Featured News
MDH Releases Guidance on Quarantine for Residents Leaving LTC for Non-Medically Necessary Outings
On November 25, 2020 by Kari Everson
Today the Minnesota Department of Health published guidance entitled “Long-term Care Guidance Under Executive Order 20-99” specific to residents who leave a long-term care building for reasons other than essential medical appointments. The document references the Governor’s executive order 20-99 and makes the following points:
COVID-19 Vaccinations: What Do We Know So Far
On November 25, 2020 by Kari Everson
Receiving a vaccination is one of the most effective ways for people to protect themselves and those around them including residents. Development of a COVID-19 vaccination has been on a fast-track since the beginning of the pandemic in early 2020. Many teams working toward vaccines for the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus previously worked on vaccines for similar viruses such as the original SARS virus, influenza, and other coronavirus pathogens contributing to the speed at which vaccines for COVID-19 are developing. On November 18, 2020 Pfizer applied for the first COVID-19 vaccination emergency use authorization (EUA) and will shortly be followed by other manufacturers such as Moderna, Astra-Zeneca, and others. Currently, vaccines are projected to be available the end of December 2020 or the beginning of January 2021.
Good News: Developments on Background Studies, Care Center Recertification Surveys
On November 18, 2020 by Jonathan Lips
We received good news today on two fronts:
Background Studies: The Minnesota Department of Human Services will be returning to emergency COVID-19 background studies that were previously in place. The Department is finalizing its implementation plan and anticipates this will be effective Thursday morning (Nov. 19).
State News
Special Home Care Matters Call Monday
On November 25, 2020 by Bobbie Guidry
As reported in last week’s Advantage, a special “Home Care Matters Call” will be held Monday, November 30, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. On the call MDH will cover Assisted Living Licensure topics and discussion.
Home Care and Assisted Living Providers – Save the Date
On November 18, 2020 by Bobbie Guidry
A special “Home Care Matters Call” will be held Monday, November 30, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm. The call will cover Assisted Living Licensure topics and discussion. A full announcement with call-in information is expected today and we will share additional detail in next week’s Advantage. Also expected later this week is an FAQ that MDH will cover during the call.
Elderly Waiver Rate Caps Increase January 1
On November 18, 2020 by Jeff Bostic
The customized living and overall case mix caps in the Elderly Waiver (EW) program increase effective January 1 because they are tied to the increase in care center rates. The customized living caps increase by 3.64%, which is the amount of the 2020 care center increase, and the overall EW caps are going up by 3.60% due to some minor rate changes in a couple of EW services. Members should be aware that, particularly for any clients who are near one or both of those caps, the higher cap will allow the case manager to authorize additional services that they have not been able to authorize previously.
Federal News
HUD Reopens Applications for COVID-19 Relief Payments – Deadline December 11
On November 25, 2020 by Bobbie Guidry
On November 23rd, HUD announced the continued availability of supplemental funds for HUD-assisted multifamily housing providers responding to COVID-19. In July, HUD announced the initial request period for COVID-19 Supplemental Payments. The new HUD notice establishes a second request window and updates the submission requirements.
CMS “Care Compare” Website Now Fully Rooted
On November 18, 2020 by Jonathan Lips
In early September the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched Care Compare, a streamlined redesign of eight existing CMS healthcare compare tools. The goal of this work was to allow consumers to access Nursing Home Compare, Hospice Compare, Home Health Compare, etc. all in the same location.
VA and Third-Party Administrators to Consider Some Denied Claims for Payment
On November 11, 2020 by Roni Falck
Some Minnesota providers have experienced issues with timely and approved VA payments and there may be some options available. VA and its third-party administrators (TPA), Optum and TriWest, will reconsider payment to providers who had a claim denied for simple routing errors.
Notable News
Deadline Approaching for Re-Opened 2021 Institute Call for Presentations
On November 25, 2020 by Heidi Simpson
Members interested in submitting one or more proposals for the May 19-21 LeadingAge Minnesota Institute have until 5 pm on Tuesday, December 1, 2020 to respond. Proposals can be sent using this link. Questions may be directed to Heidi Simpson at hsimpson@leadingagemn.org. Individuals and companies who submitted proposals in the summer 2020 CFP round have been contacted and asked to make a choice about how they would like their original proposal(s) handled. Copies of original proposal submissions may be requested by contacting Terri Foley tfoley@leadingagemn.org.
LeadingAge Minnesota Welcomes Luke Jenkins—our New Director of Membership
On November 18, 2020 by Lori Meyer
LeadingAge Minnesota is excited to announce that Luke Jenkins has accepted the position of Director of Membership. Luke comes to LeadingAge Minnesota with almost 10 years of experience in the senior care field, most recently serving as Director of Community Relations and then Corporate Marketing & Sales Consultant with Ebenezer. He has also been active in LeadingAge Minnesota—he is a member of our Stars Among Us Awards Committee, serves as faculty for our Sales & Marketing Certificate Program, and is a Leadership Academy fellow. Luke is a graduate of Iowa State University with a BA in Speech/Communications and a BS in Operations & Supply Chain Management. Luke’s first day is December 3. Please join us in welcoming Luke Jenkins to LeadingAge Minnesota!
2021 Institute and Expo Call for Presentations Process to Re-Open
On November 11, 2020 by LeadingAge
Now that the LeadingAge Minnesota Institute and Expo has been officially re-scheduled for May 19-21, 2021, the Call for Presentation (CFP) process has opened back up. Much has happened since this past summer’s deadline and new program ideas may have surfaced. The updated 2021 Institute CFP Application Log-in contains the online submission form and guidelines. The new CFP is open until 5 PM on December 1, 2020. Questions may be directed to Ashley Rogers at arogers@leadingagemn.org or Heidi Simpson at hsimpson@leadingagemn.org.
Member News
Vista Prairie Communities Appoints Anna Petersmeyer VP and COO
On September 9, 2020 by LeadingAge
Vista Prairie Communities (VPC), a nonprofit provider of assisted living, independent living, memory care and care suites in Minnesota, Iowa and Ohio, has announced the appointment of
Aug. 14 Webinar Gives Strategies for Diffusing Challenging Situations
On August 5, 2020 by Heidi Simpson
Strategies for Diffusing Challenging Situations, a webinar on Aug. 14, will explore practical strategies designed to help staff diffuse the highly and emotionally charged situations so that difficult conversations about what can be done occur and enable the parties to move forward together.
COVID-19 Web Page: Your One-Stop Resource Library
On July 28, 2020 by Jodi Boyne
As we develop new tools and resources to help you combat COVID-19 and comply with changing state and federal guidance, we remind you to visit our COVID-19 web page where you will find a wide variety of resources.
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