News

The best way to kick off a new year? Joining LeadingAge Minnesota at one of its seven district meetings taking place in January. Our hot topic agenda features a sneak peek at our new Safe Care for Seniors program, and two breakout sessions that will help prepare care centers and housing with services/assisted living prepare for new opportunities in payment, regulations and more in 2019. Our meetings start next week, so don’t delay - register today!   

LeadingAge Minnesota filed comments last week with the United States Department of Labor (DOL) to voice our support for a proposal that would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to operate power-driven patient lifts independently. 

Happy Anniversary to LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation’s OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training program, which launched the RN Train the Trainer curriculum in December 2017! The first students matriculated a month later in January 2018. 

AgingServicesJobs.Org continues to see upgrades. The newest upgrade includes integrating your Aging Services Job posting into a premium job board with access to special pricing. Premium job boards include: 

Nearly 40 percent of reports of maltreatment of older adults and people with disabilities nationwide are for self-neglect, according to a new report from the Administration for Community Living (ACL). 

A recent analysis of Comprehensive Home Care licensed provider surveys revealed several trends. Of the top 10 correction orders written over the past four quarters, the top two -- Contents of Service Plan and TB Prevention and Control -- have remained constant, eight tags are consistently cited, and only two have entered or dropped out over the last four quarters. Also, there are now only three Tags cited in 50 percent of the surveys currently being conducted.   

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will provide state survey agencies with a list of facilities with potential staffing issues to support survey activities for evaluating sufficient staffing and improving resident health and safety, according to a Quality, Safety and Oversight Memorandum (19-02-NH) released Nov. 30.  In addition to this survey-related announcement, the memorandum also alerts providers to updates in the PBJ Policy Manual and to the availability of new MDS-based census reports in the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reporting (CASPER) system. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced that Alzheimer’s disease will become eligible for treatment with medical marijuana in Minnesota next year, making it the 14th health condition approved since the state’s cannabis program began in 2015. 

Value-Based Payment, Growth of Managed Care Models, Continued Workforce Challenges, and Repurposing of Skilled Nursing Facilities are just a few of the 11 aging services trends Health Dimensions Group (HDG) has identified for 2019. 

Social Media is a key tool for recruiting new staff. Use the two videos below in your recruitment efforts to engage job seekers in your community. When all LeadingAge Minnesota members come together to share a unified message, the impact can be powerful. Share these videos today!  

The fourth set of annual rates to be calculated using the new Value-Based Reimbursement (VBR) system will take effect on Jan. 1, 2019. The rates are now posted to the DHS Nursing Facility Provider Portal.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched efforts to improve patient safety and quality of care in nursing homes. The Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program offers tools, resources and ongoing assistance to nursing home staff.   

Thanks to the efforts of the Long-Term Care Imperative, HealthForce Minnesota was given funding from the State of Minnesota to create a senior care career awareness campaign -- Caring Careers Start Here. 

The CDC and FDA are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to romaine lettuce. To date there are no cases in Minnesota, but CDC and FDA are advising that U.S. consumers not eat any romaine lettuce, and retailers and restaurants not serve or sell any until they learn more about the outbreak. 

More than 30 organizations have received approval from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to train Nursing Assistants using the OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training curriculum. Within those 30 organizations, more than 245 students have enrolled in the program. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a Nursing Home Staff Competency Assessment toolkit designed to help nursing home frontline and management staff evaluate their skills.  You can find these materials posted in the Downloads section of the CMS Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program webpage.  

LeadingAge Minnesota has created a web page with a variety of resources on the new Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM), which takes effect Oct. 1, 2019 and will make dramatic changes in how Medicare pays for services in care centers.  

A week has passed since the 2018 election, and lawmakers are already planning for a transition in government and leadership come January. In this week’s election perspective, we share new insight into the Governors’ transition team and legislative leadership and kick off our call for grassroots advocacy. There are a lot of new faces in the Minnesota Legislature, particularly in the suburbs, and we need your support in helping them learn more about our issues before session starts in January.   

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) yesterday published new rates for services under the Elderly Waiver (EW) program and other waiver programs that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2019. The new rates reflect the impact of the EW rate reform that the Long-Term Care Imperative was able to pass in 2017.    

The first report in the Adult Day Services studies being conducted by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has been released and could provide some insight into potential legislative initiatives for the upcoming legislative session: