LTC Provider Associations Meet with DOH
(July 1, 2025) LeadingAge NY and other provider associations recently met with the Department of Health (DOH) Office of Aging and Long-Term Care (OALTC) regarding provider and patient issues at top of mind.
Extreme Heat Guidance and HCS
The Department recently issued guidance for facilities on extreme heat and weather. They asked that provider settings be aware and do rounds to monitor overheating and resident status. They also reiterated that providers should ensure that Health Commerce System (HCS) roles are updated and include emergency contact numbers. Members are reminded that they should have at least one role accessing the system every day to ensure that they are informed of any notices and information shared by the Department.
DOH staff mentioned one facility that had very high temperatures inside their building. The Department stated that best practice is to have temperature logs, especially when there is a heat wave or another issue causing concern.
The Department also checked in recently on Central NY facilities, specifically those in Oneida County that were hit hard by storms.
CMP Funding
DOH is getting ready to release Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) funding applications for providers. LeadingAge NY is looking into what details we can learn prior to release of the application.
HCBS
Lunch and Learns (L&Ls) are planned through November for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) providers. DOH released the recording of a recent Licensed Home Care Services Agency (LHCSA) Questions and Answers (Q&A) webinar, which was full of helpful operational requirements and best practices. That webinar can be found here.
Their L&L tentative schedule is as follows:
- July: The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care
- August: Nursing Home Transition and Diversion/Traumatic Brain Injury (NHTD/TBI)
- September: Alzheimer's Disease Program
- October: Money Follows the Person Program
- November: To be determined: A comparison of Home Health Aide and Personal Care Aide duties or a guest speaker on Criminal History Record Checks
- December: No webinar; break for the holidays
If HCBS providers have suggestions for webinars, questions, or need assistance, please reach out to homecare@health.ny.gov. Dates will be distributed soon as an alert.
Revised LHCSA HERDS Report
DOH has had a good response to the newly revised LHCSA Health Electronic Response Data System (HERDS) survey. Members should note that LHCSAs and Assisted Living Program (ALP) LHCSAs are now required to provide patient counts per county in which the agencies are licensed. Completion of patients counts should include a zero if no patients are served within a county.
ALP LHCSAs were exempt from LHCSA HERDS reporting prior to this new change if they only care for individuals within their facility. This exemption is no longer valid. All LHCSAs and ALP LHCSAs must now fully complete this report. Any questions on the new survey should be posed to hcstatrpts@health.ny.gov.
LHCSA HERDS data will be available for applicants to prove need for LHCSA licensure. DOH said that they need to collect and verify data initially, but that it will be available to the public and providers. They just need to make sure it is reliable.
Hospice
The Center for Hospice and Palliative Care is meeting with various physicians in hospitals and hospice to learn more about how access can be improved and partnerships forged.
Hospice staff will be travelling to Rochester/Buffalo and NYC to meet with providers in the field again. They will also be meeting with State-run Veterans Homes to improve access to hospice services.
DOH is working on getting education on hospice in the ALP approved to deliver in September.
ARPA
The State reminded providers of the upcoming American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending deadline of July 31st. DOH will be reaching out to providers who do not spend down the funding to recoup funds.
MPA
The State recently released the Master Plan for Aging (MPA). An Intelligence article on the MPA is available here.
CON Issues
The Department continues to work on Adult Care Facility (ACF) streamlining regulations and Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) regulations. The Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) will meet at the end of July. The State will provide attendees with an estimated timeline for LHCSA approvals so we can get a sense on Certificate of Need (CON) approvals for this provider.
Contact: Meg Everett, meverett@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8871