FEDERAL NEWS

Register Now for Training on NHSN Changes
The NHSN changes are coming. Previously announced for May 23rd, we received communication today that changes are scheduled for implementation on May 30th. CDC has announced 4 training opportunities for these changes. You must register in advance.

 Updates to LTCF COVID-19 Module and COVID-19 Vaccination Module

 Updates to LTCF COVID-19 Module ONLY (no COVID-19 Vaccination Module)

1135 Federal Blanket Waivers (Nursing Homes)
The first round of 1135 blanket waivers terminated over the weekend, including waivers related to physician visits and physician delegation of tasks. We have updated the LeadingAge blanket waivers chart here to help members to stay up to date with what waivers are in play. The next round of waivers, including the nurse aide training waiver, will terminate in just under a month on June 6th. At this time, the Qualifying Hospital Stay (3-day stay) waiver remains in effect until the end of the national public health emergency.

More ARP Rural Payments Distributed May 10th
HRSA sent out $450 million in American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments to 2200 providers. It has now distributed $.7.9B of the $8.5 billion appropriated by Congress to provide relief to rural providers. With this latest distribution, 99% of applications have completed review. Providers who have not yet received a communication about their ARP rural application will receive a notification of its status as soon as HRSA has completed its review and processing. LeadingAge has heard from a handful of members who had received notices months ago indicating that they qualified for the payments but have been waiting ever since. Members should check their bank accounts to see if they’ve received a payment even if they aren’t physically located in a rural area as the payments were distributed to providers based upon where the Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries served by the provider reside. Questions? Email Nicole Fallon nfallon@leadingage.org

May 13th Deadline for Providers to Submit PRF Late Reporting Requests for Reporting Period 2 Providers must submit Late Reporting Requests by this Friday, May 13th if they wish to be considered to submit a late report for Reporting Period 2, which was originally due by March 31, 2022 for funds received July 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. This includes targeted Nursing Home Infection Control funds that a nursing home must report on and cannot be delegated to a corporate office or parent organization. Late Reporting Requests can be submitted today through Friday, May 13th at 10:59 PM Central. These requests can only be made under eligible extenuating circumstances, which can be found here along with the Late Request Form. Questions? Email Nicole Fallon nfallon@leadingage.org

LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS

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RESOURCES

KHN Reports on the Decline of Travel Nurses
A new in-depth report from Kaiser Health News looks at the rise and decline of travel nurses. As COVID relief funds are being exhausted across the country, contracts for traveling nurse staff are starting to decrease. The report includes an overview of the trends of travel nurse hiring during the pandemic as well as a look at the potential exploitation of the workforce by private equity firms.

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