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The 2022 Billing Trends, Strategies, and Updates for Care Centers six-part webinar series is available on demand.

Originally recorded Nov. 9-10, this series is designed to provide timely updates on critical issues that impact experienced care center billing office staff. It will cover the latest information on billing for care center services to private pay, Medicaid, Medicare, and managed care clients.

LeadingAge Minnesota is excited to announce that members can post their open positions on the AgingServicesJobs.org job board at a reduced rate – all year long!

As OnTrack ended its most successful year, it reached a new milestone. Over 5,000 students have been registered with OnTrack since its launch in 2018. 

Applications for the 2023 Leadership Academy are now open.

About Leadership Academy

Leading well through these unprecedented challenging times requires solid skills and team relationships. During their year-long program, Leadership Academy fellows learn and apply ideas, tools, principles, and theory to strengthen their leadership and foster an organizational culture to lead in normal and not-so-normal times.

The current round of applications for nursing facility moratorium exceptions has closed. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) recently informed LeadingAge Minnesota that six care centers submitted proposals for this round. A review committee will hear the proposals in February, and the MDH commissioner will announce the approved projects by April 6.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) recently informed us that they intend to offset the revenue from the federal Employee Retention Credit (ERC) from care center costs based on the wages and taxes used in the ERC application. That means that some care centers will see reductions in their rate for the rate year that started this Jan. 1. DHS auditors have begun requesting detailed information from care centers that have applied for the ERC to determine these offsets.

Earlier this week, the Minnesota Legislature gaveled in the start of this year's session. LeadingAge Minnesota and our Long-Term Care Imperative partner are prepared to advocate for our members and share our key message throughout the session, which is slated to end in May. With a $17 billion budget surplus, lawmakers must act to ensure access to care for Minnesota's seniors and that caregivers receive the wages they deserve.

With the assistance of several nurse leaders, LeadingAge Minnesota created a sample document for assisted living organizations to communicate expectations to staff. Understanding when an unlicensed person (ULP) must contact a registered nurse (RN) can be confusing, and the resource can help clarify some of your questions.

LeadingAge Minnesota's exciting new Data Portal continues to expand to provide opportunities for tracking and benchmarking your performance on key metrics. In January, we will launch the assisted living quality and services measures portal application.

The most impactful way to retain your current staff is to invest in their professional development. Institute is the best value for your investment, with the average cost to attend at less than $40 per person per day when you register by Jan. 4.

This year, OnTrack had its best year yet, training over 1,800 nursing assistants in member settings around the state.

As HUD readies its new NSPIRE housing inspection protocol, the agency has begun to share details of the Real Estate Assessment Center's (REAC) new protocol implementation, scheduled for October 2023.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will host the first Nursing Home Stakeholder Call of the new year on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. CST. The discussion will focus on post-acute care quality reporting programs. The event is open to the public; registration is required. After you register, you will receive zoom information.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) was very busy last week. The Board issued four new rulings that significantly impact labor relations between employers and employees. 

The Affordable Care Act mandated that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) establish risk categories for Medicare enrollment to determine what level of scrutiny to give provider enrollment applications, which includes initial enrollment, change of ownership (CHOW) applications, and revalidations. Three risk categories were created under 42 CFR § 424.518: limited, moderate, and high. Providers in the limited-risk category are subject to the lowest scrutiny, and those in the high-risk category are subject to the most scrutiny. 

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report outlining the potentially inappropriate use of several psychotropic medications, including antipsychotics, anxiolytics, sedative-hypnotics, and anticonvulsants. As a result, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to increase its oversight of psychotropic drugs and focus more closely on certain drug classes.

The Minnesota Department of Health is mailing a combination of COVID-19/Flu A&B rapid test kits to all skilled nursing facilities in the state. Kits should be arriving in the next 2-3 weeks.

LeadingAge Minnesota has developed a new resource for members to help clarify the complex and often confusing infectious illness reporting requirements for our nursing home and assisted living members.

The Minnesota Legislature will convene on Jan. 3, 2023. LeadingAge Minnesota has finalized its member-developed, board-approved legislative priorities for the upcoming session. At the top of the list: ensuring providers across the continuum of care have the resources needed to ensure access to care for Minnesota's seniors and pay caregivers the wages they deserve.

At LeadingAge Minnesota, we have always considered our members to be our guiding light. As the field of aging services continues to change, our focus on you and your missions of service to older adults is more important than ever. As a member of this community, your guidance helps us chart our direction as an association and navigate the ways in which we strive to fulfill our mission to enhance and transform the experience of aging.

The Harvard Healthy Building Program and the Lancet COVID-19 Commission Task Force on Safe Work, Safe School, and Safe Travel are hosting a free webinar tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 16, at 10 a.m. titled "Improving Indoor Air Quality in Long Term Care Facilities: Practical Guidance."

For over 50 years, LeadingAge Minnesota business partner member Friends & Co has been creating connections and friendships for older adults. Propelled by the pandemic, the organization has expanded services aimed at loneliness and isolation statewide and redoubled its focus on fostering connection and companionship for happy, healthy aging.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is conducting a second round of grant funding for HCBS providers supporting rural and underserved communities.

The thirteen edition of the Really Big Book of Nursing Home Regulations is finally here and ready to go! It is now available for order.

We have revised the Assisted Living Emergency Relocation Notice template to include additional information on appeals and to clarify who needs to receive the notice.

Use our new interactive map to find a NextGeneration Nursing Assistant Training Program (NGNA) or the "NextGen" training program near you. The map includes the contact information for each training program to help you get connected with NextGen students.

LeadingAge Minnesota's Data Portal will include an exciting new tool in January – a compensation data portal that allows providers to benchmark their wages for key positions against other providers statewide or a select group of providers in their market area. The compensation data portal also collects information on differentials and bonuses for each position to provide a robust look at overall compensation.

Whenever a nursing home changes ownership, the new owner must apply for an operating license before taking over the operations of an already licensed organization. Aug. 1 amendments to the change of ownership (CHOW) process took effect. The current licensee remains responsible until the new owner is properly licensed. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has the updated information and forms and process available.

Please join LeadingAge Minnesota in giving a warm welcome to Kayla Khang. Kayla joins the staff as the Manager of Government Affairs and Policy. She will support our policy and lobbying efforts in St. Paul, including leading our organization's return to in-person Advocacy Day at the Capitol on March 13, 2023.

On Dec. 1, the 2022 Leadership Academy Class of Fellows completed their program year of leadership development. The official graduation for the cohort of 45 leaders will be celebrated at the 2023 Institute & Expo.