News

Legislation amending the Home Care Law has been introduced this session. The bill was developed through a working group of the Minnesota Home Care Association, Care Providers of Minnesota, and LeadingAge Minnesota, with technical assistance provided through the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). 

Minnesota’s latest budget forecast predicts a $329 million surplus for the current biennium, which runs from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2019. 

Beginning March 5, all Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) providers – including Adult Day Services and Customized Living - must bill each date of service on a separate line for all HCBS claims submitted. DHS will deny any claims that use a date span instead of individual lines for each date.  

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has posted updated information on Phase 2 of the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) provider attestation process on the transition plan for HCBS settings webpage. 

You may have heard of apprenticeship as it relates our field through our Health Support Specialist registered apprenticeship program. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry (DOLI) hopes to add more apprenticeship programs in healthcare in the future, and is hosting a free, one-day summit in March to showcase best practices and strategies to expand apprenticeships. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) has launched a NETStudy Roster Import Process, which will affect all LeadingAge Minnesota members that submit background studies. 

Recent survey data shows the Minnesota Department of Health is frequently citing care centers for not addressing the requirements of tag E-0026 within their emergency plans. 

The statewide listening sessions hosted by state senators referenced in last week’s edition of Advantage have been postponed. They plan to instead convene throughout the summer and include updates about progress that was made during the legislative session. 

The Office of Health Facility Complaints (OHFC) has made great strides in reducing the backlog of maltreatment complaints from seniors and vulnerable adults in care centers and senior living settings. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) recently announced that providers must bill each date of service on a separate line for all Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) claims submitted starting March 5, 2018.  

State Senators are holding a series of listening sessions focused on aging and long-term care issues across Minnesota throughout February and April. The listening sessions, hosted by Senator Karin Housley (R-St. Mary’s Point), chair of the Senate Aging and Long-Term Care Policy Committee, are designed to be a venue for vulnerable Minnesotans and their families to share their stories. 

Governor Mark Dayton has appointed former Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm to lead the state Health Department. Malcolm, a veteran health care executive with a national reputation in health policy, led the department under Governor Jesse Ventura from 1999 to 2003. 

Older adults and people with disabilities who receive home and community-based services, including adult day services, may be called and invited to participate in an in-person interview for the National Core Indicators – Aging & Disabilities initiative. The calls will begin this week and continue through May. 

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has posted to its website the recording and presentation slides from its Jan. 12 webinar titled Preventing and Responding to Influenza in Minnesota Long-Term Care Facilities. 

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) is seeking proposals for the next round of the Nursing Home Performance-Based Incentive Payment Program (PIPP). Proposals are due May 1. Incentive payments for selected projects will begin on Jan. 1, 2019. 

Thank you to all the members who turned out for our District Meetings last week.  We are traveling to Districts A (Bagley), B (Grand Rapids) and C (Detroit Lakes) next week, and we hope to see many of you there. The program features a break out for care centers to discuss recent survey activities and outcomes.  If the State surveyed your facility recently, please join us at Districts next week to share what you learned about the new process.  

Flu activity season is in full swing. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, influenza activity has moved from low rates to widespread. Hospitalization rates for 2017 – 2018 indicate that the 65+ age group has almost tripled all other flu cases for those who have been hospitalized. There have been 55 reported influenza-like illness outbreaks in long term care.