Y2K + One
The Challenges Continue

2001 Public Policy Seminar

February 28 to March 1, 2001
The Concourse Hotel, Madison, Wisconsin

Overview & Purpose
Legislative Visits
Dates and Location
Certification
Fees
Schedule
Registration

Overview & Purpose

The year 2000 has come and gone and while the Y2K bug we feared might have been illusory, the public policy challenges facing long-term care providers certainly are not. Those challenges are both legislative and regulatory in nature and are not solely the purview of state government or of federal government. Indeed, those challenges will continue to emanate both from Madison and Washington, D.C. and will include issues ranging from Medicaid and Medicare reimbursement, intergovernmental transfer programs, single task employees, legal liability and quality indicators to OSHA inspections, ergonomics standards, survey process modifications and leadership changes at HCFA.

Though these challenges clearly are daunting, they are by no means insurmountable. Not if we raise our collective voices in support of proposals we favor and in opposition to proposals we oppose. Not if we collectively seek to educate our elected officials on the impact their proposals have on our staff and residents. Not if we pool our collective talents to develop alternatives to policy directives we differ with.

The most important challenge we face, however, may be from within. Public policy advocacy is a personal commitment. In the long-term care field, it is also a personal responsibility to those who are committed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of those they serve. To those committed to those they serve, public policy advocacy is not something that can be delegated or left to others to undertake. Our goal for this seminar is to provide the tools necessary to enable all WAHSA members to make the commitment and accept the responsibility to advocate in the public policy arena for the residents they care for and the staff who provide that care.

Legislative Visits

WAHSA strongly encourages members to schedule meetings with their legislators/legislative staff from 2:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 28. As you have learned from past experience, informal discussion with your elected officials is both essential and effective in the on-going effort to foster legislation and regulations that support your commitment to quality care.

WAHSA members who share a State Senator or a State Representative should attempt to coordinate their visits if at all possible. Four members attempting to meet with their State Senator and/or State Representative at one time will have a much better chance of actually meeting with their legislators than if all four each attempted to set up an individual meeting. Try to determine who is interested in attending such a coordinated meeting and select a single contact person to arrange for that meeting. Such coordination will be greatly appreciated by your legislators. If your State Senator or State Representative is not available, attempt to set up a meeting with the staff member who has responsibility for long-term/health care issues.

Members should schedule meetings with their legislators as soon as possible to minimize the potential for scheduling conflicts on February 28.

Dates and Location

The WAHSA 2001 Public Policy Seminar will be held February 28 and March 1 at The Concourse Hotel, located one block north of the Capitol Square in Madison. WAHSA has a block of sleeping rooms for the nights of February 27 and 28. Room rates are $80 for single occupancy and $90 for double occupancy. These rates are guaranteed only if you make your reservations by February 6, 2001, and identify yourself as being part of the Wisconsin Association of Homes & Services for the Aging. Hotel check-in time is 3:00 p.m. and check-out time is 12:00 noon. Please make your reservations directly with The Concourse Hotel, One West Dayton Street, Madison, WI 53703-2582. Telephone (608-257-6000).

Certification

WAHSA has requested this educational program be approved for seven (7) hours of continuing education for nursing home administrators.

Fees

 

Feb. 28 only

March 1

Entire Seminar

WAHSA Members

No charge

$70

$70

Non-Members

$25

$90

$100

This fee covers all registration materials, break refreshments and meals as specified within the schedule. Please note that lunch will be on your own February 28 but, back by popular demand, the hospitably reception will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on February 28.

Schedule

Wednesday, February 28, 2001

8:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Registration Open

8:45 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
WAHSA Housing Committee Meeting

10:15 a.m. to Noon
Joint Meeting of the WAHSA Legislative and Long-Term Care Reimbursement Committees

12:15 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
WAHSA Board of Directors Meeting (lunch will be provided)

1:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Legislative Briefing

 All members and seminar participants are urged to attend the legislative briefing prior to their State Capitol visits.

Learner Objectives:
 Presenters:

John Sauer, WAHSA Executive Director, Brian Schoeneck, WAHSA Director of Financial Services, and Tom Ramsey, WAHSA Director of Government Relations.

2:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Visit Your State Senator and State Representative at the State Capitol

5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Hospitality Reception

 Light hors d'oeuvres, soda, wine, beer, and a cash bar

Thursday, March 1, 2001

7:15 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Registration Desk Open

7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m.
Continental Breakfast

8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
Is the Presidential Election Really Over or Am I Having a Bad Dream?
Life in Our Nation’s Capitol in the Year 2001

 Learner Objectives:

 Presenter:

Susan Weiss, Senior Vice-President for Advocacy, American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, Washington, D.C.

10:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.
Refreshment Break

10:15 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
What Impact Will CHSRA’s work with HCFA on QI and MDS Modifications Have
on the LTC Survey Process, Acronyms Notwithstanding?

Learner Objectives: