April 1 Newsletter

 

 

 

 

April 1, 2026

 

HCAM Awards of Excellence Nominations Are Now Open

Nominations are open for scholarships and HCAM Awards of Excellence to honor individuals and teams in the skilled nursing and assisted living sectors across Michigan. HCAM members must submit nominations by May 15. It takes time to gather all the needed information and materials, so you may want to start the process today. Get all the details on the award categories and link to each award’s nomination form.

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Act Now to Secure Early-Bird and Discounted Room Rates for U.P. Conference

Calling all skilled nursing facilities and assisted living communities in the U.P. and Northern Lower Michigan — don’t miss this great educational opportunity right in your own backyard! HCAM understands that location is an important consideration when it comes to deciding whether to attend a conference. That’s why we are coming to you! We’re hosting a top-notch, two-day event in Marquette with timely, relevant sessions for both assisted living communities and skilled nursing facilities, as well as helpful and fun networking opportunities. Register now to join your colleagues on May 4-5, 2026.

HCAM secured a discounted group rate at the Landmark Inn of Marquette if booked prior to April 17. Room availability and/or the discounted group rate is NOT guaranteed, and there are a limited number of rooms available. To reserve your room now:

  1. Call the hotel directly at (906) 228-2580 and reference group block code HCAM26
  2. Book via the website HERE

Conference early-bird rates expire April 13 at 5:30 pm ET.

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Join Us to Advocate for Long-Term Care

  • In Washington DC June 8-9. Registration is open for the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living’s Congressional Briefing. HCAM is scheduling meetings with Michigan’s Congressional delegation. Our association, along with AHCA/NCAL, will provide the tools and information you need to inform lawmakers about the challenges you face every day. If you would like to join us, please see the details on the AHCA/NCAL website and then email HCAM’s Rich Farran.
  • At the Capitol in Lansing on June 23. Registration is open for HCAM’s Legislative Day, which provides you with the opportunity to personally connect with your elected state legislators. With support from HCAM staff, you will be equipped with the tools to champion issues affecting quality long-term, post-acute and assisted living care, and the skills to drive real change. As you know, legislators weigh how every issue plays in their district, and you and your residents can help them better understand how their decisions impact long-term care. Find out more and sign up today.
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MDHHS Reinstates LOCD Passive Redetermination Process (SNF)

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued an alert advising that MDHHS reinstated the LOCD Passive Redetermination process for all incoming MDS assessments on March 20, 2026.

Please Note: MDHHS is unable to calculate a Door 2 during the passive redetermination process when a Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS, section C) is completed on the MDS 3.0. As a result, there is a possibility that the passive redetermination process may generate a Door 87 LOCD, indicating that eligibility could not be determined. In this event, providers will be required to complete a new LOCD in CHAMPS within 45 days or less to prevent payment issues.

As a reminder, providers are responsible for monitoring all LOCD end dates and conducting a new LOCD: (1) as the current record nears the end date, (2) with a significant change in condition, or (3) when a provider possesses information that a beneficiary may no longer meet eligibility. Questions? Email Provider Support or call (800) 292-2550.

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CMS Releases Updated Forms (SNF)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated three beneficiary notice-related forms. 

Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage
The Office of Management and Budget approved an updated Advance Beneficiary Notice of Noncoverage (Form CMS-R-131), available in English and Spanish. Providers should use the form to notify Medicare beneficiaries when coverage is expected to be denied for certain services. Nursing facilities use this form for services under Medicare B. You may begin to use the updated form now; you must use it by May 12, 2026, when the previous version expires.

Medicare & Detailed Notice of Discharge
The Office of Management and Budget approved the updated:

  • Important Message from Medicare (Form CMS-10065)
  • Detailed Notice of Discharge (Form CMS-10066)

Both are available in English and Spanish on the Beneficiary Notices Initiative webpage. You may begin to use the updated forms now; you must use them by May 15, 2026, when the previous versions expire. 

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AHCA Offers Webinar to Help Manage Medicare Advantage Plan Challenges (SNF)

The American Health Care Association (AHCA) is hosting a two-part webinar series designed to help nursing facilities tackle the challenges of working with Medicare Advantage plans. The webinar offers strategies and solutions to help mitigate the impact of MA plans. Part 1 is Navigating Claims Denials and Early Termination and Part 2 is Strategies for Navigating Shorter Stays and Early Discharges. Both are free to members. 

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CMS Clarifies Details Around the Long-Stay Antipsychotic Measures (SNF)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) posted an update related to the clarification of details for the Long-Stay Antipsychotic measure in the Minimum Data Set (MDS) 3.0 Quality Measures (QM) User’s Manual v18 that took effect January 1, 2026. CMS removed language noting that the initial data collection period in January 2026 would use 7/1/2025 through 9/30/2025, with subsequent updates following on a quarterly schedule. 

CMS also notes that the revised measure will be available in the iQIES MDS 3.0 Facility-Level and Resident-Level Quality Measure (QM) reports beginning with Q2 2024.  

Several of the supplemental files referenced in the manual have also been updated, including the HCPCS and the NDC codes for antipsychotic medications, as the previous versions were not up to date. A new file was added to separate Medicaid hospice codes from the Medicare Part A codes. No changes were made to the diagnosis exclusion ICD-10 codes or Medicare Part A Hospice codes. 

The documents are available the Downloads section on the NHQI Quality Measures webpage.

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LARA Offers Social Worker Boot Camp (SNF/AL)

The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA) is hosting a free, in-person and virtual Social Worker Boot Camp on April 23 to prepare social workers for the LTC setting. The training focuses on foundational knowledge with practical strategies to ensure participants are equipped to provide high-quality psychosocial support to residents, families and interdisciplinary teams. The Social Worker Boot Camp has been approved by the NASW-Michigan Chapter for 6 synchronous general social work CEs. The deadline to register is April 10.

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CDC Confirms the Definition of Up to Date for the COVID-19 Vaccine Will Remain Unchanged (SNF/AL)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated what it means to be “up to date” on COVID-19 vaccinations for both residents and health care staff. This change was first expected to apply only for the first quarter of 2026, but the CDC has now confirmed it will continue for the time being. An updated guidance document is expected to be posted on the NHSN website in April. At present, individuals are considered up to date with COVID-19 vaccines, for the purpose of NHSN surveillance, if they meet the following criteria:

  • Individuals aged 65 years and older are Up to Date when they have received 2 doses of the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine or received 1 dose of the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine within the past 6 months.
  • Individuals younger than 65 years of age are up to date when they have received 1 dose of the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccine.
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HCAM Invites You to Participate in a New, Grant-Paid Michigan Behavioral Health Train-the-Trainer Program (SNF)

In collaboration with Alliant Health Solutions, HCAM is applying for a 2027 Civil Monetary Penalty Reinvestment Program (CMPRP) Grant to establish a Michigan Behavioral Health Train-the-Trainer Program. This program will include interactive, in-person sessions for trainers to learn teaching strategies for behavioral health topics. The goal is to empower nursing facilities to self-sustain their behavioral health education and improve resident outcomes. This year-long, grant-paid program will also include one-to-one technical assistance to focus on facility/trainer needs as well as virtual sessions for trainers to share best practices and support implementation. The enrollment portal is now live and we are accepting letters of interest, which commit your organization to participate in the program. We expect the program to begin October 2026.

Please Note: Only nursing facility administrators are eligible to submit a letter of interest.

CMPRP funding opportunities are administered by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). MDHHS recently increased the maximum requested amount of funding from $750,000 to $1,000,000 for an individual project. Visit Michigan’s EGrAMS portal to view current grants. 

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HCAM Webinar:
PA 187 in Practice – Survey Trends and Incident Reporting Every Leader Should Know (SNF)

Secure your spot now for this practical, real-world training to clarify all the changes PA 187 brought to skilled nursing facility operations: Thursday, April 23, 2026; 2-3 pm ET.

Michigan Public Act 187 of 2022 introduced significant changes to state oversight of skilled nursing facilities, increasing regulatory scrutiny and raising new questions about incident reporting and survey enforcement. This session will break down the key provisions of PA 187, review emerging survey trends, and clarify Facility Reported Incident (FRI) reporting requirements. Participants will gain practical guidance to strengthen compliance practices and confidently navigate evolving state and federal expectations.

This program has been submitted but not yet approved for Continuing Education for 1 total participant hour by NAB/NCERS if attended live on Zoom. No CE will be offered for on-demand participation, although the session will be recorded for later access. Register here. 

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Apply Now for HCAM Assisted Living Scholarship and Other AL Awards

The nominating period is now open for HCAM’s Assisted Living Scholarship as well as the association’s long-term care awards of excellence for assisted living teams, individuals and residents. HCAM’s Assisted Living Scholarship can help employees meet education expenses and advance the long-term care profession. Scholarship applicants must be employed for at least one year by an HCAM assisted living community member in good standing and be enrolled in an education program related to long-term care at an accredited college or university. This can include, but is not limited to, life enrichment, direct care, administration, sales, cooking, maintenance, med tech, occupational therapy and other related fields. HCAM will award up to two $2,500 scholarships. Get the details here. 

HCAM also offers awards for assisted living settings in three categories:

  • Team of Excellence
  • Gerry Baker Hero of Health Care
  • Resident of the Year

Find out more here. 

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