|
Cover
Have You “Saved a Senior” Yet? Act Now to Oppose Medicare Cuts
By Patti Cullen, CAE
AHCA/NCAL has provided state affiliates with some information to assist with advocating on behalf of our residents with our Members of Congress. It is vitally important to do this now – have you contacted your read more...
Nursing Facility Rate Notices for October 1 Posted to Provider Portal
By Todd Bergstrom
The rate notices for the upcoming rate year were posted on the DHS Provider Portal last Friday. The 2009 Legislative Session removed the operating rate rebasing increases nursing facilities were to receive read more...
Governor Announces Third Round of Unallotments
By Patti Cullen, CAE
Governor Tim Pawlenty announced on August 14 another $13.6 million in cuts that will hit tax and human services bureaucracy, Twin Cities transit, and natural resources programs. The reductions will take effect in read more...
Sold Out! Assisted Living & Senior Housing Summit Draws Record Numbers Again
By Cyndi Spencer
If you waited until the last minute to register for the 2009 Assisted Living & Senior Housing Summit, “We’re sold out” is the message you’ll hear if you call, but make sure you put your name on the waiting list read more...
QIS Goes National as the Authorized Nursing Facility Survey Process
By Doug Beardsley
CMS recently announced that it is implementing the QIS protocol for nursing facility surveys nationally. To date, the implementation of the QIS includes 11 States. Minnesota intends to be QIS statewide by read more...
Legislative/ On the Hill
Look Who’s Running for Governor!
By Larry Johnson
The Gubernatorial field is starting to round out. We know who is 100% running now and a few who are still thinking about making the race. Association staff is meeting with the announced candidates throughout read more...
Legislators to Offer Meet and Greet at the State Fair
By Larry Johnson
From Thursday, Aug. 27 through Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 7, legislators will be on hand to answer questions from the public and discuss issues of concern during the Great Minnesota Get-Together. In addition to read more...
It’s State Fair Legislative Poll Time!
By Larry Johnson
If you and your family are planning to visit the state fair, we encourage you to stop at the Legislature’s booths and take a moment to fill out the House and Senate polls. The results of these polls will be tallied and read more...
State News
Senator Klobuchar Holds Press Conference on Bills to Support Seniors and Caregivers
By Lisa Foss Olson
On Monday, August 17, Senator Amy Klobuchar held a press conference at the Wilder Center in St. Paul, on three pieces of legislation she is introducing that protect seniors and their caregivers read more...
Got Any Good Ideas on Some Tough Care Center Issues?
By Patti Cullen, CAE
The sponsoring organizations recently met to discuss what activities emanating from the first phase of work on Care Centers of the Future could be advanced in a time of significant budget deficits. We came up read more...
Medicaid Citizen’s Advisory Committee Informed of Legislative Changes
By Todd Bergstrom
DHS' Medicaid Citizen’s Advisory Committee met on August 18, 2009 to hear from DHS staff on the changes made to Medicaid by the 2009 Legislative and unallotment processes, and to provide input to read more...
DHS Offers September 10 Video Conference on Ways to Get Involved in Evidence-Based Health Promotion
By Phil Manz
The Minnesota Board on Aging and MDH are partnering with the Area Agencies on Aging and local service providers to implement two evidence-based health promotion programs statewide read more...
National News
Hospira Recalls Certain Power Cords Due to Potential Fire Hazards
By Doug Beardsley
Hospira has initiated a nationwide recall of certain Hospira devices that have defective AC power cords manufactured by Electri-Cord Manufacturing Corporation. This recall is being issued in response read more...
Registration Is Now Open for Suppliers Interested in Competitive Bidding for DMEPOS
By Patti Cullen, CAE
If you are a supplier interested in bidding in the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program, register now. Designate one Authorized Official listed on the CMS-855S enrollment form to act as your read more...
Sprinkler System Credited for Saving Georgia Assisted Living Residents
By Doug Beardsley
"If the sprinkler system wasn't there, people wouldn't have gotten out of there. No way," said Brunswick Fire Marshal Jose Juarbe. A fire alarm at the facility for people with cognitive disabilities alerted the read more...
CMS Five-Star Quality Rating System – August News
By Doug Beardsley
The Five-Star provider preview reports will be available beginning August 18, 2009, with the information to publicly go live on August 27, 2009. Providers can access the report from the MDS State Welcome read more...
DEA Issues “Dear Practitioner” Letter
By Doug Beardsley
The long-awaited "Dear Practitioner" letter from the Drug Enforcement Administration was recently released. Over 90 days ago, the letter was requested by the long-term care stakeholder group led by read more...
AHCA/NCAL News
Clinical Professionals: Learn and Network with Your Peers This Year in Chicago!
By Doug Beardsley
AHCA/NCAL invites all care professionals and staff to four days of valuable, results-oriented educational programming at this year’s AHCA/NCAL 60th Annual Convention & Expo, October 4-7, 2009, at the read more...
Housing and Community-Based Services
DHS to Offer September 3 Video Conference on Using New Technology to Keep Seniors Safe at Home
by Phil Manz
On Sept. 3, DHS will be hosting a 2-hour video conference on sensing technology to help identify potentially adverse events, how the technology can be paid for through the elderly waiver program, and read more...
Quality Initiatives
INTERACT II - Helping to Reduce Avoidable Transfers to Hospitals
By Doug Beardsley
Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers is a program to improve the identification, evaluation and communication about changes in resident status, designed to reduce the frequency of read more...
Medicare Demonstrations Show Paying for Quality Health Care Pays Off
By Doug Beardsley
Demonstrations being conducted by CMS continue to provide strong evidence that offering financial incentives for improving or delivering high quality care increases quality and can reduce the growth in read more...
Quality Resources
Advancing Excellence Requests Feedback from Enrolled Nursing Facilities
By Doug Beardsley
Nursing facilities participating in the Advancing Excellence in America’s Nursing Homes campaign should have received a request that they complete a short survey regarding participation in the campaign read more...
Foundation
Speaking Up for the Silent Auction
By Cyndi Spencer
GREAT things are in store for this year’s Convention-goers. We are receiving some wonderful items for this year’s Silent Auction – but we need your contributions to make it the biggest and best ever read more...
Association Activities
But Is It Information Overkill?
By Lisa Foss Olson
As additional ways to communicate become available, we look to see if they would be of value to members, and if so, how. That’s one of the reasons we switched from paper to an electronic newsletter, and read more...
Member Resources
Quality Indicator Survey Resource Manual
By Todd Bergstrom
Our resource manual provides all of the QIS forms, the surveyor training manual, excerpts from the SOM, and other QIS related documents. Use these forms for survey preparation and for quality improvement read more...
Legal Trends
Reminder: Providers Must Check Exclusion Status of Employees and Vendors
By Toby Pearson
This is a reminder that providers may face monetary penalties if they employ or conduct business with individuals or entities that are excluded from participation in federal health care programs read more...
FYI Corner
Metro AAA Public Hearing on Fund Transfer Is Set for September 3
By Patti Cullen, CAE
The Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging Board of Directors will hold a public hearing on Thursday, Sept. 3, 2009 from 1:30 – 3:30 pm at its office to hear comments on the 2010 proposed Program Development & read more...
Twin Cities Compass Working on Aging Topics Presence
By Patti Cullen, CAE
TC Compass gives everyone in the Twin Cities (seven county metro area) a common foundation to identify, understand, and act on community issues that affect our region by: providing unbiased, credible read more...
Medicare Diabetes Screening Project Encouraging Use of Promotional Materials
By Patti Cullen, CAE
The Medicare Diabetes Screening Project has free reminder cards as well as free presentations for the purpose of “finding the undiagnosed.” Approximately 1 in 3 seniors 65 and older have diabetes, and nearly read more...
Follow Care Providers of Minnesota
By Lisa Foss Olson
Now, you can follow along with what is happening in the Association, via twitter. Each day, someone on the Association staff will post a tweet (which is about a sentence or two in length). To follow read more...
Great Question: Great Answer
By Doug Beardsley
What is known about the 2009/2010 Seasonal Flu and the H1N1 Novel Influenza (Swine Flu)? read more...
Education & Events Calendar
|
2009 | |
|
Aug. 25 - 26 |
|
|
Aug. 27 |
|
|
Sept. 13 - 19 |
|
|
Sept. 30 - Oct. 1 |
Managing Your Nursing Practice in Assisted Living and Senior Housing: Part I |
|
Oct. 6 |
Region 2 (Northeast) Meeting |
|
Oct. 7 |
Region 1 (Northwest) Meeting |
|
Oct. 8 |
Region 3 (West-Central) Meeting |
|
Oct. 9 |
Region 4 (East-Central) Meeting |
|
Oct. 13 |
Region 6 (Metro) Meeting |
|
Oct. 14 |
Region 8 (South-Central) Meeting |
|
Oct. 15 |
Region 5 (South-West) Meeting |
|
Oct. 16 |
Region 7 (South-East) Meeting |
|
Oct. 29 - 30 |
Managing Your Nursing Practice in Assisted Living and Senior Housing: Part II |
|
Nov. 16 - 18 |
Care Providers of Minnesota 2009 Convention & Expo – Minnesota Great |
Would your health care organization benefit from interactive e-communications like this one?
Experience this CPM-sponsored service with a 30-day free trial.
Sign up today or call 877-488-2666 for more information.
|
Care Providers of Minnesota 7851 Metro Parkway • Suite 200 • Bloomington, MN 55425 Phone: 952.854.2844 • Fax: 952.854.6214 • MN Toll-Free: 800.462.0024 • www.careproviders.org |