News

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:  

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is seeking public comment for the next 30 days on the second batch of evidentiary packages written for home and community-based settings across the state. A number of LeadingAge MN members who provide Adult Day Services or Customized Living Services are included in this batch of evidentiary packages.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has posted the instructions and goal sheet for the 2019 Quality Improvement Incentive Payment (QIIP) program. The deadline for care centers to submit their selected quality improvement topic is 11:59 pm on July 1.  

The Minnesota Legislature returned from its spring recess this week and wasted no time in getting down to business. Today in the Minnesota House, lawmakers will be voting on the House HHS Finance omnibus bill (HF2414). Tomorrow AARP will host a Telephone Town Hall with Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan on their key priorities for the remainder of the legislative session, which will include discussion on the protection of older adults in assisted living settings.  

Housing with Services and Assisted Living providers regularly find themselves in challenging situations, working to meet the needs and preferences of all residents, their families, and communities, while at the same time, assuring safe and secure settings and care, staffing in sufficient numbers and competencies to deliver the care promised, supporting staff to carry out their demanding jobs, and staying tuned to operate in a way that maintains the viability of the organization. As the demands swirl, how do we deal with the challenging situation that presents itself?  

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has announced that Michelle Larson was named the full-time Director for the Health Regulation Division. She had been serving as the interim director of that division. 

Don’t delay -- the deadline for the bonus round of the HCBS Scholarship Grant is April 19. You can find the application here.  

A free conference on caring for a person with memory loss will be held on June 1 from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the McNamara Alumni Center. The conference is sponsored by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. 

Employer applications for the 2019 Summer Health Care Internship Program are due April 12. Care centers, home care providers and adult day services providers are encouraged to participate. 

Registration is open for the Minnesota Health Care Engineers Association (MHCEA) Spring Conference, set for Friday, May 3 at the Grand Casino Hinckley Convention Center. 

Employer applications for the 2019 Summer Health Care Internship Program are due April 12. Care centers, home care providers and adult day services providers are encouraged to participate.