WALA News for April 20, 2010

1. Family Care Residential Rate Overview- A Listening Session

DHS is hosting an upcoming listening session on a Family Care issue. (There was also a session April 16.)

As you may be aware, the Department is working on developing a uniform methodology for determining rates for community-based residential programs in the Family Care program. An overview of this residential rate-setting project is provided in the attachment: http://ewala.org/breakingnews/blasts/2010/Residential%20Rate%20Overview.pdf

The Department is soliciting stakeholder input at key points on this project. As they stated at the recent provider forums that you may have attended, the Department is committed to maintaining clear and open communication with Family Care stakeholders on important and emerging Family Care issues.

As one of the initial steps in the process, DHS is interested in hearing the views of stakeholders on issues that the Department should take into consideration in the development of the methodology. DHS is requesting that no more than two individuals from an organization attend a session, in order to have sufficient time for participation by all attendees.

DHS Listening Sessions:
Friday, April 23, 12:30-2:00 PM in Room 751 in 1 West Wilson

Thank you for your interest in this issue. DHS is looking forward to hearing stakeholder views at the upcoming listening session.

For those of you unable to attend the upcoming session on Residential Rate Overview on April 23 please feel free to use the following number to access the listening session you would like to participate in:

1-888-278-0296(note corrected call in number); Access Code:  4805592

*****If your phone does not have a mute button, another option is to use *6 to mute and *6 again to un-mute! *****

Thank you!

2. Legislation that needs your immediate attention!

WISCONSIN LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT - PLEASE CALL AND E-MAIL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY!!

PLEASE TAKE 2-MINUTES AND MAKE A CALL TO YOUR STATE SENATOR AND ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!

WE NEED YOU TO TAKE ACTION - OR WE WILL ALL LOSE WHEN THIS BILL PASSES

Tell your state senator and assembly representative:

The Wisconsin Trial Attorney's Association is pushing a legislative proposal at lightning speed through the Wisconsin Legislature that will likely increase liability insurance premiums for all long-term care providers.  This bill is being pushed so fast, that inadequate notice is being provided in an attempt to limit public input.  This is a bad bill being pushed quickly through a bad legislative process.

The proposal, Assembly Bill 951 and Senate Bill 673, would nullify existing arbitration agreements between a resident and a long-term care facility (nursing home, CBRF, RCAC, Adult Family Homes).

A public hearing was held today, where representatives of both the insurance industry and the long-term care profession testified that if these bills become law - providers can expect to see their liability insurance rates go up.

A WIN FOR TRIAL ATTORNEYS ON THIS ISSUE WILL INCREASE YOUR LIABILITY INSURANCE: During Testimony provided at both public hearings, insurance representatives testified that if AB-951 and SB-673 pass into law, it is very likely that long-term care providers will see increases in their liability insurance premiums.  You as a provider know all to well that long-term care provider liability insurance is already expensive and for some difficult to obtain.

FRENZIED ACTIVITY AS SESSION ENDS CAN LEAD TO BAD BILLS BECOMING LAW: Next Thursday, April 22nd, the Wisconsin Legislature (Senate and Assembly) will end the regular session.  Bills that fail to pass both houses next Thursday are considered dead and will have to be reintroduced in 2011.  The final days of the legislative session is often a frenzy of activity, a situation that often breeds the creation of bad laws.

TRIAL ATTORNEYS PUSH BAD PROCESS - KEEPING THE PUBLIC OUT: In these final days of session, both the Senate Committee and the Assembly Committee introduced a bill and noticed a public hearing - all within 24-hours of the actual public hearing.  This seems to be a setup by the Trial Attorney's Association for long-term care providers to take an expensive fall.  24-hour hearing notices on major legislation during the final days of session is a tactic to keep the public out of the "public" hearing process - a strategy to surprise long-term care providers and prevent your voices from being heard.

LONG-TERM CARE PROVIDERS ARE ALREADY UNDERFUNDED - TAKING MORE MONEY AWAY WILL HAVE CONSEQUENCES: Wisconsin already has the embarrassing distinction of being ranked  #1 in the United States as having the worst nursing home reimbursement system.  Passing a law that will undoubtedly increase provider liability insurance premiums means that more money will be taken away from providing quality patient care.  Providers are already put in the unsustainable situation of having to find ways to decrease their operational costs because the State of Wisconsin provides inadequate Medicaid\Family Care reimbursement rates.  THE GREATEST THREAT TO QUALITY CARE IS THE CONTINUED UNDERFUNDING OF WISCONSIN'S MEDICAID AND FAMILY CARE PROGRAMS.

AB-951\SB-673 WILL TAKE AWAY AN INDIVIDUAL'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE PRE-DISPUTE ARBITRATION. Mediation and arbitration have proven to be efficient, fair, and effective forums for resolving such disputes.  They are increasingly being viewed as rational and fair alternatives to expensive lawsuits that will better assure facility resources needed to support quality care and improvement are not diverted to fund inherently slow moving and expensive legal proceedings in the state's overburdened court system.

If this legislation were to become law, even residents who Voluntarily choose to submit to pre-dispute arbitration would have that right to choose denied, a right that is not denied in any other consumer transaction.

PLEASE TAKE A 2-MINUTES AND MAKE A CALL TO YOUR STATE SENATOR AND ASSEMBLY REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!

WE NEED YOU TO TAKE ACTION - OR WE WILL ALL LOSE WHEN THIS BILL PASSES

 

3. Carbon Monoxide Detectors

We have been getting many requests for clarification on Carbon Monoxide detectors.  Here are two documents you should review and they will answer most of your questions. Note that they must be installed in existing buildings prior to April 1, 2010.

 

4. National Story on Managed Care

The following is a link with a national perspective on managed care.  It is an interesting article – and we think it may help the membership to understand that managed care is here to stay and it will be a fight all the way from the Managed Healthcare Executive - April 2010 .

View the digital version here: http://digital.modernmedicine.com/nxtbooks/advanstar/mhe_201004/index.php?startid=13

The PDF is here:  http://www.ewala.org/breakingnews/blasts/2010/Nimble%20Payment%20Models.pdf

 

5. Falls Curriculum

The first ever assisted living specific Wisconsin specific falls curriculum is now available. After three years of work by the WALA Clinical Committee, a well researched product is now available for you to adapt to fit your specific operations, size and staffing. Available now at www.ewala.org – and of course WALA members pay 50% less than non-members.

6. WALA Watch Newsletter

Now is the time to contact WALA if you wish to place an ad in the June issue of WALA Watch newsletter. This is sent to over 900 AL leaders throughout the state. Contact Sarah Bass at sbass@ewala.org for more information.

 

 

 

 


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