U.S. Pfizer participants; 20% Moderna participants
* Asian (6% U.S. population): About 6% Pfizer participants; 4% Moderna participants
* American Indian: Pfizer participation similar to U.S. population; Moderna information not provided.

Source: Minority numbers up in clinical trials (December 7, 2020)

If you have had COVID-19 do you still need to be vaccinated? 
Yes, studies are in the works to determine how long you might be immune to the virus.

Does the vaccine contain any fetal cells?
No.

If you already tested positive is there a timeline for getting vaccinated? 
No, but it is recommended you get vaccinated.

How long do you need to be monitored after getting the shot? 
For most people, 15 minutes. If you've had allergic reactions in the past, wait 30 minutes.

Should you continue to wear a mask after both shots?
Yes, you could be a carrier. But, if you are exposed after both shots, you shouldn't have to quarantine.

Does the vaccine contain aspirin in it?
No, nor does it have aluminum or preservatives.

How often will people need to get vaccinated? 
It is too early to tell.

Why are children not receiving the vaccinations? 
The vaccines were fully-trialed on those age 18 and up. Trials began in October in children as young as 12, but trials are expected to continue for several more months.

How can we answer general concerns about staff getting vaccinated?
We are seeing more staff getting vaccinated after they see others receive it with no issues. The CDC developed a toolkit to help facilities address myths and get all healthcare workers vaccinated. 

How can we address safety concerns based on vaccine reactions?
The CDC has no safety concerns based on current vaccine reactions. There is a smartphone app (V-Safe) to text with the CDC after you've received your first and second dose.  

How can we address concerns about the speed of COVID-19 vaccine development?
The technology used to develop the vaccine has been around for 10 years. It was developed for another virus and continues to reduce the timeframes for other vaccine development. Both Pfizer and Moderna trials had at least 30K participants.

When will COVID-19 vaccination distribution improve?
In mid-February, the CDC will begin working with 21 different pharmacy chains/groups to dispense the vaccine.  

Will the states be taking some COVID-19 vaccines back from facilities?
The CDC has tried to provide the correct quantities for each facility. If there are extra doses after all staff and residents are vaccinated, the state may take the overage to use elsewhere.

What can you tell us about the development of new COVID-19 vaccines?
Two new vaccines are close to approval. The AstraZeneca vaccine has a very high efficacy rate. Johnson & Johnson's one-dose vaccine is still in the trial phase with hopes of test completion by mid-February. 

Do people need a second dose of the existing vaccines?
There is not enough data at this time to determine if the second dose is needed.

How can we address timing concerns about getting the second dose within recommended timeframes?
The CDC says you can get the second dose up to 42 days after the first dose. 

—

This concluded the series of sessions, but you may find these additional resources helpful:

• 8 Things to Know about the U.S. COVID-19 Vaccination Program

• AMDA COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A Summary

Over the past several months, we've searched and summarized those resources that might be of most help to our friends in senior care. In case you missed them, here they are. And note, most of them have a colorful infographic, checklist or flyer for you to email/print/share with staff, residents and families. Just click the image at the top of each blog.

• 4 Common COVID-19 Myths Debunked
• 5 Leader Strategies to Increase Staff Engagement Despite Fatigue
• 5 Tech Tactics SNFs Are Using to Combat COVID-19
• 7 Focus Areas from the Coronavirus Commission on Nursing Homes
• 7 Steps to Prep Your Facility for the COVID-19 Vaccine
• 8 Tips to Help Staff Cope with Crisis
• 8 Ways to Mitigate COVID Costs in Senior Care
• 12 Low-Cost Ways to Reduce Pandemic Loneliness
• Best Practices for Mitigating COVID Costs in Senior Care
• CDC Interim Infection Prevention Recommendations
• CMS COVID-19 – Summary of Nursing Home Visitation Memo
• CMS COVID-19 Alert – Managing Residents' Safety Over Holidays
• CMS COVID-19 Toolkit – Highlights from Cohorting/Housing Section
• CMS COVID-19 Toolkit – Highlights from Comms and Visitors Section
• CMS COVID-19 Toolkit – Highlights from Infection Control Section
• CMS COVID-19 Toolkit – Highlights from Staffing Section

In addition, McKnight's Long-Term Care News did an excellent job highlight the 7 top long-term care stories of 2020. Included in this article are summaries of each of these:

• ‘Shocking’ therapy cuts slated for 2021
• Unprecedented federal action bans most nursing home visitors 
• CMS paves way for resuming visits at nursing homes
• Nurse aide training, certification requirements waived
• Readmission resident-screening rules changed
• Feds distribute point-of-care COVID-19 tests to all nursing homes
• COVID-centered, infection control training for nursing homes unveiled

This week, AMDA, also known as The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC) Medicine has released a COVID-19 vaccine education toolkit to help answer questions from staff, residents and family members. We've used it to create a COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A Flyer with top questions for you to distribute, or hang around your community.

Flyers/posters are just one of many suggested ideas for boosting staff/residents' confidence in the vaccine and the questions are just seven of the many presented in the AMDA toolkit. 

Among questions were these popular ones:

• Can the vaccine give me COVID-19? No, these vaccines do NOT contain COVID-19. They also cannot change your DNA.
  
  
• When will I be protected? You'll be protected 1-2 weeks after the second dose. You must receive 2 doses of the SAME vaccine, 3-4 weeks apart.
  
  
• How long will I be protected? It is uncertain now, but as time passes, experts will know more. You may need to receive them on a regular basis (like the flu shot).
  
  
• What are the possible side effects? You can expect short-term discomfort: fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever and pain at the injection site. Side effects typically last 24-48 hours and may be worse after the second dose.
  
  
• What if I've already had COVID-19? Even if you've had COVID-19, it is important to get vaccinated for longer/better protection.
  
  
• Will I still need to wear a mask? Yes! A large number of people will need vaccination before transmission drops enough to stop using masks.
  
  
• Why should I get vaccinated? Protect yourself/your family. Keep your residents safe. Help stop spread in the community. Set an example for others, including residents, families, co-workers, and the community.

For more questions, please see Questions and Answers about the COVID-19 Vaccine for PALTC Staff, Patients, Residents and Family Members

For more creative ideas for improving resident/staff confidence in the vaccine, see Strategies for Improving Staff and Resident Confidence in the COVID-19 Vaccine

And, don't forget to download, distribute and hang our flyer, Answers to Your Covid-19 Vaccine Questions.

This week, AHCA/NCAL released an 8-minute video with their Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Gifford and Dr. Shari Ling, Deputy Medical Director at CMS. The two discussed common myths among senior care communities and corrected them. 

Below is a summary of their discussion. Also available is an at-a-glance summary to share with your staff, residents and their families.

Myth #1: Testing Negative After Exposure Means You're All Clear
False. If you know you've been exposed to COVID-19, an immediate test does not mean you're clear. You should wait 5-7 days post-exposure to test and isolate for 14 days.

Myth #2: It's OK to Unmask Outside of Your Senior Care Community
False. Many people are getting infected outside of the facility – most often at family gatherings or restaurants. Further, more than 50% of COVID cases are asymptomatic.

Myth #3: You Only Need to Mask-Up Around Residents
False. Beyond residents, your mask protects you, coworkers and anyone you contact outside of the community. Masks should be worn in all areas of the facility, including break rooms, and out in public.

Myth #4: It's Rude to Alert Other Staff of Improper PPE Use
False. Don't be afraid to tell coworkers if masks have slipped and thank others for helping you. It happens, so we all need to band together and help each other be safe.

Want more? See this article: How to Dispel a Dozen Covid-19 Myths for Patients.

We've reached another critical stage in this pandemic. It's time to snap back to attention and increase safety measures during the holidays. We hope these resources will help.

Late Wednesday, CMS released an alert regarding the holidays, which promise to tempt both residents and staff to attend family gatherings. Aside from offering innovative ways to celebrate without gathering, CMS recommends continuing to closely follow visitation guidelines and adhering to the core principles of infection prevention.

• Remain six feet or more apart
• Wear a face covering
• Limit number of visitors at any one time

For residents (and staff) who leave senior homes for family gatherings, proactively provide this checklist of CMS/CDC recommendations, which is also summarized below.

• Limit close contact; keep gatherings as small as possible, and use technology to engage with others remotely
• Wear facemasks or cloth face covering at all times – including in cars, homes, restaurants, etc.
• Limit contact with commonly touched surfaces or shared items
• Avoid communal serving utensils, passing of food, potluck or buffet style food service; opt for individually prepared plates by a single server
• Perform hand hygiene often  
• Avoid large gatherings, crowded areas, and high-risk activities – including singing
• Avoid contact with those who've left their homes 14 days prior to the gathering
• Ask anyone with symptoms of or exposure to COVID-19 to not attend 
• Opt for outdoor gatherings; if indoors, ensure good ventilation – open windows/doors
• Verbally greet others instead of shaking hands or giving hugs
• Check local/state precautions and restrictions, including positivity rates and quarantine requirements, before crossing state lines

When residents return, CMS recommends that senior caregivers:

• Screen and increase monitoring for signs and symptoms
• Test for COVID-19 and place resident on transmission-based precautions (TBP) if:
  • Signs or symptoms are present
  • Resident or family reports possible exposure
  • Resident leaves frequently or for a prolonged time (24 hours or more)

As the COVID wrench throws itself into our holiday traditions, remember, a little bit of proactivity can go a long way. Remind residents and staff of these proven recommendations – and be safe out there.

We remain incredibly grateful to you for providing continued care and protection to community residents during this challenging time.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us to all of you!

Last month, the Trump Administration announced partnerships with CVS and Walgreens to provide and administer COVID-19 vaccines to residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF) nationwide. 

What you need to know:

• Free of charge 
• Includes needles, syringes, and other necessary equipment 
• Available to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), assisted-living facilities, and residential group homes. 
• Available to LTCF staff
• Expected to take three total visits over approximately two months
• Two doses are administered 28 days apart

What pharmacies will do:

• Receive and manage vaccines and associated supplies (e.g., syringes, needles, and personal protective equipment).
• Ensure cold chain management for vaccine.
• Provide on-site administration of vaccine.
• Report required vaccination data (who/what/where) to state, local, territorial, and federal public health authorities within 72 hours.

When to expect it:

• As soon as late November or early December
• Vaccines likely to roll out in phases, with nursing homes being second only to first responders and high-risk health care workers

What you can do to prepare:

1. Enroll your facility via the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and complete the LTCF COVID-19 Module
2. Prepare to educate about vaccination risks and benefits
3. Prioritize who should get vaccines if supply is limited
4. Discuss mandatory vaccinations for all employees
5. Build a review committee for those who want to opt-out
6. Develop alternative policies (e.g., mandatory PPE) and enforcement plans for opt-outs
7. Incorporate vaccinations into new hire onboarding process

As details become known, your prep list may grow. But, at least you can check a few things off while we all anxiously await the official debut of the COVID-19 vaccine.

We've worked with senior care providers and experts for the last several years to identify pain points with managed care. As a result, we've uncovered 10 trends that may cause you to lose reimbursement dollars. Here they are:

1. Provider order includes an exclusion
2. Provider order includes a high-cost medication
3. Therapy minutes exceed the daily/weekly limit for the level assigned
4. Therapy minutes are below the daily/weekly limit for the level assigned
5. Resident's stay authorization information was not received or is missing
6. Resident's stay authorization is expired
7. Insurance verification dates/information is missing
8. There are gaps in the resident's insurance coverage period
9. The level of care is not assigned for the resident
10. A resident update to the payer is overdue

If these reasons are known, you may ask yourself why collecting on managing care is still an issue. The issue lies in the amount of time it takes to track each payer's contract details and map a resident's care back to each one's terms. 

If you're lucky, your organization employs case managers for this. However, the reality for many senior care providers is that 'managing' managed care is an add-on responsibility to someone's already-busy schedule. 

That's where technology can help. By converting your many paper contracts into an online database of requirements, and applying an alert system to track these 10 critical details, we solve two issues. We're helping you use your staff more effectively, shifting their time back to patients and we're making sure you get reimbursed.

If you'd like to hear more about how we can help you drive more revenue into your organization while using your staff's time more efficiently, get in touch about our Managed Care MASTER solution. 

This week, Senior Housing News gathered and presented great advice from senior care leaders in their article, Problem Solvers: Keeping Senior Living Staff Engaged Despite Fatigue. We've summarized the best ideas for you below and in an at-a-glance infographic.

Increase Communications

Check-In More Often

• Conduct more all-hands calls and use them to recognize staff efforts
• Consider random check-ins with communities 2-3 times a week
• Support efforts with staff newsletters and websites

Build Company Culture

Focus on Fun

• Welcome staff to work; thank them as they leave
• Offer virtual breaks, include games and contests
• Host parking lot events/parades with food, buttons,
• leaders dropping in via Skype/Facetime

Show Staff the Love

Recognize the Little Things

• Offer 'hero' pay, extra PTO, flexible schedules
• Increase budgets for employee appreciation and keep rewards flowing
• Follow-up with personal notes and certificates from leadership

Address Cultural Unrest

Promote Diversity and Equality

• Drive diversity and equality to recruiting and development
• Offer active listening sessions for employees to share experiences
• Create employee-lead diversity, inclusion and belonging council

Increase Support

Keep Things Simple

• Shelve non-priority tasks and assignments
• Increase formal education opportunities
• Offer employee webinars for stress, parenting, protecting self/family/residents, etc.
• Partner employees up for listening with empathy or buddy staffing programs

Leaders who contributed these great ideas represent the following communities: 

• Eclipse Senior Living
• Juniper Communities
• Seasons Living
• Pathway to Living
• Enlivant

Per the CMS Memo on Resident's Right to Vote issued earlier this month, senior care providers are required to support the right of residents to vote and not impede this right in any way. Here are 5 ways to ensure you're supporting your residents' right to vote!

#1 – Assess cognitively impaired residents' capacity to vote 

• If a person can indicate a desire to vote, s/he can also indicate a choice on a ballot.
• Remember, it is ok to assist – either yourself or by connecting them to others – but, it's not ok for anyone to make choices for them.
• For more tips, see Assisting Cognitively Impaired Individuals with Voting: A Quick Guide (American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging).
  

#2 – Make sure residents are registered

• Check to see if they are registered at vote.org/am-i-registered-to-vote. 
• If they find they aren't, they can register at vote.gov

#3 – Help residents utilize absentee voting

• In some states, applications for absentee voting were due 10-11 days pre-election (AZ, FL, ID, IN, KY, MD, NM, RI, TX, VA).
• There is still time in many others, so check absentee voter deadlines for both application and submission deadlines.
• Most submissions are accepted up to and including the day of the election. 

#4 – Help residents track absentee votes

• For many, absentee voting is new and mysterious. You can offer residents peace of mind by helping them track their votes.
• Options vary by state but some form of tracking is available in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

#5 – Support safe practices for residents who still want to visit polls

• While it certainly makes your job harder, residents have the right to vote at polls – even during COVID-19 and despite facility lock-downs.
• Educate residents and drivers on measures to take during the outing to reduce risks – physical distancing, masks, and other infection control precautions.
• Be prepared to handle the residents' return to the facility.

• Local LTC Ombudsman Program
• Local AARP chapter
• Local election commission

Download our At-A-Glance Infographic to remind your staff!

COVID-19's financial toll brings new headaches for senior care operators. Occupancy is down (2-9%) and new expenses are up ($500-15,000/week). Added to this is an expected increase in liability insurance costs.

So what can you do? Senior Housing News interviewed senior care providers to bring you best practices to focus on for your organization. Here's an at-a-glance infographic of their story, Senior Living Providers Have Little Room for Error As Margins Shrink (September 23, 2020).

1. Maintain real-time visibility into your budgets
2. Reallocate grand opening/other event funds
3. Revisit and renegotiate contracts 
4. Consider lease-to-own vs. purchase of new technology/equipment
5. Make sure you're collecting on rent and care fees
6. Benchmark your resident rates, care levels, meal plans, etc.
7. Resist urges to drive occupancy with discounts; safety/care costs are up
8. Take advantage of federal stimulus programs (PPP and/or paycheck protection program (PPP) or the Provider Relief Fund Phase II)

For the financial 'caretakers' in senior care, attention to detail and discipline are key. It positions you to pivot as quickly as COVID can. 

If you lack real-time visibility into your budgets, contracts, collections, and care costs – our senior care applications can help. Visit our App Store to learn more or view our recently recorded demos!

The days fly by so fast; we suspect excellent articles like this one from Skilled Nursing News do as well. In All Or Nothing for SNFs: ‘Managed Care Is Not Something You Can Dabble In,' experts from Blue Sky Therapy and BKD are interviewed. We compiled their advice into a one-page checklist to help you maximize your managed care reimbursements.

If you prefer to keep reading versus downloading our checklist, here are the highlights:

1. Establish authorization process with therapy partners 
2. Take an inventory of managed care contracts 
3. Communicate contract terms to staff - reimbursement criteria, pay types, delivery of care mandates, authorization requirements 
4. Determine method of reimbursement - PDPM, visit rate, old RUG model Review inventory for outdated contracts 
5. Research and target new payers - review declined admissions/payer out-of-network or CMS list of payers with highest local enrollment. 
6. Stay on top of CMS Five Star ratings - minimum three stars to negotiate with MCOs; five stars likely required in metro areas 
7. Monitor your outcomes - readmissions, discharge to home/hospice /other, average length of stay, admissions by insurance company 
8. Compare your stars and outcomes to competitors 
9. Diligently document care - a top reason for denial is neglecting authorization of care requirements 
10. Seek out forums with hospital liaisons and competitors to jointly address various payer issues 

We can't say it enough – technology can help! Our Managed Care MASTER was designed to address nearly everything on this checklist. We did a 30-minute recorded demo of it just last month if you'd like to check it out, or get in touch for a live demo.

We've heard plenty about the 'new normal' and how COVID-19 has changed our lives. But, the one thing that's stayed constant in senior care is that technology can help. 

For example, our primeVIEW clients are employing this mobile-capable app with built-in alerts to track developing COVID-19 symptoms and proactively respond. Other examples from SNFs of all sizes, some of which were recognized in McKnight's recent tech awards, follow below. 

Download our At-A-Glance Infographic or read this short summary for more information and links to each article.

TACTIC #1: Telehealth

After cutting readmissions up to 50%, the largest health care provider in New York State looks to expand nursing home telehealth network.

READ MORE » Skilled Nursing News, September 24, 2020