All News

As we reported in August, new Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF) PPS rates took effect for the year that began on Monday, Oct. 1. In addition to the updated base rates, Oct. 1 is also the first year of implementation of Value-Based Purchasing. 

The webinar on the newest upgrades to AgingServicesJobs.Org takes place this Friday at 10 a.m. Sign up today! 

What if you could increase your total number of new hires by 46 percent in one year by strategically using digital media? Mother of Mercy in Albany dedicated time and grant funds to achieve those results—and a 30 percent increase in total applications. 

For the first time in LeadingAge Minnesota history, the Board of Directors will be led by three female leaders. Nancy Stratman, Erin Hilligan and Barbara Klick were elected as Chair, Chair-Elect and Secretary-Treasurer by unanimous support at last week’s Annual Business Meeting. 

A new webinar from LeadingAge national will help care center members get ready for the changes to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) that take effect Oct. 1.  

John Korzendorfer, Marilyn Oelfke, and Dallas Reese, three distinguished leaders in aging services, were named Lifetime Honorary Members during last week’s Annual Meeting and Leadership Forum. 

Managed care plans that contract with the federal government under Medicare or Medicaid must provide information to their enrollees about whether providers have conducted cultural competence training for their staff as well as the languages in which they can communicate. LeadingAge Minnesota members should anticipate seeing questions from their managed care plans. 

A special moment took place during last week’s Annual Meeting and Leadership Forum when LeadingAge Minnesota members recognized, honored and celebrated Heidi Simpson, who marks her 40^th anniversary with our Association in October.   

Click the EASY BUTTON by signing up for the OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training program today! 

The U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) will hold a Preservation of Pre-1974 Section 202 Direct Loan Properties webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 9.    

A recent report by the AARP Public Policy Institute provides valuable data on the population receiving aging services and the ways in which these services are provided, broken out by state. 

A recent webinar from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) highlighting the preliminary findings of the Adult Day Services Study is now available to download. 

Christine Bakke, CEO/Administrator, Madonna Towers and Rob Lahammer, Executive Director of Customer Engagement, Employee Engagement and Advocacy, Presbyterian Homes and Services were the recipients of this year’s Spirit of Advocacy award. The awards were announced at last week’s Annual Meeting and Leadership Forum. 

LeadingAge Minnesota recently mailed out complimentary copies of the 2018 compensation reports for nursing facilities 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. 

The annual update to the RAI Manual has been released and contains some substantive changes for care center members. The updates are effective Oct. 1, so members will want to review these changes and make the necessary adjustments to their coding and transmission policies and practices.   

Click the EASY BUTTON by signing up for the OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training program today! 

Medication management continues to be a frequently cited tag for Comprehensive Home Care surveys. Four of the 19 medication tags are in the top 10 most frequently cited almost 50 percent of the time. The October Assisted Living/Home Care Nurse Leader Network (ALNET) meetings will focus on medication management and provide information and resources to help you remain in compliance. 

The Minnesota Department of Health has announced that Michelle Larson will serve as the interim Director for the Health Regulation Division through December 2018. 

The LeadingAge Minnesota Nursing Leadership Symposium continues to graduate experienced, dedicated leaders who have made the transition from clinical care to the role of a professional executive nurse leader. 

Picture a world where residents can explore locations and experiences around the world as if they were there in person. Imagine what it would like to create experiences for residents that give them a sense of personal freedom, combat loneliness and depression, and create bonds with their fellow tenants who feel their passion for life reignited. This world exists, right now, through Virtual Reality. 

A new webinar will feature the latest upgrades to AgingServicesJobs.Org, many of which are based on the excellence feedback from LeadingAge Minnesota members. Sign up today

The massive shift that is about to take place in Medicare will affect hundreds of thousands of Minnesota enrollees, including some of the seniors you serve. Medicare Cost Plans will end in December 2018 and seniors affected by this change will need to enroll in new Medicare coverage for 2019. To help ensure a seamless transition, the State of Minnesota has developed helpful publications that you can share with your residents and families.  

The Minnesota Department of Health is providing a free webinar to LeadingAge Minnesota members on the Home and Community-Based Services Scholarship program grant application process. Register today!

Stratis Health, as part of Lake Superior Quality Innovation Network, is partnering with the Minnesota Area Agencies on Aging and Juniper to offer Diabetes Self-Management workshops. These workshops are a great way to help your clients, residents, and community manage their diabetes. 

Two new reports demonstrate how Area Agencies on Aging across the country are responding to shifting demographics and challenges in their communities. 

LeadingAge Minnesota is working with the Minnesota Department of Health and other stakeholders to develop another series of provider-surveyor joint training sessions for care centers. Specific locations are still being finalized, but the dates are confirmed: Oct. 30, Oct. 31, Nov. 1, Nov. 8 and Nov. 9. There will be two metro sessions, and one each in northern, central and southern Minnesota. 

LeadingAge recently met with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (QRP) to help them better understand the noncompliance experience and identify process improvements to help reduce noncompliance in future years. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a proposed rule this week to relieve burden on healthcare providers by removing unnecessary, obsolete or excessively burdensome Medicare compliance requirements for healthcare facilities. 

Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) surveyors will be piloting new survey forms over the next six weeks. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shared survey guidance relating to handwashing while assisting residents at meal time and to eye drop expiration dating.