Over a hundred people turned out for the recent LeadingAge Kansas fall/winter Regional Roundtables in Olathe, Wichita, Bucklin, Hays and Leonardville. Members enjoyed connecting with each other and had time to share a reason or story about why they work in our field…very uplifting in this time of many challenges. Here is a brief recap of what was discussed.

Workforce
Dana Weaver provided an update on the activities happening at the state level regarding workforce. Those included:

  • Update on the CNA Curriculum Revision
  • Update on Wage Disparity Research Conducted by KHI on behalf of LeadingAge Kansas. View the report. View the article about it from last week.
  • Discussion about our first ever Shadow Day to be held on April 11, 2018. More details will be released on this in January.
  • Discussion about Career Technical Education program. LeadingAge Kansas requested information from the state on how many CNA have actually gone to work as a result of that training.
  • Update on workforce efforts by LeadingAge National over the past year.

Regulatory/Reimbursement
Rachel Monger provided an update on the regulatory Environment.

  • Kansas has gone from #1 in the Nation for IJ citations to #4. While this still isn’t great, it does show a decline in total numbers of high level citations in Kansas. Washington state is now #1.
  • Debra and Rachel will be meeting with the folks from CMS along with all of the other state associations in CMS Region IIV this week to talk about survey madness.
  • There is still a backlog in the KanCare eligibility system. If you have residents on the waiting list more than 4 months, contact Lisa Stuever so she can help you find a solution.

Legislative Priorities
Rachel Monger provided an update on Legislative Priorities approved by the Board of Directors for the 2018 Legislative Session. While these are our priorities going in, other things will pop up that we will keep an eye on and members updated about. Rachel thanked everyone who has told their regulatory and reimbursement stories to their legislators. It has helped prime our conversations with key leadership.

  1. Restoration of our Medicaid Rates that were cut by KDADS in July
  2. Monitor and remain neutral on a bill about surveillance cameras in residents rooms
  3. Monitor the staffing bill that continues to be introduced by consumer groups
  4. Monitor and support coalition in favor of Medicaid Expansion
  5. Monitor and support coalition interested in creating mid-level dental practitioners

If you have questions or need additional information about the regulatory environment or legislative issues, please contact Rachel at rachel@leadingagekansas.org.

Value First
Dave Auch provided an update and quick commercial on Value First, our group purchasing program. He to shared the four major areas of savings for a long-term care provider (Food, Medical Supplies, Janitorial and Sanitation, and Office Supply) and how easy it is to conduct a Value First Cost Study in these four categories. Remember 90% of Value First Cost Studies result in a savings to your organization. For more information about Value First, contact Dave Auch.

We hope to see you at our next set of Regional Roundtables in May! It is your chance to get the latest information on what is going on at the association and for us to get feedback from members to better serve you.

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