Other	39. *New York Times February 16, 2022 (updated) When the Death Certificate Omits the True Cause of Death Having accurate death records saves lives. . . “Having accurate death certificates saves lives. It enables us to identify new and trending diseases and take appropriate action.” If someone is living or working in a building with a poorly installed or maintained furnace, for instance, they may be exposed to toxic levels of carbon monoxide that could eventually cause fatal cardiac and respiratory failure. The cause of death might be recorded as cardiac arrest, but in fact was a result of carbon monoxide poisoning, and the presence of the faulty appliance would likely be missed and could result in further casualties. . . The C.D.C. has estimated that 20 to 30 percent of death certificates, though not necessarily inaccurate, “have issues with completeness.” The agency stated that heavy workloads, insufficient information about a death or inadequate training can result in death certificates that are incomplete or inaccurate. . . In a research review published in the magazine Today’s Geriatric Medicine, Dr. Emily Carter, a geriatrician affiliated with the Maine Medical Center, and co- authors noted that the data submitted on death certificates can affect families with regard to life insurance, estate settlement, genetic risk factors and finding closure. They estimate that major errors, like incorrect cause or manner of death, occur in 33 to 40 percent of death certificates that are completed at academic institutions like their own in the United States. https://tinyurl.com/DeathCertificatesOmit
State Budget	Commonwealth of Massachusetts Governor’s Proposed Budget for FY 2023 January 26, 2022 The annual budget process begins each year when the Governor files recommendations as a bill with the House of Representatives. Under the state Constitution, the Governor must submit a proposal by the 4th Wednesday of January or, in the event of a new term, within five weeks later. This bill is called House 1 or "House 2" depending on the year. https://malegislature.gov/Budget
List of Special Focus Facilities	Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services List of Special Focus Facilities and Candidates https://tinyurl.com/SpeciialFocusFacilityProgram CMS has published a new list of Special Focus Facilities (SFF). SFFs are nursing homes with serious quality issues based on a calculation of deficiencies cited during inspections and the scope and severity level of those citations. CMS publicly discloses the names of the facilities chosen to participate in this program and candidate nursing homes. To be considered for the SFF program, a facility must have a history (at least 3 years) of serious quality issues. These nursing facilities generally have more deficiencies than the average facility, and more serious problems such as harm or injury to residents. Special Focus Facilities have more frequent surveys and are subject to progressive enforcement until it either graduates from the program or is terminated from Medicare and/or Medicaid. This is important information for consumers – particularly as they consider a nursing home. What can advocates do with this information? Include the list of facilities in your area/state when providing information to •

The Dignity Digest Issue # 77 February 18, 2022 www.DignityAllianceMA.org