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The Quality Specialist Certificate Program supports individuals who are serving as quality leads within their organizations or have an interest in expanding their knowledge of quality, safety, and performance improvement.

We love celebrating the inspiring work of our members at LeadingAge Minnesota, and we’re proud to shine a spotlight on Griswold Twin Cities for their leadership in fostering meaningful intergenerational connections.

Nelson Care Center by Vivie is proud to announce it has been awarded a prestigious 5-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), following its most recent survey in March. This top-tier rating reflects the organization’s commitment to delivering exceptional care and support to the people it serves.

With school out and summer break in full swing, it’s the perfect time for Minnesota high schoolers to gain real-world experience—and get rewarded for it. Students entering grades 11 and 12 now have a unique opportunity to earn high school elective credit while working in senior care settings across the state.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has released a request for proposals for the Mental Health Grants for Health Care Professionals program, with a deadline to apply by Aug 1.

Make plans to join us August 13–14 for LeadingAge Minnesota’s Assisted Living Conference — designed with your day-to-day challenges in mind.

The 2025 special session of the Minnesota Legislature concluded in the early hours of Tuesday, June 10.

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) has published an update to the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) diagnosis codes, which will become effective Oct. 1, 2025. This FY 2026 (Oct. 1, 2025, Update) Conversion Table includes the new ICD-10-CM codes and is provided to assist users in data retrieval. For each new code the table shows the effective date and its previously assigned code equivalent in bold. Unless otherwise specified, the code effective date is Oct. 1 of the year listed.

• 2026 Conversion Table (ZIP)
• 2026 Code Descriptions in Tabular Order (ZIP)
• 2026 Addendum (ZIP)
• 2026 Code Tables, Tabular and Index (ZIP) 

More information available here. 

Stay on top of your family's health with Docket, an optional digital tool that provides secure access to your Minnesota Immunization Information Connection (MIIC) immunization records. Easily view your immunization history, check for due or upcoming vaccines, and download printable PDF records for school, travel, or health needs. For other ways to access your MIIC record, visit Find My Immunization Record. MIIC does also have an app to download. To get started, go to your app store and search “Docket”. For more information, visit MIIC FAQ.

CDC's Project Firstline and the American Medical Association (AMA) recently hosted a webinar to share important measles updates and help providers and clinics stay prepared for measles. The recording is now available to watch and share. The webinar featured a panel of CDC experts covering current trends in measles epidemiology, clinical recognition of measles, the importance of vaccination, and infection prevention and control measures to help prepare and respond to measles in healthcare settings. "Continuing Medical Education" is available and can be accessed via the recording page. 

Additional measles resources: 

• Project Firstline's New Measles Micro-Learn: Resource for leading a quick, on-the-job training about recognizing measles and preventing spread. 
• CDC's Be Ready for Measles Toolkit: Tools and communication materials to make it easier for jurisdictions to communicate with the public, clinicians, and partners before and during a measles outbreak. 
• AMA Measles Resources: Resources and information from AMA for clinicians and public health professionals.

June District Meetings help make sense of what’s next with President and CEO Kari Thurlow on what’s shaping our sector. The meetings kicked off this week and continue next week.

February may seem very far away, but planning is already happening for the 2026 Institute & Expo, Feb. 11-12 (in-person) and March 3-5 (virtual).

The Quality Specialist Certificate Program begins August 20, and is expected to sell out. Register now to secure your seat.

Vista Prairie Communities recently to announced the appointment of Murray Finger as the new Executive Director at Vista Prairie at Ridgeway. With nearly 30 years of leadership experience in senior living, Murray brings a deep commitment to compassionate care and a passion for enriching the lives of older adults.

When renewing your Assisted Living Facility license you may find the MDH Renewal Checklist helpful in preparing documents to submit with the renewal application.

The State of Minnesota recently announced that staff from the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) will be accompanying Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) surveyors during certain licensing surveys.

As reports of a measles outbreak linked to the Mall of America emerge, it serves as a timely reminder for nursing homes and assisted living facilities to revisit their infection control policies and ensure staff preparedness.

State legislative leaders have finalized the Human Services Budget Bill at the Capitol. As previously shared with members, the agreement includes several disappointing provisions.

Quality – it’s a big topic that impacts just about everything from resident experience to organizational success. The Quality Specialist Certificate Program supports individuals who are serving as quality leads within their organizations or have an interest in expanding their knowledge of quality, safety, and performance improvement.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Division of Nursing Homes has resumed regular calls with LeadingAge and other national stakeholder associations.

The Large Building Energy Benchmarking program is a state-wide program aimed at increasing energy efficiency while decreasing operating costs and greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector.

A New Americans Resource Map is now available on the LeadingAge Minnesota website! This interactive map of Minnesota’s community organizations, resources, and support is a new tool designed to connect your staff with resources and support that they need outside of work, and to subsequently strengthen our long-term care workforce.

LeadingAge Minnesota recently completed an updated version of our Sector Trends Report, which you can now access on our website.

You have knowledge and experience to share, and we invite you to do so! You are invited to submit one or more proposals to present educational programs at the 2026 Institute & Expo.

Celebrating 20 years in business is a milestone that humbles us. The road wasn’t always smooth, but the work—and the relationships—made every mile worth it. In 2005, Mike Bauer founded Bauer Design Build on a simple promise: help people with what they need and give back, no strings attached.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has weighed in on questions from LeadingAge National about how housing providers should handle retroactive payments resulting from the Social Security Fairness Act (SSFA).

The Minnesota Legislature directed DHS to develop and implement a provider cost review for agencies that provide at least one service covered by the Disability Waiver Rate System, DWRS, (Minn. Stat. §256B.4914, subd. 10a).

LeadingAge Minnesota received an increasing volume of inquiries over the past several months regarding the ongoing COVID-19 requirements in both nursing homes and assisted living communities. In response, LeadingAge Minnesota has updated its materials to encompass a broader respiratory illness framework that includes both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza.

There are less than two weeks until the next required paid holiday under the Board’s holiday pay rule occurs. However, because the court has not issued its order yet, we have no new update about the situation in our ongoing legal challenge against the Holiday Pay Rule. That said, we are expecting the court to issue its order shortly. At the end of the hearing held in mid-February, the court indicated it would issue its order before the Memorial Day holiday (5/26), but that could literally mean the day before the holiday. Therefore, the pragmatic result is this: providers should continue to prepare for compliance with the rule (definitions of who gets paid the holiday pay, and how much they are paid on those 11 state holidays, or those holidays the employer worked with the employees to change the date or time of) for now. Once we receive the court’s order, we will notify members directly regarding what the decision means for your operations.

The federal government is moving to end certain temporary immigration statuses, impacting compassionate caregivers in the aging services workforce.