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Each news article below shows only part of the news story. To view the full story, click on Read More below the story.

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  • March 27, 2024 11:07 AM | Anonymous

    On March 21, WiAHC member Horizon Home Care and Hospice hosted Wisconsin Representative Jessie Rodriguez (R-Oak Creek) at a local Oak Creek coffee shop. The visit was held as part of WiAHC’s Capitol Connection program, which aims to build relationships between members and their local state lawmakers.

    During the meeting, Horizon staff, led by CEO Coleen Schmidt, CFO Vicki Meyer, and COO Jessica Lisinski, had an opportunity to discuss with Rep. Rodriguez the value of skilled home care for Wisconsin patients. It also provided a great opportunity to thank Rodriguez for her past support of Medicaid rate increases for skilled nursing in a home care setting.  

    In addition, the discussion navigated to challenges faced by the home health industry, specifically the nursing workforce shortage. Rep. Rodriguez was highly engaged in the conversation and interested in helping to strengthen the home health care industry in Wisconsin and knock down regulatory obstacles for providers.

    Rep. Rodriguez currently represents the 21st Assembly District in southeast Wisconsin, which includes the cities of South Milwaukee and Oak Creek. She was first elected to the Assembly in a Nov. 2013 Special Election and is serving her second term on the Legislature’s powerful Joint Finance Committee. Rodriquez resides in Oak Creek with her husband and son.

    If you are interested in hosting your lawmaker as part of WiAHC’s Capitol Connection program, please contact the WiAHC office at wiahc@badgerbay.co.

  • March 27, 2024 11:06 AM | Anonymous

    On March 7, representatives from WiAHC and the Wisconsin Hospice and Palliative Care Association (WiHPCA) participated in a joint virtual meeting with Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez to discuss health care workforce issues.  Lt. Gov. Rodriguez, a registered nurse, chairs the newly formed Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce.  Various issues were discussed, including reimbursement from insurers and public sector payers, medical personnel wage levels, and the potential to expand an existing effort to concurrently train high school students to be licensed practical nurses (LPNs), which would enable them to graduate from high school and immediately enter the workforce. 

    Future task force meetings will be held each month from April through August.  The following is the schedule that is currently available: 

    • Thursday, April 4th, 1-4pm, Madison (Hill Farms State Office Building – Room TBD)
    • Thursday, May 9th, 1-4pm, La Crosse (Location TBD)
    • Thursday, June 6th, 1-4pm, Milwaukee (Location TBD)
    • Thursday, July 11th, 1-4pm, Green Bay (Location TBD)
    • Thursday, August 8th, 1-4pm, Madison (Hill Farms State Office Building – Room TBD)

    In addition, the task force will launch a website in the future.  Once that occurs, that will be shared in a future edition of this newsletter. 

  • March 27, 2024 11:05 AM | Anonymous

    In late February, as the Legislature was wrapping up the 2023-2024 legislative session, both the state Assembly and Senate passed Senate Bill 964.  This legislation, which was signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers as 2023 WI Act 188, will allow physical therapists to certify to the state Department of Transportation that a person has a disability that limits or impairs the ability to walk and therefore meets the criteria to receive a disabled parking license plate or card. 

  • March 27, 2024 11:04 AM | Anonymous

    On December 22, 2023, the State Supreme Court issued a ruling that Wisconsin’s state legislative district maps are unconstitutional and the maps for each such district must be redrawn before the 2024 elections.  State Supreme Court justices voted 4-3 in favor of this ruling.  The decision focused on specific state legislative districts that include non-contiguous portions of land, which the court found violated the state constitution.

    Specifically, the court ruled that the legislature must redraw the boundaries for each state Assembly and state Senate district in advance of the August 2024 primary election.  If the Legislature and Governor Evers were not able to agree on legislation creating new district boundaries, the court noted that it would decide on the new boundaries.  As a practical matter, the state Elections Commission noted that new district boundaries needed to be finalized by March 15, 2024. 

    In January, the parties to the case submitted various proposed state legislative district maps to the court and the court-appointed consultants reviewed these maps and provided their analysis to the court on February 1.  However, in mid-February, the Legislature passed a bill with the version of state legislative district maps that Governor Evers previously submitted to the court.  This legislation passed both chambers of the Legislature with mostly Republican votes and was sent to the Governor.  On February 19, Governor Evers signed this legislation.  As such, these new legislative district maps will take effect for legislative candidates who are elected in November 2024. 

    The new 2024 state Assembly and state Senate district maps may now be viewed on the Legislature’s interactive district map page

    In addition, the following related articles/links may be of interest:

  • March 27, 2024 11:03 AM | Anonymous

    In February, the state Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) announced that it added additional information to its online credential processing dashboard.  This updated website includes additional data points, including the median amount of time to receive an occupational credential in the health or business industries, or in the trades. 

  • March 27, 2024 11:02 AM | Anonymous

    In early March, the state Department of Health Services (DHS) opened registration for their annual Opioids, Stimulants, and Trauma Summit.  According to DHS, this summit “highlights prevention, harm reduction, treatment, and recovery strategies related to opioids, stimulants, and trauma.”  This event will be an in-person event (with a virtual option) held on May 7-9, 2024, at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells. 

    For more information, please visit the DHS website

  • March 27, 2024 11:00 AM | Anonymous

    WiAHC is happy to remind members about and provide links to the latest articles and information on the home health care industry from Home Health Care News and other publications:

    ·        MedPAC recommends 7% cut for home health

    Home Health Line – By Greg Hambrick| March 19, 2024

    For home health payments in 2025, MedPAC’s commission is again recommending a 7% reduction in the base payment rate. The commissions recommendations to Congress also included no payment update for hospice providers. MedPAC argues that Medicare fee-for-service payments are “substantially in excess of costs.” The industry has argued consistently that payment rates have not accounted for increased costs and noted Medicare payments are keeping some agencies afloat due to the insufficient payment rates from Medicaid and MA payors. Read more...

    ·        The Looming Home Care Disaster In New York State

    Home Health Care News – By Joyce Famakinwa| March 18, 2024

    There’s a potential storm brewing in New York state due to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget for 2025. The budget proposal includes over $1 billion in cuts to the states’ home care programs. The move is an effort to reduce Medicaid spending. The budget proposal cuts, which was released on Jan. 16, would directly impact New York’s Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP). Read more...

    ·        New Bill Seeks To Reduce Challenges For Dual-Eligible Beneficiaries, Expand PACE Model Across US

    Home Health Care News – By Robert Holly| March 14, 2024

    Individuals who are dually eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid make up a sizable portion of the overall home-based care population. Too often, though, this dual status comes with frustrating challenges around care plans and coordination. Legislation introduced in the U.S. Senate on Thursday hopes to reduce some of those frustrations while also creating new opportunities for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) model. Read More…

    ·        President Biden’s State of The Union Address: ‘Imagine The Future Of Home Care’

    Home Health Care News – By Andrew Dolan | March 8, 2024

    In a State of the Union address that evoked Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and Vladimir Putin within the first minute, President Joe Biden also made room for home-based care. After urging for higher taxes on the uber-wealthy, Biden challenged Americans to imagine a future with better access to home care. Read more…

    Home Health Care News, which is part of the Aging Media Network, is a leading source for news and information covering the home health industry.

  • February 22, 2024 9:16 AM | Anonymous

    In recent weeks, the Legislature has approved several bills supported by WiAHC that will now be sent to Governor Evers:

    • Senate Bill 476 – Codifies a DHS rule that allows health care providers who are not physically located in the state to apply for certification as a Medicaid provider to treat Medicaid recipients via telehealth. 
    • Both the Assembly and Senate have approved this bill. The next step is to send it to the Governor for his signature or veto.
    • Senate Bill 158 – Creates a preliminary health care occupational credential for those who have applied and are waiting for a decision from DSPS on a permanent or training credential.
    • Both the Assembly and Senate have approved this bill. The next step is to send it to the Governor for his signature or veto.
  • February 22, 2024 9:14 AM | Anonymous

    On December 22, 2023, the State Supreme Court issued a ruling that Wisconsin’s state legislative district maps are unconstitutional and the maps for each such district must be redrawn before the 2024 elections.  State Supreme Court justices voted 4-3 in favor of this ruling.  The decision focused on specific state legislative districts that include non-contiguous portions of land, which the court found violated the state constitution.

    Specifically, the court ruled that the legislature must redraw the boundaries for each state Assembly and state Senate district in advance of the August 2024 primary election.  If the legislature and Governor Evers are not able to agree on legislation creating new district boundaries, the court noted that it will decide on the new boundaries.  As a practical matter, the state Elections Commission has noted that new district boundaries will need to be finalized by March 15, 2024. 

    In January, the parties to the case submitted various proposed state legislative district maps to the court and the court-appointed consultants reviewed these maps and provided their analysis to the court on February 1.  However, in mid-February, the Legislature passed a bill with the version of state legislative district maps that Governor Evers previously submitted to the court.  This legislation passed both chambers of the Legislature with mostly Republican votes and has been sent to Governor Evers, who signed the new maps into law on Feb. 19, 2024.

    The new state legislative districts will take effect for legislative candidates who are elected in November 2024.

  • February 22, 2024 9:14 AM | Anonymous

    In Governor Tony Evers’ State of the State address, which was delivered before the Legislature on January 15, he announced that he would be forming a Task Force on the Health Care Workforce.  Soon thereafter, he signed an executive order formally creating this task force.  According to the Governor’s press release, “The task force will be charged with studying the workforce challenges facing the state’s healthcare system, including recruitment and retention, identifying ways to improve patient care and alleviate the burdens on the healthcare workforce, exploring educational and training pathways to grow a sustainable healthcare workforce, and creating an action plan with solutions related to workforce development, industry innovation, education, and training for consideration in the governor’s 2025-27 biennial budget.”

    In early February, Governor Evers announced the various members of the task force, which includes several nurses.  Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez, who is also a registered nurse, will chair the task force and Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Amy Pechacek and Wisconsin Department of Health Services Secretary Kirsten Johnson will serve as co-chairs. 

    This task force will likely hold multiple public meetings in various locations in the state.  That information will be shared in this newsletter, once it is available. 

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