All News

The Office of Health Facility Complaints (OHFC) has cleared the backlog of maltreatment cases for elders, vulnerable adults and their families from 2017 and continues to successfully complete initial reviews for all reports within two days. 

Registered Nurse hourly rates increased by 3.1 percent while Licensed Practical Nurse rates increased by 2.43 percent, according to the 2018-2019 Nursing Home Salary and Benefits Report published by Hospital & Healthcare Compensation in cooperation with LeadingAge.  

Effective July 1, 2018, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Home Care and Assisted Living Program discontinued mailing paper copies of survey results to state licensed only home care providers and began emailing the results to the agent on record. This change does not apply to Medicare certified home health agencies.

The U.S.  Housing & Urban Development Department (HUD) has released three new Service Coordination resources and tools: 

Do you want to help identify and recruit future LeadingAge Minnesota board members? If you are a LeadingAge Minnesota voting member and are interested in standing for election to next year’s Nominating Committee, contact Nancy Garrett no later than Friday, Aug. 31. 

The 2018 Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum is Sept. 18-21 at Madden’s in Brainerd and the Early Bird Registration Deadline is one week from today – Friday, Aug. 17. Register here before next Friday and save $50 on your full conference registration fee. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services will be updating its Statewide Transition Plan for the Home and Community-Based Settings (HCBS) Rule and putting it out for public comment on Sept. 10. 

The Stars Among Us Award program is open for the 2019 recognition awards and we want to know about the amazing board members that help lead your organization. 

LeadingAge Minnesota’s Assisted Living Certificate Program begins Sept. 26 and space is running out. 

LeadingAge has provided new guidance that summarizes the Fair Housing Act (FHA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The guidance should help members answer the following questions: 

We have received several questions this week about the Mandatory Consultation process that is required to be conducted prior to executing a lease in a Housing with Services Registered Setting. The questions primarily focus on who is required to go through Mandatory Consultation and a better understanding of why this is required. 

In finalizing its proposal to implement the new Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) effective Oct. 1, 2019, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is sending a strong signal - it is time for change. In a new blog post, Brian Ellsworth, Vice President of Public Policy & Payment Transformation at Health Dimensions Group, shares what has changed, what is staying the same and what providers can do to prepare. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reminds all nursing facilities that the deadline for submission of Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) data for the period April 1 –June 30, 2018, is Aug. 14. Timely and accurate submission of data is especially important, because CMS now uses PBJ data to calculate staffing measures in Nursing Home Compare and the Five-Star Quality Rating System.  

The new AgingServicesJobs.Org platform launched two months ago, with 77 jobs posted to date! If you’d like to try posting a job today, email Jenna Kellerman – the first 10 members to email Jenna will get a free promo code to post their next open position. 

Cultural Consultants is a service supported by the Minnesota Board on Aging that provides cultural expertise and professional services to providers across Minnesota. The consultants have been specially trained in recognizing and understanding signs of memory loss as well as offering resources to support family, friends and neighbors who are caregiving. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a Special Open Door Forum on Wednesday, Aug. 15 to educate opioid prescribers on federal resources and strategies to combat the opioid epidemic. 

New bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that would allow qualified physician group practices to furnish telehealth services in skilled nursing facilities under the Medicare program. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is working on a couple of studies funded by legislation passed in 2017 that authorized the beginning of a process for updating Elderly Waiver rates. One of those studies has a focus on Adult Day Services, including how it is licensed and paid for in other states. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is contracting with Navigant Consulting for a review of the rates and availability of transportation services for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver clients. That study has two works groups advising DHS and Navigant, one looking at rates and one looking at access.  

Don’t wait! Nominations for the LeadingAge Minnesota Board of Directors and Honorary Lifetime Memberships are due by Friday, Aug. 10.  

Registration is being accepted for the 2018 Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS) conference, Reigniting our Passion for Safe Care, that takes place Oct. 25 and 26 at the Minneapolis Marriott Northwest in Brooklyn Park. Early bird pricing is available until Sept. 11. 

The Benedictine Health System (BHS) named Jerilyn “Jeri” Reinhardt, RN, to Vice President Clinical Services and Performance Excellence. 

The Stars Among Us Award program is open for the 2019 recognition awards and we want to know, Who’s YOUR Jack?

Minnesota State University, Mankato and Ecumen are teaming up to help address the state’s acute shortage of nurses working in long-term geriatric care.   

More than 350 senior living professionals have signed on as Senior Living Works Ambassadors! Will you be next? 

The Minnesota Department of Health has posted the recording and transcript of its July 16 statewide regulatory conference call for care centers.  

The 2018 Annual Meeting & Leadership Forum is Sept. 18-21 at Madden’s in Brainerd. You won't want to miss an incredible opportunity to engage in a thought-provoking conversation on national public policy at the LeadingAge Town Hall. 

Care centers are set to receive an increase in funding as a result of the final payment and policy rule released today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The rule also contains a new case-mix model, the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), that will determine reimbursement levels based on condition and care needs rather than the amount of care provided. 

Effective July 1, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Home Care and Assisted Living Program discontinued mailing paper copies of license survey results to providers and began emailing the results to the agent on record with MDH. 

Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) identified as not meeting the 80 percent reporting threshold under the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) recently received a letter from National Government Services, the Medicare contract agency for Minnesota, informing them that they will be subject to a 2 percent reduction on their Medicare fee-for-service rates beginning Oct. 1, 2018. SNFs who received these letters can request reconsideration by Aug. 7.