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Two new reports shed more light on how Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) evaluated offering the new benefits for 2019 Medicare Advantage plans. The conclusion? Few plans – only 102 – are testing the new benefits in 2019, with more looking to offer some new Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) in 2020. The report also note that challenges remain. 

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. 

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development operates more than 50 Workforce Centers around the state to help job seekers find jobs and employers find staff. One LeadingAge Minnesota member has seen great results working with a Workforce Center– 75 percent of the Workforce Center referrals were hired and 90 percent were still employed after six months!   

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: 

Katelyn Reichow, a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at Friendship Village in Bloomington was named the 2018 CNA of the Year by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners (NCCDP).  

HealthForce Minnesota will soon launch Caring Careers Start Here, a career awareness campaign targeted at aging services. We are encouraging members to host an Open Hearts Open House to expose students and adults to the great careers that await them in your settings.

Telemedicine grew at a rapid pace in Minnesota between 2010 and 2015 with a nearly seven-fold growth in visits jumping from 11,113 in 2010 to 86,238 visits in 2015, according to a new Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and University of Minnesota School of Public Health study highlighted in Health Affairs. 

Minnesota’s latest budget forecast was released last week, showing a $1.544 billion surplus for the next biennium but also predicting a slowdown in economic growth. Positive reaction to the state budget surplus at the State Capitol was accompanied with a note of caution. 

Nursing Home Compare has a whole new look after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) added five of six Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program (QRP) measures to the site on Nov. 28. While the measures are listed under the Quality of Resident Care tab with the other measures of short-stay quality, they are not used to calculate a Skilled Nursing Facility’s Quality star rating. The newly reported measures include:                 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released individual Skilled Nursing Facilities results from the first year of Value-Based Purchasing (VBP). Under VPB, rates are adjusted based on Skilled Nursing Facility-specific hospital readmission rates. 

The Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North Dakota Chapter will offer 60 diversity scholarships for healthcare professionals to the Meeting of the Minds Dementia Conference on March 2. 

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 issues our organizations face are complex, the scrutiny is intense, and the stakes are high. It has never been more important for boards to act as partners in leadership with the CEO and senior team. Not-for-profit leaders and board members are invited to attend the Feb. 6 Governance Intensive during the upcoming Institute to explore governance as leadership and adaptive work. 

We know that the toughest workforce crisis is yet to come as the labor force fails to keep the pace with growth in the aging population. The ratio of the working age population compared to those over the age of 85 will decrease by 46 percent over the next 20 years. It is important to start building your future workforce pipeline today!   

Need staff training available anytime night or day? LeadingAge Minnesota has a selection of webinars available for purchase that you can use for on demand staff training. 

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. 

Join LeadingAge Minnesota and the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) on Thursday, Dec. 20 at 9 a.m. for a free one-hour webinar on next steps in the Minnesota Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Settings Rule State Transition Plan. Register today!  

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 personal needs allowance for nursing facility residents is increased annually by the social security COLA. In the coming year, social security benefits will increase by 2.8 percent, so the personal needs allowance will increase from $99 this year to $102 for the year starting Jan. 1, 2019.  

Dellwood Gardens Assisted Living and Memory Care was recently honored with a 2018 Deubener Small Business Award from the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. The Deubener awards are annually presented to five small businesses that exemplify growth, excellence, risk, diversity and innovation.  

The Bachelor of Science in Health Management at the University of Minnesota Crookston received accreditation approval by the National Association of Long Term Care Administrator Boards (NAB) and the program also received its Health Service Executive (HSE) qualification. Both accreditations were earned under the leadership of Susan Klassen, program director and former member of LeadingAge Minnesota. 

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!  

Aging committees will return in both chambers of the Legislature for the 2019-2020 legislative session.   

The Minnesota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators (BENHA) announces the open appointment for one member actively engaged in the practice of professional nursing, licensed in Minnesota. 

The Minnesota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators (BENHA) announces the open appointment for one member actively engaged in the practice of professional nursing, licensed in Minnesota. 

The Dec. 6 Quality Conference is next week and today is the last day to pre-register. Over 115 professionals are already registered to attend this full day event designed to help organizations improve the quality of care and services they provide, and ultimately the lives of older adults. Find complete details and register here.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will provide information on the Patient Driven Payment Model, the recently-released Nursing Home Staff Competency Assessment toolkit, and other issues during a Skilled Nursing Facilities/Long Term Care Open Door Forum onThursday, Nov. 29, at 1 p.m.