WALA News for March 17, 2006

  1. WALA Spring Conference Updates
    1. Thursday Closing Speaker
    2. Disaster Preparedness Materials For Sale
    3. Sessions Added and Dropped
  2. Action Alert: Contact Senators About TABOR/TPA
  3. BQA: State of the Industry "Very Good"
  4. HFS-83 Rewrite: Draft Discharge Regulations Revised Again
  5. Cancer Drug Repository Taking Unused and Discontinued Medications

1. WALA Spring Conference Updates

If you haven't yet registered for our Spring Conference, time is running out! Join us in two weeks at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison for Wisconsin's biggest and best assisted living conference. The Conference itself is on Wednesday and Thursday, March 29 and 30, with our special dementia care Pre-Event on Tuesday the 29th, featuring international dementia expert Jane Verity.

Changes from the printed agenda mailed in January and posted on our website:

A. Thursday Closing Speaker

Due to a scheduling conflict, Maribeth Bersani, Senior Vice President and Director of Public Policy at the Assisted Living Federation of America, will be unable to present the scheduled closing keynote address. However, WALA is proud to present a real-life tale of hardship and perseverance you won't want to miss:

Surviving Katrina and Rita: A Provider's Story will be presented by Jo Huey, a former dementia care provider in Louisiana, who will share lessons learned from living and working in a hurricane-prone region. Her story illustrates what happens when the best preparations meet the worst conditions. Be sure and catch Jo's address during our closing luncheon from 12:45 to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 30.

B. Disaster Preparedness Materials For Sale

In case you missed out on January's Disaster Preparedness seminar, WALA will be offering for sale the handbooks and CD-ROMs given to attendees of the seminar. These valuable planning tools include information from government officials and other disaster agencies, guides on what to consider in your disaster planning, and templates to use in creating a disaster plan for your facilities, all in a convenient and editable electronic format.

Remaining stock from the January seminar will be available for $75 to WALA members and $100 to non-members on a first-come, first-serve basis. We are also in the process of producing a revised and extended version of the handbook and will be taking pre-orders at a special Conference discount: $95 for members and $120 for non-members. WALA's Disaster Preparedness handbook is a must-have for any provider - order yours at the Conference!

C. Sessions Added and Dropped

Wednesday, March 29

Dropped:
10:45 a.m. - Noon
7 Deadly Sins of Yellow Page Advertising

Added:
10:45 a.m. - Noon
Medicare D: Sweet Dream or Nightmare?
Operations
David Huibregtse, Assisted Living Pharmacy Service

Medicare D is a sweet dream for seniors who now have their medications paid for and a nightmare for those who cannot get their medications because of prior authorizations, step therapy, and non-formulary drugs. This session will review Medicare D policies, suggest ideas to ensure that residents receive medications and you stay in regulatory compliance, and outline ways for you to change this nightmare into a dream. The session will end with compiling a list of questions and concerns to be forwarded to the CMS web forum.

Thursday, March 30

Added:
11:30 a.m. - 12:45 p.m.
For the Way You Want to Live Lifestyle
Laura Doll and Jessica Skilling, Riverside Terrace

Riverside Terrace has found a successful way to increase resident satisfaction in their dining program and to improve quality of life by encouraging involvement in their activity program. As an added bonus, they are able to make more of their budget by combining these two complimentary departments. This session will explore ways to integrate activities and dining services to customize residents' lifestyles in the assisted living environment.

2. Action Alert: Contact Senators About TABOR/TPA

The latest version of the "Taxpayers Bill of Rights" legislation, the "Taxpayer Protection Amendment" (TABOR/TPA) has been introduced in both houses of the State Legislature as AJR-77 and SJR-63. Most observers believe that the biggest hurdle to passage is the State Senate, where a number of Republican Senators have expressed misgivings about the amendment. WALA is registered against this legislation because TABOR/TPA is bad for the entire long-term care industry. It will exacerbate already inadequate reimbursement rates for Medicaid and other programs.

We strongly encourage you to call or e-mail these six key senators, especially if they represent you or any of your facilities or residents. Let them know that TABOR/TPA is bad for the assisted living industry, and offer them your support in opposing the amendment:

3. BQA: State of the Industry "Very Good"

At this week's Assisted Living Forum, Kevin Coughlin, the Assisted Living Section Chief, gave a presentation on the state of Wisconsin's assisted living industry. Overall, he said that "the majority of assisted living in Wisconsin is very good and continues to improve." Among the more impressive statistics given was that BQA received no complaints for 87% of all assisted living facilities in 2005. Further, if present trends continue, the total number of assisted living beds and apartments will exceed the number of nursing home beds for the first time in 2007.

4. HFS-83 Rewrite: Draft Discharge Regulations Revised Again

Also at the Assisted Living Forum, a further revised version of HFS 83.24, "Discharge of a resident," was distributed. This further revision is being included in the draft moving forward. Notably, it deletes the definition of "emergency discharge." WALA is reviewing this new addition to the draft regulations; in the meantime, you can view it on the Industry Insider page of the WALA website.

5. Cancer Drug Repository Taking Unused and Discontinued Medications

For some time, DHFS has administered a Cancer Drug Repository to take unused or discontinued cancer medications that would otherwise be destroyed, and distribute them to uninsured or underinsured cancer patients. At the Assisted Living Forum, Doug Englebert stated that the Repository is being expanded to include drugs for chronic illness. A primary requirement is that drugs donated be in single-dose packaging, such as a blister pack. More details can be found on the DHFS website.

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