News

The two Minnesota Senate Committees that have oversight over the Health and Human Services (HHS) budgets unveiled their omnibus budget bills this week. We were very pleased that the Senate bills do not include the Governor's proposals to cut nursing home funding or create a new, but seriously flawed, property rate system for nursing homes.  

As noted in an earlier Advantage story, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced key changes to the Five-Star quality rating system and Nursing Home Compare effective April 24. The changes include:  

Registration is now open for the fourth Safe Care for Seniors regional workshop that will take place in Owatonna on May 9. You may also register for the workshops in Duluth on May 1 and Redwood Falls on May 7. The Detroit Lakes workshop on May 2 is full. 

The Minnesota House Health and Human Services (HHS) Finance Division yesterday unveiled its nearly 1,000-page budget bill, and it doesn’t contain a lot of good news for senior care providers. LeadingAge Minnesota and the Long-Term Care Imperative oppose this bill and are asking members to join us in turning up the volume on the devastating impact it could have on the growing number of seniors you serve and those who provide them with care. 

President Trump last week issued a memorandum extending Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) protections for Liberians living in the United States through March 30, 2020. It was set to expire on March 31. 

It has been another busy week at the State Capitol as the House and Senate push to meet its second policy deadline on Friday. Committees are working day and night to squeeze bills into hearing agendas to keep certain pieces of legislation alive. Governor Walz released his supplemental budget recommendations and is prepping for his first State of the State address on April 3. And we are deep in the trenches advocating and testifying – in favor and in opposition – on bills that have a direct impact on our field and the people we serve. 

Three new regional workshops have been scheduled to help you take the next step in your Safe Care for Seniors action plan. The workshops will take place May 1 in Duluth, May 2 in Detroit Lakes and May 7 in Redwood Falls. And get ready District F: we are working on a fourth workshop that will take place in Owatonna in early May. See the Workshop Conference Brochure and Register Today!  

Recent national media attention on care center closures in rural areas of the U.S. hit close to home, as six care centers have closed in Minnesota since 2017. The Governor’s proposed cuts to Value-Based Reimbursement could further contribute to this unfortunate trend. Gayle Kvenvold, President & CEO, LeadingAge Minnesota was recently interviewed by Minnesota Public Radio on care center closures and the impact it has on residents, families and the community at large. 

The OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training program offers a compliance guarantee, meaning the OnTrack team makes edits to the curriculum in real time as new requirements and best practices are released. 

A busy week at the State Capitol is unfolding, with two hearings scheduled this week that are expected to advance major bills related to senior care budget and policy issues. Our Day at the Capitol was a success in setting the stage for solutions that will best meet the needs of the older adults we serve, but your advocacy will be needed in the days and weeks ahead as the Legislature gets down to business in advancing budget proposals and potential historic changes to senior living. 

Patient Driven Payment Model, or PDPM, is the biggest change to care center reimbursement since RUGs, and it goes into effect in just six months – Oct. 1. Get your organization ready for the conversion through a series of training opportunities from LeadingAge Minnesota:  

Care center occupancy is at an all-time low and the workforce situation is only getting more challenging, according to a new analysis we recently completed based on the 2018 occupancy survey and 2019 Long-Term Care Imperative legislative survey. 

Now that you’ve made the Safe Care for Seniors pledge, it’s time to launch the program in your setting! To help you engage your staff, residents and families in our shared mission to prevent harm in the course of caregiving, we’ve developed a Safe Care for Seniors Campaign Kick-Off Toolkit and Online Resource Library.

More than 150 LeadingAge Minnesota members participated in yesterday’s Day at the Capitol, bringing their voices and their collective will to give lawmakers a personal perspective on how the decisions they make this session will affect the seniors we serve and those who provide them with care.   

In testimony to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said that the moratorium on monetary fines for care centers will expire in May and that providers will soon begin receiving civil monetary fines in eight additional categories.  

The OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training program continues to see success in its second year of operation.  

You’ve made the pledge, now take the next step in Safe Care for Seniors. Our March 28 Workshop will give you the tools and resources you need to effectively implement the 5-Step Safe Care for Seniors Action Plan in your setting. Join experts in safe care, resident and family communication, leadership, safety and more for this informative, interactive event that will also feature shared learning from your peers and small group work focused specifically on your type of setting.   

It’s Careers in Aging Week, and we just received great and timley news from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to help with your recruitment and retention efforts -- a bonus round of the HCBS Scholarship Grant. There is approximately $360,000 to distribute. The application deadline is April 19. You can find the application here.   

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the freeze on health inspection ratings at care centers that was instituted in February 2018 will be lifted in April. This is among several changes CMS is making to provide greater support to consumers looking to compare the quality of nursing homes via Nursing Home Compare. Major changes include:   

Congratulations to the following LeadingAge Minnesota members for being named Infection Prevention and Control Data Champions by Lake Superior Quality Innovation Network: