News

Health Support Specialists (HSS) at the Fall Learning Lab presented quality improvement projects that they designed, launched, tracked and refined over the past year. The quality improvement projects, completed through the ICan initiative with Performance Excellence in Aging Services, were designed to transform care at the bedside. After an incredibly difficult round of judging, three groups were recognized for their quality improvement programs:  

When the votes were tallied last night, there was no denying the DFL in Minnesota. DFL candidates for statewide office were victorious in all races, the Minnesota House of Representatives flipped from Republican to DFL control and the DFL in Minnesota flipped two key seats to help Democrats regain control of the U.S. House of Representatives.   

The monumental transformation of the Skilled Nursing Facility environment -- and the magnitude and pace of these changes -- poses a great threat to some organizations while creating opportunities for the more nimble and innovative provider, according to the 33^rd Edition of the Skilled Nursing Facility Cost Comparison Report recently released by CliftonLarsonAllen. 

An amendment recently introduced in Congress could push back the admission of foreign nurses in the United States by several years. The amendment would remove the per-country cap on visas for highly skilled immigrants and instead allocate the visas on a first-come, first served basis according to how long an applicant has waited for a visa. 

LeadingAge has launched the Center for Managed Care Solutions & Innovation, a one-stop shop of tools, resources, and education to help members succeed in managed care, integrated services and other alternative payment models. 

Help us break down training barriers! After launching LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation’s OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training with great success, the OnTrack team is now vetting the needs of members to determine if the online, on-demand training platform should be expanded to include other key positions.  

LeadingAge has launched the Center for Managed Care Solutions & Innovation, a one-stop shop of tools, resources, and education to help members succeed in managed care, integrated services and other alternative payment models. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that close to 1,300 entities have signed up to participate in the Bundled Payment for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) Model on a voluntary basis. A new blog post from Health Dimensions Group (HDG) provides basic facts, a fresh perspective on what this means and what providers should do next.   

Help us break down training barriers! LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation’s OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training launched in December 2017 with great success. At this time, the OnTrack team is vetting the needs of members to determine if OnTrack’s online, on-demand training platform should be expanded to include other key positions. 

As we have previously reported, the updated Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) PPS rates took effect for the year that began on Oct. 1. Since our last article, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a correction to the rates that impacted the wage index for some regions. The only Minnesota regions affected by this correction are Duluth and Rochester, and both by only pennies a day. 

A bill that would end the mandatory nurse aide training lock-out and allow nursing homes to regain their nursing assistant training authority as soon as deficiencies have been corrected needs more support in Congress. We need your help! Read on to learn how you can urge your U.S. Representative to co-sponsor and advance this bill. 

Medicare Open Enrollment for 2019 coverage begins Monday, Oct. 15 and runs through Dec. 7, 2018.  The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is when seniors can choose to enroll or switch to a new Medicare plan for 2019, including a Medicare Advantage plan or Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.  

The OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training program has hit another milestone – our 200^th student! In fact, we have surpassed that milestone, bringing in our 207^th student in early October. 

This week marks yet another milestone in LeadingAge Minnesota history. Heidi Simpson, Vice President of Education, is celebrating her 40^th anniversary. 

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) has published a proposed rule in the Federal Register (“Expanding Employment, Training, and Apprenticeship Opportunities for 16 and 17 Year Olds in Health Care Occupations Under the Fair Labor Standards Act”) to address an issue that has troubled LeadingAge Minnesota members for years. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) this week published the revised Minnesota Food Code. The revised food code is effective Jan. 1, 2019. 

As we near election day in Minnesota, candidates for political office may be reaching out to nursing homes and assisted living settings to get access to their buildings for door knocking or lit-dropping. We want to reminder providers that Minnesota law makes clear that candidates should only be denied access to multiple unit dwellings in limited settings.  

For the first time in LeadingAge Minnesota history, the Board of Directors will be led by three female leaders. Nancy Stratman, Erin Hilligan and Barbara Klick were elected as Chair, Chair-Elect and Secretary-Treasurer by unanimous support at last week’s Annual Business Meeting. 

A special moment took place during last week’s Annual Meeting and Leadership Forum when LeadingAge Minnesota members recognized, honored and celebrated Heidi Simpson, who marks her 40^th anniversary with our Association in October.   

LeadingAge Minnesota recently mailed out complimentary copies of the 2018 compensation reports for nursing facilities and senior housing providers to members who participated in those surveys. Copies of those reports are now available for purchase by members who did not participate.