MHCA Informer 5/21/2025
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
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YOUR BIMONTHLY SOURCE FOR HOME CARE NEWS
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Wednesday, May 21, 2025
Official Publication of Minnesota Home Care Association
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Inside the Informer
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Member News
MHCA In Action
State News
Federal News
Educational Opportunities
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Member News
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MN Legislative Session Ends Without Passing Budget – Special Session Likely
The 2025 MN Regular Legislative Session officially ended Tuesday evening. However, with much work left undone, lawmakers will need to return for a special session to complete their work of passing a state budget. A final Human Services Finance bill has not yet been agreed to.
Legislative leaders shared their differing views Tuesday on why their work wasn’t going to be completed on time, and still expressed optimism that the special session could possibly be brief. There was acknowledgement however that significant progress would need to be made on a number of negotiating fronts for that to happen. Only Governor Walz can call a special session. MHCA will continue to monitor and share updates.
One smaller bill of interest that was successfully passed before adjournment this evening was the Human Services Policy bill. This bill still needs to be signed by Governor Walz to become law. Here is a link to the final bill
, and some of the provisions of interest from that bill include:
- Prohibits a home and community-based services provider regulated by chapter 245D from requiring a client to have or obtain a guardian or conservator as a condition of receiving or continuing to receive services.
- Delaying until January 1, 2029, the effective date of the required encumbrances of specified percentages of MA disability waiver services revenue for direct care staff compensation.
- Requires medical assistance providers to grant the state medical review team (SMRT) access to electronic health records.
- Clarification that certain Human Services licensing training requirements must take place before the employee or volunteer has direct contact with persons served by the program.
- Establishing DHS “anti-kickback” proposal and criminal penalty.
- Allows parents to provide personal assistance to a minor in certain situations under the CDCS program.
Best Practices to Improve HHCAHPS Star Ratings – Series Starting June 3
Patients are also customers, and their experience impacts the agency. The patient's experience shapes what they tell their friends and family about their care and impacts the agency’s HHCAHPS Star Ratings and payment under
HHVBP.
This 3-part series, presented by Melinda Gaboury, will take agencies through best practices of working within their organization to show improvement in these ratings. How
can your agency staff specifically focus on improving the patient experience?
Register here.
Customer Service Training for Front-Line Staff – One Low Price for Your Agency!
Jennifer Osburn will take the learner through seven 20-minute sessions that will assist your staff members in creating the most effective, caring patient experience that your patients could have.
The sessions are on-demand so you can watch when convenient for you!
Session 1: Team-Based Care in a Patient Centered World: Overview of Patient Care Outside a Brick-and-Mortar Care Setting
Session 2: Communication, Communication, Communication: Keeping the Patient and the Team in the Loop
Session 3: R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Minding Your Ps and Qs in the Customer’s Home
Session 4: Be a Dan or a Jan with a Plan: Being Prepared and Professional
Session 5: Making Lemonade from Lemons: Managing Complaints
Session 6: Teacher, Teacher, Can You Teach Me? Teaching and Training That Matters
Session 7: Making the Grade: How to Know If What You Are Doing is Working
Available on-demand starting June 24.
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MHCA In Action
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MHCA Offers Input in Alliance Response to OMB
The National Alliance for Care at Home responded on behalf of home health to The Trump Administration’s Request for Information on identifying unduly burdensome, duplicative, or outdated regulations. MHCA provided input on the letter to the Office of Management and Budget and are hopeful that streamlined regulations will promote a more effective and efficient healthcare system. Highlighted regulations include:
Medicare home health:
- Home health face to face, who may conduct and certify.
- Outcome and Assessment Information Set; Reporting of the OASIS on all patients regardless of payers.
Home Care:
- Companionship Services Exemption: Restore the federal companionship exemption for workers providing non-medical supervision, assistance with activities of daily living, and companionship services in private homes.
Medicaid:
- Medicaid Access Rule: a policy at 42 CFR §441.301(k) that requires providers of home health aide, homemaker, and personal care services to allocate 80% of Medicaid revenues on compensation to the direct care workers providing the services beginning in 2030.
- Medicaid Electronic Visit Verification.
View the full letter.
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STATE NEWS
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PCA and CFSS Cost Reporting Demonstration and Q&A
The Minnesota Department of Human Services will host three webinars that will include a demonstration
and Q&A session about cost reporting for PCA and CFSS agency model providers. Participants only need to attend one of the three webinars. The event dates are June 11, July 9, and August 6.
Learn more and register.
CFSS Development and Implementation Council 2025 meetings
The Minnesota Department of Human Services scheduled three CFSS Development and Implementation Council meetings for 2025. All meetings are scheduled from 10 to 11 a.m. on:
- Tuesday, June 10, 2025.
- Tuesday, September 9, 2025.
- Tuesday, December 9, 2025.
View the full announcement and register.
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federal news
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CMS Issues Proposed Regulations to Limit Provider Tax Loophole
On May 12, 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a proposed rule that, if finalized as proposed, would end states’ ability to exploit a health care-related tax loophole currently used by seven
states to generate billions in federal Medicaid payments without contributing their fair share or expanding care for Medicaid enrollees.
Learn more.
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Educational Opportunities
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Upcoming MHCA Events - Register Today!
2025 Education Calendar
OASIS-E1 Training Series - RCTCLEARN.NET
OASIS-E1 CCL Move to Improve: Online Learning Program Members Only
June 3, 10, 19, 2025 -Home Health CAHPS: Practical Improvement Best Practices
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Webinar Series
June 24, 2025 - HHCAHPS: Customer Service Training for Front-Line Staff
, On-Demand
June 25, 2025 - Member Meeting + Free Safety Education
, Virtual
July 16, 2025 - Nuts and Bolts: Beyond the Basics
, Webinar
August 4-5, 2025 - Blueprint for OASIS-E1, Alexandria
August 6, 2025 - COS-C Exam, Alexandria
October 1-2, 2025 - 55th Annual Meeting & Expo - Exhibitor Registration, Breezy Point
On-Demand Opportunities
Click on the logos below for a list of courses offered!
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Find on-demand education here!
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FREE FOR MEMBERS!
RCTCLEARN Resources:
RCTCLEARN’s OASIS-E1-Integrating Data Collection into Patient Care Training Series is available and consists of 8 comprehensive Online Modules.
Please visit
https://rctclearn.net/oasis
to order your OASIS-E1 Training Series Package. New
and returning OASIS Training Series clients will receive access to the OASIS-E1 Training
Series after payment is made.
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Save the Date
Other Educational Opportunities
Free Training
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Minnesota Home Care Association
P: 651.635.0607 | F: 651.635.0043 | www.mnhomecare.org | membership@mnhomecare.org
Mission: MHCA represents and supports Minnesota home care providers committed to high quality home care services.
Vision: MHCA will shape the home care landscape to improve and sustain quality home care services.
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