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Do you know about all of the scholarship programs available in Minnesota? Do job applicants know about these opportunities when you are recruiting new staff? 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) surprised all aging services providers on Feb. 21 by releasing version 12 of the MDS 3.0 Quality Measures (QM) User’s Manual. The most significant revisions focused on these key areas: 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has integrated responsibility for federal surveys and federal complaints into the Licensing & Certification (L&C) Program. What does this mean for care centers?  

Barb Rode, President & CEO, Saint Therese was recently honored by LeadingAge Minnesota with the Ray Johnson Pioneer Leadership Award. 

Kathy Olson, Executive Director at Millstream Commons in Northfield, was recently honored by LeadingAge Minnesota with the Kal Michels Outstanding Leadership Award. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced they are piloting a new Federal Monitoring Survey to replace the existing FOSS/FOQIS surveys. Under this pilot, federal oversight of surveys done by state agencies will be conducted primarily in three ways: 

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

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) granted Minnesota final approval of its statewide transition plan to bring settings into compliance with the federal Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) settings regulations. 

This is a watershed year for how services are regulated for seniors in Minnesota. Bills are being introduced, and while there is broad consensus on concerns and principles, there is also divergence on areas that will affect the lives of seniors, their access to services, and your functioning as a provider. It is essential for those providing care and services in assisted living settings to be a part of the conversation at the Capitol. Register today for our Day at the Capitol on March 12!  

Did you know you can train your staff on important regulations and requirements that affect your operations as well as emerging needs like behavioral health without having to leave your setting? LeadingAge Minnesota’s On-Demand Learning Library features quality training for care centers, assisted living and adult day providers right at your fingertips that you can access at a time and place most convenient for you. 

Have you tried recruiting through LeadingAge Minnesota’s job board AgingServicesJOBS.org? Check it out! Email Jenna Kellerman for a promo code to post your first job for FREE! 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), on last week’s statewide regulatory call, reviewed top deficiency trends for nursing homes and focus areas to be targeted during CMS oversite surveys. MDH highlighted the increase in deficiencies on both complaint and survey being cited at Immediate Jeopardy level (I/J) in 2019. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), on last week’s statewide regulatory call, reviewed top deficiency trends for nursing homes and focus areas to be targeted during CMS oversite surveys. MDH highlighted the increase in deficiencies on both complaint and survey being cited at Immediate Jeopardy level (I/J) in 2019. 

From Jan. 1, 2019 – Feb. 20, 2019, 14 I/Js were cited. A majority were the result of complaint investigations. Some of the areas identified that resulted in I/Js in 2019 are:

Free of Abuse and Neglect:

• Suspicious bruising in groin, breast and neck area not identified, reported or investigated
• Rough handling by staff
• Inappropriate physical touch and yelling at resident

Free of Accident Hazards/Supervision/Devices (also #1 deficiency cited at I/J on standard and complaint survey and #1 deficiency cited at G on complaints, #2 deficiency cited at G on standard surveys in 2018)

• Transfer with a mechanical lift – straps not properly connected to sling and sling too large
• Failure to supervise residents at risk for falls, repeated self-transfers resulting in falls with multiple fractures
• Smoking while using oxygen

Treatment/Services to Prevent/Heal Pressure Ulcers (also #1 deficiency cited at G on standard surveys in 2018)

• Did not provide treatment for prevention of stage 3-4 pressure ulcers

Quality of Care

• Did not notify the physician for a resident with bloody stools and on Coumadin resulting in hospitalization and transfusion

MDH also summarized the top 2018 tags related to surveys, complaints, and E tags.  A complete breakdown of deficiencies with a scope of D, G and J are posted on the MDH website.  Here is a sampling of that data.

Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan yesterday released the One Minnesota budget that proposes to spend $49 billion in the next two years on a wide range of priorities. The budget contained mixed news for older adult services. While it supports the interim work on older adult protection, the budget does not include increased Elderly Waiver funding, only partially funds the DWRS increase for adult day providers, assumes a fee-driven approach for assisted living providers and reduces Value-Based Reimbursement for care centers. 

Hosting intergenerational events are a fun way to get young people engaged with the aging services field. Invite young people (all ages! Small children to young adults) to spend time with the people you serve. Consider activities such as: 

The momentum for Safe Care for Seniors continues to build – from the 700 people who took the Safe Care for Seniors pledge at Institute & Expo earlier this month to the members who have since made their public commitment to respect, safety and dignity via the Make the Pledge link on our web site. This week, we provide a more detailed review of Safe Care for Seniors and what members can anticipate receiving from LeadingAge Minnesota to effectively implement the program in their organization or setting. 

Are you looking for Manger/Supervisor Training? Does your organization need tools to promote a culture of engagement, service excellence, and continuous improvement? We are thrilled to announce a new partnership with Align, bringing you access to an Employee Engagement Solution (manager/supervisor evaluation and training!), and two Customer Experience Solutions.  

A bipartisan bill to modify the Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) training lock-out that is currently mandated in law was introduced this week by U.S. Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN) and U.S. Representative Sean Duffy (R-WI). The bill eliminates the statute’s rigid provisions and grants CMS greater flexibility in reinstating providers’ valuable CNA training programs.  

Responding to provider concerns, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is updating its new website for the Patient-Driven Payment Model and planning an earlier release of the RAI manual. 

To help provide a representative picture of the current state of senior housing, your input is needed for the annual State of Seniors Housing. All organizations that complete surveys will receive a complimentary copy of The State of Seniors Housing 2019, which compiles the survey results for comparisons to your own operations.  

Faye Baylor, a volunteer with the Minnesota Veterans Home in Fergus Falls, was honored by LeadingAge Minnesota with the Volunteer of the Year Award at this month’s Institute & Expo.  

After a brief government shutdown and continued uncertainty on a final appropriations bill, funding that supports affordable housing for seniors was signed into law this week. 

Just one week until the Safe Care for Seniors Informational Webinar! Register today for this high-level overview of some of the most important work we will undertake – preventing harm in the course of caregiving. 

A bill to dramatically expand authorized critical access swing bed admissions has been introduced in the Minnesota House. The bill,  introduced by Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester), would modify the authorized swing bed admissions from 2,000 bed days per year to 9,125 per year. We understand that a companion to this bill will be introduced in the Minnesota Senate in the coming days. LeadingAge Minnesota and the Long-Term Care Imperative oppose this legislation. 

Careers in Aging Week is March 3 -7. This is a great time to make people aware of the wide variety and rewarding careers in aging services. LeadingAge national has provided FREE resources our members can use to take advantage of this great opportunity. We also encourage members to visit our Workforce Center for ideas that support recruitment activities all year long!  

Licensed home care providers and registered home management providers are required to notify the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) within 10 days when there is a change on the license or registration. A Change of Information Form is available on the MDH website. 

Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Provider Preview Reports are now available for review prior to the April 2019 Nursing Home Compare site refresh. Corrections to the underlying data are not permitted but providers can request a CMS review by March 4 if they believe their quality measure scores are being displayed inaccurately. 

The Minnesota House Health and Human Services Policy Committee last week heard bills to address issues around the Disability Waiver Rate System (DWRS). The action taken by the committee is not in keeping with the goals of DWRS providers and creates a clear need for advocacy by impacted providers, including our Adult Day Services members. 

The LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation is excited to offer more than $33,000 in educational scholarships to eligible caregivers and other employees of LeadingAge Minnesota member organizations for 2019. 

Bill Foussard, a member of the Board of Directors for Cerenity Senior Care in Saint Paul, was recently named Board Trustee of the Year by LeadingAge Minnesota.