Medicaid is the largest source of funding for nursing home care in the United States. However, the program’s reimbursement rates cover only a portion of nursing homes’ costs. This session will present findings from three studies exploring the relationship between Medicaid payment policies and the quality of care in nursing homes. Presenters will share insights from studies examining how payment rates and payment-to-cost ratios impact nursing homes’ five-star ratings, the connection between Medicaid rates and staffing levels across different ownership types, and how nursing home staffing levels and expenditures relate to their reliance on Medicaid. Don’t miss this opportunity to examine the connection between nursing home quality and Medicaid payment rates.

Remote patient monitoring (RPM) technologies can transform care delivery across the continuum. This session will showcase two types of RPM devices: contactless devices that track key clinical indicators like heart rate and respiratory changes, and connected devices like blood sugar monitors, blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, and digital scales that collect vitals remotely. Presenters will explain how these technologies help prevent health complications and unnecessary emergency room visits by sending data to remote clinicians who can follow up with care teams as needed. Discover how RPM technology can help your organization reduce staff burden and improve resident/patient (and family) satisfaction. You’ll gain practical insights for selecting and deploying RPM solutions in your community.

Nursing supervisors in aging services play a critical role in motivating, teaching, and mentoring certified nursing assistants (CNAs) who provide direct care to nursing home residents. A strong, positive relationship between a nurse supervisor and a CNA boosts job satisfaction and reduces turnover. This session will explore actions that nursing supervisors can take to develop the leadership skills they need to work with CNAs so that the entire team can deliver high quality care. Presenters will also emphasize the critical role that a supportive organizational culture, aligned structures and policies, and consistent reinforcement from leadership play so that supervision strategies are effectively integrated into daily practice. Learn about programs that help nursing supervisors create a supportive workplace culture and become effective leaders of CNAs and teams.

Regulatory changes and survey trends impact all skilled nursing facilities (SNF) across the nation. This session will review and evaluate significant regulatory developments from the past year. Presenters will provide updates on the minimum staffing standards and other long-term care regulations. They will also identify current survey trends by reviewing the top survey citations issued regionally and nationally. Throughout the session, you’ll be encouraged to discuss common regulatory challenges in skilled nursing and share best practices related to regulatory developments and survey trends. You’ll also learn how to anticipate and prepare for future regulatory developments and surveys.

Why are many of today’s new hires struggling with traditional definitions of “professionalism” and “work ethic”? This session will explore how the mindset of aging services team members has evolved over the past few years and suggest that it’s time for providers to evolve too. Join a generational expert, retention expert, and provider as they share how to navigate key challenges and opportunities presented by hiring everyone from GenZ to retirees returning to work. They’ll show you how to provide clearer guidance and support for all your staff, foster more successful collaboration, and enhance retention as you explore the “why” behind employees’ unique mindsets. As many employees are no longer responding well to previous expectations and obligations at work, it’s time to rewrite our organizational rules and work together more successfully.

The federal Office of Inspector General (OIG) released its first Compliance Program Guidance for Nursing Homes in 2000. Over the past 25 years, compliance programs for skilled nursing facilities (SNF) have evolved from voluntary to mandatory and are now governed by new OIG guidance released in late 2024. This session will review key compliance risk areas for SNFs outlined in the OIG’s most recent guidance. Presenters will recommend practical strategies for expanding your compliance program to manage and mitigate compliance risks.

Senior living providers have an obligation to protect residents and staff from falls while helping them maintain their autonomy and enhancing their quality of life. This session will explore essential, yet often overlooked, tools to help you meet that obligation: the buildings where residents and team members live and work. Presenters will demonstrate how simple modifications to existing structures or new construction in your skilled nursing, transitional care, assisted living, and memory care settings can prevent falls and improve outcomes for residents and staff. Join this session to pinpoint specific elements of your organization’s built environment that can help you prevent, detect, and protect against falls and their adverse outcomes.

Interoperable data exchange among health and service providers is becoming increasingly common nationwide. How can your organization maximize the business- and care-related benefits of data exchange? This session can help. Presenters will demonstrate how data exchange can support your organization’s work, whether you’re sending care plans and treatment goals to a resident’s healthcare providers, sharing diagnoses and medication management information during care transitions, or receiving alerts about a hospital discharge. They will also explore the unique considerations you should prioritize as you develop your data exchange ecosystem. You’ll learn how to influence national and state data security policies and address common challenges that might arise as you integrate new systems and practices into daily workflows.

Are you dreading your upcoming annual state survey? Take a deep breath—and then attend this session to gain expert tips for preventing surveys from causing stressful disruptions to your operations. Presenters will suggest practical strategies for managing the state survey process, such as conducting a comprehensive mock survey that identifies compliance gaps and assesses high-risk areas. Learn how a mock survey helped one provider improve survey outcomes and strengthen operational compliance. You’ll discover how this approach can foster a culture of continuous improvement by helping all team members understand compliance requirements and feel a shared responsibility for survey readiness.

Succession planning has long been recognized as an essential tool for maintaining talent continuity in an organization’s C-suite. However, as this session will demonstrate, it also plays a critical role in developing the skills of mid-level managers. Representatives from Acts Retirement-Life Communities will describe their mid-level succession planning program, which features internal leadership initiatives, undergraduate and graduate-level programs offered in partnership with local colleges, and a structured mentorship program. You’ll discover how to identify and assess high-potential managers, create personalized development plans, and align talent development with business objectives. Join this session to acquire the tools you need to identify, develop, and retain high-potential middle managers to help ensure organizational growth and stability.

*Closed to Press* What does it mean to be a nonprofit organization in the United States? Recent White House executive orders, shifting agency priorities, and Congressional activities may soon influence your answer to that question. This session will provide insights into the evolving policy and legal landscape for nonprofits and the risks these changes may pose for your organization. Presenters will examine the potential for increased scrutiny of nonprofits and emerging threats associated with the perceived missions and activities of specific groups. They’ll also outline legislative and regulatory changes affecting tax-exempt status and charitable donations. Stay informed about recent developments, explore what may lie ahead, and consider actions your organization can take to mitigate potential risks.

Creating a high-performing nonprofit board of directors entails more than simply selecting individuals to serve. Organizations must also strive to enhance the impact of board members once they are recruited. This session will examine the holistic Board Lifecycle Program implemented by Sun Health Communities in Surprise, AZ. Presenters will describe program features, including strategic recruitment aligned with effective board engagement, an onboarding process designed to help new board members contribute and thrive, and a board rotation policy that encourages fresh perspectives while maintaining institutional knowledge. The Board Lifecycle Program also features board compensation to boost recruitment, raise expectations, and enhance engagement. Get ready to access practical tools that will help you develop a high-impact board.

Every new federal administration reshapes the country’s policy landscape in ways that can significantly impact the daily operations of nursing homes nationwide. During this session, the LeadingAge advocacy team will discuss recent policy developments from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the current administration. Presenters will help you understand how these developments are likely to affect your organization. They’ll also identify resources and advocacy opportunities that can keep you informed about future changes.

Ensuring financial sustainability while delivering high-quality care presents an ongoing challenge for today’s nursing homes. This session will present an effective way to address this challenge: developing a close working relationship between your Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) team and Minimum Data Set (MDS) coordinators. Presenters will share several case studies illustrating how RCM-MDS collaborations within an organization can enhance accuracy in resident assessments, optimize reimbursements, and ensure regulatory compliance. You’ll gain insights to help you align your financial and clinical management systems to improve operational efficiency and financial performance outcomes while maintaining regulatory compliance and avoiding penalties.

Are you having a bad day? If you lived in a nursing home, you might be labeled as a difficult, combative, or unpredictable resident who exhibits “challenging behaviors.” This session will highlight how the Vermont Veterans Home works to eliminate negative labels by helping team members embody compassion, curiosity, and empathy when interacting with residents. Presenters will describe how the community proactively assesses what a resident’s actions communicate about their unmet needs so team members can take a strengths-based approach to improving that person’s quality of life. Discover how language influences staff perceptions of residents, how behaviors communicate unmet needs, and how to eliminate negative labels in your organization.

True or false? “Most of our board’s meeting time is devoted to hearing management reports; directors speak less than 10% of the time.” During this session, a governance advisor will use this and other true-false statements to help you evaluate your board’s performance on the “Good Governance Index.” Along the way, you’ll explore key governance principles, including the role board members play in charting and securing the future of their organizations, and how governance structures and policies influence the board’s effectiveness. Join this session to discover how closely your board’s practices align with sound governance principles, identify policies and actions that will strengthen your board, and learn strategies for overcoming obstacles that hinder good governance.

Many residential care settings are reevaluating traditional views about the relationship between resident safety and autonomy. This session will outline practical decision-making frameworks that can help your organization determine the best approach to providing services and supports to older adults living with dementia. Presenters will incorporate the perspectives of various stakeholders as they explore options for honoring residents’ autonomy through the built environment, operations, and technology. You’ll hear from two organizations currently weighing their options as they decide how best to serve older people living with dementia. Attend this session to gain tools—not pat answers—to help you make thoughtful, responsible, and respectful decisions that benefit the older adults you serve.

Senior living organizations must cultivate skilled, compassionate, and forward-thinking leaders to meet the growing demand for quality care and innovative solutions. Mentors—seasoned professionals who help mentees navigate challenges, seize opportunities, and grow personally and professionally—are the cornerstone of any initiative aimed at achieving this goal. This session will provide tools for structuring mentorship programs that align with organizational goals and emphasize measurable outcomes like leadership readiness and employee retention. Presenters will explore strategies for establishing sustainable leadership pipelines by identifying and nurturing leadership potential within diverse teams, creating inclusive pathways for growth, and addressing barriers to leadership opportunities.

Affiliation has become an indispensable tool for nonprofit senior living organizations facing complex challenges. This session will include case studies where organizations enhanced operational efficiency, stabilized finances, improved care quality, and strengthened recruitment and staff development after affiliating with a network of charitable, nonprofit senior care organizations. Presenters will provide practical strategies for examining various collaborative models. You’ll take home a framework for evaluating when affiliation might be beneficial, criteria for identifying and selecting suitable partners, and tips for ensuring that an affiliation aligns with your organization’s mission and goals. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore a strategy that could help secure your organization and its mission.

A collaborative Quality Incentive Payment program implemented by an Ohio-based aging services provider resulted in a $14 million increase in Medicaid reimbursements and a 70% improvement in quality measure points. Attend this session to learn how the organization achieved this remarkable feat. Presenters will discuss the critical need to align clinical and financial goals, especially now that federal and state programs increasingly tie funding to quality outcomes. They will provide an overview of federal and state quality-based payment programs and show you how improved quality outcomes can drive clinical excellence and financial sustainability. You’ll learn how to navigate quality-based payment programs, implement evidence-based performance improvements, and leverage facility-specific data to create positive changes.