News Archives
April 2023 Archives
Below is a list of all of the articles published in the selected month, ordered from most recent to least.
May 3 Nurse Lunch and Learn: Register Today
On April 27, 2023 by Sharon Hollister
Documentation standards are critical in today’s healthcare settings to provide quality patient care and meet regulatory requirements. The SBAR technique provides a framework for communication between members of the healthcare team about a patient’s condition.
Coming this Summer: Follow Your Heart to a Caring Career
On April 27, 2023 by Anna Mowry
This summer, CareerForce Minnesota is launching “Follow Your Heart to a Caring Career,” – A statewide campaign to promote caregiving careers in serving seniors and people with disabilities.
University of Minnesota Researchers Seek Volunteers for Feedback on New Technology
On April 27, 2023 by Bobbie Guidry
Researchers at the University of Minnesota are developing a new technology to help reduce item loss in care settings and are looking for providers to offer feedback. Volunteers will view a five-minute presentation about the technology and answer a few simple questions. The interview will be conducted over Zoom (or over the phone, if preferred) and will last around 30 minutes. As a token of appreciation, volunteers will receive a $50 Amazon gift card.
Ownership and Additional Disclosable Party Information on LTC “Providers and Suppliers”
On April 27, 2023 by Mark Schulz
On May 1, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will publish an Information Collection Request (ICR), a request for public comment on a specific topic, as part of a proposed rule about revising the Medicare hospital inpatient prospective payment system.
CDC Updates mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Guidelines
On April 27, 2023 by Kari Everson
On April 23, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released updated guidance for mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. Going forward, bivalent vaccines will be administered for all immunization doses, and the monovalent (original) vaccine is no longer available. This updated guidance does not include Novovax or Johnson and Johnson Janssen. These continue to be monovalent vaccines, and the schedule remains the same.
Updated Agency Contact Info for Nursing Home Closures
On April 27, 2023 by Mark Schulz
The Minnesota Departments of Health (MDH) and Human Services (DHS) recently responded to inquiries about proper agency staff contacts for questions about nursing home closure.
Understanding Biden’s Executive Order and Federal Rulemaking
On April 27, 2023 by Mark Schulz
Executive orders are a tool to direct action to set policy guidance and for an administration’s executive branch agencies. President Biden’s executive order released last week provided several topics and concepts for different federal agencies to effectuate. You can read the analysis of the executive order here.
LTC Imperative Financial Survey Shows Continuing Challenges for Providers
On April 27, 2023 by Jeff Bostic
A new survey of nursing home and assisted living providers conducted by the Long-Term Care Imperative shows that the challenges faced by providers are continuing. Lack of adequate state funding to support higher wages for Minnesota’s long-term care workforce has pushed nursing homes and assisted living settings deeper into financial distress, resulting in diminished access and fewer care options for Minnesota’s seniors and families.
MDS Education Coming Your Way
On April 20, 2023 by Sharon Hollister
CMS released the updated MDS 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) user manual (version 1.18.11) in early April and will become effective Oct. 1. Watch for more information in the coming weeks on our training timeline.
Virtual Institute On-Demand Content – Ends April 30
On April 20, 2023 by Sharon Hollister
On-demand content from this year’s Virtual Institute is available online for registered participants to view and earn CEUs through April 30. On-demand content includes 17 sessions for the Virtual Institute and the three keynote sessions from the in-person conference.
May Nurse Lunch and Learn – Join Us in 2 Weeks
On April 20, 2023 by Sharon Hollister
Documentation standards are critical in today’s healthcare settings to provide quality patient care and meet regulatory requirements. The SBAR technique provides a framework for communication between members of the healthcare team about a patient’s condition.
OnTrack Pass Rates Continue to Exceed the State Average
On April 20, 2023 by Anna Mowry
Statewide nurse aide test pass rates are rising, but OnTrack nursing assistant students continue to exceed these averages.
Minnesotans Travel to DC for Leadership and Advocacy
On April 20, 2023 by LeadingAge
Several members of LeadingAge Minnesota attended LeadingAge's annual Leadership Summit in our nation’s capital city this week. LeadingAge Minnesota attendees visited with several members of Congress and their teams to discuss issues that our providers are facing all across the state.
Several Updates to SNF Quality Reporting Program in Proposed PPS Rule
On April 20, 2023 by Julie Apold
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released its 2024 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule. It includes several proposed SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) changes.
Assisted Living Survey Data - First Quarter 2023
On April 20, 2023 by Bobbie Guidry
In assisted living and assisted living with dementia care licensing surveys completed in the first quarter of 2023 by the Minnesota Department of Health, the average number of survey citations is 13.85. Analyzing the survey data can help assisted living settings provide safe, quality care and avoid citations on future surveys.
CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Changes
On April 20, 2023 by Kari Everson
On April 19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released simplified vaccine recommendations. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met yesterday to discuss updated COVID-19 vaccine changes after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) amended emergency use authorizations (EUA) for Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech products earlier this week.
ICYMI: Biden Administration Announces Sweeping EO to Support Care Workers
On April 20, 2023 by LeadingAge
The Biden Administration outlined several new plans ostensibly targeted at supporting care workers and family caregivers. Continuing a framework set out early in the Biden campaign, the strategy targets caregivers and workers in childcare, aging services, and services for people with disabilities.
Breaking: Biden Administration Announces Sweeping EO to Support Care Workers
On April 18, 2023 by LeadingAge
The Biden Administration outlined several new plans ostensibly targeted at supporting care workers and family caregivers. Continuing a framework set out early in the Biden campaign, the strategy targets caregivers and workers in childcare, aging services, and services for people with disabilities.
MDS Education Coming Soon
On April 13, 2023 by Sharon Hollister
The updated MDS 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) user manual (version 1.18.11) was released in early April by CMS and will become effective Oct. 1. Watch for more information this month on our training timeline.
MDH, DHS Postpone Nursing Home Provider Webinar
On April 13, 2023 by Mark Schulz
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) have postponed the webinar scheduled for 1 p.m. on April 17 to provide information on nursing home topics including:
- Receivership
- Closure and emergency relocation procedures
- The role of governing board
Members Attend LeadingAge Minnesota Mini Day at the Capitol
On April 13, 2023 by LeadingAge
On Wednesday of this week, a group of LeadingAge Minnesota members attended a “Mini Day at the Capitol” in an effort to continually share our stories and drive legislative action. They had the opportunity to meet with their lawmakers to discuss our long-term care policy priorities and share their stories.
Waiver and Medical Assistance Financial Eligibility Renewals at the End of PHE Continuous Coverage Period
On April 13, 2023 by Bobbie Guidry
On April 7, the Minnesota Department of Human Services released Bulletin #23-21-08: DHS Announces Key MHCP Eligibility Policies during the Unwinding Period (PDF), which announces timelines for restarting Medical Assistance renewals after Public Health Emergency continuous coverage requirements end. These timelines also apply to reassessments for waiver and AC programs, including financial eligibility redeterminations for the AC program.
Register Your ICan Quality Improvement Team by May 1
On April 13, 2023 by Julie Apold
The deadline for registering a team for this year’s ICan Quality Improvement Contest is May 1. The contest involves developing and implementing a Quality Improvement project identified and led by front-line staff.
Reminder from DHS: CADI and BI Age Limit for New Customized Living Settings
On April 13, 2023 by Bobbie Guidry
In a recent bulletin, the Department of Human Services (DHS) reminded providers that effective Jan. 11, 2021, an age limitation was applied to new customized living (CL) services settings for Brain Injury (BI) and Community Access for Disability Inclusion (CADI) waiver programs. Customized living services settings operational on or after Jan. 11, 2021, are limited to serving people on the BI and CADI waivers who are age 55 and older. This change was announced in the Implementation of the HCBS rule tiered standards, effective Jan. 11, 2021.
Drive Advocacy by Sharing Caregiver and Senior Voices with Your Networks
On April 13, 2023 by Dan Nelson
LeadingAge Minnesota is launching a statewide digital advocacy campaign featuring a series of videos that tell the stories of caregivers and seniors. The goal of the campaign is to drive advocacy at a critical time in the legislative session.
Nurse Aide Knowledge Test Pass Rates are on the Rise
On April 13, 2023 by Anna Mowry
New data shows that statewide nurse aide knowledge test pass rates have increased by over 8% in the first quarter of 2023. This means more nursing assistants have been successfully certified and placed on the registry.
BELTSS to Present Licensing and Practice Requirements for Assisted Living Directors in Webinar next Wednesday
On April 13, 2023 by Bobbie Guidry
The Minnesota Department of Health’s Health Regulation Division (HRD) will host the Board of Executives for Long-Term Care Services and Supports (BELTSS) for a webinar on Wednesday, April 19, at noon to present the most frequently asked questions about Licensed Assisted Living Director (LALD) licensure and practice requirements.
Mark Your Calendars to Attend June District Meetings
On April 13, 2023 by Barbara Landeen
District Meetings are the perfect opportunity to build relationships with your regional colleagues, stay up-to-date on important issues that impact your work and community, and gain helpful resources to make your work easier. They also serve as an essential governance function of your association.
Aging Services Workforce Now Campaign Continues at Federal Level
On April 13, 2023 by Libbie Chapuran
Our national partners at LeadingAge continue to push forward with the Aging Services Workforce Now advocacy campaign launched last year. A recent member workforce poll conducted by LeadingAge showed the shortage of caregiving professionals across aging services is still a true crisis that is not improving. That's why it's critical that we tackle our workforce challenges at every level of government, including in Washington, DC.
Workforce Technology Solutions Playbook – Scheduling Software
On April 6, 2023 by Julie Apold
The Scheduling Software Playbook is the first in a series of workforce technology solution playbooks designed to assist you in identifying technology solutions to help address the workforce crisis.