The full agenda has been confirmed for the HCAOA Georgia Chapter meeting on Thursday, May 19 at the Georgian Terrace Hotel. Register now to reserve your spot at this meeting before it fills up. Here is a look at the agenda and speakers:
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News & Chapter Updates - Eddie Grogan, CareMaster Medical Services, Chapter Chair
Federal Update & Policy Priorities - Vicki Hoak, HCAOA CEO
Mandates in the Workplace - Ann Mellen and Burton Peebles, Polsinelli Law Firm
Leveraging the Employee Retention Credit - alliantgroup
Department of Community Health - Michelle Robinson, MHA, Director
Caregiver Recruitment and Retention - Maggie Keen, VP, myCNAjobs.com
State Legislative Advocacy Update - Rusty Paul, HCAOA GA Chapter Lobbyist and Dave Lamb, HCAOA GA Legislative Chair
Best Practices Roundtable Discussion - Beth Dow, Kelley McDougall, Ken Stavas, Brad Culp
Marketing Your Private Homecare Business - Gary Zermuehlen, Consultant, Coach/Trainer, Simon, Inc.
 
The event is $75 for members and $150 for non-members. Register now.
 

The full agenda has been confirmed for the HCAOA Georgia Chapter meeting on Thursday, May 19 at the Georgian Terrace Hotel. Register now to reserve your spot at this meeting before it fills up. Here is a look at the agenda and speakers:
​

• ​News & Chapter Updates - Eddie Grogan, CareMaster Medical Services, Chapter Chair
• Federal Update & Policy Priorities - Vicki Hoak, HCAOA CEO
• Mandates in the Workplace - Ann Mellen and Burton Peebles, Polsinelli Law Firm
• Leveraging the Employee Retention Credit - alliantgroup
• Department of Community Health - Michelle Robinson, MHA, Director
• Caregiver Recruitment and Retention - Maggie Keen, VP, myCNAjobs.com
• State Legislative Advocacy Update - Rusty Paul, HCAOA GA Chapter Lobbyist and Dave Lamb, HCAOA GA Legislative Chair
• Best Practices Roundtable Discussion - Beth Dow, Kelley McDougall, Ken Stavas, Brad Culp​
• Marketing Your Private Homecare Business - Gary Zermuehlen, Consultant, Coach/Trainer, Simon, Inc.

 
The event is $75 for members and $150 for non-members. Register now.

​No other state chapter quite packs a meeting agenda quite like the HCAOA Georgia Chapter! Register now for the upcoming full-day, full-agenda meeting on Thursday, May 19 at the Georgian Terrace Hotel. This meeting will feature updates from state regulators, national speakers, and state and federal advocacy leaders. It will fill up, so reserve your spot today!

​Last week, the Georgia House of Representatives approved HB 911, the SFY 2023 Budget. This House-approved budget includes $1,994,623 in state funds ($5,906,494 in total funds) to increase the Medicaid Elderly and Disabled reimbursement rate for all home and community-based providers.  The HCAOA Georgia Chapter had originally submitted an ask for a 3.0% rate increase at a meeting of the House Appropriations Health Subcommittee. Our testimony was one of more than twenty requests for funding above the original Governor’s budget, requests that in total created more than $150 million in additional requests for budget funding.  As a result of these many requests, we were advised to reduce our ask and direct its intent to cover the costs of fingerprinting that was added as a regulatory requirement in 2019.  That change was made, and our ask was resubmitted and eventually included in the budget.

​Two bills of interest to the home care industry are progressing through the Georgia legislature this week:

​This meeting WILL fill up, so be sure to reserve your spot now to guarantee a seat for the HCAOA Georgia Chapter Meeting on Thursday, March 24 at the Georgian Terrace Hotel in Atlanta. The Georgia Chapter leadership team is still finalizing the agenda, but you can be sure it will include updates from top state legislative leaders, federal information from HCAOA national, regulatory and Medicaid updates from state officials, and resources to help your run your business from national experts.

​Since the 10% Medicaid rate increase was announced on December 10, the Georgia Department of Community Health has been working with their vendors to update systems and coordinate the rate increase changes. Catherine Ivey, DCH Deputy Executive Director, has provided the following update:

​In recent weeks, several HCAOA State Chapters’ advocacy efforts have paid off with policy wins and rate increases for home-based care.

​Here’s a quick round-up…

​A reminder that as of November 1, 2021, all providers of Personal Support Services (PSS) or Community Living Supports (CLS) through SOURCE, CCSP, NOW, COMP, ICWP, and / or GAPP should be regularly using EVV and submitting claims through the State EVV solution, Netsmart. The Georgia Department of Community Health reminds providers that there are three exceptions to the November 1 deadline:

The HCAOA Georgia Chapter learned last week from DCH that the 10% Medicaid rate increase has received a preliminary approval pending a CMS request to conduct a rate study.  DCH is working on preparing the strategy for the rate study and will be involving providers in the rate study.  In the interim, DCH is working with CMS to get approval to go ahead with the rate increase while the rate study proceeds.  The HCAOA Georgia Chapter realizes that our Medicaid providers need this rate increase to cover the shortfalls since the last PSS rate increase in October 2014.  Stay tuned for updates.