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Governor Mark Dayton has appointed former Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm to lead the state Health Department. Malcolm, a veteran health care executive with a national reputation in health policy, led the department under Governor Jesse Ventura from 1999 to 2003. 

In the last 10 years, the average annual growth rate in total units among the 150 largest nonprofit senior living systems in the United States was 3.1 percent, according to the 2017 edition of the LeadingAge Ziegler 150. Most growth occurred primarily through expansion. 

This is your chance to shape the workforce of tomorrow! The Workforce Challenge is an opportunity for you to impact the educational experiences students have prior to entering the workforce. 

Does your employee orientation need a re-boot? LeadingAge Minnesota has a new resource to turn orientation into an engaging onboarding experience. 

When caregivers were asked their preferred work setting, assisted living and care centers failed to make the cut, according to the Caregiver Trend Report released by mycnajobs. 

Every year since 2006, Congress has ultimately renewed the exceptions process for annual caps on outpatient therapy under Medicare Part B. Since that has not yet happened for 2018, the caps are currently in effect. This year the caps are $2,010 for physical and speech combined and another $2,010 for occupational therapy. 

Almost two months have passed since the new skilled nursing facility survey went into effect and provider feedback and data trends reveal meaningful differences in the survey process and experience. Hear about the experiences and trends by joining a facilitated conference call on Feb. 19 from 1:30 – 2:30 p.m. 

Older adults and people with disabilities who receive home and community-based services, including adult day services, may be called and invited to participate in an in-person interview for the National Core Indicators – Aging & Disabilities initiative. The calls will begin this week and continue through May. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has posted to its website the recording and presentation slides from its Jan. 12 webinar titled Preventing and Responding to Influenza in Minnesota Long-Term Care Facilities. 

Home health care agencies should now be complying with the new Conditions of Participation that went into effect Jan. 13. Unfortunately, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has yet to finalize the interpretive guidelines that offer more detailed information on certain measures. 

Feb. 14 is the due date for care centers to submit Payroll Based Journal (PBJ) staffing data for the period Oct. 1, 2017 – Dec. 31, 2017. Submitting timely and accurate data may be especially important this quarter, as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has said it will utilize PBJ data in 2018 to calculate the staffing measures posted on the Nursing Home Compare website and used in the Five Star Quality Rating System.  

The Alzheimer’s Association last week released new recommendations designed to shape dementia care practices in care centers, assisted living, and home and community-based services. 

We know it’s going to take a lot of us working together to best prepare Minnesota for the impact and opportunities of its fast-growing aging population. We need your help to start this important conversation in communities across the state. Join us in promoting the new Face Aging MN interactive map. 

A three-day government shutdown came to an end on Monday when the Senate advanced a continuing resolution to provide funding for the federal government through Feb. 8.   

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is seeking proposals for the next round of the Nursing Home Performance-Based Incentive Payment Program (PIPP). Proposals are due May 1. Incentive payments for selected projects will begin on Jan. 1, 2019. 

The first step to quality improvement begins with recognizing that an opportunity for improvement exists. Do you know how to recognize opportunity? Watch our new Performance Excellence in Aging Services webinar to learn how to get started on a guided path to continuous quality. 

LeadingAge Minnesota continues to grow as a diverse and statewide cohort of individuals and organizations working together to transform and enhance the experience of aging. Our Board of Directors last week formally approved the following new members: 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week announced the formation of a new Conscience and Religious Freedom Division in the HHS Office for Civil Rights.  

Thank you to all the members who turned out for our District Meetings last week.  We are traveling to Districts A (Bagley), B (Grand Rapids) and C (Detroit Lakes) next week, and we hope to see many of you there. The program features a break out for care centers to discuss recent survey activities and outcomes.  If the State surveyed your facility recently, please join us at Districts next week to share what you learned about the new process.  

Congress has until Friday, Jan. 19 to find agreement on an appropriations bill. If they fail to meet that deadline or fail to pass a continuing resolution to keep the government open, a partially government shut down will begin at midnight on Jan. 20. What does a government shutdown mean for LeadingAge Minnesota members and the people they serve? 

Employers that violate laws enforced by the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division could face slightly higher civil penalties in 2018.  

A few weeks ago in Advantage, we featured new Cybersecurity resources from LeadingAge with a cautionary note that providers of long term services and supports were especially vulnerable to ransomware. We have since learned of a ransomware attack that hit close to home right here in Minnesota, locking up files for nearly a week and forcing the provider to pay a fee – in bitcoin -- or risk losing their data with no way to replace or restore it. Are you prepared for a potential attack? 

Sign up today! LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation’s OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training program is now available. Contact the OnTrack team at 651.425.1110. 

We are getting ready to kick-off the next round of our Performance Excellence in Aging Services program. If you’re tired of the roadblocks and detours that prevent you from achieving positive outcomes, satisfied customers and an engaged workforce, join us on the path to continuous quality improvement. Sign up today and plan to attend our March 15 kick off meeting. 

Flu activity season is in full swing. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, influenza activity has moved from low rates to widespread. Hospitalization rates for 2017 – 2018 indicate that the 65+ age group has almost tripled all other flu cases for those who have been hospitalized. There have been 55 reported influenza-like illness outbreaks in long term care.