News

For long-term care infection preventions, sometimes the hardest part of Antibiotic Stewardship is just getting started. Minnesota One Health Antibiotic Stewardship Collaborative has posted new resources and tools to support Antibiotic Stewardship in Long-Term Care on the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) website.  

If you are a Skilled Nursing Facility and have not selected an indicator for the 2019 Quality Improvement Incentive Payment (QIIP), time is running out! The deadline for submission of your selected quality improvement topic is 11:59 p.m. on July 1.  

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is seeking partners for Child Care Economic Development Grants. The grant program may provide up to $100,000 per award to help implement solutions to reduce the child care shortage in the state.  

Perhaps you heard about the success Bethesda in Willmar had with its Cycling Without Age program, which was recognized by LeadingAge Minnesota with a Stars Among Us award at this year’s Institute. Or maybe you have been following PioneerCare in Fergus Falls as they launch a similar program. Now, thanks to grant funding from the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), up to 30 care centers will have the opportunity to start their own program and bring joy to residents, inspire relationships and create community connections.  

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has updated the Tuberculosis (TB) regulations page for health care settings with the latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, the updated Facility Tuberculosis Risk Assessment Worksheet for Licensed Health Care Settings, and the notice of the Nationwide Shortage of Tuberculin Skin Test Antigens that includes the department’s recommendations for prioritizing tuberculin use in specific settings.   

Wage theft occurs when employers do not pay their workers what is owed them for the work they have performed. The new Minnesota Wage Theft law that goes into effect on July 1 creates additional protections for workers, including adding criminal penalties for employers who commit wage theft.   

While the Elder Care and Vulnerable Adult Protection Act of 2019 focuses particularly on Assisted Living licensure, there are several sections directly affecting nursing homes. One section prohibiting retaliation in nursing homes is effective Aug. 1, 2019. 

Common sense tells us that retaliation is prohibited against someone who makes a complaint or asserts their rights. The Elder Care and Vulnerable Adult Protection Act of 2019 provides additional clarity on who is protected from retaliation, in what situations they are protected, and defines what may be considered as retaliatory actions. The new requirements apply to both assisted living and nursing home settings. Nursing home providers should be sure to read the related story in this week's newsletter. 

In a ceremonial bill signing that took place today during the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, Governor Tim Walz cited the collaboration that took place among stakeholders to draft legislation that will improve the lives of seniors, move Minnesota forward in assisted living licensure, and help ensure safety, respect and dignity for people as they age.  

As we have been anticipating, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) Home Care and Assisted Living Program has released the new and updated survey forms for the Comprehensive and Temporary license. The forms are available on the MDH web site, and members will have a great opportunity to learn more about them and how surveyors will use them to determine your compliance at the June ALNET meetings.  

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is sponsoring workshops in July to support long-term care settings in writing an effective antibiotic stewardship policy. The workshops, which will take place in  Marshall, Duluth and Saint Paul, are most beneficial when three to four individuals from the same setting, both clinical and administrative, are able to attend together. Workshop details: 

The annual re-calculation of the Housing Support, formerly Group Residential Housing (GRH), rate that covers rent and raw food for eligible participants has resulted in an increase of $18 per month. The new rate of $922 will be effective July 1, 2019, through June 30, 2020.   

Beginning June 8, 2019, Livanta will replace KEPRO as the Beneficiary and Family Centered Care (BFCC) Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) for Minnesota.  

The first installment of LeadingAge Minnesota’s webinar series, Top 10 Life Safety Code Violations and How to Avoid Them, focused on preparing for your federal fire/life safety recertification survey.   

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has announced two small grant programs for Medicaid-certified nursing homes with applications due by July 1. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services has extended the public comment period for the latest round of evidentiary packages written for home and community-based settings (HCBS) across to June 9. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) held a statewide regulatory call for care centers on May 13 and shared updates on commonly-cited deficiencies and other topics. MDH will post a recording and transcript of the call on its webpage shortly. Meanwhile, here are a few highlights from the call:  

The Minnesota Department of Health periodically receives guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on specific regulatory or survey issues, which the Department will forward to LeadingAge Minnesota and other stakeholders when applicable. This guidance typically comes in the form of an email written by the CMS Central Office in response to a question submitted by a state survey agency or a provider. This week MDH forwarded three questions-and-answers (identified with CMS tracking #s), which it described as clarifications from the Central Office. 

LeadingAge Minnesota is issuing Safety Alert based on an emerging theme we have identified in the Minnesota Office of Health Facility Complaints (OHFC) substantiated maltreatment reports. To help members prevent similar harm in their settings, we are distributing this Safety Alert to share learnings from these events and solutions for consideration. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) will host a statewide Nursing Home Regulatory telephone call on Monday, May 13 from 11 a.m. to Noon. Here are the connection details for the May 13 event: