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Archive February 2025

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Cheer on the Maine Mariners with MHCA!

A reminder that the Maine Health Care Association has teamed up with the Maine Mariners to offer discounted tickets exclusively for MHCA members! Mark your calendars for Sunday, March 23rd, and join us to support our local hockey team alongside your MHCA colleagues and friends. Click here to buy your tickets today!

After purchasing, you’ll receive a confirmation email from FEVO (noreply@fevo-enterprise.com). Follow the instructions in the email to access your tickets through Account Manager, ensuring a seamless entry on game day.

Join us and connect with fellow members, unwind, and enjoy a fantastic community event. We look forward to seeing you in the stands, cheering on the Mariners and showing support for our local sports team.

Staff contact: bhawkins@mehca.org

Mike McNeil Scholarship Calendar Drawings

The daily drawings for the Mike McNeil fundraiser have begun! So far, six winners have won over $300 in cash. Below is a list of the winners so far. 

Are you interested in adding your name for a chance to win? You can still join until the very last day of February, when a $500 prize will be drawn! Visit https://www.mehca.org/mmsfcashcalendar to learn more. 
Sandy River Co Eden Tyler
Affinity Care of ME Jessica Duffy
Country Village Estates Robin Nadeau
North Country Kim Dufour
Maine Vets-So Paris Steve Moore
Caribou Rehab Koralie Emerson

Staff contact: bhawkins@mehca.org 

Final Reminder: Nominate Outstanding Direct Care Workers by February 15!

Time is running out to recognize the incredible direct care workers who make a difference every day! The Maine Health Care Association is proud to support the Celebrating America’s Care Force initiative by the Ceca Foundation, which honors those who go above and beyond in post-acute and long term care settings.

This is a fantastic opportunity to shine a national spotlight on caregivers who provide compassionate, dedicated service to residents and their families. Selected nominees will not only receive well-deserved national recognition but also have a chance to win one of Ceca’s 2024 National Awards, which include $2,500 cash prizes!

How to Nominate

The deadline is fast approaching! Submissions must be received by February 15, 2025 through this link. Here’s how you can participate:
  • Nominate a caregiver: Share a compelling story about a care worker’s impact in the lives of residents and patients.
  • Encourage participation: Inform your colleagues, residents, and their families about this opportunity.
  • Spread the word: Utilize newsletters, social media, and workforce committees to help highlight these outstanding individuals.

The Ceca Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is gathering heartfelt stories that showcase the dedication and excellence of care workers across the country. Submissions can be written testimonials or inspiring videos, easily recorded and uploaded via Ceca’s platform.

This is a rare chance to highlight the very best of our profession and show appreciation for the caregivers who make a lasting impact on our communities.

Don’t Miss This Opportunity!

With just days left before the deadline, now is the time to act! Nominate an exceptional caregiver and ensure they get the recognition they truly deserve.

For questions or further details, contact bhawkins@mehca.org.

February 6 Legislative Update

On Tuesday night, the appropriations committee unanimously passed an amended version of the supplemental budget, which still included the $117.8 million for MaineCare. The bill will need to be approved by both chambers before going to the governor for her signature. However, as of earlier today, there have been reports that the supplemental budget is losing support and might have to go back to the appropriations committee for additional changes. We will continue to advocate and monitor as this situation advances.

Staff contact: bhawkins@mehca.org

Emergency Rulemaking for MaineCare Benefits Manual, Chapter III, Section 67, Nursing Facilities

On January 31, MaineCare posted Notice of Agency Emergency Rulemaking adoption for the Nursing Facility Principles of Reimbursement. This is to ensure that providers are able to be paid under the newly created rate system. Regular rulemaking will follow.  There will be public comment period when the regular rulemaking is posted. Please note that MHCA has been in contact with the Department and we have been told that they anticipate providing additional details around the Value Based Payment (VBP) aspects of the NF revised payment methodology in the near future through informal guidance as the regular rulemaking process unfolds.

The Department shall submit to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and anticipates approval, for State Plan Amendments related to these provisions. 

Pursuant to 5 M.R.S §8054, this emergency rule may be effective for up to ninety (90) days. The Department shall proceed with routine technical rulemaking to permanently adopt these rule changes. MHCA will keep members posted on these developments.
 
Staff contact: awesthoff@mehca.org

Nursing Facility Rate Reform Update: Providers May Now Submit January Claims

MaineCare implemented Nursing Facility Rate Reform changes on February 1, 2025. 
Claims for dates of service starting on or after January 1, 2025, may now be submitted for reimbursement.  Billing Guidance can be found here.
 
Correction to NF Rate Letters:  
MaineCare corrected an error in Code AAAA6 that included a third decimal place in the PDPM weights in the table of the rate letters. The PDPM weights are limited to two decimal places to align with the format of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) PDPM weights on which the MaineCare PDPM weights are based. Updated rate letters are now available on the secure Health PAS Online Portal. 
 
Resources:
Recordings of the Open Office Hours for providers, billers and/or vendors from January 16 and January 28, 2025.
Facility-specific assessment reports submitted to CMS between October 1, 2024, and December 31, 2024, can be accessed by logging into the Submission Management System (SMS). Please contact Catherine.Gunn@maine.edu if you need assistance with your username and password.

Contact Information:
For case mix or PDPM questions please contact Sue Pinette, Case Mix Manager and Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) Coordinator.

If you require further assistance, please contact Bruce Cosgrove, Provider Relations Specialist. 

Staff contact: awesthoff@mehca.org

Is your Fire Safety Plan Compliant?

Fire safety is a critical component of any healthcare organization’s overall safety program. As such, healthcare providers are required to develop facility-specific fire and evacuation procedures, provide fire safety training, and conduct regularly scheduled fire drills.  

Most facility fire procedures correctly focus on the critical actions to take upon discovery of a fire. These actions are often simplified into an acronym such as RACE (rescue, alarm, contain, evacuate) or something similar. However, the Life Safety Code® requires some very specific information to be included in a healthcare occupancy’s fire safety plan. Review your fire safety plan and fire procedures against these nine (9) required components to ensure they are comprehensive and compliant with Section 19.7.2.2 of the Life Safety Code® (2012 edition) and CMS tag K-711. 

Use of Alarms: Upon discovery of a fire, procedures should direct staff to quickly activate the fire alarm system via the closest manual pull station. In addition to building-wide notification, activation of the fire alarm will likely initiate a variety of automatic actions such as door release, HVAC shutdown, and fire department notification.  

Transmission of Alarms to the Fire Department: Your fire alarm system most likely maintains some direct connection to ensure the fire department is automatically notified when the alarm is activated. This is commonly accomplished via the use of a central monitoring service. However, there are a handful of other arrangements that lead to the same outcome. Ensure your procedures specifically spell out how alarms are transmitted to the fire department.  

Emergency Phone Call to Fire Department: Although the fire alarm system is required to automatically contact the fire department, a direct phone call to the fire department (usually via 911), is an extremely important step. Not only does it serve as a back-up communication, but it allows the facility to provide details regarding the situation directly to emergency personnel. Specific information can be extremely valuable to dispatchers and firefighters and may have a direct impact on the emergency response. Make sure your procedures include a back-up phone call and clarify who is to make the back-up call on all shifts.  

Response to Alarms: It is important that procedures clarify who should respond to the fire area when. For example, during normal business hours, there are often additional staff in the building available to respond to alarms. However, in the evening and overnight, it may be necessary for additional clinical staff to report to the fire area to ensure there are enough hands to implement the procedures. Procedures should detail roles for all staff upon activation of the alarm.   

Isolation of the Fire: Health care occupancies are specifically designed to contain smoke, thereby limiting its ability to travel throughout the building. Closing doors, and keeping them closed, is a critical step in limiting smoke travel. Staff procedures should clarify their role in closing the door to the fire room along with the remaining doors in the building. 

Evacuation of Immediate Area: Quick removal of the occupants of the fire room is essential. Procedures should place emphasis on evacuation of the fire room followed by closure of the fire room door to keep smoke from spreading. 

Evacuation of the Smoke Compartment: Extended evacuation beyond the fire room is an important decision to be made and depends on a few factors. Procedures should clarify when it is appropriate to evacuate the remainder of the smoke compartment, order of evacuation, and the evacuation destination. Evacuation floorplans are often a helpful visual reference that clarify smoke barrier boundaries, evacuation direction, and fire department entry.   

Preparation of Floors and Building for Evacuation: While the initial point of focus is the immediate fire area, staff should simultaneously be taking action throughout the remainder of the building as well. This includes preparing for possible extended evacuation of the fire floor, floors above or below, or possibly the entire building. Procedures should outline who will determine the need for further evacuation, how it will be communicated, and what the extended evacuation process will entail. This may include vertical evacuation techniques for multi-story buildings. 

Extinguishment of Fire: It may be appropriate for staff to extinguish a fire. Procedures should clarify the situations, methods, and supporting equipment available for fire suppression. 

Fire drills serve as an opportunity to evaluate staff knowledge and test staff implementation of the fire safety plan.  Fire drills are required to be conducted quarterly on each shift with the drill times and conditions varied. Drills conducted between 6:00am and 9:00pm should include the activation of the building fire alarm system. Otherwise, overnight fire drills are permitted to use a coded announcement instead of audible alarms. It is not the intent of fire drills to excite or disturb residents. Detailed fire drill requirements are found in Section 19.7.1 of the Life Safety Code® (2012 edition) and referenced in CMS tag K-712.
 
Knowledge of applicable codes and standards is your best tool for ensuring life safety compliance. Watch for an upcoming Life Safety Boot Camp sponsored by MHCA!
You can purchase a copy of the Life Safety Code® (NFPA 101) online at www.nfpa.org. The AHCA/NCAL website? is also a good source for on-going fire safety education, tools, and resources.
 
Staff Contact: mcarland@mehca.org
 

CDC Updates 2025 Immunization Schedule with New Recommendations for Older Adults

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published two articles outlining updates to the 2025 immunization schedule for children, adolescents, and adults. Notable changes affecting older adults include new and revised recommendations for COVID-19 and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV).
Key Updates:
  • The age requirement for pneumococcal vaccination has been lowered from 65 to 50 years old.
  • In addition to the previously recommended 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccination:
    • The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) now recommends a second dose of the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine for adults 65 and older, to be administered six months apart (with a minimum interval of two months).
    • A second dose is also recommended for individuals aged 6 months to 64 years who are moderately or severely immunocompromised. Additionally, a third dose may be considered under shared decision-making with healthcare providers.
For more details, visit the  CDC Immunization Schedule Changes. 
Staff contact: mcarland@mehca.org

State of Maine - MDS Trainings

The State of Maine is offering a series of free MDS training's from February through the end of 2025. This is a great opportunity for participants to expand their knowledge and engage with experts in the field. Currently, the calendar only lists webinars through September 2025, but we will post updates as additional dates become available.

For more information on how to register for these training's, please contact Suzanne Pinnette or Catherine Gunn.

2025 Calendar

February events:
  • Nursing Home Forum Call -- February 6, 2025
  • MDS-RCA Training #1 -- February 7, 2025
  • MDS-RCA Training #2 -- February 13, 2025
  • ADL Documentation for Nursing Homes - February 19, 2025
  • MDS-RCA Training #3 -- February 21, 2025

PFML Authority Meeting: February 25, 2025

The Maine Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Authority will be meeting to solicit public comments on the experiences of employers and employees with the Paid Family and Medical Leave program and any issues related to paid family leave benefits and paid medical leave benefits. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 25, 2025, at 9:00 a.m., at the Maine Department of Labor, Frances Perkins Room, 45 Commerce Dr., Augusta, ME 04330. Individuals may attend the meeting either in person or online. To participate online, please visit the Maine Department of Labor Paid Family and Medical Leave Benefits Authority webpage for the Zoom video conference link.

If you are planning to attend in person, advanced registration is requested so we can plan for the appropriate sized space. Please click here to register. If state offices are closed due to inclement weather, the meeting will be rescheduled.

Staff contact: bhawkins@mehca.org
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