News

Joe Hanson, Nurse Manager at Walker Methodist Care Suites, in Edina was recently honored by LeadingAge Minnesota with the Rising Star Award. The award recognizes a person who stands out in their recent efforts to transform and enhance the experience of aging.

Leann Wright, Past President of Eventide Senior Living Communities in Moorhead, MN, was recently named Board Trustee of the Year by LeadingAge Minnesota.

Judy Rubertus, a volunteer with Boutwells Landing in Oak Park Heights, MN, has been named LeadingAge Minnesota’s Volunteer of the Year Award. The award recognizes individuals who volunteer in older adult services for their dedication, commitment, and positive impact on the lives of seniors and their communities. 

This week, the House Human Services Finance Committee heard HF 733, a bill that would facilitate raising wages for professional caregivers in aging services. This important legislation is the top priority of our 2023 legislative agenda, and LeadingAge Minnesota was thrilled to work with bill sponsor Rep. Heather Edelson (DFL-Edina) to produce a strong hearing.

On Monday, President Biden announced he will end the public health emergency (PHE) on May 11. This announcement was not a surprise given the shift towards our new “normal” the pandemic has created for everyone. 

We are thrilled to announce that LeadingAge Minnesota has been awarded over $400,000 to launch a statewide campaign to recruit new caregivers.

This week Governor Tim Walz released his budget proposal, a mixed bag for long-term care providers. While it acknowledges and takes steps to address the underfunding of the Elderly Waiver (EW) program, it does nothing meaningful to address the staffing shortages and resulting access problems in the care center sector.

On Jan. 18, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced two initiatives in quality and safety oversight memo 23-05-NH in response to the Biden-Harris administration effort to improve nursing home transparency, safety, and quality. CMS intends to conduct offsite nursing home audits to determine if the nursing home correctly coded diagnoses for residents using antipsychotic medication. CMS will change how citations under dispute are posted.

This morning, Governor Tim Walz released a preview of his proposed budget addressing Minnesota's workforce challenges. This preview covers a variety of sectors and includes some investments benefitting aging services.

The Caregiver Stabilization Act (SF 7) was heard in the Senate Human Services Committee on Monday afternoon.

LeadingAge Minnesota completed a survey of our adult day services members to evaluate their financial health and the challenges they are facing in recovering from the impacts of the Covid pandemic. The results make clear that adult day service providers face many challenges as they attempt to maintain this vital part of the network of services for the elderly and disabled.

The Public Health Emergency (PHE), first declared in Jan. 2020 and extended continually for 90-day periods since then, has been extended for another 90 days until April 11. 

The Department of Human Services (DHS) recently informed us that they intend to offset the revenue from the federal Employee Retention Credit (ERC) from care center costs based on the wages and taxes used in the ERC application. That means that some care centers will see reductions in their rate for the rate year that started this Jan. 1. DHS auditors have begun requesting detailed information from care centers that have applied for the ERC to determine these offsets.

Earlier this week, the Minnesota Legislature gaveled in the start of this year's session. LeadingAge Minnesota and our Long-Term Care Imperative partner are prepared to advocate for our members and share our key message throughout the session, which is slated to end in May. With a $17 billion budget surplus, lawmakers must act to ensure access to care for Minnesota's seniors and that caregivers receive the wages they deserve.

With the assistance of several nurse leaders, LeadingAge Minnesota created a sample document for assisted living organizations to communicate expectations to staff. Understanding when an unlicensed person (ULP) must contact a registered nurse (RN) can be confusing, and the resource can help clarify some of your questions.

LeadingAge Minnesota's exciting new Data Portal continues to expand to provide opportunities for tracking and benchmarking your performance on key metrics. In January, we will launch the assisted living quality and services measures portal application.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) was very busy last week. The Board issued four new rulings that significantly impact labor relations between employers and employees. 

The Minnesota Legislature will convene on Jan. 3, 2023. LeadingAge Minnesota has finalized its member-developed, board-approved legislative priorities for the upcoming session. At the top of the list: ensuring providers across the continuum of care have the resources needed to ensure access to care for Minnesota's seniors and pay caregivers the wages they deserve.

LeadingAge Minnesota's Data Portal will include an exciting new tool in January – a compensation data portal that allows providers to benchmark their wages for key positions against other providers statewide or a select group of providers in their market area. The compensation data portal also collects information on differentials and bonuses for each position to provide a robust look at overall compensation.

Whenever a nursing home changes ownership, the new owner must apply for an operating license before taking over the operations of an already licensed organization. Aug. 1 amendments to the change of ownership (CHOW) process took effect. The current licensee remains responsible until the new owner is properly licensed. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has the updated information and forms and process available.