News

There’s good news in the area of employee retention for care centers. Our recent analysis of the employee retention data reported by care centers on the 2018 cost reports found that rates returned to the relatively high levels of the early part of the decade.  

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the results of the second year of implementation of Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) for skilled nursing settings. The results are a mixed review for Minnesota care centers.   

An organization that averages 40 staff terminations per year is spending at least $180,000. What’s your turnover cost? A new online calculator from LeadingAge can help you see how much staff turnover is costing your community. 

The State of Minnesota has set the statutory limits that Supplemental Nursing Services Agencies (SNSAs) can charge per hour for each type of staff. The new caps are effective Jan. 1, 2020.  

Fifteen LeadingAge Minnesota members have been named to the Safe Care for Seniors Action Honor Roll.  

Congress has approved legislation that will provide some Liberian immigrants in Minnesota and across the country permanent residency and a path to citizenship. The bill is expected to be signed into law yet this year.  

Effective Jan. 1, 2020, there will be new protections and consent procedures for residents and families, and roommates where applicable, who instill hidden electronic monitoring devices. The new law requires you to have each resident fill out a form to be provided by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). The form has not been finalized by MDH.  

The annual November budget forecast released last week shows a projected growth in the state’s budget surplus for the current biennium, which ends on June 30, 2021, to more than $1.3 billion. That’s an increase of more than $1 billion from the end of the legislative session, when the Legislature adjourned with a relatively small projected surplus. 

Was the last time you connected with your lawmaker during session? It’s time to dust off your advocacy hat and invite your lawmakers into your community before the next legislative session starts on Feb. 11, 2020. To help you accomplish this goal, we have developed a new resource for you.  

LeadingAge Minnesota staff and members are participating in three processes this week that will shape the next generation of assisted living.  

More than a dozen LeadingAge Minnesota members have completed their 5-Step Action Plan and will soon be announced to our first-ever Safe Care for Seniors Action Honor Roll. Are you ready to join them? Let us know by completing your Safe Care for Seniors Self-Assessment. 

As we covered in last week’s Advantage, LeadingAge Minnesota in partnership with Voigt, Rode, Boxeth and Coffin have developed sample templates to assist you in developing policies and communications for the new electronic monitoring requirements that go into effect Jan. 1, 2020. The templates are now available!  

As part of the new discharge planning rule that is effective Nov. 29, hospitals are required to provide patients preparing to transition from acute care to post-acute care with access to information about their provider choices. The information includes performance on quality and resource utilization measures, such as number of pressure ulcers, proportion of falls that lead to injury, and number of readmissions back to the hospital.  

The new electronic monitoring requirements for nursing homes and assisted living go into effect Jan. 1, 2020. To help you prepare for the new requirements, we will soon provide you with templates you can use to develop policies and communicate the changes to residents and staff. 

The former president and chief executive officer of the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA), Lawrence “Lorry” Massa passed away peacefully at his home in Alexandria on Nov. 22. 

LeadingAge Minnesota last week submitted recommendations and guidance to the Board of Examiners of Nursing Home Administrators (BENHA) on several issues related to rules development of the Licensed Assisted Living Director credential. 

To help us better understand the state of employee engagement practices in senior care, we are asking for your participation in a brief survey. As a leader in senior care, you offer critical insights that will help us understand what engagement approaches are being used and discover optimal methods for improving retention and performance through engagement.  

The Minnesota Nursing Home Report Card has added the results of the short-term stay resident surveys to the star rating.  

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has issued the final version of the Minnesota Home Care Bill of Rights. These changes were approved by the Minnesota Legislature during the 2019 legislative session and were effective Aug. 1, 2019. MDH worked closely with consumer and provider stakeholders on updating the versions, which enhanced the clarity of this important information. 

The two rulemaking processes designed to flesh out the details related to the assisted living licensure and licensed assisted living directors under the 2019 Elder Care and Vulnerable Adult Protection Act are underway.