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NASL 2021 Legislative & Regulatory Conference
A Virtual Conference

 

April 23 & 28, 2021 ** 11am-5pm Eastern
NASL Committees meet on April 27

 

Registration Rates
$399 Members  **  $499 Non-Members

 

Keynote:

National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Micky Tripathi, PhD, MPP, a longtime industry veteran and interoperability pioneer and appointed by President Biden to this role in January. Mr. Tripathi will share ONC’s strategic direction for this new decade and the wide-ranging affect the new interoperability rules will have on the healthcare continuum including providers and information technology providers and developers.

 

Information Blocking, Interoperability & the Impact on Patient Care & Practice

Director of the new CMS Office of Burden Reduction & Health Informatics, Mary G. Greene, MD, MPH, MBA talks about how interoperability and policy changes at CMS may impact patient care and practice in our sector.

 

Reflections from the Trenches from CEOs of Leading Long Term Care Companies

Phil Fogg, Jr., CEO and President of Marquis Companies, Chris S. Wright, President and CEO, iCare Health Network and Stephen F. Flatt, CEO of National HealthCare Corporation, will discuss the impact of COVID-19 and how it has altered their expectations and plans for the year ahead. They will also react to other issues of the day including PDPM, SNF PPS payment rule, partnerships and more. This intriguing discussion will be moderated by NASL President and Aegis Therapies President & CEO Martha Schram.

 

Nursing Facilities and Congress

AHCA’s Senior Vice President of Government Relations, Clifton (Clif) Porter, II, will provide the host industry’s view of the new Administration, Members of Congress and the types of issues he and his team are prepared for this Congress. A dynamic speaker and advocacy expert, Clif has devoted his professional career to working in and advocating for the sector. He will detail the joint legislative agenda proposed by AHCA and Leading Age to address long-standing challenges affecting nursing facilities.

 

A Researcher’s View on the Impact of COVID-19 & PDPM on the Nursing Facility Sector Now & Into the Future

Nationally renowned long term care researcher, Dr. Vince Mor talks about his latest research and his take on COVID-19's impact on long term care, quality of care, and nursing facilities going forward. Don’t miss his views on what we’ve learned, outcome data from vaccines, and what’s likely to happen next. 

 

Highlights of Therapy Outcomes in Post-Acute Care Settings (TOPS) Study

Get advance details about a jointly commissioned study by AOTA and APTA that compares the relationship between therapy intensity and functional status and readmissions for Medicare beneficiaries in Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities, Skilled Nursing Facilities and Home Health Agencies.

 

Social Determinants of Health – A Critical Emerging Standard for LTPAC & Beyond

Evelyn Gallego, CEO & Founder of EMI Advisors, LLC who is a thought leader in the areas of care coordination, SDOH, health IT policy, interoperability and health and human services standards development, will share her insights about the growing influence that social determinants of health are having on emerging payment reforms, federal and state-based policies and information technology initiatives. This can’t miss presentation connects health policy and IT to what NASL members have long understood – that an individual’s health, functioning and quality of life are affected by the conditions and environment in which an individual lives, learns, works, plays, worships and ages. These factors, which comprise the “social determinants of health (SDOH),” are especially important as the Biden Administration targets health inequities as a key focus area.

 

Do your SNF QRP Scores Tell the Right Story?

Tracy Fritts, PT, VP of Quality and Outcomes/Leadership Development, Consonus Healthcare and Ellen Strunk, PT, MS, GCS, CEEAA, CHC, Owner, Rehab Resources & Consulting, Inc. Many rehabilitation providers feel like they understand the CMS functional outcome measures for the Post-Acute Care setting. Now that the results are public, what do your scores say? Providers all over the country are struggling with making sense of the scores they see in their rehab software and what they see on the Care Compare website or in their customers’ Quality Measure reports. This session will dive into the measure specifications and explore what actually goes into the measure calculation. Practical strategies will be shared with the audience on how to begin to understand the story behind your scores.

 

Section GG: What's the Story?
Casey Lee, PT, DPT, Director of Quality Improvement & Education, Quality Rehab Management (QRM) and Corey Pauley, Director of Product & Software Engineering, SimpleLTC.com will take a deep dive and present their review of Section GG data trends. These trends may illustrate a very real challenge our sector faces – negative outcome reporting in the wake of COVID-19. 

 

COVID-related Liability; RUGs and PDPM Investigations

Sara Lord, Esq., Partner, Arnall Golden Gregory, LLP Get the answers to your questions about the liabilities of long-term care facilities and providers during the COVID-19 public health emergency, and government investigations related to RUGs and PDPM.

 

Interdisciplinary Team Considerations to Combat the Effects of Isolation

Peggy Gourgues, MA, CCC-SLP, Chief Operating Officer, Reliant Rehabilitation and Emily Rampmaier, MCD, CCC-SLP, RAC-CT, Vice President of Clinical Services, Reliant Rehabilitation. Long-term care providers are acutely aware that COVID-19 and the public health emergency have placed those in our care at risk for adverse outcomes. There is a high cost associated with essential quarantine and social distancing for our seniors who already experience higher incidences of loneliness and isolation. Navigating the risk mitigation of these adverse outcomes while ensuring resident safety and streamlined care planning can be a daunting task. Through implementation of at-risk screening, task analysis, and thorough communication along with a foundation of regulatory guidelines, teams can successfully predict and identify care needs. Interdisciplinary team buy-in will produce effective processes for quality care and outcomes - even during a pandemic.

 

Legislative & Regulatory Update

NASL Executive Vice President Cynthia Morton, MPA, and NASL Policy Counsel & President of Sims Strategies Michaela Sims, JD, reveal the latest intel on CMS and Congress, along with what healthcare priorities we expect from the new Biden-Harris Administration, including the new HHS Secretary, Xavier Becerra and soon to be confirmed CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, presented by NASL's own "eyes and ears" on Capitol Hill.

 

On Demand Sessions:

 

COVID-19 and Beyond - How to Succeed in Caring for Long Haulers

Beth Reigart, MPH, OTR/L, RAC-CT, Clinical Outcomes Specialist, Functional Pathways. While many COVID patients recover in a short period of time, others will continue to have lingering symptoms. This has led to the new industry term “long haulers.” Long haulers frequently experience fatigue, but many will have chest pain, cognitive changes, and neuropathies. Post-ICU syndrome can involve physical, mental, and emotional symptoms such as depression, memory issues and PTSD. This presentation will cover PDPM reimbursement and COVID-19 recovery programs developed to meet the needs of these individuals.

 

Identifying Post COVID-19 Rehab Needs: Therapy Interventions to Improve Function and Reduce Recidivism

Natalie Phillips, M.A., CCC-SLP, Clinical Support Specialist, Paragon Rehabilitation and Kathleen Shepler, MS, CCC-SLP, Clinical Support Specialist, Paragon Rehabilitation. Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapies continued in skilled nursing/long-term care facilities through the thick of the pandemic. This presentation will focus on identifying rehab needs following the effects of COVID-19 and offer suggestions for functional interventions and comprehensive strategies to reduce hospitalization and improve overall function. 

 

Download our timed Agenda (pdf)

 

Please note that a virtual event for NASL members to advocate with their Members of Congress will be scheduled later this spring. 

 

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