All News

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. 

The fourth set of annual rates to be calculated using the new Value-Based Reimbursement (VBR) system will take effect on Jan. 1, 2019. The rates are now posted to the DHS Nursing Facility Provider Portal.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched efforts to improve patient safety and quality of care in nursing homes. The Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program offers tools, resources and ongoing assistance to nursing home staff.   

The Minnesota Leadership Council on Aging is hosting its annual summit on Dec. 13 and this year’s theme is Forward Progress for Aging Well in Minnesota. Registration for this full-day event is now open. 

A recently introduced bill in Congress would extend soon-to-expire federal spousal impoverishment protections for spouses of people receiving Medicaid home and community-based services.   

Did you see our new Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM) web page that launched last week? It contains resources, including new economic impact estimates and training webinars, which will help care centers prepare for the dramatic change in how Medicare pays for services that takes effect Oct. 1, 2019. 

The Robert L. Kane Endowed Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging is pleased to announce the Robert L. Kane Scholarship of Excellence in Long-Term Care for 2019-2020. The scholarship provides $25,000 during the 2019-2020 academic year for University of Minnesota Master’s-level or professional doctorate students who are fully committed to pursuing a professional career in long-term care following the completion of their degrees.  

Elderly Waiver providers are encouraged to participate in a Dec. 11 webinar to learn about the EW Residential Services tool. Schedule and topics include:  

LeadingAge has filed comments in support of the U.S. Department of Labor's proposal to eliminate restrictions on the operation of patient lifts by nursing home employees under the age of 18. 

Recruit staff to the field of aging services with brand new videos! Watch and then share the following videos on social media:   

Nearly 40 hospitals and long-term care settings across Minnesota earned a shout out from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for contributing to antibiotic stewardship efforts beyond their walls. 

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. 

In a recent call with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), LeadingAge learned that there has been a 2 percent increase in the utilization of Adult Day Services by veterans in recent years, compared to 17 percent growth in other services. To turn this around, the VA expects to roll out several initiatives to boost Adult Day Services options for veterans that include: 

A new report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University presents a sobering look at the latest data on housing cost burdens for older adult owners and renters. Housing America's Older Adults 2018 features information on: 

Beginning Jan. 1, 2019, the Minnesota food code will no longer require nail brushes at handwashing sinks. Also, heated-air and air-knife hand dryers are now allowed at handwashing sinks in the kitchen. 

The Saint Paul City Council last week approved a $15 minimum wage ordinance that will be phased in at different levels over a period of three to eight years, beginning in 2020, depending on the size of the business. 

The LeadingAge Minnesota Board of Directors welcomed four new board members during its November meeting: Jerry Carley, President/CEO, Benedictine Health System; Kristi Kane, Director, Arrowhead Area Agency on Aging; Katie Lundmark, Executive Director, Ecumen-Detroit Lakes; and Tom Nielsen, Vice President and Long-Term Care Operations and Administrator, Northfield Retirement Community.  

The ACTION Campaign’s state fact sheets have been updated with the most recent data to show the Housing Credit’s impact and the affordable housing needs that remain in every state. New to the state fact sheets this year is data demonstrating the impact that a 50 percent increase in the Housing Credit would have in each state. 

What factors are contributing to drug diversion within Minnesota nursing homes and home care/assisted living organizations? What strategies should you put in place to prevent diversion from occurring within your organization? Join us on Nov. 27 from 11 a.m. – Noon for our Drug Diversion Prevention Webinar.  

The CDC and FDA are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to romaine lettuce. To date there are no cases in Minnesota, but CDC and FDA are advising that U.S. consumers not eat any romaine lettuce, and retailers and restaurants not serve or sell any until they learn more about the outbreak. 

More than 30 organizations have received approval from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) to train Nursing Assistants using the OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training curriculum. Within those 30 organizations, more than 245 students have enrolled in the program. 

Home Care and Assisted Living providers are encouraged to participate in the next Home Care Matters webinar on Nov. 28 from 10-11:30 a.m. to learn more about infection control and receive an update from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) on regulatory issues.  

Elderly Waiver providers are encouraged to participate in a Dec. 11 webinar to learn more on the EW Residential Services tool. 

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a Nursing Home Staff Competency Assessment toolkit designed to help nursing home frontline and management staff evaluate their skills.  You can find these materials posted in the Downloads section of the CMS Civil Money Penalty Reinvestment Program webpage.  

LeadingAge Minnesota has created a web page with a variety of resources on the new Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM), which takes effect Oct. 1, 2019 and will make dramatic changes in how Medicare pays for services in care centers.  

LeadingAge and Ziegler has published the 15th edition of the LeadingAge-Ziegler 200 (LZ 200) Report.   

A week has passed since the 2018 election, and lawmakers are already planning for a transition in government and leadership come January. In this week’s election perspective, we share new insight into the Governors’ transition team and legislative leadership and kick off our call for grassroots advocacy. There are a lot of new faces in the Minnesota Legislature, particularly in the suburbs, and we need your support in helping them learn more about our issues before session starts in January.   

The Lame Duck Session is underway! We need members who serve seniors in affordable housing to contact our congressional delegation this week to ensure that a final fiscal year 2019 HUD appropriations bill is enacted. 

In case you missed our article last week, Liz Sether, LeadingAge Minnesota’s long-time Nurse Consultant/Policy Analyst, has decided to step down from her 27 years of service to our members on Dec. 14. While we can never fill Liz’s shoes, we ae moving forward with the process to fill the position of Director of Clinical Care & Nurse Consultant.   

The Dec. 6 Quality Conference will feature sessions on how to understand the impact of data on your organization’s reimbursement, viability and market strength, as well as how to collect and analyze the right data to inform organizational improvement and marketplace positioning.