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Registration is open for a Sept. 27 webinar covering important new requirements for management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals that were effective Aug. 21. 

PDPM. It's just a few weeks away. Are you ready? Don't forgot to check out our Rate Calculator and Case Mix tool. We've also updated our PDPM resource library with a webinar that will help you make sure you are ready to go on Oct. 1. 

The Nominating Committee has prepared its 2020 Nomination Slate for the LeadingAge Minnesota Board of Directors and 2019 Honorary Membership nominations. Meet the candidates:  

At the beginning of this month, the Minnesota Department of Human Services began implementing a new federal requirement for Medicaid long-term care eligibility. Clients will have 10 days to return the form. If they do not return the form, they will get a second notice about returning it. If they do not respond to that second request, the county will terminate their Medicaid enrollment.  

Technology for independent living is the theme of this year’s 4th Annual Reimagine Aging Conference that place on Oct. 3 in Golden Valley. One highlight of the conference is the breakout session on Aging with Technology - Something for Everyone featuring Cassia’s Learning Lab.  

How will senior living attract more residents and cultivate new revenue streams? The American Seniors Housing Associated (ASHA) has released a new issue brief that challenges the status quo and provides guidance for how senior living can improve.  

Did you host a Safe Care for Seniors kick-off event? We’d love to hear about it! And – as an added bonus for sharing your story – we will select two member sites to receive a FREE Safe Care for Seniors banner that can be branded with your logo.  

Effective immediately, HUD providers of Section 202 Housing for the Elderly with Project Rental Assistance Contracts (202/PRACs) can begin to leverage private capital to preserve their affordable housing over the long-term.  

Congress returned from recess on Sept. 9 with a long to-do list, which LeadingAge national has unpacked to help you stay up-to-date on key issues affecting our field.   

NTAs. You’re hearing a lot about them as part of the new Payment-Drive Payment Model that goes into effect Oct. 1. What are NTAs? Non-therapy ancillaries (NTAs) are a long list of diagnostic categories and clinical support services needed to care for residents in a skilled nursing facility that may be more medically complex or demonstrate a higher acuity. Under PDPM, 50 conditions and extensive services are considered for NTA classification.  

Experience mapping is an excellent tool to improve an organizational policy, procedure or practice. It provides a visual example of what a person experiences while completing an activity.

Aging services 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!   

The Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS) has posted their planned visits to Minnesota to visit select Adult Day Services and Customized Living providers subject to heightened scrutiny.

What experience are you selling? Does your sales process give decision makers - the eldest daughter, family, and the future resident - a realistic picture of what life will be like, should they choose you?  Dayta Marketing, a valued partner in the LeadingAge Savings & Solutions Center says organizations who focus on experience and create a sales and marketing funnel that’s customized, responsive, and caring will emerge as winners who have gained natural advocacy from their residents and families.  

Does your staff know what to do when they find a resident unresponsive? Having a policy and procedure in place is not enough. In our assessment of OHFC substantiated reports, we continue to see system failures and staff behaviors that hinder an effective response to urgent situations. Join us on Oct. 8 for a Safe Table on DNR Status and Response.  

No matter what setting you’re in, TB Prevention and Control is one of the highest cited deficiencies. It has risen steadily to land as the most frequently cited in Comoprehensive Licensed Home Care survey this past quarter. Also, in the past quarter, F880 Infection Control has taken the number one spot in citations for care centers. Bumping TB Prevention and Control out of first place should be an easy fix as the reasons for the correction orders are basically:  

The Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Grant Application Workshop webinar and handouts are now available. To deadline to apply for a HCBS Grant is Friday, Sept. 27, so take some time to watch and learn how to apply for a grant that will help you recruit and retain staff and help them advance in their career pathways.  

We are now less than one month from implementation of the new Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) that will take effect on Oct. 1.  LeadingAge MN has worked with other state affiliates and our national association to develop some new tools, including a rate calculator and case mix system, that are posted on our PDPM web page.  

Care centers interested in applying for a Moratorium Exception will require a full team effort to meet the Dec. 20 application deadline. A webinar on Sept. 11, The Moratorium Exceptions Process: What Care Centers Need to Know, will review the application process, what is needed by the deadline and options outside the application process.  

LeadingAge MN and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will host a Sept. 27 webinar on the important new requirements by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for management of hazardous waste pharmaceuticals that became effective Aug. 21. 

Don’t wait for a disaster to strike before you plan how to prepare, respond and recovery. New resources from LeadingAge will help members find the most appropriate resource for them in any phase of disaster planning, response or recovery.  

Knowing staff as individuals means knowing about their major personal accomplishments. Is a staff member running a marathon? Graduating from nursing school? Welcoming a new baby (remember new moms and dads)? Congratulate them!  

As we have earlier reported, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule that would lighten some existing regulatory burdens for nursing facilities and delay implementation of certain Phase 3 requirements. Recently some LeadingAge MN members have asked whether the proposed rule – if it becomes final – would delay all Phase 3 requirements, and the answer is no. 

The rulemaking process to establish directives related to licensure of assisted living directors is currently underway. An Assisted Living Rules Development Team is developing draft rules and the process is moving quickly. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will visit six to nine Adult Day Services and Customized Living settings in Minnesota that are subject to “heightened scrutiny” under the Home and Community-Based Settings rule at the end of September. 

A recent analysis of Comprehensive Home Care licensed providers surveys for the past quarter (April 1, 2019 – June 30, 2019) revealed several trends. Of the top 10 correction orders written, Tag #1035 Individualized Treatment/Therapy Mgmt Plan has risen to the top of the 52 initial surveys conducted. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued a final Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds rule  that goes into effect Oct. 15. This rule applies prospectively to determine the eligibility of persons wishing to immigrate to the US, obtain a green card to authorize employment or to obtain certain visas. It will not be applied to immigrants currently in the country unless or until they seek to change or extend their immigration status. 

The 2019 Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum is Sept. 17-20 at Madden’s in Brainerd. We are sharing an update on lodging accommodations and asking you this important question -- Will You Be at The Happening?  

There is still time to register for the 2019 Dementia Care Certificate Program, which meets Minnesota’s current mandatory dementia care training requirements for home care agency, Assisted Living/Housing with Services and care center staff.

The deadline to register for the Infection Preventionist certificate program, Effectiveness and Core Components for Infection Prevention in SNFs, has been extended to Aug. 30. This program, which takes place Sept. 4 and 5, will help care centers meet the new Infection Preventionist specialized training under the Requirements of Participation that will take effect in three months.