 Got Text?
NMHCA/NMCAL rolled out our newest member service—text notifications--earlier this year. This allows us to send you a text to let you know when something important is released, such as new guidance, a data collection request, etc. While this information is typically sent out in the Bulletin, we understand that you may not always have time to read through them to determine what is important for you or sometimes, you might simply forget it came out when you have time to go through your emails. A text will serve as a reminder that there is something that may need your attention. Save the number, (833) 589-0341, in your phone as NMHCA/NMCAL so you don't miss a thing!
Members need to opt in to be included, so if you or anyone in your facility would like to receive text notices, please email cell phone numbers, names, and titles to NMHCA/NMCAL at nmhca@nmhca.org.
Long-term Care Poster
NMHCA/NMCAL developed the attached poster to assist facilities in communicating the differences in guidance and direction for assisted living and nursing facilities from the general public. We invite you to print as many copies as you'd like and post them around the areas or send them to families, so they have a clear understanding of the guidance you are required to follow.
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PTO Payout Legal Requirements
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At the request of the NMHCA/NMCAL Board of Directors, the association retained legal counsel to help answer a question regarding a facilities responsibility to payout earned vacation leave/paid time off (PTO) once the employer/employee relationship is severed. The following addresses New Mexico's legal requirements regarding payout of earned vacation leave/PTO:
Based on statutory authority in New Mexico dating back to 1937 and related case law, employers are legally required to pay out accrued vacation time and/or PTO when an employee ceases employment. Depending on the manner in which an employer calculates vacation time for its employees, accrued vacation time must be paid to a discharged employee within either five (5) or ten (10) days from the date of discharge.
The New Mexico Healthy Workplaces Act, which will go into effect on July 1, 2022, requires employers to provide employees a minimum of one hour of paid sick leave for every thirty hours worked. This does not affect an employer’s obligation to pay out unpaid wages or compensation when an employee ceases employment. However, the Act specifies that employers are not required to provide “financial or other reimbursement” to an employee for unused accrued sick leave when the employee ceases employment.
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On the fourth Tuesday of the month, NMHCA and Western Sky Community Care co-host a revenue call from 2:00 to 3:00 PM. The call is designed to keep providers informed of updates to processes and/or issues related to revenue cycle management and claims reimbursement. If you would like to attend these monthly calls, email Tracy Alter, talter@nmhca.org, and she will forward your information to Western Sky so they can add you to the invitation.
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VBP and Project ECHO
NMHCA/NMCAL would like to remind nursing home facilities of the Project Echo minimum requirements regarding the Value-Based Purchasing program. Facilities must participate in two MQIHA Project Echo sessions quarterly and need to submit one case study per year beginning January 1, 2021, in order to be included in the Foundational Payment for Infrastructure and Operations payment portion of the VBP program.
NMHCA/NMCAL recommends that facilities that think they qualified for the base VBP funding for Project ECHO participation contact Project ECHO to insure their qualifying attendance has been correctly recorded and reported. All inquiries should be directed to MedicaidQIHAECHO@salud.unm.edu.
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- Report possible COVID-19--505-837-0006.
- NM Division of Health Improvement Incident Reporting: (800) 752-8649
- Vaccine breakthrough reporting - 505-827-0006.
- Report staff and resident vaccines to the State every Monday using the following link, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JH392TC.
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From AHCA/NCAL President Mark Parkinson:
Biden Administration Announces Intent to Mandate Vaccine in Nursing Homes
AHCA/NCAL Members,
Today, I received a call from the Chief Medical Officer of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) indicating that the Biden Administration had accelerated discussions and a decision timeline for mandating the COVID-19 vaccine in nursing homes. In prior discussions with CMS, they communicated only that this was being considered as a fall/winter 2021 decision.
Instead, Administration officials decided over the weekend to mandate the COVID-19 vaccine for staff in all nursing facilities who participate in either the Medicaid or Medicare programs. This afternoon, President Biden made the announcement during public remarks, CMS issued a press release, and the White House shared a fact sheet. Here is what we know:
- For now, this applies only to nursing facilities and no other health care providers.
- The mandate would not include private pay assisted living and probably will not include assisted living providers that participate in the Medicaid program.
- CMS intends to issue a rule in “late September” but as we’ve learned, timelines can change.
- CMS indicated to me that there is also an intent to link the program with a booster plan for residents so that vaccine clinics could be scheduled in buildings through your long term pharmacy provider or immunization partner to provide residents with their booster vaccine and also provide vaccine hesitant staff with their first dose.
- The regulation has not yet been issued and is currently being written.
We know that there are many problems with mandating vaccines, particularly in parts of the country that have significant vaccine hesitancy. We are particularly concerned that the Administration does not plan to apply this regulation to all health care providers at this time. We have already issued a media statement to that effect. As CMS works on the details for this action, AHCA/NCAL will work very hard to make sure that all sectors of health care providers, and not just nursing homes or the long term care sector, must comply. Otherwise, we will be making a difficult staffing shortage even worse.
In the meantime, we encourage you to attend a special webinar that we were already planning and have scheduled for 3pm (eastern) tomorrow afternoon about best practices for implementing vaccine mandates. Representatives from three companies that have adopted staff vaccine mandates will discuss their experiences and lessons learned. If you are unable to attend, a recording will be available soon after the event.
As we get more information on the specifics of this policy, we will pass them on to you. We know it’s a very tough time out there right now and will do everything we can to assist.
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2021 Workshops
2021 Live Safety Code
September 27-28, 2021
In-person at NMHCA/NMCAL Training Center
Register Here
Certified Medication Aide Training
October 26 - November 5, 2021
In-person training at NMHCA/NCAL
Register Here
Registration is now open for the
72nd AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo
October 10-13 at the National Harbor outside Washington, DC.
Read more...
PPE Ordering Information
Requests for PPE should submit Form ICS 213RR to your local Emergency Manager.
Download Emergency Manager List here
PPE Ordering Process/instructions
NMHCA Staff Contact Information
Vicente Vargas, Executive Director,
v.vargas@nmhca.org, 505-710-8560
Patricia Whitacre, RN, Director of Clinical and Quality Services,
pwhitacre@nmhca.org, 505-301-3085
Tracy Alter, Senior Director of Member Services,
talter@nmhca.org, 505-440-3806
AHCA/NCAL Online Training
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