Tag: Education

Something for Everyone at 2018 NEHCC!

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There is something for everyone at the 2018 New England Home Care & Hospice Conference and Trade Show. See below just some of the topics that may be suited for you!

Clinical Directors

  • Stop Sepsis at Home: Learn from the Home Care Association of NY on how to equip your clinicians with educational/preventative, screening and follow-up tools to combat sepsis.
  • CoP Compliance: Discuss which key performance indicators have the most impact on quality and client outcomes.
  • Developing and Maintaining a Wound Care Program: Learn about the operational and clinical aspects of creating and/or maintaining your wound care program. Hear real agency examples of using best practices and guidelines and much more!
  • Emergency Preparedness Table Top: Join your peers to take part in a realistic table top simulation.

Quality

  • Communicating with CMS: Get a primer into the new patient-centered language of CMS
  • Metrics for CoP Compliance: Discuss which key performance indicators have the most impact on quality and client outcomes
  • Optimizing Operations Through Data Collection and Dissemination: Examine the changing healthcare landscape and focus on making operational decisions based on data. 

Private Duty

  • How the Age-Friendly Communities Movement Builds Partnerships: Hear local examples of how home care agencies can be involved in the movement to create “Age-Friendly Communities”
  • The Patient Experience: Learn strategies, action items, and tools to enable your agency to achieve improved patient experience while managing all other operational demands.
  • Problem Solving for Clients with Dementia: Learn how to engage direct care staff in active observation of the client, gather information, investigate and examine behaviors, and strategic problem solving. 

CEO

We have carved out an entire CEO track for you to enhance your skills and knowledge as well as engage with panelists, and peers.

  • Employee Recruitment and Retention: Hear successful and unsuccessful strategies to attract and retain top-tier talent.
  • Population Health: Gain the knowledge base you need to make decisions for the population you serve.
  • Home Health Groupings Model (HHGM): Learn from experts on how the final prospective payment system promises to offer the industry direction what what it means for agency strategy and capability heading into 2019.

Therapy

  • Embracing Our Physical Therapy and Occupational Scope of Practice in Home Care: This session will explore how therapy in the home has evolved and expanded and how this impacts you, your patients and your agency. 

Human Resources

  • Employment Law: Examine how various employment laws apply to the home care workforce and understand how to make sure your agency follows these laws and integrates in practice and your employee handbook.
  • Employee Retention: Learn specific approaches on how an agency can better engage the highest performers while still holding the lowest performers accountable and analyze the changing staff dynamics.
  • Engaging the Millennial Workforce: Hear how engaging the growing millennial workforce and understanding their mindset and motivation will be key for your agency in defining duties, assessing skill sets and identifying team leaders.

Finance

  • CFO Panel: Address management concerns, discuss operating efficiencies and internal financial controls and performance indicators.
  • How Population Health and Telemedicine Affect the Bottom Line: Learn how telehealth will show advancement in terms of improved patient satisfaction, increased patient census, reduced cost of care, and decreased nursing visits. 

Hospice & Palliative Care

  • Creating a Pediatric Palliative Care Program: Learn about the interface and collaboration between home care and hospital programs as well as the use of the National Consensus Project to guide current and future program development.
  • The Patient Experience: Learn strategies, action items, and tools to enable your agency to achieve improved patient experience while managing all other operational demands.
  • Ethics of Patient Choice and Aid-In Dying: Discuss how death with dignity/ aid-in-dying laws present new and evolving ethical and legal challenges for agencies in the states where it is legal, or where legislation is pending. 

There are even more break-out sessions to learn from and 5 keynotes not even mentioned! Be sure to take a look at the full brochure to learn about ALL sessions being offered at this years conference!

Go to http://www.NEHCC.com for more information and to register today!

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HCA Partners with Other State Associations to Offer Valuable Webinars

HCA prides itself in providing the most current, important, and in demand educational topics for our members. To do this, we sometimes partner with sister state associations who are willing to offer their programs at member rates. Below you will find some upcoming webinars that are being made available to all HCA of MA members!

Operational Lessons Learned from a Disaster Plan That Didn’t Work
March 7: 1:00-2:30PM
This case study will help your agency better prepare for the unthinkable. Hear the experience of an agency that worked with local and regional groups to develop a comprehensive disaster plan only to discover IT DIDN’T WORK!! Emergency preparedness will be a top priority in upcoming surveys. Failure to comply can result in serious financial penalties, or even loss of your agency’s license. Take the steps necessary to create a plan that works.

Learn More and Register

The Aide’s Role in Confidentiality and HIPAA
March 8: 3:00-4:00PM
This workshop will focus on assisting your In-Home Aides in understanding HIPAA and confidentiality guidelines. This workshop will offer practical tips to ensure that the para-professional adheres to the required privacy standards. Also included: the impact of social media such as Facebook, My Space, YouTube and cell phones, text messages, etc.

Learn More and Register

Re-Imagining the Plan of Care: A Pyramid Model
March 22: 1:00-2:30PM
There are many ways to build a plan of care – but how do you know that the one you are using is effective, comprehensive and will support strong clinical care in the home?

The “Pyramid of Care” uses the comprehensive OASIS assessment you already have as the foundation. Explore the process of identifying critical areas that become the goals of the plan of care, and transform these into skilled interventions. This process will be easy for your clinicians to grasp and implement, will enable them to clearly support skill in each visit, and achieve measurable improvement in the outcome goals attached to each plan.

Learn More and Register

Understand PT & OT Functional Tests: Selecting & Interpreting the Best Assessment Tools
April 5: 1:00-2:30PM
There are so many assessment tool options available to home care, but so little time to research them all! Home care physical therapist and educator Ernest Roy has taken the deep dive to provide webinar participants with an evidenced-based review of tests suitable for field use by Physical and Occupational Therapists. Roy will focus on data norms for specific populations, as well as highlight minimal clinically important differences as well as specificity and sensitivity. Utilize the data you collect from intake to discharge, and improve your functional testing efficacy.

Learn More and Register

The Aide’s Role in Assisting a Patient with Chronic Pain
April 12: 3:00-4:00PM
Our world is aging. The elder population may falsely believe that because they are aging that pain is a normal part of living and is therefore not reported or managed. Since the majority of our patients seen in the home are elderly, this webinar will provide an overview of symptoms the aide may observe and the aide’s role in providing care to those patients experiencing pain.

Learn More and Register

2017 New England Home Care & Hospice Conference and Trade Show Speaker Proposal Deadline Approaching!

NEHCC SPEAKER PROPOSAL SUBMISSIONS NOW DUE BY DECEMBER 31st!

With the holidays around usNEHCC-2015-Logosm, the NEHCC committee wanted to provide the gift of a deadline extension! To date there have been many qualified and appealing submissions but it is no longer too late to submit your own presentation!

The NEHHC welcomes Speaker Presentation applications from a diverse audience of home health and healthcare experts.

SUBMIT YOUR PROPOSAL HERE!

The New England Home Care & Hospice Conference and Trade Show is designed for senior and mid-level administrative and clinical staff. The conference features multiple keynote sessions, workshops, and intensive programs. Topics are designed to meet the needs of all agencies, including Medicare-certified, private duty, and hospices. The New England Home Care & Hospice Conference and Trade Show is the region’s premier event for home care and hospice agencies. It’s hosted by the six New England state home care Associations, which collectively represent nearly 400 organizations. This coming year, the conference returns to the Radisson Hotel Manchester May 16 – 18, 2017.

Go to www.NEHCC.com for more information about the conference!

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Everything You Want to Know About eLearning Partnership with Corridor Group in One Place

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The Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts has partnered with the Corridor Group to provide an exciting new membership benefit. Corridor Campus eLearning is an online program that provides orientation and ongoing education for all levels of staff, allowing you to streamline training across your organization while providing Continuing Education Credits. Topics of the 150+ courses offered include ICD-10, Sexual Harassment, Alzheimer’s, HIPAA, Infection Control, and much more!

Home Care Alliance member agencies receive a discounted rate on Corridor Campus, paying the lowest per user fee they offer. Along with this great offer, our members will also have the opportunity to receive a 15% discount on any other Corridor products they purchase.

After the partnership was announce this summer, the Home Care Alliance held an informative webinar that introduced the software and did a brief demo. All information about this partnership including the recording of the webinar is available at www.thinkhomecare.org/Corridor. Take a look at this great opportunity to save your agency money while receiving great education for your staff!

If you have any questions about this partnership you can contact Megan Fournier at mfournier@thinkhomecare.org

Click Here to go to eLearning Partnership Page to Learn More!

Educational Calendar Updates

As you probably know, the Home Care Alliance of MA is constantly adding new programs in our calendar, especially with all that is changes in our industry. Please see below some new (and old) programs that we have to offer over the next few weeks:

Thursday, November 17th: “Coping with Chaos: Compliance Climate 2016”

Home Health and Hospice agencies must continue to navigate a chaotic environment with no end in sight.  Get clarity on what the government enforcement agencies and contractors are focusing on in 2016-2017.  Learn how to formalize processes and systems to capture key payment and clinical documentation concerns to avoid overpayment requirements and disclosures, including use of PEPPER data.  Understand how to approach communications and requests from the MACs, ZPICS, the OIG and the DOJ. Finally, take control of your agency’s health and survival by committing to a sound ethics and compliance program framework and evolving ethics and compliance activities.

 *NEW*Tuesday, November 29th: “Medicare B Home Nurse Practitioner Program”

Certain outpatient therapy and other Medicare services may be furnished by a home health agency (HHA) to individuals who are not homebound or otherwise are not receiving services under a home health plan of care (POC) using Medicare Part B billing. As of January 1, 2016, Medicare expanded this list to include advance care planning as a billable service provided by either a physician or a nurse practitioners.  Hear how one agency has developed and successfully used Part B Billing to expand the scope of their community services.

 *NEW*Wednesday, November 30th,, and Wednesday, December 7th: “Riding the Wave: OASIS C-2 Changes”
Oasis-C-2 is just over a month away; are your clinicians aware of all the changes? Come join the HCA for training on the structure and content changes in the OASIS-C2 data set that are effective January 1, 2017. These new items can impact your quality scores and re-imbursement; so be sure your clinicians are familiar with the changes.

*Western MA date and location TBD*

 *DATE CHANGE*Monday, December 5th: “The Gold Standard: Understanding the Background and Importance of Compression for Wound Care Patients”

Compression plays a vital role in both wound healing and reduction of wound recurrence.  Participants will increase their understanding of lower extremity ulcer presentation, compression types, options, dosage and how each can ultimately impact success and outcomes. In the home health arena, it is vital to clearly understand current options available to maximize clinical effectiveness and cost-efficiency.

 Tuesday, December 6th: “Financial Management Conference” *NOTE AGENDA ADDITION: Medicare PPS Changes for 2017*

Agency CFOs and CEOs will be well served by joining HCA on December 6 in Norwood for the Annual Financial Managers Conference. This year’s event features a stellar line-up of expert panels including speakers on Value-Based Purchasing, Revenue Cycle Management, Bundled Payments, and HIPAA/ Cyber Security

 Thursday, December 8th: “The Aide’s Role in Understanding Mental Health Disorders”

This presentation will explore some mental health disorders that may create challenges for the Nurse Aide in the home setting. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness approximately 43.8 million adults or 1 in 5 adults in the U.S experiences mental illness annually.  Chances are that some of the patients we care for in the home may be experiencing some sort of mental illness.  Learn strategies that can help you when caring for these patients.

 *NEW*Tuesday, December 13th: “A Team Approach to Medication Management”

It takes the entire home health team working together to ad- dress this vital aspect of health care to make a difference and improve the quality of care for those we serve every day. This 90-minute webinar is devoted to promoting a Team Approach to Medication Management in home health.

 

To learn more about any of our programs go to our calendar:  http://www.thinkhomecare.org/events

2016-2017 Aides Teleconference Series Upcoming Schedule

Every month the Home Care Alliance of Ma shares the opportunity for Aides to gain their education hours needed by promoting teleconferences put on by the North Carolina Association. Why Participate? An investment in staff education is an investment in quality customer service for all types of agencies. For home health and hospice agencies, these hour-long teleconferences can be used to help meet the 12 hours per year educational requirements under the Medicare Conditions of Participation. For all providers, an educational investment in your staff pays off in quality care!

See below for the upcoming teleconferences available for purchase:

October 13, 2016
TOPIC: No Tricks & No Treats – What Aides Need to Know to Protect Themselves from Negative Accusations & Investigations
Speaker: Sherry Thomas, BSN, MPH
Description: It’s no treat to be investigated by the Federal Office of Inspector General (OIG) … scary sounding…yes? Have you ever heard of the OIG Exclusions List? That is a list you do not want to be on!! Are you aware that federal regulations can prohibit you ever working again in an agency such as a certified home health, hospice, Personal Care Services or a waiver program for seniors that receive federal funding like Medicare and Medicaid? Come join me as we talk about how you can land on this list and an aide’s responsibility to be above reproach. Don’t let the words fraud, abuse, neglect, misappropriation of property or drugs come near your good name. Handouts will include an Aide’s Code of Ethics!

November 10, 2016
TOPIC: The Aide’s Role in Patient Centered Care
Speaker: Kathie Smith, RN
Description: Patient Centered Care focuses on the patient as an individual and takes into account the individual person’s likes, dislikes and what makes for a “good day” along with the tasks necessary to carry out the assigned plan of care. This teleconference will focus on how to see the patient as a unique individual in providing patient centered care.

December 8, 2016
TOPIC: The Aide’s Role in Understanding Mental Health Disorders
Speaker: Cindy Morgan, RN, MSN, CHC, CHPN
Description: This presentation will explore some mental health disorders that may create challenges for the Nurse Aide in the home setting. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness approximately 43.8 million adults or 1 in 5 adults in the U.S experiences mental illness annually. Chances are that some of the patients we care for in the home may be experiencing some sort of mental illness. Learn strategies that can help you when caring for these patients.

January 12, 2017
TOPIC: Who Can Sleep Tight…When Bed Bugs Bite!
Speaker: Kathie Smith, RN
Description: Bed bugs have been common in U.S. history. Although bed bug populations dropped dramatically during the mid-20th century, the United States is one of many countries now experiencing an alarming resurgence in the population of bed bugs. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency bed bugs are a public health pest. While bed bugs have not been shown to transmit disease, they do cause a variety of negative physical health, mental health and economic consequences. This teleconference will cover the negative effects of bed bugs, how to identify bed bugs and tips in preventing and treating bed bugs.

February 9, 2017
TOPIC: The Aide’s Role in Working with the Immobile Patient
Speaker: John Conrad
Description: Immobility and long periods of inactivity are harmful to elderly patients and can lead to a further loss of ambulation and strength as well as the increased risk of falls. Patients suffering a loss of mobility can also become depressed. Immobility can impact and cause serious health complications – including blood clots, urinary tract infection and respiratory complications. In-home aides play a vital role in helping to increase/maintain patient mobility and in preventing serious negative impacts.

March 9, 2017
TOPIC: The Aide’s Role in Confidentiality and HIPAA
Speaker: Michelle White, MSN, RN
Description: This workshop will focus on assisting your In-Home Aides in understanding HIPAA and confidentiality guidelines. This workshop will offer practical tips to ensure that the para-professional adheres to the required privacy standards. Also included: the impact of social media such as Facebook, My Space, YouTube and cell phones, text messages, etc.

April 13, 2017
TOPIC: The Aide’s Role in Working with a Terminal Client & Their Family
Speaker: Cindy Morgan, RN, MSN, CHC, CHPN
Description: What does it mean to be terminally ill? This presentation will define terminally ill as well as some of the different aspects of care that are so important to the patients and families facing a terminal illness. Learn about the trajectory of terminal illness and what to expect when the patient is nearing the end of life.

May 11, 2017
TOPIC: The Aide’s Role in Infection Control in Home Care & Hospice
Speaker: Michelle White, MSN, RN
Description: This workshop will focus on understanding the basic principles of infection prevention and control. This workshop will also focus on Blood Borne Pathogens and the principles surrounding transmission and methods in which the aide can protect themselves and the patient.

June 8, 2017
TOPIC: Eagle Eye Aides – Recognizing Key Patient Abnormalities
Speaker: Sherry Thomas, BSN, MPH
Description: You are in the first line of patient defense! You are the boots on the ground as far as helping to identify that something is “wrong” with your patient. You are the Eagle Eye Aide! Join this teleconference to learn how to recognize the subtle and not so subtle changes in your patient that is the first clue that something is amiss patient wise and what then to report to your supervisor!

Click Here to go to our Events Calendar to register for one or more of these great programs!

Unique, Grant-Funded Training Opportunity for Central Mass. Home Care Workers

Registration is OPEN NOW for the first Community Health Worker (CHW) Registered Apprenticeship Program established in Massachusetts and one of only a few in the nation.

The Center for Health Impact TM (formerly known as Central MA AHEC) in Worcester, Massachusetts is delighted to report that the Fairlawn Foundation Fund of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation has awarded funds to establish the creation of a Community Health Worker (CHW) Registered Apprenticeship Program in Central Massachusetts.

Apprenticeship is a flexible training system that benefits both employers and workers through its structured on-the-job learning and job-related classroom instruction. (Learn more about Apprenticeship USA at: https://www.doleta.gov/OA/apprenticeship.cfm.)

The 150-hour course, anticipated to start on April 5th, 2016 (pending enrollment/subject to change) will be offered free of charge to qualified applicants in Central Massachusetts by the Center for Health Impact TM Outreach Worker Training Institute (OWTI) in Worcester. Participants will earn a certificate of course completion aligned with the requirements established by the Massachusetts Board of Certification of CHWs.

To qualify, an individual must be employed or about to be employed with an employer who will:

  • Provide them 2200 hours of on-the-job paid apprenticeship learning and supervision in one calendar year
  • Reward the apprentice for skills gained by an increase in pay within one calendar year
  • Authorize the apprentice to attend the 150-Hour course (120 hours of class time; 30 hours of homework).

Benefits for employers:

  • Access to free CHW core competency training for employees
  • Access to incentives as an employer working with the CHW Registered Apprenticeship Program
  • Well trained and job proficient employees who meet employers’ specific needs
  • Enhanced employee retention
  • Improved service delivery

For questions, or to request the registration package for the Community Health Worker (CHW) Registered Apprenticeship 150-Hour Certificate Course, please contact: Tatyana Gorodetsky,  at tatyana@centerforhealthimpact.org or by phone at: 508-556-1332.

MassHealth Releases Prior Authorization Presentation

The first in a series of education sessions administered by MassHealth on their newly implemented prior authorization process occurred on March 16th and the slides have been made available.

After a basic overview of home health regulations, the prior authorization portion begins on slide 20 with helpful information and links as well as the contact information for the MassHealth Prior Authorization Unit (PAU). With a limited number of spots for this webinar, the Home Care Alliance is continuing to work with MassHealth on offering additional sessions.

The Alliance continues to take questions from agencies and is actively and constantly in contact with MassHealth to address ongoing issues.

Next week, MassHealth will be offering separate one-hour sessions on utilizing the Provider Online Service Center, or POSC.

During this training, MassHealth will provide step-by-step instruction on how to submit a prior authorization via the POSC, including how to inquire on and view prior authorization decisions, as well as other POSC techniques.

As space is limited, agencies are encouraged to register soon, if they have not already.

The sessions will be held at UMass Medical School (333 South St, Shrewsbury, MA 01545) on the following dates.

  • Wednesday, March 23, 2016  1:00 PM – 2:00 PM
  • Friday, March 25, 2016 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
  • Friday, March 25, 2016 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Register here for POSC Training

The official Public Notice of the regulatory change requiring prior authorization was published last Friday. The notice include an invitation for public comment, with all comments due by April 1, 2016. Agencies are encouraged to submit constructive comments.

Return to www.thinkhomecare.org

Member Benefit: Free Wound Care Webinars

The Home Care Alliance has a continued partnership with the Wound Care Educational Institute. Wound Care Education Institute® provides comprehensive online and nationwide onsite courses in the fields of Skin, Wound, Diabetic and Ostomy Management. Health care professionals who meet the eligibility requirements may sit for the prestigious:

(WCC®) Wound Care Certification
(DWC®) Diabetic Wound Care
(OMS™) Ostomy Management Specialist

These national board certification examinations are offered through the National Alliance of Wound Care and Ostomy ® (NAWCO®), the largest multidisciplinary group of certified wound care professionals in the United States.

Not only do our members receive discounts on training’s offered by WCEI but you also receive FREE access to numerous webinars such as the ones listed below:

•Diabetic Ulcers Identification and Treatment
•HOW TO: Bariatrics and Skin Fold Management
•HOW TO: Creating the Seal by Making the Right Choices
•HOW TO: Debridement Options: BEAMS Made Easy
•HOW TO: Diabetic Foot Exam Made Easy
•HOW TO: Fistula Management Made Easy
•HOW TO: Medical Device and Moisture Associated Skin Breakdown
•HOW TO: Skin of Color•HOW TO: Skin Tears
•HOW TO: Surgical Incision: Keep your eye on the line
•HOW TO: Tube Basics. Going with the flow
•HOW TO: Writing Policies and Procedures for Wound Care
• Improved Wound Care Outcomes
• Insider Secrets to Wound Care
• Is It Pressure
• Is It Really Infected? How Do I Really Know?
• It’s Not Just a RASH! So What Is It? What Do I Do?
• Ostomy Buzz
• Palliative Wound Care
• PHI, PMRI,EHR, EMR…WHAT? Alphabet Soup or Medical Records?
• Pressure Ulcers- Choosing the Right Treatment
• Skin and Nail Changes in the Diabetic Foot
• Teaching the Teacher
• What stage is it? Pressure Ulcer Staging and Tissue Types
• Wound Assessment

Want more information on these free webinars? Click Here

Interested in attending the next Skin & Wound Care Management Course offered in MA? Click Here

HCA to Launch Education Offering: Building a Behavioral Health Program

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In response to community need and member interest, HCA will launch in January 2016 a twelve-month training program for home health agencies interested in creating and sustaining a program to provide behavioral health services under the Medicare home health benefit. Based on work originally piloted at the VNS of New York, this project will provide learning and tools to put in place both the clinical competencies and administrative infrastructure. The project will feature onsite clinical training for at least five nurses per participant agency as well as diagnosis specific care guide and implementation manuals.

The objectives of this training are as follows:
• Learn how to provide Behavioral Health Home Care and get staff trained.
• Allow your agency to provide Behavioral Health Home Care during the year of the project
training.
• Improve patients care for clients with mental health conditions
• Improve overall patient outcomes, including re-hospitalization, ER utilization and compliance.
• Enhance your position in your service area, provide a new Niche of care and grow revenue.

For additional information, see the Behavioral Health Brochure, or view this recorded webinar*. Agencies interested in participating in the project should contact Megan Fournier at mfournier@thinkhomecare.org for contracting information.

*View webinar handouts here 

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