All News

Home Care Matters, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Home Care and Assisted Living Program provider webinar, will take place on May 23 from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Providers will the opportunity to: 

The sixth annual LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation Golf Tournament takes place on Aug. 8 at Keller Golf Course in Maplewood. A sell-out is expected, so don’t delay. Register Today! 

Mark July 17 on your calendar and make plans to join us at the 2018 Adult Day Conference – now offered in the summer! Designed for directors, social workers and direct care staff, the conference explores timely issues that will help improve services and operate programs more effectively.  

Employers must make the hepatitis B vaccination available to staff who have reasonably anticipated contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials during performance of their jobs. 

Join us for the final Onboarding Toolkit Webinar TODAY at 10 a.m. Quick – Sign up here! 

A commentary by the Long-Term Care Imperative supporting important work being advanced in the final weeks of session on preventing maltreatment was published in the Duluth News Tribune on Monday. 

As we covered in last week’s Advantage, the new proposed payment system from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for skilled nursing facilities will be the first year where Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) will be implemented. LeadingAge has prepared a detailed analysis of the proposed changes to the VBP program and the Quality Reporting Program. 

Coming soon: New AgingServicesJobs.Org platform! The temporary job board we launched in August 2017 is about to sunset as we integrate the newest job board technology. 

Jon Fletcher has been named Vice President of Senior Housing Partners, the development arm of Presbyterian Homes and Services and development consultant to other not-for-profit sponsors of senior housing, assisted living, and care centers. 

By 2020, the number of older adults with substance abuse disorder in the U.S. is expected to reach 5.7 million. A free webinar on May 16 will empower providers to better support the care needs of this growing population. 

The U.S. Housing & Urban Development Department (HUD) is circulating a proposal to change how residents’ rents are calculated in all HUD-assisted housing programs. 

Intermountain Healthcare in Utah has entered into a partnership with Minneapolis-based Lifesprk to launch Homespire, a new life care model for seniors that is designed to keep them healthy and living fuller, more independent lives while significantly reducing emergency room and hospital visits. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) recently posted updated results for both the Resident Quality of Life survey and Family Satisfaction survey to the MN Nursing Home Report Card web site. 

It’s Older Americans Month! Engage at Every Age, this year’s theme, emphasizes that every age is the right age to take part in activities that can enrich your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Now it’s your turn to engage! 

In addition to building a solid foundation of knowledge on the important regulations governing home care in assisted living settings covered in the new Assisted Living Certificate program, the nursing track will continue to emphasize those essential skills required to successfully run the clinical services component in these settings. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Skilled Nursing Facility Advance Beneficiary Notice of Non-Coverage (SNFABN) (CMS-10055) was mandatory for use by all skilled nursing facilities as of Monday, May 7. The form and instructions are available on the CMS website.  

The fourteenth edition of An Employer’s Guide to Employment Law Issues in Minnesota is now available.   

For the first time since the Assisted Living Home Care (ALHC) comprehensive home care regulations were implemented three years ago, none of the most frequently cited correction orders were cited above 63 percent of the time.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week issued a Proposed Rule that provides information about the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) payment rates for the year that starts on Oct. 1, 2018 as well as proposing an entirely new case mix payment system to take effect on Oct. 1, 2019.  CMS will follow up with a final rule on the Oct. 1 rates around Aug. 1. 

The Minnesota House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the House Omnibus Health, Human Services, and Transportation Budget bill (HF 3138 – Dean). The bill, which passed on a 82 to 43 vote, contains a number of provisions important to senior service providers including the Vulnerable Adults Maltreatment Prevention and Protection Act (HF 3308 – Kiel, as amended in HHS) and funding for DWRS (HF 3191 – Schomacker). 

The Minnesota Senate has advanced a bill that would significantly alter many provisions that impact the way aging services providers serve older adults in long-term care settings.

The National Fire Protection Association has issued a Tentative Interim Amendment (TIA 12-8) concerning the storage and use of liquid oxygen. CMS has not taken any formal action in response, but we expect them to review the issue in the near future. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is contacting providers whose submitted Attestations related to the Home and Community Based-Services (HCBS) Settings Rule (and DHS validated via geo-mapping) indicates a setting(s) that meets one of the following criteria: 

Don’t miss the next round of District Meetings scheduled in June. This session in our 2018 District Meeting series - Creating a Culture of Excellence - will explore how to develop a staff-centered workplace culture. To respect your busy schedule and travel time, we're also planning a special advocacy discussion on the heels of what is proving to be a pivotal legislative session for our field. 

Sign up today for the final Onboarding Toolkit Webinar on May 9 at 10 a.m. This webinar is open to anyone who has already implemented the toolkit as well as anyone interested in learning more about the resource.  

The Nursing Leadership Symposium kicked off its 27th year last month with 23 nurse leaders embarking on a journey to discover a new set of skills, knowledge and mindset that will help them succeed in their new role. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services, through a contract with Navigant Consulting, recently launched a survey of the cost of providing services under the Elderly Waiver (EW) program. The survey is part of a larger study designed to validate and propose adjustments to EW rate reform that was introduced by Long-Term Care Imperative last year and due to be partially implemented on Jan. 1, 2019.  

Bring your team to discover new tools and approaches to your strategic planning process. As part of LeadingAge Minnesota’s Performance Excellence in Aging Services platform, the May 17 workshop A Systematic and Effective Approach to Strategic Planning unfolds the strategic planning process from preparation and prioritization to deployment and sustaining the plan. 

A new report that compares marketplace data on 40+ jobs in assisted living can help you develop a competitive and comprehensive compensation strategy. 

Adult Day Services are an integral part of the long-term care continuum, but a potential move by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) could put up a barrier in advancing the use of these valued community-services.