LeadingAge Ohio will host a special Advocacy in Action call on Monday, July 7 at 10:00AM to review the final version of Ohio’s Fiscal Year 2026–2027 operating budget and the 67 line-item vetoes issued by Governor DeWine. As reported earlier this week, several of the vetoes carry significant implications for aging services providers, including funding for senior services, Medicaid billing procedures, managed care enrollment practices, reimbursement for dialysis in nursing homes, and the implementation process for increasing the personal needs allowance.
The Advocacy in Action call will walk through the key changes, explain how they impact providers, and offer updates on what to expect as implementation moves forward. Members are strongly encouraged to attend to stay informed on how these developments may affect their operations and the individuals they serve. Register for the call by visiting The Learning Center.
For questions ahead of the call, contact Eli Faes at EFaes@leadingageohio.org. Top You Asked: Where can we find the CMS quality in focus training?
We Answered: The quality in focus training can be found on the Quality Safety Education Portal (QSEP). The QSEP provides training and guidance on health care facility regulations. It is an online platform that empowers learners to lead and manage their own learning.
CMS recently added four new QIF videos to address commonly cited deficiencies in Long-term Care, Critical Access Hospitals, and Laboratories. Select the Public Access tab in the top menu, then choose "Quality in Focus" to view the newest videos and others in the series. CMS also added Quality in Focus Resources for Addressing LTC Medication Error Citations on July 2, 2025. Top The next Survey Success Collaborative launches July 24, offering a 6-month series on long-term care survey preparedness and sustainable compliance practices. This series guides teams through survey expectations, EMR optimization, risk evaluation, and plan of correction development. Participants will leave with step-by-step tools, actionable insights, and a clearer path toward consistent regulatory success.
Join this collaborative for peer-informed and expert solutions to help long-term care providers thrive in a challenging regulatory environment. Register here. Looking for the latest on professional development, advocacy, or industry updates? LeadingAge Ohio’s social media channels offer timely, relevant content designed to keep you informed and engaged.
Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook for updates on educational programs, workforce initiatives, networking opportunities, and stories from members across the state. These platforms highlight the work happening in aging services and connect you to peers and partners doing the same.
For up-to-the-minute advocacy and policy news, turn to our X (formerly Twitter) feed. We post real-time updates on legislation, budget decisions, and calls to action—helping you stay involved in what’s happening at the Statehouse and beyond.
And don’t miss our YouTube channel, where you’ll find conference content, educational and other video resources to support your teams and amplify your mission. Join us for LeadingAge Ohio 2025 Annual Conference & Trade Show, taking place August 26–28, 2025, in Columbus, Ohio. Join hundreds of professionals from across the aging services continuum for three days of education, inspiration, and connection.
Whether you're a seasoned executive, new to the field, or somewhere in between, this conference has something for you:
- Dozens of interdisciplinary breakout sessions offering CEs and top insights
- A robust trade show featuring products and services to support your operations
- Meaningful opportunities to network with peers and learn from thought leaders
- A chance to celebrate our shared values and the people who make this work possible
Make plans now to be part of this inspiring event that brings our community together each year to grow, reflect, and lead.
Visit www.laoconference.org to explore the full schedule, register your team, and secure your accommodations. There's always something happening at LeadingAge Ohio, and we don’t want you to miss a moment. From educational opportunities to networking events, our calendar is packed with ways for members to stay informed, engaged, and connected.
Explore what's ahead and make plans to join us—whether you're looking to expand your knowledge, connect with peers, or get involved in shaping the future of aging services in Ohio.
View all upcoming events here and mark your calendar today!
In 2024, LeadingAge Ohio worked with E&M Consulting to produce a hard-copy member directory for LeadingAge Ohio members. We have been made aware that E&M Consulting has started solicitation calls to both member communities and business firms to sell ad space in a future membership directory. LeadingAge Ohio did not approve this project, and sales calls should not have taken place.
If your community or firm has purchased ad space from E&M Consulting, please contact E&M Consulting for a refund and copy Corey Markham at cmarkham@leadingageohio.org so we may track the number of members affected. Please contact us if assistance is needed in obtaining the refund. Top There’s still time to apply for the 2026 Larry Minnix Leadership Academy—but the deadline is quickly approaching. Applications are due by 8:00 p.m. ET on Monday, July 14.
This nationally recognized program from LeadingAge is designed for professionals across all roles and experience levels who are ready to grow as reflective, authentic leaders. Rather than focusing solely on skill-building or career advancement, the Academy emphasizes self-discovery, relationship-building, and the ability to lead through complexity and change.
Throughout the year, Fellows engage in site visits, intimate conversations with field leaders, group discussions, and action-learning projects that stretch their thinking and deepen their impact.
If you or someone on your team is ready to take the next step in their leadership journey, learn more and access the application on the LeadingAge website. The newest skilled nursing facility (SNF) data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), released on June 26, is now available to members through the LeadingAge Report Portal.
This update includes the most recent Five Star Reports and SNF Trend Reports, providing valuable insights to support your organization’s quality improvement and benchmarking efforts. Members can log in using their LeadingAge credentials to view and download reports.
The next update, expected in August, will include a new quarter of staffing and quality measure data. Be sure to check back regularly to stay current. State laws governing life plan communities (LPCs)—referred to in statute as continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs)—vary widely across the country and can significantly impact an organization’s financial sustainability and long-term planning.
To help providers navigate this complex landscape, LeadingAge has released two free, on-demand resources for members that support compliance and strategic decision-making.
The CCRC State Statutory Comparison and Review: Contract Language offers a comprehensive look at core contract components required under statute in each state. This tool helps organizations evaluate and align their contract language with legal expectations.
The CCRC Financial Solvency Comparison and Review examines solvency and financial oversight requirements in 41 states, guiding providers as they assess risk, reporting standards, and regulatory obligations.
Both resources are available through the LeadingAge Learning Hub and are free to members. Top On July 1, multiple state-by-state analyses were posted to demonstrate the effects of the Senate-passed reconciliation package.
State Health & Value Strategies partnered with Manatt to release estimates, by state, of cuts in each of the House and Senate passed versions. The resource includes written analysis and a spreadsheet with a tables showing hospital cuts, coverage loss, and district-by-district. Their analysis compares losses for each state across the two versions allowing states to assess which bill would be worse in their state. The Ohio section of the table detailing the Medicaid cuts is shown below. Their research also noted that Ohio’s hospitals will be one of the states most greatly affected by cuts under the Senate version, with payment cuts projected to be 48% greater than the House version.
Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) released their own brief estimating Medicaid losses by state and by the bill’s major provision, with Ohio estimated to realize $37 billion decreased in Federal spending over a 10-year period. Data from the estimates are available and include both low and high estimates for federal reductions, depending upon policy decisions states make. KFF also includes resources on Medicaid eligibility for older adults and Medicaid spending per enrollee using long-term care. Superior Health Quality Alliance (Superior Health) is proud to announce it has been awarded a 13th Scope of Work (SOW) by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). As a Quality Innovation Network–Quality Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO), Superior Health will now support Medicare providers across 14 states and two U.S. territories through a five-year contract running from May 28, 2025, through May 27, 2030.
The award represents both a continuation and a significant expansion of Superior Health’s mission to improve healthcare quality, safety and equity for Medicare beneficiaries. Superior Health will partner with Qsource in the Great Lakes Region to advance quality improvement initiatives in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. In the Northeast Region, Superior Health will partner with Quality Insights to lead work in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“This is a pivotal moment for our alliance,” said Tania Daniels, CEO of Superior Health. “CMS’s decision recognizes our proven ability to deliver results and build trusted relationships across care settings. We are honored to extend our support to even more providers and communities.”
Superior Health was selected for its strong performance history and innovative approach to delivering person-centered, data-driven improvement strategies. In the last five years, Superior Health has:
- Avoided more than 270,000 harms.
- Reduced hospital readmissions by 21%.
- Delivered more than $1 billion in measurable value.
Superior Health will provide no-cost technical assistance to eligible providers, including support for chronic disease management, behavioral health integration, patient safety, care coordination and health equity — all aligned with CMS national goals.
About Superior Health Quality Alliance: Superior Health Quality Alliance is comprised of eight member organizations – all with long track records of success driving achievement of Medicare quality improvement goals. Member organizations include the Illinois Health and Hospital Association, MetaStar, Inc., Michigan Health & Hospital Association, Midwest Kidney Network, Minnesota Hospital Association, iMPROve Health, Stratis Health and the Wisconsin Hospital Association. Our diverse capabilities and commitment to excellence form a comprehensive quality improvement organization dedicated to collaborative approaches to improve the health of the communities we serve. Top The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released important updates to the Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) Policy Manual and accompanying FAQs, now available on the CMS PBJ Staffing Data Submission webpage.
Key updates include:
- PBJ System Registration: Clarification regarding registration through the QIES (Quality Improvement and Evaluation System).
- Onsite Nursing Hours: Reinforcement that all reported nursing hours must reflect onsite hours only.
- FAQ Clarifications:
- Meal breaks and how they should be reported
- Reporting requirements for salaried staff
- RN coverage hour requirements and applicable waivers
- Audit-related guidance and best practices
Members are encouraged to review the updated PBJ Policy Manual and PBJ FAQs available in the Downloads section of the PBJ webpage to ensure ongoing compliance and accurate reporting. Immediate jeopardy (IJ) citations related to F-tag 678, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), continue to occur in Ohio. Already in 2025, IJ citations have been issued in both the first and second quarters. One of the situations involved a resident on hospice with a full code status. In another, the staff had difficulty obtaining the advance directive status in the EMR. F678 was the fourth most frequently cited IJ F-tag in 2024.
According to the CMS State Operations Manual Appendix PP, CMS F678 guidance emphasizes that facilities must ensure that properly trained personnel (and certified in CPR for Healthcare Providers) are available immediately (24 hours per day) to provide basic life support, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), to residents requiring emergency care prior to the arrival of emergency medical personnel, and subject to accepted professional guidelines, the resident’s advance directives, and physician orders.
Additional past citation examples include:
- No staff onsite trained in CPR
- Nurses without current CPR certification
- Lack of competency with CPR procedures
- Medical records inconsistent with advance directives
- Full code not initiated as per wishes
- Crash carts without supplies or unable to be unlocked
LeadingAge Ohio encourages providers to review current CPR policies. Human resources should review current systems for monitoring compliance with CPR certifications. Providers should review current training and drills to determine if frequency needs to be increased and identify how the CPR policy and advance directives are educated upon hire. Providers should also identify frequency for random auditing of the clinical record for system breaks, EMR alerts, code status icons/identifiers, complete records uploaded into the EMR, care plan consistency with advance directives, and staff competency in following the policy. Incorporate the Long-Term Care Survey Process (LTCSP) by conducting record reviews using the survey pathways and interviewing. Ask the staff how they know the code status of the residents. Ask residents if their advance directives are reviewed with them quarterly, as outlined in the CMS State Operations Manual Appendix PP.
LeadingAge Ohio encourages facilities to monitor compliance using the surveyor guidance found in the State Operations Manual Appendix PP . Additionally, the survey pathways can be found in the Survey Resources zip file on the CMS Nursing Home webpage and under the downloads section on this CMS webpage. LeadingAge Ohio has provided survey tips to help navigate the changes in the revised QSO-25-14- NH memo. The previously provided survey tips can be accessed on the LeadingAge Ohio webpage under the Communications tab, then The Source tab. CMS has updated the survey resources on the CMS Nursing Home webpage in accordance with the revised QSO-25-14- NH memo. LeadingAge has developed webinars and resources on the requirements of participation which are located on the LeadingAge learning hub. LeadingAge continues to add QuickCasts on the regulatory groups. Updated resources have also been added on the Nursing Home RoP Tools and Resources webpage.
For more information about the requirements of participation and citations occurring in Ohio, please join us on the monthly STAT: Survey Tips and Tactics call. Register now for the July 7 call at 11:00AM. LeadingAge Ohio is sharing tips to assist members during the survey process. Send questions you would like addressed in future Tips of the Week to Stephanie DeWees at sdewees@leadingageohio.org. Top Community First Solutions has announced its fourth senior living acquisition in under two years, strengthening its role as a leader in Southwest Ohio’s nonprofit aging services sector. The organization has acquired BrightStar of Mason, which will now operate as The Cottage of Mason, an assisted living and memory care community offering a residential, home-like environment for older adults.
This move deepens Community First’s footprint in the Mason/Deerfield area and complements its existing Montage Mason property. With its regional headquarters nearby, the organization is well-positioned to support the new location with established leadership and proven care practices.
“This is about creating a continuum of care that meets people where they are,” said Brett Kirkpatrick, President & CEO. “We’re excited to welcome The Cottage of Mason into our network and continue expanding the services we offer families in this region.”
Founded in 1918 and headquartered in Hamilton, Community First Solutions provides a broad network of services that includes senior living, behavioral health, pharmacy, and post-acute care. To learn more about their work, visit www.community-first.org. You can also read the full announcement of this acquisition 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. LeadingAge is pleased to partner with UST Workforce Solutions for an upcoming webinar designed specifically for nonprofit aging services providers. Taking place on Monday, August 5 at 2:00 p.m. ET, this session will highlight exclusive benefits available only to LeadingAge members through our long-standing collaboration with UST.
During the webinar, attendees will explore how UST can help streamline HR operations, improve compliance, and create efficiencies that reduce administrative burden. The session will also address how 501(c)(3) nonprofits can take advantage of a little-known tax exemption related to unemployment funding—an especially timely topic as some states are facing steep increases in their unemployment tax rates.
In addition to reviewing key differences between state unemployment insurance and the reimbursing model, the session will walk through practical strategies for managing unemployment claims, protests, and hearings, and discuss HR tools that many current UST participants already use to save time and money. Whether you're newly learning about UST or have participated in the program for years, this session offers a fresh look at how the partnership can help address your organization’s unique needs.
The webinar is free to LeadingAge members. Register here to attend live or receive a recording to watch on demand. LeadingAge Ohio Associate Firm Essity/TENA is pleased to invite you to an educational webinar focused on Restorative Nursing Toileting Programs, presented in partnership with Pathway Health.
This informative session offers a valuable opportunity for clinical staff to expand their knowledge and gain evidence-based insights into effective toileting programs. Attendees will also have the opportunity to earn Continuing Education (CE) credits.
To register, please click here. Top
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