HCAM General Membership - Board Election Results

Thank you to everyone that participated in the HCAM General Membership this afternoon. It is always great to see many of you albeit virtually. We deeply appreciate your continued support of the association and willingness to serve on the board of directors. Congratulations to incumbent members returning to the board and welcome to newly elected members. The following are the results.

 

Chair: Laura Hamann, Bronson Commons

 

Vice Chair: Richard Prestage, NexCare Health Systems/WellBridge Group

 

Secretary/Treasurer: Chad Tuttle, Spectrum Health Continuing Care

 

Representative for Facilities with fewer than 501 Beds: (three to be elected)

Manda Ayoub, Pomeroy Living

Margaret Lightner, Beaumont Rehabilitation and Continuing Care Centers

Michael Munter, Symphony Post-Acute Network

 

Representative for Facilities with 501 - 1,000 Beds: (three to be elected)

Peter Brogger, Trilogy Health Services

Jeff Schade, The Peplinski Group, Inc.

Kimberly Smith, Spectrum Health Continuing Care

 

Representative for Facilities with 1,001 - 2,000 Beds: (three to be elected)

Raj Patel, Optalis/Metro Management

Jeff Pries, Advantage Living Centers

Harry Schayer, Illuminate HC

 

Members also approved continuation of the Special Restricted Fund Assessment at $1.08 per bed. In addition, minor changes to the HCAM Constitution Change were also approved. Those changes are highlighted below:

 

Page 1: Article III: Membership, Added Section II To capture the need to ensure providers that own/operate more than one facility with in the state must enroll all facilities in order to be eligible for membership.

 

SECTION II. RELATED PROVIDER ORGANIZATIONS

Includes any combination of members with one or more facilities, owned, controlled or managed by the same corporation, limited liability company, single partnership, single proprietor, or any other legal entity. All facilities owned, controlled or managed within the State of Michigan and having a majority interest or control by the same legal entity shall be held in membership.

 

Page 8: Article VI: Board of Directors, Revised Section I, 4 To clarify that only one representative of an organization can represent a provider in any given category, as well as limit who can be appointed to an at large seat.

 

1.      The Board of Directors shall consist of:

1. All elected officers.
2. The designated Immediate Past Chair.  If not available, the current Chair shall designate another past chair of the Association.
3. Two (2) members designated by each member provider organization having more than Two thousand (2,000) beds in membership.
4. One (1) member designated by Michigan County Medical Care Facility Council from county Medical Care Facility members provided there are more than two thousand (2,000) beds for the group in membership.
5. Three (3) members elected from provider organizations members having less than five hundred and one (501) beds in membership. Limited to one member per provider organization.
6. Three (3) members elected from provider organizations members having at least 501 to 1000 beds in membership. Limited to one member per provider organization.
7. Three (3) members elected from provider organizations members having one thousand and one (1,001) to two thousand (2,000) beds in membership. Limited to one member per provider organization.
8. Two at large Board members may be appointed by the Board to serve until the next general election of the Board. Limited to provider organizations not already represented on the Board. These are open seats that may or may not be filled at the Board's discretion.

Page 8: Article VI: Board of Directors, Revised Section I, 6 To change the wording of the associate partner seat so that it is not mandatory to fill the position - it may remain vacant.

 

4.      One (1) Associate Partner may be appointed by the Board of Directors in a manner determined by the Board of Directors.  The Associate Partner shall be an ex officio non-voting member of the Board of Directors.  The appointment shall be for a one-year term to coincide with the term of the other members of the Board of Directors.

 

Page 8: Article VI: Board of Directors, Section I added #8 To clarify filling vacancies of board seats.

 

8.      Vacancy in any of the Board of Directors Positions may be filled by the Board of Directors, upon recommendation of a list of candidates submitted by the Executive Committee. All candidates must meet the eligibility requirements for the board seat that they are to fill.

 

Page 12: Article VIII: Nominations and Voting, Remove Section I, 3 To remove the ability for nominations to be made from the floor.

               

Nominations for officers may be made from the floor by eligible authorized representatives of voting members.  Nominations of eligible members for the Board of Directors seats as described in Article VI, Section I, and may be made from the floor, with the consent of the nominee, by eligible authorized representatives of the respective type and category of membership.

 

 

MDHHS Updates COVID Testing FAQs and Reimbursement Guidance

The Michigan Department of Health & Human Services (MDHHS) posted an updated FAQ document and SNF COVID-19 Testing Financial Guidance on the Nursing Home COVID-19 Plan webpage over the weekend.  These documents include some important clarifications related to skilled nursing facility testing requirements and reimbursement structures.    

 

In the updated FAQ document, all new information is highlighted in yellow for easy identification, however due to the substantive form of the changes we recommend providers review the full document.  Some particular areas to be aware of include:

• New categorizations on the MI Safe Start Map and a cross walk to the CMS County Positivity Rates.
• Clarification that MDHHS will reimburse the COVID testing costs required by either federal or state mandates.
• Guidance, including scenario's related to consent for testing.
• Updated guidance on determining who should be included in staff testing, now requiring all contractors who are in a facility on a regular and routine basis, even if less than 8 hours per week.
• Clarifying that testing results for staff members who work in multiple facilities may be shared between the appropriate facilities, along with guidance on the reporting of staff that move between facilities.
• Aligning testing for past positive PCR test recipients, residents or staff, with CMS updated guidance.
• Guidance related to submission of antigen test kits for reimbursement, sharing MDHHS will reimburse for antigen testing kits used for staff, private pay residents and Medicare Part A stay residents.  Nursing facilities must bill for Medicare Part B or Medicaid for POC antigen tests of Medicaid residents and those Medicare residents not in a Part A stay.  MDHHS will reimburse for specimen collection completed by the facility at $22.07 per test regardless of payor source.

For additional questions related to COVID testing and reimbursement send via email to MDHHS-MSA-COVID19@michigan.gov.

 

Please contact Melissa Samuel at MelissaSamuel@hcam.org or Cathy Sunlin at CathySunlin@hcam.org with questions.

 

 

 Sept. 28, 2020