Bureau of Assisted Living Quarterly Forum Overview

On Tuesday, October 14^th, the Bureau of Assisted Living (BAL) hosted their quarterly online forum with updates and presentation on issues impacting assisted living providers in Wisconsin.

If you missed the Forum, a recording and materials will be posted here.

Here is an overview of what was discussed:

• General Updates from BAL:
  • DHS Ch. 88 Update – Ken Brotheridge, the Division Administrator provided an update on the DHS Ch. 88 rewrite efforts. Indicating they received many comments on the economic impact of the proposed rules, they continue to evaluate the comments internally and there will be a public hearing on the rule in the near future.
  • Top Survey Trends – Residents Right to Receive Medication.
    • Regional Staff provided a number of examples where the Residents Right to Receive Medication has been cited in recent surveys
      • Non-unit dosed medications – polyglycol, inhaler, creams – where prescription is older and directions are daily use, when surveyed months later there is still medication left, so that it is clear it was not administered as directed.
      • Expired PRN medication.
      • Prescriptions not transferred immediately after hospital discharge into an assisted living setting.
      • Insulin prescription mistakes – dosage and extended-release mistakes.
      • Transdermal patches – multi patches in place in multiple different parts of the body.
    • Survey Reminders – Kathy Teske – Currently filling in as interim NW Regional
      • Reminder that surveys may look different based on what is being looked at.
      • Thank you to those who complete Post-Survey Questionnaires.
    • HCBS Updates:
      • The updated Settings Rule was put forward by CMS in 2014.
      • Wisconsin has had a plan to transition into compliance and is working through that plan as the HCBS Setting Rule will be in effect in January 2026.
      • Please see the link to the recording to view the PowerPoint with more specific details about this transition.
    • Voters and Voting Rights:
      • Lisa from Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW) gave a presentation on the rights of Assisted Living Residents to vote in Wisconsin and the processes that must be followed.
      • Additionally, she touched on the process for Special Voting Deputies (SVDs) to enter facilities to administer ballots to residents.
      • For more information view her presentation or reach out to Lisa with DRW with questions you might have about voting rights and processes for your residents.
    • WI Community Based Care & Treatment Registry Updates from UW-Green Bay
      • They instituted curriculum enhancements which became active this Spring, including 13 modules and 1 2D section (virtual reality portion of the course) in First Aid and Choking, and 4 modules and 4 2D sections ((virtual reality portion of the course) in Medication Administration.
        • They met with 128 instructors for input on curriculum enhancements.
      • They have provided 10,611 classes in the registry this year.
      • The curriculum workgroup is updating coursework on the following areas:
        • Changing terms from treatment to general care.
        • Fire safety – changing to recognition and response for caregivers vs. firefighter level knowledge.
      • Focus2025 Conference – November 19 & 20 in Green Bay:

Still time to save money and register early: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/regulations/training/focus.htm