All News

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) plans to remove two quality measures relating to pain from the Nursing Home Compare website and the Five Star Quality Rating System.   

Join our Oct. 25 webinar, The Important Role of Environmental Services in Infection Prevention and Control, for practical guidance on minimizing infection risks in your community.  

Surveyors are now looking at new areas based on 2019 legislative changes to the Comprehensive Licensure statutes. Learn what these new changes are and how MDH surveyors are incorporating them into assisted living surveys now by attending the Oct. 31 webinar Maintaining Compliance with Today’s Assisted Living Licensure Requirements. Register here. 

Due to a system upgrade, LeadingAge Minnesota online registration will be unavailable Oct. 8 – Oct. 15. Please click here to register for any of our educational programs. 

LeadingAge MN members are encouraged to share the following information with their residents: Medicare Open Enrollment will begin on Oct. 15 and run through Dec. 7. Senior LinkAge Line^®, the state’s designated State Health Insurance & Assistance Program (SHIP), provides unbiased counseling and support to Medicare beneficiaries who would like to review their plan options. As a result, the Senior LinkAge Line’s call volume and wait time may be longer than usual during this busy time of the year.  

Nurse Leaders -- Don’t let the month of October slip by and miss your chance to attend the final 2019 Assisted Living/Home Care Nurse Leader Network (ALNET) meetings.  

Seniors living in 78 Twin Cities-area long-term care and assisted living communities will have a new Medicare Advantage health coverage option to select for 2020 coverage if they qualify for its coverage requirements.  

Governor Tim Walz announced last week that Shirly Barnes, CEO of Crest View Senior Communities, has been re-appointed to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board. 

Getting staff input on decisions is important. When staff feel their opinion matters, they feel empowered in their roles and connected to the organization. 

Open enrollment for Medicare Advantage and Special Needs Plans begins Oct. 15 and presents a great opportunity for all housing and service providers to engage with those individuals whom they serve about their options. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has posted a corrected version of the latest PDPM DLL Package (V1.0003 FINAL), which includes identified grouper discrepancies and updated test files and documentation.  

The Minnesota Office of Ombudsman for Long Term Care is recognizing Minnesotans who volunteer to advocate for the rights of residents in long-term care facilities as part of Resident Rights Month in October. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has released a new Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Provider Toolkit that provides guidance, frequently asked questions, and examples of provider practices that support choice and autonomy for people who receive these services.  

Looking to create and enhance safe, trusted and inclusive environments where staff feel connected and appreciated, engaged in their work and your mission, and know they can speak up to prevent harm and ensure respect and dignity for all who live and work in your setting? Introducing: Leadership Rounding -- the latest tool from Safe Care for Seniors. 

Mitch Boser, Environmental Services Director at Elim Care & Rehab Center in Princeton, recently received the Make Zero Harm Possible Award from LeadingAge Minnesota. 

LeadingAge Minnesota is excited to launch Nimble—our new membership database—this month. As part of the launch, members will have access to Community Hub—a new member facing online portal that will allow you to:  

The final installment of the 2019 Dementia Care Certificate Program, which takes place Oct. 22-23, is a two-day hands-on workshop focused on Person-Centered Care and Strategies to Avert Challenging Behaviors.  

Need an overview of the new RAD for PRAC authority and what it means for the preservation of 202/PRAC communities? Participate in free, members-only webinar on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 3 p.m.  

On Oct. 8, LeadingAge MN members have the unique opportunity to participate in a virtual Safe Table discussion that will provide insight and practical tips on how a Rapid Evaluation Team (RET) process can improve how staff call for and receive support in urgent or unexpected situations. An added bonus? Participating in this Oct. 8 virtual event will help you complete Action #3 in the Safe Care for Seniors 5-Step Action Plan.  

In recognition of their leadership to the field of the aging services and their many contributions to LeadingAge Minnesota, Mike Demmer and Craig Kittelson were honored with Lifetime Achievement Awards.  

A common concern on staff engagement surveys is “lack of communication” or “leadership doesn’t follow up on my concerns.” Often it feels like there is a disconnect as supervisors say they follow up on concerns raised by staff. So that begs the question: Do staff feel they aren’t being listened to because the follow-up loop was not completed? 

A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, Elder Abuse: Federal Requirements for Oversight in Nursing Homes and Assisted Living Facilities Differ, examined the variations in oversight and abuse reporting requirements between nursing homes assisted living.   

A bill to reauthorize the Older Americans Act (OAA) would increase funding for programs that support older adults aging in place and includes provisions to help develop and expand the direct care workforce.  

The Nursing Home Workforce Quality Act (H.R.4468) introduced in Congress last week would remove the mandatory two-year waiting period to reinstate a nursing home provider's CNA training authority that is imposed when fines exceed a certain level.  

Citing the importance of direct care workers in all sectors of the long-term services and supports field, and the millions of workers who will be needed in the next five years, a new bill in Congress establishes grants to recruit, retain, and support direct care workers.   

21 LeadingAge Minnesota members were recently recognized for their commitment to protecting patient and resident health through high flu vaccination rates among health care personnel. Care centers across Minnesota can take proactive measures to protect the people you serve from the flu by enrolling in FluSafe.  

23 LeadingAge Minnesota members have been recognized on the Minnesota Antibiotic Stewardship Honor Roll for their commitment to antibiotic stewardship from the highest levels of administration to prescribers and caregivers.  

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has released the 2019 -2020 Norovirus Toolkit for Long-Term Care Settings.  

Each day, dedicated staff in LeadingAge Minnesota member settings across the state are going above and beyond to create safe, trusted environments for the people they serve and their fellow team members. Today, we recognize four individuals and four staff teams with our Make Zero Harm Possible award.   

It is important that care centers remember that a mandatory Interim Payment Assessment (IPA) is required to transition from Resource Utilization Group, version IV (RUG-IV) to the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) as of Oct. 1.