Wage & Hour Legal Memorandum; Briefings Scheduled for Alliance Members

Over the past months, the Alliance’s Private Care Advisory Committee has held a series of discussions with employment law attorney Allyson Kurker regarding Massachusetts wage & hour laws as they relate to home care agencies and workers.  A labor law attorney with significant experience advising home care agencies, Ms Kurker has researched the broad range of questions raised during those discussions and has prepared a Legal Memorandum on Wage and Hour Issues especially for Alliance members.

The memorandum covers several topics of interest to certified and private care agencies alike, including record keeping and payroll, overtime, exempt vs. non-exempt employees, working time, and issues specific to live-in caregivers.  The Memorandum is posted to the MA Regulatory page of the Alliance’s website (link is at the bottom right).

The Alliance will host two free member forums this month during which Ms Kurker will present the substance of the memorandum and address additional questions from the Alliance membership.   Agency CEOs and HR specialists are especially encouraged to attend one of the sessions:  Tuesday, May 22, at Great To Be Home Care, 2024 Westover Road, Chicopee, or Thursday, May 24, at CareWell Health Group, 141 Longwater Drive, Norwell.

Both sessions will include a continental networking breakfast at 8:30 followed by an Alliance Update presented by Alliance Executive Director Patricia Kelleher at 9:15, and the Wage & Hour presentation at 9:30.

The sessions are open to Alliance members only.  Pre-registration is required by calling Stephanie Drakes at 617/482-8830.

Special Messages about & Promotions for the N.E. Home Care Conference

Thinking about attending the New England Home Care Conference & Trade Show from May 31-June 1?  Keynote speaker Arnie Cisneros is just one of the many great reasons and has a special message for attendees:

Mr. Cisneros, P.T., is president of Home Health Strategic Management and will give the conference’s closing address, “Beyond Business As Usual” on June 1, 2012.  As an added benefit to all New England agencies, Mr. Cisneros is offering a FREE webinar regarding Home Health proposals recently included in the sweeping 2012 Med Pac Report to Congress. Visit this GoToMeeting page to learn more and register.

To learn more about Mr. Cisneros — as well as the other speakers, presenters, programs, and exhibitors  at the conference — just download the brochure and register today.

And don’t forget that all Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts who register for the conference before April 13 will be entered to win one of two $50 chips to use as the casino!

Partnership for Patients Introduces Patient Safety Webinar Series

The Partnership for Patients and the National Priorities Partnership are promoting a free webinar series to help advance patient safety practices and improve both the partnerships between health care providers and the processes within organizations.

The first two webinars are titled “Creating and Sustaining Successful Partnerships between Hospitals and Community Organizations” and “Using Tools to Enable Rapid Cycle Improvement within Your Organization,” which are taking place on February 15th and 23rd, respectively. Visit the webinar series website to sign up.

Also, check out the Home Care Alliance’s calendar of events to find upcoming webinars and teleconferences.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Last Call for Presentations: New England Home Care Conference and Trade Show

The New England Home Care Conference & Trade Show is issuing a LAST CALL for presentations. Event organizers are looking for faculty with expertise and experience to present at this year’s conference, which will take place at MGM Grand Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Connecticut on May 31st and June 1st.

Last year’s event saw 400 attendees from the home care industry representing the New England Region.

The presentation application is available here or on www.nehcc.com.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

 

Celebrate and Raise Awareness: November is National Home Care and Hospice Month

Every year, the home care and hospice community celebrates and raises awareness of the services that help keep people independent and at home for National Home Care & Hospice Month and National Family Caregivers Month in November.

With the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction debating proposals to reduce the nation’s debt by trillions of dollars, the advocacy focus for this year must focus on opposing suggestions to impose copayments on Medicare home health services. A message also has to be sent that home care paid it’s fair share, $39.7 billion over ten years to be exact, for implementing the Affordable Care Act as well as how the industry has been thrown years of regulatory reductions.

Home care and hospice are cost-effective methods that care for people in the setting where they are most comfortable and familiar. Please help the Home Care Alliance raise awareness of these important issues and services, but also celebrate the great work performed by aides, clinicians, managers and all staff that make those services possible.

Here are some ways to celebrate and raise awareness for National Home Care & Hospice Month:

For Providers -

Press Release: Tailor this press release on National Home Care and Hospice Month to include information about your agency and the services you provide. Then, distribute to your local newspaper and/or local senior newsletter (Please contact the Alliance if you would like assistance or have any questions). There is also a separate press release template for hospices.

Op-Ed/Letter to the Editor: Select from the Opinion-Editorial drafts below depending on your interest (HCA would be happy to work with agencies on more specific or localized op-eds or letters to the editor).

• Home Health
• Private Duty
• Hospice

For Everyone -

Facebook: Go to the Home Care Alliance’s Facebook page and click “like” on the most recent status regarding Home Care Month.

Twitter: add the hash-tag #homecaremonth to your tweets this month and especially if you’re helping celebrate and raise awareness.

Posters: Download and print the posters below. Post in your home or office, or send to friends and colleagues.

• Honoring the Caregiver

• Preserving Health Independence and Freedom

• No place like home

• Compassionate Health Care Delivered to your Doorstep

• Family Caregivers

• Home Care: Guaranteeing Health Care Freedom (1)

• Home Care: Guaranteeing Health Care Freedom (2)

• “Think Home Care” Posters

Advocacy: Send an email advocacy message to legislators from HCA’s Legislative Action Center.

Resources for Caregivers:

-Order the Home Care Alliance’s new 2012 Guide to Private Home Care Services and see HCA’s other helpful publications.

-Alzheimer’s Disease caregiver tip sheet from the National Family Caregivers Association.

-Guide to Advance Care Planning from the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization.

-Information on the Home Care Alliance’s Home Care Accreditation Program.

-Read President Obama’s Proclamation to honor National Family Caregiver’s Month.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Home Care Alliance Promoting DEA Drug Take-Back Program

The Home Care Alliance and participating member agencies are encouraging home health patients and their families to participate in the federal Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, October 29, 2011, from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.

Across the state and the nation, collection stations will be available at police stations, fire stations, senior centers and other facilities so that people can turn in unused and unwanted medications so that they can be disposed of safely. This year’s event marks the third annual Prescription Drug Take Back Day, where the first two programs combined to collect 309 tons of prescription drugs that were turned in, according to the DEA.

The Alliance has a press release template for member home health agencies interested in participating in this program and can contact James Fuccione at HCA for details.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Home Care Innovations, Star Award Nominations Open

This December, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts will present a unique event to showcase home care innovators and honor the best and brightest in the industry.  This day-long celebration of  innovation and excellence will take place Wednesday, December, 7, at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston.

The Home Care Innovations Showcase will highlight programs, services or policies that represent the best in innovative thinking at our member agencies. The winning entries will be invited to make a brief presentation at the Dec. 7 event, with a focus on the innovation’s positive impact on their clients, their community, their agency or the delivery system at large.  Alliance member agencies are invited to nominate an innovation that has enhanced the health and well-being of their patients and clients, the efficiency of their operations, the health of their community or the well-being of staff.

The 2011 Home Care Star awards will be presented during a special luncheon program at the Dec. 7 event. The Star Awards celebrate the exceptional accomplishments of the everyday heroes who make such an incredible difference in the lives of their patients and clients.

Nomination materials for both the Home Care Innovations Showcase and the Home Care Star Awards are available on the Home Care Alliance website.  Nominations are due by October 17, 2011.

Join Us for Falls Prevention Awareness Day

This year’s Falls Prevention Awareness Day will be taking place from 10:00am to 12:00pm on September 22 in the Great Hall of the Massachusetts State House. The event will feature speeches by State Senator Richard Moore and Executive Office of Elder Affairs Secretary Ann Hartstein.

Once again, clinicians, community activists, state officials and honored guests will gather to raise awareness that falls are both common and costly. Efforts are in place in our state to introduce falls prevention activities across the health care continuum and into the daily lives of older adults. Join the Massachusetts Falls Prevention Coalition and our experts to help prevent falls across all settings. Presentations will be made by the VNA of Boston and other providers with falls prevention programs.

Attendance is free and there is no registration for the event. Simply RSVP to James Fuccione at HCA (jfuccione@thinkhomecare.org) or Alissa Weintraub at Mass Senior Care (aweintraub@maseniorcare.org).

The mission of the Massachusetts Falls Prevention Coalition is to promote healthy lifestyles, behaviors and strategies to reduce the incidence and severity of falls and fall related injuries across the lifespan in Massachusetts.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org.

Geriatric Medication Management Course

Many older home care patients have one or more chronic illnesses and take numerous medications complicating the task of medication management. If you’re a frontline nurse manager, clinical director, QI/QA officer or certified clinical case manager, this online course can help you find practical ways to monitor a patient’s medication regimen.

This 4 unit, self-paced course:

• Incorporates real-time data to assess your team’s performance and measure improvement; You can also compare your progress with others taking the course.

• Describes the impact of medication-related problems in older adults

• Simplifies the 3-step medication reconciliation process with practical tools

• Walks you through the SBAR technique so you can effectively communicate with physicians

• Enables you to apply each lesson with your team members; 81% of previous participants said their staff’s geriatric medication management clinical skills improved as a result

 

About the Course

•     CHAMP launches new site Designed for frontline nurse managers, clinical directors, QI/QA officers, and clinical case managers

•     10 CE hours for registered nurses and certified clinical case managers

Tuition

Early Bird Special (20% discount now through 6/30/11):

$149 $119 per participant
$109 $87 per participant for members of one of the following state associations:

• California Association for Health Services at Home

• Georgia Association for Home Health Agencies

• Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts

• HomeCare Association of Arkansas

• Home Care Association of Florida

• Home Care Association of New Hampshire

• Home Care Association of New York State

• Home Care Association of Washington

• MHA: An Association of Montana Health Care Providers

• New Mexico Association for Home and Hospice Care

• Pennsylvania Home Care Association

• Rhode Island Partnership for Home Care, Inc.

 

Click this link, Geriatric Medication Management Course, for more information and to register.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org

Impact of Face-to-Face in a Health Care Reform World

Home Care Alliance of MA and RBC Limited have joined together to offer this valuable webcast.

While enforcement of the Face-to-Face (F2F) Encounter was delayed until April 1, 2011, many agencies are just now realizing the potential adverse impact of this new regulation.  How have your peers modified processes and practices to ensure success with this new requirement?  What practices and tools have emerged that support success with the new Face-to-Face Encounter requirement?

You don’t want to miss out on this program.

It is critical that your staff understand the far reaching impact of this new F2F regulation and how to integrate NEW practices to protect agency reimbursement, ensure COMPLIANCE and successful outcomes.

Program Objectives:
Upon completion of this program participants will be able to:

• Provide a critical review of the F2F Encounter requirement;
• Detail the impact of this requirement on current agency outcomes and processes;
• Identify emerging industry Best Practices that meet the challenges of the F2F Encounter;
• Discuss agency strategies to support ongoing success with this new regulation.

Take Away Tools:  

• Sample Physician Guide with Face-to-Face Document
• Sample Staff Education Guide

Audience: This session is geared toward leadership and staff who are involved in the education and planning to enhance clinical care and services.  Directors, supervisors, compliance and risk management staff, educators and quality management staff as well as clinicians are encouraged to participate in this program.

About the Speaker:  Patricia W. Tulloch RN, BSN, MSN, HCS-D, is a seasoned clinician with more than thirty years in the healthcare industry, including twelve years in home health and hospice clinical management and more than thirteen years as a Senior Consultant with RBC Limited, a Healthcare & Management Consulting Firm.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:  

WEBCAST ORDERS – Price: $99.00
ONE YEAR UNLIMITED 24/7 online staff access – at your convenience. You pick the time that works for your schedule to watch.

DVD ORDERS – Price: $99.00 + $5 shipping fee
Please allow 5 to 7 business days to process your order once the program becomes available. Every effort will be made to process your order as soon as possible.

TO REGISTER, CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW AND GO TO ITEM 141:

(When registering, be sure to enter State Code: MA02116 on the Review Your Cart page.)

http://education.rbclimited.com/store

Questions about the program or registration, contact RBC at 845.889.8128 or rbc@netstep.net.

RBC Limited Healthcare & Management Consultants
T: 845.889.8128 / F: 845.889.4147 / E: rbc@netstep.net / Website: www.rbclimited.com