Bureau of Assisted Living Quarterly Provider Association Meeting Recap

Last week, staff from the state’s assisted living provider associations had their quarterly meeting with leadership from the Bureau of Assisted Living to hear updates on projects and other efforts within the Bureau.

Here are the updates that were shared with WHCA/WiCAL Staff:

• Virtual Regional Forums – Dates are being finalized for virtual forums in mid-June, August, and October.
• In-Person Regional Forums – During last years’ survey collaborative work group meetings, BAL leadership heard from providers and associations, an interest in returning to in-person forums. BAL is planning a regional in-person forum in the Madison area, Milwaukee area, Green Bay area, and Eau Claire area to occur sometime this summer (June, July, August)
• Survey Readiness –
  • Another item and recommendation that came out of the work group meetings last year was the creation of a shared expectations memo, for both surveyors and providers on what to expect during the survey process. A similar memo is in use in the nursing home survey process. The memo is in the draft process and will likely be shared at the June regional forums.
  • Electronic Records – BAL continues to encourage the use of electronic records during the survey process. Allowing surveyors access to electronic records can speed up the survey timeline and has received positive reviews from both surveyors and providers in the field. Expect to hear about these stories at the June forum.
• DHS 88 Rewrite:
  • The state has been working to rewrite DHS 88 which regulates Adult Family Homes for several years, they are finally at the point where they have their final version of the rule.
  • WHCA/WiCAL staff are currently reviewing the rule text and will seek feedback from members on the changes made in this draft. We and the other assisted living associations have strongly opposed previous iterations of the rule.
  • There will be an opportunity for public comment and a public hearing on the rule text likely sometime in June or July, we will keep members updated on our efforts and opportunities to weigh in.
• Provider Portal:
  • There will be another webinar on May 20^th for a live Q&A session, particularly focused on the renewal process.
• State of Assisted Living 2025:
  • The 2025 version of the State of Assisted Living was released and posted on the website this month: https://www.dhs.wisconsin.gov/publications/p01726.pdf
  • This publication includes survey and citation trends, as well as data on the number of facilities and capacity.
  • BAL will be presenting this information at the June regional forum.

Please keep an eye out for GOV-D updates from BAL on the regional forums and other communications and updates. This will be an opportunity to receive further information and updates on these and issues directly from BAL leadership and surveyors.