Join Dr. David Gifford, Chief Medical Officer for the American Health Care Association, for an insightful session on the critical national policy changes affecting long-term care (LTC) providers. As the landscape of regulations, payment structures, and public reporting continues to evolve, understanding these changes is vital for leaders in both assisted living and skilled nursing facilities. This session will equip you with the knowledge to navigate these shifts, advocate effectively for resident care, and ensure your facility stays ahead of the curve. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain a comprehensive understanding of the future of LTC and how to lead your organization through these changes.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this presentation 80% of the participants will self report a knowledge gain of proposed changes to regulations, payment, and public reporting impacting LTC care providers.

Learner Objectives:

1. Describe proposed changes to regulations for LTC facilities.
2. Discuss the changes to payment and public reporting requirements impacting LTC care providers

Highly successful LTC organizations are almost always explained by leadership. This session will provide an overview of findings from interviews with over 25 highly successful LTC organizations and how leadership is critical to adopting practices leading to better quality and financial performance.  A key characteristic is how leaders rely on the organization's mission, vision, and values, and also how the organization identifies and trains leaders in how to build a trusting culture.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this education activity, 80% of the learners will self-report a knowledge gain of strategies and leadership practices that lead to lower staff turnover and enhanced clinical practice.

Learner Objectives:

1. Describe non-clinical factors that impact resident outcomes.
2. Discuss practices to enhance relationships with staff.
3. Identify strategies to monitor compliance with CMS regulations.

First off, this session will offer an overview of the MI Choice Waiver program to better understand the program. This may offer program options for assisted living residents. Additionally, this session will provide a comprehensive introduction to PACE, exploring how it supports aging in place while delivering high-quality, cost-effective care. Attendees will gain insights into the program’s structure, benefits, and opportunities for collaboration—helping them launch into a new era of senior care with a deeper understanding of this transformative model.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this learning activity, 80% of participants will self report a knowledge increase of the MI Choice and Pace programs and how they assist residents and older adults.

Learner Objectives:

1. Describe how the MI Choice Waiver may work related to assisted living settings.
2. Apply knowledge to offer resources to residents.
3. Evaluate the MI Choice rules and regulations for effectively helping residents.
4. Describe the fundamental principles of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), including its structure, eligibility criteria, and core services.
5. Compare PACE to traditional long-term care models, such as skilled nursing facilities, in terms of cost, outcomes, and patient-centered care.
6. Evaluate the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating PACE as a care option for medically complex older adults in skilled nursing and post-acute care settings.
7. Apply knowledge of PACE to identify opportunities for collaboration between skilled nursing facilities and PACE organizations to improve care coordination.
8. Discuss strategies for engaging with PACE programs to enhance patient transitions, reduce hospitalizations, and support aging in place.

This session will provide Michigan skilled nursing facilities an overview of the changes for Medicaid rate setting, initial and final settlements, and related limits as allowed by the State Medicaid system, including QAS and QMI. We will also provide an update related to Medicare reimbursement, and managed care trends. Finally, we will also provide observations and trends derived from the PM 2025 SNF benchmarking report recently issued.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this educational activity, 80% of the participants will self-report on the post session evaluation a knowledge gain of potential changes to Medicaid reimbursement for FY 2025 and potential impact on reimbursement, and access to relevant operating benchmarking information.

Learner Objectives:

1. Describe the changes in Medicaid rate setting, settlement, audit and related variable cost and plant limits for SFY 24-25, along with upcoming SFY 25-26 changes.
2. Discuss Medicare reimbursement Update.
3. Identify 2 major findings findings in PM 2025 SNF Benchmarking Report.

Discover how Human and AI Synergy is revolutionizing Senior Care in this session as we “Launch into a New Era” together. Learn how AI can enhance clinical expertise, optimize workflow efficiency, and elevate care quality. Join us as we explore strategies to help streamline workflows, support decision-making, and personalize care—empowering healthcare systems to navigate the future of senior care with confidence!

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this session, 80% of participants will self-report a knowledge gain in utilizing AI tools to enhance nursing practice, reduce administrative burdens, and improve care coordination.

Learner Objectives:

1. Describe how AI, when integrated with clinical expertise, enhances operational efficiency and improves care quality.
2. Identify key ways AI-driven insights support clinical decision-making and personalized care solutions.
3. Analyze case studies where AI has optimized workflow and improved patient outcomes in healthcare settings.
4. Evaluate the impact of AI-assisted decision-making on nursing practice and patient-centered care.

This session looks at the changing environment related to staffing in Long-Term Care. We will review strategies to avoid negative regulatory outcomes related to staffing based upon the guidance issued by CMS. The session delves into CMS findings, establishing a crucial link between staffing and quality. It reviews the Minimum Staffing Standards Recommendations, Turnover Measures, and regulatory challenges shedding light on the anticipated impact and how to prepare. Staffing related tags F725 & F726 are discussed, analyzing their implications and exploring strategies to mitigate. Participants will gain insights into actionable steps, including updating the Facility Assessment Staffing Plan and utilizing CMS Staffing Toolkits. The session presents strategies for cultural change to better meet the needs of the workforce. Ultimately, it advocates for a cultural paradigm shift in the approach to staffing and workforce management in long-term care, reinforcing the need for change and a focus on workforce fulfillment to improve current staffing levels, reduce turnover, and increase recruitment. The learning techniques employed include interactive discussions, and real-world applications to encourage active participation and foster a deep understanding of the subject matter.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this educational session 80% of participants will self-report a knowledge increase of how to address resident and employee concerns, engagement and involvement in the improvement process, initiating and managing change to improve the facility overall culture.

Learner Objectives:

1. Define culture change as it relates to improving job quality and longevity of staff.
2. Discuss how to access the CMP Toolkits and their purpose.
3. List at least 3 elements that should be included in a comprehensive staffing plan.
4. Identify 3 strategies to improve job quality in long-term care.

This presentation will cover the in's and out's of fair housing law and ADA requirements for assisted living facilities. Learn strategies for following the law and protecting your community from a fair housing complaint through case studies. There will be a discussion of changes to the law as well as the application of the law to pets, service animals, and emotional support animals.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this session, 80% of the participants will self-report a knowledge gain of resident rights under fair housing law and the ADA.

Learner Objectives:

1. Identify the legal requirements for housing providers under fair housing laws and the ADA.
2. Explain the practical applications of these laws for LTC and Assisted Living facilities.
3. Discuss strategies for ensuring compliance with the law.

Michigan Health Quality Partners (MHQP) is a business entity organized and owned by a network of more than 125+ SNF providers with the goal of driving opportunities for innovation in delivery of care, population health management, and value-based reimbursement. Join our team of population health experts as we strategize ways to grow value-based contracting opportunities while delivering quality through clinical integration.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this educational activity, 80% of the participants will self-report on the post session evaluation a knowledge gain of managed care trends in the industry and how best to work with these changes at a facility level.

Learner Objectives:

1. Describe the impetus behind increases to Medicare advantage participation in Michigan and nationwide.
2. Describe potential strategies to deal with the increase in Medicare Advantage residents at your facility.
3. Describe the benefits of a provider owned network.

Keeping current on the ever-changing landscape of laws and regulations governing the privacy of medical records is a necessary evil of healthcare. This presentation will discuss briefly the requirements under HIPAA for Covered Entities and Business Associates, as well as the Federal Trade Commission's involvement in healthcare data privacy beyond HIPAA, such as implications in social media. Finally, the presentation will provide some best practice that should be implemented to ensure compliance with the various laws and regulations.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this presentation 80% of the participants will self report a knowledge increase of the obligations for medical record privacy under HIPAA, FTC and state laws and regulations and how to insure compliance.

Learner Objectives:

1. Review HIPAA regulations.
2. Examine HIPAA enforcement actions.
3. Discuss FTC and FTCA application to healthcare providers.
4. Discuss best practices for HIPAA and other data privacy laws compliance.

Risk Management is often misunderstood as something extra or more work. Strong professional practice Risk Management practice with a systemic approach can reduce risk for accidents and incidents and increase patient outcomes.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of the session, 80% of the participants will self report a knowledge gain related to using evidence based risk management practices to reduce risk of patient injury.

Learner Objectives:

1. Describe risk management.
2. Explain the top 3 risk areas in LTC.
3. Discuss key components of a risk management system for your facility

Surrogate decision making is a complex legal matter. Are you confused? Do you have the right paperwork? Do you have the right paperwork in place at the right time? What considerations should we take when our residents are living in memory care? In this session we outline the powers of guardians, patient advocates, DPOAs, and conservators. We review the Michigan Do-Not-Resuscitate Law. We talk about what needs to be signed initially and how often documents need to be reviewed and updated.

Nurse Learner Outcome: At the conclusion of this session, 80% of the participants will self-report a knowledge gain in the validity of surrogate decision maker documents.

Learner Objectives:

1. Identify who makes financial and care decisions for residents.
2. Identify the documentation required to prove that authority.
3. Describe the different types of decision makers for a resident.