CDC, Mass DPH Release Updated Ebola Guidance for Healthcare Workers

On October 20th, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released stricter guidance on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) recommended for healthcare workers treating patients with the Ebola virus.

The new enhanced guidance from CDC is centered on three principles:

  • All healthcare workers undergo rigorous training and are practiced and competent with PPE, including putting it on and taking it off in a systemic manner
  • No skin exposure when PPE is worn
  • All workers are supervised by a trained monitor who watches each worker putting PPE on and taking it off.

These principles and other guidance listed on the new advisory appear to be geared towards healthcare facilities and are based on lessons learned from those hospitals and clinics that have treated Ebola cases in the US thus far, including Emory University Hospital, Nebraska Medical Center and National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.

Also on October 20th, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and Boston Public Health Commission released updated clinical guidance on sending in patient specimens for laboratory testing for suspected Ebola cases. According to DPH, prior to sending a sample, the facility should consult the MDPH Hinton State Laboratory Institute for specimen collection, handling, packaging and transport advice via the 24/7 lab number (617-590-6390).

More information will be shared as it becomes available.

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MA Cancer Prevention & Control Network Readying Palliative Care Survey for Home Care

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Cancer Prevention & Control Network (MCCPCN) is putting the finishing touches on a survey on palliative care geared towards treating cancer patients.

The Home Care Alliance is a part of an MCCPCN task force that built the survey, which will be distributed to agencies via email form DPH.  Agencies are strongly encouraged to take the time to respond. MCCPCN is under the Department of Public Health and a cover letter from Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett explains the reasoning and background to the survey as well as how it will help advance palliative care services.

Questions on this issue can be directed to James Fuccione at the Alliance.

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Ebola Preparedness Info and Resources Released by DPH

Through press conferences and announcements, state officials have repeatedly stressed that the likelihood of an Ebola case is Massachusetts is “very low,” but that does not mean local healthcare providers should not be prepared and the general public should not be educated on the issue.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has posted information and resources on a special webpage  with guidance for clinicians and other helpful information. Misinformation about the disease has caused some of the concern, but the state continues to monitor the situation.

Here is part of a recent Public Health Advisory:

Massachusetts is well prepared to handle an incidence of Ebola, in the unlikely event that a case should occur in the Commonwealth. The public can have full confidence that our hospitals have the expertise, preparedness and capacity to handle such a situation. The infectious disease controls in Massachusetts and the United States are world class. Should a patient present Ebola symptoms, the patient would be quickly isolated and treated to prevent the spread of this disease.

Please see the resources below that are listed on mass.gov/dph/ebola.

DPH Guidance for Clinicians

General Information About Ebola Virus

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Pavasaris Testifies at Healthcare Cost Trends Hearing

The MA Health Policy Commission (HPC) held its 2014 Healthcare Cost Trends Hearing on October 6th and 7th. During the two-day event, representatives of major health systems, individual providers and insurers were called to present recommendations on the direction of cost and quality in the Massachusetts healthcare marketplace.

HCA Board Member Beverly Pavasaris of the Brockton VNA was on a panel looking at post-acute care, which the HPC has spotlighted in recent reports as more highly utilized in Massachusetts relative to the rest of the country. Pavasaris noted the heavy use of acute care services in the state in general and the fact that the high use of post-acute care is not necessarily a bad thing, as patients are receiving appropriate follow-up care when they leave the hospital setting.

Dr. Richard Lopez of Atrius Health, which is affiliated with VNA Care Network and the VNA of Boston, also spoke of the pressures on reforming post-acute care and the need to do so. The first thing Atrius looked at when their ACO was formed, he said, was post-acute care. A post on the Atrius blog goes deeper into the comments submitted by the organization and the responses of Dr. Lopez on the panel.

Each day of the annual hearing was led off by speakers like Governor Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray, and legislative leaders of health care committees. A major topic throughout the hearings from presenters, speakers and panels was saving costs in behavioral healthcare, which was unanimously labeled as overly complex with no consistent way to report spending and a severe lack of financial and infrastructural support.

The Home Care Alliance will continue to work with the HPC on elevating home care and promoting our quality, cost-efficiency, and array of possible services that can be provided.

For more on the 2014 Cost Trends Hearing, see the HPC webpage.

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MassHealth Recruiting HCBS Waiver Providers

The MassHealth Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Provider Network Administration Unit is recruiting service providers to serve people with disabilities and/or elders who live in the community.

The Provider Network Administration Unit will host several HCBS Waiver Service Provider Technical Assistance Sessions in the coming months to provide an overview of the HCBS Waivers and services offered, as well as an in-depth review of the application forms and submission requirements/process.

Sessions are scheduled for:

  • Oct. 7, 1:00-3:00 PM, Lenox Library, 18 Main St.,Lenox
  • Oct. 23, 2:00-4:00 PM, UMass Medical School, 333 South St., Shrewsbury
  • Nov. 6, 1:00-3:00 PM, Flint Public Library, 1 S. Main St., Middleton
  • Nov. 20, 2:00-4:00 PM, UMass Medical School, 333 South St., Shrewsbury
  • Dec. 4, 2:00-4:00 PM, Forbush Memorial Library, 118 Main St.,Westminster
  • Dec. 11, 2:00-4:00 PM, UMass Medical School, 333 South St., Shrewsbury

To RSVP, please contact the HCBS Provider Network Administration Unit at (855) 300-7058 or email to ProviderNetwork@umassmed.edu.

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One Care Initiative Hosting Webinar on Independent LTS Coordinators

The One Care demonstration project that coordinates and combines services for dually eligible individuals in Massachusetts hosts periodic webinars to educate the One Care Plans as well as service providers to help the program be successful.

The latest in that series is a free webinar on the role of the Long Term Services and Supports Coordinator, which will take place on Thursday, September 18th from noon to 1:00pm. During this webinar, the One Care Learning Team will discuss making referrals to Independent Living and Long-Term Services (LTS) and Supports Coordinators, ways to explain this role to One Care enrollees, and the benefits of engaging LTS Coordinators on Interdisciplinary Care Teams. An overview of the vision of MassHealth for the role of LTS Coordinator will be outlined and highlighted with examples of how LTS Coordinators are working with enrollees and interdisciplinary care teams.

Check out this video for an overview of the Independent Living LTSS Coordinator role and meet two of the webinar presenters.

Previous webinars have been recorded and can be viewed here.

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Join Us for Falls Prevention Awareness Day on Sept. 23rd

As part of the Massachusetts Falls Prevention Coalition, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts will be co-hosting the 8th annual Falls Prevention Awareness Day, which is taking place in the Great Hall of the State House in Boston on September 23rd from 10:00am to 1:00pm.

The event will follow the National Council on Aging’s theme of Strong Today, Falls Free® Tomorrow and includes a list of speakers and presenters. HCA’s Legislator of the Year Senator Patricia Jehlen will be giving welcoming remarks and Executive Office of Elder Affairs Secretary Ann Hartstein will be a featured speaker. Informational tables will line the Great Hall for legislative staff and members of the public to gather helpful resources on falls prevention strategies and local programs across the state.

There is no cost to attend this event. For more information, see the official flier for Falls Prevention Awareness Day.

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HCAs Home Health & Hospice Emergency Prep Workbook Now Available

HCA’s new Home Health Care & Hospice Emergency Preparedness Workbook, co-published with RBC Limited, is now available!

The workbook incorporates all of the Emergency Preparedness requirements in the proposed new regulations recently developed by CMS, and includes a number of sample policies and tools to make compliance easier.

Barbara Citarella of RBC Limited will conduct a series of two webinars on August 27 and September 3 to discuss the proposed regulations and orient home health and hospice providers to the new manual.

You can purchase the Workbook and register for the webinars here.

Webinars will be held on the following dates:

Part I August 27, 2014
10:00 – 11:30 AM

Part II September 3, 2014
10:00 – 11:30 AM

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Uniform Adult Guardianship Bill Signed into Law

Massachusetts joined 37 other states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico in streamlining adult guardianship rules when the Governor signed into law S.2249, the Uniform Adult Guardianship and Protected Persons Jurisdiction Act.

According to advocates, including Deb Thompson of the PASS Group, this new law addresses the difficulty of coordinating guardianships where two or more jurisdictions are involved.  If an individual in need of a guardian lives in one state and the potential guardian lives in another state there is currently no way to coordinate guardianship proceedings in those separate jurisdictions.

This legislation-turned-law creates criteria for determining which jurisdiction is appropriate as well as to allow courts to request the assistance of other courts in filing motions, taking depositions and determining the appropriateness of a potential guardian or conservator.  It would also avoid the costly and time-consuming requirement of litigating guardianships in multiple jurisdictions.

For more information on this issue, visit the National Center for State Courts’ Center for Elders and the Courts webpage on adult guardianship and the Uniform Law Commission.

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Money Follows the Person Project Team Hosting Technical Assistance Sessions

University of Massachusetts Medical School, the Department of Developmental Services, and Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Provider Network Administration Unit is recruiting service providers to serve people with disabilities and/or elders who live in the community and eligible for services under the Money Follows the Person Demonstration project (MFP).

The Provider Network Administration Unit is hosting Waiver Service Provider Technical Assistance Sessions. The sessions will give providers an overview of the HCBS Waivers and services offered, as well as an in-depth review of the application forms and submission requirements/process.

The MFP sessions will be held as follows:

Date

Time

Day

Location

Address

City

Conference Room
8/19/14 2:00-4:00 PM Tuesday Forbes Library 20 West St. Northampton Community Room
8/28/14 2:00-4:00 PM Thursday UMASS Medical School 333 South St. Shrewsbury USA
9/16/14 1:00-3:00 PM Tuesday Taunton Public Library 12 Pleasant St. Taunton See Reception Desk
9/18/14 1:30-3:30 PM Thursday Boston Lower Mills Library 27 Richmond St. Dorchester See Reception Desk
9/30/14 2:00-4:00 PM Tuesday UMASS Medical School 333 South St. Shrewsbury USA
10/7/14 1:00-3:00 PM Tuesday Lenox Library 18 Main St. Lenox Welles Gallery
10/23/14 2:00-4:00 PM Thursday UMASS Medical School 333 South St. Shrewsbury USA

 

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