Skilled Nursing Bootcamp

November 5, 2026
Location: Aurora Training Center, 11159 Aurora Ave., Urbandale, IA

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Event Agenda

8 – 8:30 a.m. – Check in

8:30 – 10 a.m. Internal Investigation and Self-Reporting Best Practices for Skilled Nursing Providers
Rebecca Brommel, Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Abuse-related regulations remain among the most frequently cited deficiencies in nursing homes, requiring providers to conduct prompt, thorough, and well-documented investigations. In addition to abuse allegations, providers are obligated to investigate all incidents and accidents, determine scope and severity, complete in-depth root cause analysis, and implement effective interventions to prevent recurrence. These complex requirements often leave providers uncertain about investigation expectations, documentation standards, and the information necessary to demonstrate due diligence to regulatory agencies. This session will guide participants through best practices for conducting effective investigations, completing compliance self-reports, and implementing sustainable corrective actions. Attendees will gain practical strategies to ensure investigations are comprehensive, timely, and defensible, while reducing the risk of further resident harm and regulatory exposure.

• Define federal and state regulations that require thorough investigations in skilled nursing settings.
• Outline the essential components of compliant and defensible investigation, from intake through root cause analysis.
• Identify critical self-reporting elements needed to demonstrate due diligence and maintain regulatory compliance.

10 – 10:15 a.m. Break

10:15 – 11:45 a.m. Turning Pathways into Protection: A QAPI Strategy to Reduce Liability
Gina Anderson and Brenda Schmidt, Cattail Nurse Consulting

This session equips Administrators and Directors of Nursing with a proactive, systems-based approach to integrating Critical Element Pathways (CEPs) into the QAPI program to reduce regulatory and legal risk. Rather than reacting to survey outcomes, participants will learn how to use pathway methodology to identify breakdowns in assessment, care planning, implementation, and documentation before they result in deficiencies or claims.

While focusing on transforming your QAPI from a retrospective review process to a forward-looking risk management tool, attendees will explore how pathway-driven audits uncover hidden vulnerabilities, how trends signal systemic failure, and how targeted interventions can strengthen clinical practice and documentation defensibility. Real-world scenarios will highlight how gaps identified through pathways often mirror the same issues cited in surveys and pursued in litigation. Attendees will leave with practical strategies to operationalize pathways within QAPI, improve interdisciplinary accountability, and build a defensible system of care. 

• Analyze how Critical Element Pathways align with QAPI to identify and trend systemic care and documentation risks.
• Apply pathway-based auditing techniques within QAPI to proactively detect gaps in clinical practice before they result in survey deficiencies or legal exposure.
• Implement targeted QAPI interventions that strengthen documentation, accountability, and oversight to support regulatory compliance and defensible care delivery.

11:45 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.  Lunch (included)

12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Resident Rights, Involuntary Discharge & Resident Centered Care
Melanie Kempf, State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Office

This training provides an overview of resident rights, offers ways facilities can empower and support residents, and emphasizes the importance of communication, specifically how person-centered practices and effective grievance processes can increase resident satisfaction. The session also provides a brief overview of reporting transfers and discharges to the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman and highlights the Office’s recently created outreach opportunities and materials available to providers and the public.

• Define resident rights as outlined in Appendix PP and Iowa Administrative Code.
• Apply person-centered practices upon admission and throughout their stay that honor, empower, and support residents.
• Identify how effective and ongoing communication can improve resident and their representative’s care satisfaction.
• Recognize the importance of establishing and following a grievance policy.
• Outline methods to contact the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman.

2 – 2:15 p.m. Break

2:15 – 3:30 p.m. Regulatory Updates & Survey Trends
Kellie Van Ree, LeadingAge Illinois/Iowa

It is critical for skilled nursing providers to stay abreast of all the regulatory changes occurring to ensure that they are maintaining compliance. Additionally, identifying survey trends can help providers prioritize quality assurance projects in the frequently cited or highly penalized enforcement areas.

This session will review key regulatory updates from 2026 that all skilled nursing providers must know as well as common survey trends including identifying areas that skilled providers should prioritize in their quality assurance practices.

• Outline key regulatory updates from the year.
• Identify common deficiencies.
• Apply practical strategies for quality assurance and performance improvement in commonly cited deficiencies.

3:30 – 4:45 p.m. Risk Management & Important Insurance Policy Scenarios
Ryan Larmore, Gallagher

Effective risk management is essential to reducing organizational exposure while supporting quality outcomes and controlling insurance costs. This session will explore how proactive compliance practices, strong quality oversight, and informed insurance decisions work together to protect your organization. Participants will learn how leadership-driven risk strategies can positively influence CMS Five-Star ratings, quality measures, and survey performance, while ensuring insurance coverage is appropriate, sufficient, and cost-effective. Practical, real-world strategies will be shared to help organizations prevent deficiencies, strengthen accountability, and make informed insurance renewal decisions.

• Identify practical strategies for building and sustaining a culture of compliance that supports high-quality care and regulatory readiness.
• Examine common drivers of low quality measure performance and apply targeted, actionable process improvement strategies.
• Define critical insurance policy components and renewal considerations necessary to adequately manage risk without over-insuring the organization.

This bootcamp is approved for 7 CEs.                                                                                                                  

Registration & Other Information

LeadingAge Iowa Member  $179
Non-Member                         $279
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What’s Included
Registration fees include digital handouts, continental breakfast, lunch, refreshments, and CEU/attendance certificate.

Cancellation/Refund Policy
The online registration deadline is October 30, 2026. No-shows will be billed. Substitutions welcome anytime prior to the date of the live training. All cancellations and substitution requests must be sent to Dawn Balder ([email protected]). A full refund will be given to all cancellations received 10 or more business days prior to the live program. A $25 administrative fee will be charged to all cancellations received six to nine business days prior to the live program. No refunds will be given to cancellations received five or fewer business days prior to the live program. Refunds will be calculated by the date received and the LeadingAge Iowa business days remaining prior to the program. LeadingAge Iowa reserves the right to cancel the program due to insufficient enrollment, in which case pre-registered participants will be notified and full refunds provided.

Hotel Accommodation Options

To get the special room rate at any of the below hotels you must request the “LeadingAge Iowa room rate”.

Click here to visit their website.

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