News

The Minnesota House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the House Omnibus Health, Human Services, and Transportation Budget bill (HF 3138 – Dean). The bill, which passed on a 82 to 43 vote, contains a number of provisions important to senior service providers including the Vulnerable Adults Maltreatment Prevention and Protection Act (HF 3308 – Kiel, as amended in HHS) and funding for DWRS (HF 3191 – Schomacker). 

The Minnesota Senate has advanced a bill that would significantly alter many provisions that impact the way aging services providers serve older adults in long-term care settings.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Aging and Adult Services Division is about to launch a survey of wages and costs for all types of providers in the state’s Elderly Waiver (EW) program. 

Current law has a severe penalty that causes nursing homes with fines over a certain level ($10,483 as of 2017) to automatically lose their ability to train CNAs for two years - even if the care deficiencies cited are unrelated to the nursing home’s CNA training program.   

Coming soon: New AgingServicesJobs.Org platform! The temporary job board we launched in August 2017 is about to sunset as we integrate the newest job board technology. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) informed us last week that section 11.7.4 of NFPA 99, Health Care Facilities Code (2012 edition), does not allow the storage or use of liquid oxygen in patient bed locations (resident rooms) or patient care rooms, unless the room meets a 1-hour fire-resistance standard. Here is the code language: 

LeadingAge Minnesota has combined the best of two popular and enduring certificate programs into one program that meets the current demands and expectations of the key leaders working in Minnesota assisted living programs. This new educational offering is the merger of the previous Housing-with-Services Management and Home Care Nurse Managers certificate programs. 

Adult day providers received some good news last week when Minnesota House Republicans released budget targets that included funding to prevent a cut in Disability Waiver rates. 

The debate on immigration can send a chilling effect across our field, as immigrants and refugees are an essential part of our workforce – today and in the future. 

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) posted an analysis of data collected as part of the National Study for Long-Term Care Providers. The study is conducted every two years to monitor the trend in supply, provision and use of the major, regulated long-term services and supports.  

Effective strategic planning defines where an organization is going, the actions needed to make progress and how it will know if it is successful. Join us on May 17 for a hands-on session to learn and apply strategies designed to improve your organization’s approach to strategic planning. 

Despite wage increases and increased health insurance enrollment, direct care employee vacancies in care centers remain high as compared to a few years ago. 

Join us on April 11 for a web demo of LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation’s OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training! Sign up today.

An increase in hospital referrals to home health services and the growth of managed care and value-based models that emphasize length of stay management and clinical performance are driving down the demand for skilled nursing services. Are you prepared to address decreased occupancy? 

The Minnesota Capitol is quiet this week as lawmakers are in the middle of a 10-day spring break recess. The following is a mid-session legislative update and a summary of the some of the key issues we are tracking: 

What does aging services look like in the year 2030? The new 2030 Aging Services Scenario Toolkit will help you design the answer. 

Are you ready to see a demo of LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation’s OnTrack Nursing Assistant Training? Sign up for the demo webinar on April 11!

After one year, LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation workforce grants are generating results in many rural communities, and you can learn more about these incredible programs at our April 19 Workforce Solutions Conference. Here’s a preview:  

For a period of 12 months beginning in February 2018, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will not use deficiencies cited on surveys on or after Nov. 28, 2017 in calculating the health inspection rating for the Nursing Home Compare Five-Star Quality Rating System. 

The LeadingAge national team has launched a new suite of products designed to help members quickly access information about federal regulatory initiatives and developments.