If you missed this week’s Advocacy in Action call, the June 2026 recording is available and worth your time. The discussion covered Statehouse activity with broad implications for LeadingAge Ohio members, including updates on QIP back payment appropriations, changes connected to the state’s Medicaid fraud vehicle in House Bill 795, and renewed advocacy toward stand-alone legislation to strengthen hospice integrity.
Access the June 2026 Advocacy in Action recording. Top You Asked: How many reference checks are required when hiring nursing home staff? Is a facility compliant if it attempts to obtain references from prior employers but receives no response?
We Answered: Neither federal nor Ohio nursing home regulations specify a required number of reference checks that must be completed before hiring an employee. Under F606 of the State Operations Manual Appendix PP, facilities must be thorough in their investigations of the histories of prospective staff. In addition to inquiry of the State nurse aide registry or licensing authorities, the facility should check information from previous and/or current employers and make reasonable efforts to uncover information about any past criminal prosecutions.
The Ohio Revised Code 3721.121 also emphasizes an employer's good-faith efforts when screening and hiring individuals who provide direct care to older adults.
According to the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), surveyors would expect facilities to make reasonable efforts to obtain information from prior employers and to follow their abuse prevention policies regarding employee screening. If a facility attempts to contact prior employers and documents those efforts, the lack of a response from an employer would not, by itself, indicate noncompliance. While conducting only one reference check is not specifically prohibited, facilities should ensure their hiring practices are consistent with their own policies and demonstrate reasonable efforts to investigate an applicant's employment history. Top Registration is now open for the 2026 LeadingAge Ohio Annual Conference and Trade Show, where aging services professionals from across Ohio will come together to learn from one another, hear new ideas from the field, and connect with exhibitors offering tools and resources that support mission-driven work across the care continuum. This year’s conference returns to the Columbus Hilton at Easton from August 25th to August 27th. Attendees can now register for the conference, view the full session schedule, and make plans to join colleagues for this year’s program, built around the theme, Celebrating the Changemakers.
This year’s conference will also feature several ways to take part beyond attendance. Members and partners can nominate a changemaker for the Hall of Changemakers, a conference recognition created to honor a person or LeadingAge Ohio member whose work, leadership, or compassion has made a lasting difference. Organizations interested in increasing their visibility can explore sponsorship opportunities, and companies that want to connect directly with attendees can reserve a trade show booth while space remains available. The keynote session, “See ME: The Power of Person-Centered Care”, will be presented by Petra Marquart, who will examine why service matters more than ever in aging services and how person-centered care can build trust, strengthen relationships, and support organizational success. Read full conference details, and details on Hospice Pre-Conference sessions, on the 2026 Annual Conference page. Join nursing home leaders from across Ohio for the peer-driven Reimbursement Collaborative: Maximizing Opportunity in a Changing Environment, focused on what works for reimbursement. Beginning July 16 at 1 p.m., and recurring monthly, this virtual series offers shared learning between meetings, facility-specific data, and practical operational tools. Participants will learn with and from one another as they examine the links between reimbursement, workforce performance, quality outcomes, clinical operations, and regulatory success.
In accordance with ORC 3721.072(B) and OAC 173-60, the collaborative is designed to help organizations identify opportunities, assess risk, strengthen internal systems, and respond to changing reimbursement methodologies, quality programs, staffing expectations, and regulatory requirements.
Register your team for the collaborative. LeadingAge’s Center for Aging Services Technologies, or CAST, helps members make more informed technology decisions with practical tools, case studies, and guidance for aging services providers. From safety technology and telehealth to data analytics and medication management, CAST resources are designed to help organizations evaluate options, learn from peers, and put the right systems in place. Members exploring artificial intelligence, resident technology support, or broader technology planning will also find useful guidance through CAST. Learn more on the LeadingAge CAST page and in the technology selection tools. LeadingAge Ohio is continuing to experience technical issues that are delaying some member emails. As a result, recent newsletters and event reminders may have arrived late or may not have reached inboxes at all.
Members should check spam or junk folders and add LeadingAge Ohio to their safe sender list to help ensure timely delivery of future updates. Important information will continue to be shared through The Source and other member channels as the issue is addressed. There’s always something happening at LeadingAge Ohio. View upcoming events and mark your calendar today.
- June 17, 2 p.m. - Home Health & Hospice Subcommittee
- June 17, 3:30 p.m. - NF Finance/Reimbursement Subcommittee Meeting
- June 26, 10 a.m. - Marketing Roundtable with LeadingAge Indiana
- July 2, 10 a.m. - Advocacy Committee
- July 8, 11 a.m. - STAT: Survey Tips and Tactics 2026 – Hospice Services in the Nursing Home
- July 10, 11 a.m. - Adult Day Subcommittee
- July 16, 1 p.m. - 2026 Reimbursement Collaborative: Maximizing Opportunity in a Changing Environment
- July 20, 10 a.m. - Advocacy in Action
- August 24, 9 a.m. - Hospice Pre-Conference Sessions
- August 25-27, 2026 - Annual Conference & Trade Show
Top Mark your calendars for July 20, when registration opens for the 2026 LeadingAge Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Oct. 25-28. The national meeting brings together aging services leaders from across the country to share ideas, explore what is next for the field, and learn from colleagues advancing mission-driven services.
Provider members who register for the full conference between July 20 and July 24 will automatically receive the Early Action rate, saving an additional $100 beyond the Early Bird rate while also getting first access to LeadingAge hotel rooms and preferred locations. This rate is available only to LeadingAge provider members that provide direct care and services for older adults. Associations, nongovernmental organizations, and universities are not eligible, and Early Action registrations are non-transferable.
Receive email alerts and add the event to your calendar so your team is ready when registration opens. Now’s the time to reach out to your members of Congress to invite them for community visits during July 4 or August recesses. Use the member-only care settings and one-pager resources, as well as LeadingAge’s step-by-step guide to hosting found on this page. Top Elopements in Ohio long-term care facilities are increasing, creating safety risks for residents and potential citations from the Ohio Department of Health. To help providers meet federal requirements and state rules, ODH’s Provider Resources and Education Program has released a new training, “Elopement Prevention in Long-term Care Facilities.”
The free training offers continuing education for nurses, social workers, nursing home administrators, and dietitians. The training and survey readiness tool is available in the PREP section of the ODH website under Health Education Resources and Forms. Following bipartisan passage of Senate Bill 315, House Medicaid Committee Chair Rep. Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) said lawmakers are already considering additional Medicaid program integrity measures. The bill, which began as part of House Bill 795 before being incorporated into SB 315, was narrowed before passage after several provisions drew public concern or required further review. SB 315 passed the House 85-10 and received unanimous Senate concurrence before heading to Gov. Mike DeWine for consideration.
Gross identified several areas lawmakers may revisit, including foreign remittances tied to Medicaid funds, possible whistleblower compensation, an artificial intelligence pilot to detect fraud patterns, and federal sponsor repayment provisions for certain public assistance costs. Rep. Mike Dovilla, R-Berea, said he would first like to review the results of a Medicaid audit required in the state operating budget and see how SB 315 is implemented before pursuing next steps. The audit is expected to provide more information on the scope of fraud in the Aged, Blind, or Disabled portion of Medicaid, though final results may not be available until early 2027. Advocates and Democratic lawmakers who supported the final bill also raised concerns about the speed of the process and the need to rebuild trust with people with disabilities, families, and providers affected by earlier versions of the proposal.
Read the original article from State Affairs. Ohio lawmakers are taking a closer look at one of the most significant challenges facing aging services providers: the growing shortage of direct care workers.
House Bill 530, sponsored by Representatives Darnell Brewer (D-Cleveland) and Jodi Salvo (R-Bolivar), unanimously cleared the House Workforce and Higher Education Committee earlier this month. The legislation would establish a Long-term Care Workforce Study Commission charged with developing policy recommendations to strengthen Ohio's caregiving workforce.
The commission would bring together direct care workers, long-term care providers, family caregivers, individuals receiving services, advocates, and state agency representatives to study workforce challenges across home- and community-based services, nursing facilities, and other long-term care settings.
The effort comes as Ohio faces mounting demographic pressures. Demand for long-term services and supports continues to grow as the state's older adult population increases, while providers across the continuum continue to experience workforce shortages that affect access to care and service availability.
Under the proposal, the commission would examine:
- Recruitment and retention strategies for direct care workers
- Education and career pathway opportunities
- Workforce demand projections
- Shared staffing models
- Potential policy and funding solutions to strengthen Ohio's caregiving infrastructure
The commission would be required to issue recommendations to the General Assembly by Aug. 31, 2027.
Read more from Cleveland.com coverage of HB 530. June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month, and Ohio agencies are encouraging residents to learn the warning signs of abuse, exploitation, and neglect as the state's older adult population continues to grow.
To help Ohioans understand what elder abuse is, where it happens, and how to recognize it, ODJFS is continuing its Age Safely, Ohio campaign. AGE’s elder abuse webpage, aging.ohio.gov/elderabuse, has detailed elder abuse warning signs and insights into how older Ohioans can avoid scams.
Read more here. Top Following the Office of Inspector General’s June 11 release of two reports on Medicare Advantage plans’ use of prior authorization to reduce access to care, the Post-Acute Care Medicare Advantage Coalition, which includes LeadingAge, called on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to act, including by standardizing post-acute care prior authorization procedures.
Read the PAC MA Coalition statement and follow related updates through LeadingAge’s Medicare Advantage serial post. Top The Ohio Administrative Code for disaster preparedness under 3701-17-25 for nursing homes and 3701-16-13 for residential care facilities requires that a facility conduct at least two disaster preparedness drills per year, one of which shall be a tornado drill, which shall occur during the months of March through July. While some facilities are cited for failing to conduct required drills, citations also occur when documentation is incomplete or missing. Facilities are required to keep a written record and evaluation of each conducted drill and practice, which includes the date, time, employee attendance, effectiveness of the plan, and training format used. Any problems encountered and the corrective actions taken are to be included in the written record. This record is to be maintained in the facility for three years.
LeadingAge Ohio encourages providers to also refer to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Emergency Preparedness rule and the State Operations Manual Appendix Z- Emergency Preparedness for All Provider and Certified Supplier Types Interpretive Guidance. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released a one-page SNF QRP: OBRA Discharge Assessment Determination Fact Sheet to help skilled nursing providers determine when an OBRA Discharge assessment is required under Chapter 2 of the MDS 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument User’s Manual.
The fact sheet addresses common questions related to emergency department visits, observation stays, leave of absence situations, hospital admissions, and discharges to other care settings or private residences. Providers should review the resource with MDS coordinators, nursing leadership, and discharge planning staff to support accurate assessment practices. The June 2026 Quarterly Confidential Feedback Reports for the fiscal year 2027 Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing Program are now available through the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System. The reports include facility-level results for eight quality measures: SNF 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure; Skilled Nursing Facility Healthcare-Associated Infections Requiring Hospitalization; Discharge to Community — Post-Acute Care Measure for SNFs; Number of Hospitalizations per 1,000 Long Stay Resident Days; Total Nursing Staff Turnover; Total Nurse Staffing Hours per Resident Day; Discharge Function Score for SNFs; and Percent of Residents Experiencing One or More Falls with Major Injury (Long-Stay). FY 2027 is the first SNF VBP Program year to assess eight quality measures rather than four, as part of the program’s expansion. More information is available on the SNF VBP Program Measures webpage.
The results will be used for FY 2027 scoring and incentive payment calculations, which take effect Oct. 1, 2026. Performance scores and incentive payment multipliers will be released in the August 2026 Performance Score Reports. SNFs may request corrections through July 1, 2026, limited to errors made by CMS or its contractors when calculating measure results. Requests must be sent to SNFVBPquestions@cms.hhs.gov with the subject line “SNF VBP Review and Correction Inquiry” and include the facility’s CMS Certification Number, facility name, correction request, and reason for the request.
All SNFs and non-Critical Access Hospital swing bed rural providers paid under Medicare’s SNF Prospective Payment System are subject to the SNF VBP Program, with no action required for inclusion. To receive the June 2026 report, a facility must have been listed as active in iQIES as of April 1, 2026. To access the report, log into iQIES with a HARP user ID and password, select My Reports, open the MDS 3.0 Provider Preview Reports folder, locate the SNF VBP Program Quarterly Confidential Feedback Report, and select More to download it.
Questions about iQIES access may be directed to the iQIES Service Center at 800-339-9313 or iqies@cms.hhs.gov. Additional SNF VBP questions may be sent to SNFVBPquestions@cms.hhs.gov. Top National Church Residences has celebrated the grand reopening of The Alexandra, completing a $14.2 million redevelopment that preserves 83 affordable homes for older adults in Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood. The project included modernized apartments, accessibility improvements, and restoration of historic features, helping residents continue to age in place in a community they know and value.
The Alexandra also marks an important phase in the broader transformation of Walnut Hills, advancing inclusive neighborhood investment while protecting affordable housing for older adults. The redevelopment reflects the value of strong local partnerships and long-term commitment to preserving homes that support successful aging in community.
Read more about the project here. Top LeadingAge Ohio holds valuable education webinars and in-person events throughout the year. Opportunities are added weekly. See the complete Schedule of Events. Top
|
