Advocacy efforts for 2012 will be a critical year for the future of the ALF profession and provider community. The Department of Health Services (DHS) will be implementing the many changes that have been passed in the extraordinary year of 2011. The entire provider community will be impacted by decisions made to address the budget and related legislation.
Financial issues will surely be a significant portion of legislative efforts, however, policy items tend to make their way into the budget debate (despite these being contrary to the purpose of the budget process) and we will surely need to monitor policy items contained in budget bills. In addition, there will surely be plenty of bills that will have positive and negative impact on ALF providers. Much will of course depend on the outcome of the November elections.
WHCA/WiCAL is currently developing the advocacy agenda for the coming year, as a lot will depend on elections, but we can expect that this will include:
- Continued efforts to reform the Family care program, including what surfaces to replace the DHS Residential Rate Setting Methodology;
- Possible revisions to Chapter 50 of the statutes (an long discussed “priority” item by DHS officials);
- Disclosure requirements for providers; and
- Efforts to limit or restrict pre-dispute arbitration agreements and tort reform/liability issues.
Reactive efforts to whatever comes down the pipe will be in addition to our proactive efforts which will be shaped by the political landscape for the next legislative session.
Educational programming will continue to be responsive to member needs. In addition to the Spring and Fall Conventions, we will provide training opportunities for members and their staff. In-person seminars, webinars, written programming, all guided by member needs and identified issues of importance, will be provided throughout the year. Importantly, we will again utilize the results and data from our Satisfaction Initiative to guide our programming efforts to address those areas that are identified as opportunities for improvement.
Clinical and Satisfaction Initiatives
WiCAL will continue to lead the quality agenda through forward thinking and reliance on data and evidence. The voice of the consumer should drive the regulatory priorities and WiCAL will continue to mine the data derived from the annual resident/family satisfaction surveys as a source of both strengths to build upon and opportunities for improvement.
With the increasing acuity of the ALF clients, WiCAL is uniquely positioned to partner with our nursing home members to assist members in their serving a more frail customer. As a founder member, WHCA/WiCAL will continue to support the Wisconsin Pressure Ulcer Coaltion (WPUC) in its efforts across the health and long term care continuum. We will take a leadership role in the DHS envisioned Falls Initiative to both protect Wisconsin’s elders and to assist members in risk management issues.
The WHCA/WiCAL Quality Advancement Committee will soon be announcing its agenda and goals for 2012. Watch the “news” section of this site for developments and announcements.
Serving “new” managers
During the October WiCAL Council meeting it was decided that we should do more to reach and assist ALF managers with less than five years experience. Recognizing that these individuals may not feel that they have a place to reach out for assistance or simply to have a sounding board for ideas, we intend to develop a network and forum for the less seasoned managers to connect with both their peers and those with a few more years under their belts. This coincides with efforts that began in 2008 to reach out to the younger nursing home administrators.
Member Recruitment
We have set a lofty goal for membership this year. Knowing that there is an important need for resources, networking, education and advocacy, we recognize that our efforts to meet these needs is only strengthened by a large source of input. Members drive the association, and WHCA/WiCAL offers a big tent for the LTC provider community. Nursing homes and assisted living providers. For-profit, non-profit, and governmentally owned operators make up the association. This diversity of providers adds value and voice to the association.
