All News

Thinking of ways to expose potential employees to your community for possible recruitment? Give the prospective employee – and you – a chance to try out older adult services by creating a new position called a Resident Concierge Representative (RCR). Cassia, an affiliation between Elim Care and Augustana Care, created this new position at a few of its sites and is already seeing positive outcomes in recruitment and retention.   

Assisted living residents, family members, advocates, providers and other stakeholders can help the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) develop a new Assisted Living Report Card by completing an online survey and/or attending a statewide livestream event in November. 

Providers in Minnesota have said that one of the biggest needs in communities is training for staff on behavioral health. We listened, and it’s coming soon and it’s free! 

Are you a Safe Care for Seniors Safety Champion in your setting? We need your contact information so you can be a part of our new Champion Connection!  

Get the latest news on federal regulation and legislation on this week’s Capitol Insights Call hosted by LeadingAge. Sign up here for the Thursday, Oct. 24 call that begins a 1 p.m. 

Adult Day Services providers will soon benefit from two new webinars that take place in November – Writing Person-Centered, Measurable Goals for Client Care Plans and Protecting Clients and Maintaining Compliance with the Vulnerable Adult Act. 

Matt Johnson, Physical Therapist, and Rob Hendrickson, Occupational Therapist, were recently awarded the Make Zero Harm Possible Award. The award recognizes staff in older adult service settings who demonstrate their commitment to safe, quality care and to treating the people they serve with respect and dignity – always.  

As Best Buy continues its push into healthcare, senior care remains a strong focus—and could make the company the leader in the space. Key to this expansion will be Best Buy’s ability to strike strategic partnerships with payers like Medicare Advantage and Managed Care Plans; but what shouldn't be lost in this push for a competitive advantage is the relationship with senior care providers.  

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a pair of administrative memos related to State Survey Agencies’ performance in the survey process: Admin Info: 20-01-ALL details results from the State Performance Standards System (SPSS) for FY 2016 – 2018, and Admin Info: 20-02-ALL announces revisions to the FY 2020 SPSS Guidance.  

In response to feedback from partners who requested a simplified process, the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has consolidated all Rate Management System (RMS) worksheets for day and employment services into a single form. 

We have launched our new membership database, and are excited to introduce you to a new feature that gives you more control over your user account, event registration, ordering from our online store and more! Meet My.LeadingAgeMN.org. Our new Community Hub is a member-facing online portal that allows you to:  

Despite advocacy from LeadingAge, its members and other stakeholders (see McKnight’s Long-Term Care News for reporting on recent efforts and this opinion piece from LeadingAge CEO Katie Sloan), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will proceed with its plan to use a Consumer Alert Icon on Nursing Home Compare beginning Oct. 23 to identify settings with instances of non-compliance related to abuse, neglect and exploitation. It will also cap the Health Inspections rating under the Five-Star Quality Rating System at two stars for settings that receive the icon.  

Staff recognition builds morale and increases retention. Research shows it doesn’t have to take a big investment of time, effort or money to recognize team member contributions in a meaningful way. One of the most impactful, low-cost or no-cost strategies is meaningful, personal recognition.   

LeadingAge has just released the IMAGINE Initiative – a bold set of proposals to increase the number of foreign-born aging services workers available in the United States. 

As we featured in this week’s Advantage, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will begin issuing a Consumer Alert Icon on the Nursing Home Compare website to identify nursing homes with instances of non-compliance related to abuse, neglect and exploitation and will cap the Health Inspections rating under the Five-Star Quality Rating System at two stars for facilities that receive the icon shown below: 

Learned how to develop a framework for culture competence at all levels of your organization and explore the integral link to person-centered, thinking, planning and practice in an Oct. 29 webinar.   

The Workforce Innovators Podcasts from the LeadingAge Center for Workforce Solutions brings you interviews with various leaders in our field focused on programs to help address workforce challenges.  

Interested in the growing Medicare Advantage opportunity? Here are five numbers you need to know: 14, 3-5, 4, $218,000 and 300.  

LeadingAge Minnesota recently mailed out complimentary copies of the 2019 compensation reports for care centers and senior housing providers to members who participated in those surveys. Copies of those reports are now available for purchase by members who did not participate.   

Amanda Wik, Licensed Social Worker at Ecumen Detroit Lakes, recently received the Make Zero Harm Possible Award from LeadingAge Minnesota. The award recognizes staff in aging services settings who demonstrate their commitment to safe, quality care and to treating people with respect and dignity – always.  

In late September, Congress passed a continuing resolution that funds federal programs through Nov. 21. This means there is much work to be done when Congress returns from recess this month. LeadingAge has provided a Federal Policy Update on issues that matter most to you and will cover key issues on its Capitol Hill Insights call on Oct. 24.  

A federal judge last week issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the Public Charge final rule that would have allowed the government to base green card decisions on whether an immigrant could be later seen as a financial burden on taxpayers.  

Medicare open enrollment runs from Oct. 15 – Dec. 7. The Senior LinkAge Line can help your residents and clients on Medicare navigate changes and ensure they have a plan Jan. 1 that meets their needs. 

More than 425 LeadingAge Minnesota member sites have made the Safe Care for Seniors Pledge and the commitment to implement a 5-Step Action Plan that will help create safe, trusted and inclusive environments and prevent harm that can occur in the course of caregiving. We will soon release our Safe Care for Seniors Committed Organization list. Are you on it?  

The 34th Annual Skilled Nursing Facility Cost Comparison and Industry Trends Report released by CliftonLarsonAllen last week shows the median operating margin in care centers has dipped below zero. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced this week that it will use a Consumer Alert Icon on the Nursing Home Compare website to identify nursing homes with instances of non-compliance related to abuse, neglect and exploitation and will penalize these settings under the Five-Star Quality Rating System.  

With seven weeks to go until the effective date of the Phase 3 requirements for care centers, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has not finalized its proposed rule (“Regulatory Provisions to Promote Efficiency and Transparency”) published July 18 that would delay implementation of certain Phase 3 requirements and lighten other existing regulatory burdens for settings.  

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to remove two quality measures relating to pain from the Nursing Home Compare website and the Five Star Quality Rating System.   

Join our Oct. 25 webinar, The Important Role of Environmental Services in Infection Prevention and Control, for practical guidance on minimizing infection risks in your community.  

Surveyors are now looking at new areas based on 2019 legislative changes to the Comprehensive Licensure statutes. Learn what these new changes are and how MDH surveyors are incorporating them into assisted living surveys now by attending the Oct. 31 webinar Maintaining Compliance with Today’s Assisted Living Licensure Requirements. Register here.