June 2026 Assisted Living Forum

On June 16^th, the Bureau of Assisted Living (BAL) held their virtual quarterly Assisted Living Forum, providing an opportunity for BAL staff to share updates and information with providers, and for providers to interact and ask questions of BAL officials.

The agenda, a recording of the Assisted Living Forum, and a number of presentation slides and documents shared during the meeting can be found here.

Here are the updates and items that were covered:

From Ken Brotheridge, BAL Director

• The DHS 88 Rule has been submitted and there will be a public hearing/opportunity for public input in July.
• BAL will host in-person forums in the 4 regions in July & August, keep your eyes open for the dates and locations.
• The 4 year and 2 year entity background checks will now be done on site as part of the in-person survey process.

From Jerry Riederer, Nurse Consultant with the Bureau of Education, Services and Technology (BEST)

• FOCUS 2026 Conference is November 18-19 at the Kalahari in the Wisconsin Dells

From Anna Marciniak and Greta Starr, Regional Infection Preventionists on the Wisconsin Healthcare Association Infections (HAI) Prevention Program.

• Structure – there are three program areas within HAI, Administrative, Infection Prevention, and Surveillance and Education
  • 9 regional HAI Prevention Program specialists.
  • Non-regulatory, education-based, and no-charge services.
• Candida auris update
  • Auris is manageable, but if it isn’t prevented, and managed, you can see significant and severe infections if it isn’t managed, with mortality rates from 30-60%
  • Once an individual is infected with c. auris, you are considered to have it indefinitely.
  • auris became reportable back in 2022, and we are seeing more cases each year and cases are being detected in more parts of the state.
• MDRO Office Hours – https://dhswi.zoomgov.com/meeting/register/o9H5g-QXQUCDPdPZkBkD8w#/registration
• Reportable MDROs – https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/hai/reportable-mdro.htm
• Environmental services, education, and resources
  • Make sure that there is a multi-disciplinary team and foster a culture of safety.
  • Educate and train staff on products, safety information PPE, dwell time and the importance of both cleaning and disinfection.
  • Use the right products for the right settings.
  • Standardize protocols.

From Emily Virning – Automation Coordinator, BEST

• Slides not uploaded, but can rewatch forum at 48 minute mark.
• Wisconsin Provider Finder is not released yet, but should be in the next month or so.
  • Will contain Medicaid providers and pharmacies, adult long-term care providers, free and low-cost clinics, and state licensed entities.
  • This will be on DHS’s main website not in ForwardHealth nor DQA’s provider search.
  • Data in new portal will be updated every day.

From Kathy Teske, Deputy Director, BAL & Vicky Wittman, Northeastern Regional Office Director (NERO)

• A particular reminder/update on how using electronic records and giving surveyors read-only access can help make the survey process smoother and faster.
• A read through of the “shared expectations document” this is still in draft form, please watch the forum and provide feedback to either BAL or to Eric at WHCA/WiCAL so we can relay additional feedback on the document to BAL.
• Best practices and experiences, being survey ready from Anne Altenhofen-Krause, Assisted Living Provider.
• Nichole Hall – Surveyor who visited Anne’s facilities.
  • Using electronic records access can reduce survey time and reduce workload for facility staff.
  • Collaborative approach to survey gives surveyors greater confidence with information and conversations on site without needing outside confirmation.
• Shelley Johnson – Nurse Consultant Surveyor
  • Survey Readiness Publication
    • Best practices and recommendations.
    • Will make survey process more efficient and effective, they are making the final changes and the publication should be shared yet this summer.