The Latest From DOH - June 2025
The Situation Report | June 16, 2025
On June 12 2025, HCANYS and other associations representing the long-term care continuum met with the state Department of Health (DOH) Office of Aging and Long Term Care (OALTC). The DOH holds meetings with the associations to provide updates and give the participants the opportunity to raise any issues.
Some of the items discussed at this meeting included:
Surveys
Following the change to surveys for nursing homes and adult care facilities, Valerie Deetz, deputy director of OALTC, announced that the revised weekly Health Electronic Response Data System (HERDS) surveys for Licensed Home Care Services Agencies (LHCSAs) launches on June 17 (tomorrow). An IHANS notice will go out today and tomorrow to remind LHCSAs about the change in survey name.
A webinar was held on June 10 to go over the changes.
Effective June 17, 2025 (tomorrow), LHCSA providers will have three days to complete and submit the survey to comply with the existing reporting requirement. The reporting cycle for all LHCSA providers will begin on Tuesdays at 8:00 a.m. and will close on Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. In addition, a new two-part question has been added to collect the provider’s patient census by county. These new changes will remain in effect until further notice from DOH. HCANYS has long advocated for the 13 COVID-related questions to be removed from the survey and will continue to do so.
Deetz affirmed that DOH staff are ready to help as this new process is unveiled.
DOH Lunch & Learn Education Series
Millie Ferriter, director of the Division of Home & Community Based Services, announced that the next webinar on answers to frequently asked questions will be held on June 17 from 1-2 pm.
Presenter Lori Novak, Capital District Regional Manager will cover a range of frequently asked questions pertinent to providers.
Please send all questions you wish to have addressed and answered in advance of the webinar to
Pre-registration is available here.
HCANYS encourages you to take advantage of this complimentary webinar.
Topics have been determined for the rest of the year. HCANYS will update members upon its announcement. Archived webinars are now available here.
HCS Reminder
Ferriter said that they expect one member from each provider to log into the Health Commerce System daily. Providers are strongly urged to ensure complete profiles on the Health Commerce System, particularly up-to-date names of staff, cell phone numbers, and email addresses. It is imperative for the DOH to be able to reach a provider at any given time.
HCANYS likewise asks every HCANYS organizational member that enrolls in the HCS to please verify and, as necessary, update the information on your organization and your key contacts on the HCS site, especially the person or persons mandated for 24x7 contact availability. As HCANYS serves as a collaborative and contracted partner to the state and to NYC for health emergency preparedness, it is essential to role of the home and community-based services sector to maintain updated and fully functional HCS participation information.
If you are experiencing any issues with your HCS account or have been closed out, please contact
For further information on DOH’s most recent HCS changes, please email the HCS Account Management Unit (CAMU) at
Emergency Preparedness
Heidi Hayes, director of the Center for Residential Surveillance, said that DOH has released a Dear Administrator Letter (DAL) for nursing homes and adult care facilities on emergency preparedness, specific to Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan (CEMP) templates. Training is available here and strongly encouraged.
PACE
Lynn Baniak, deputy director for the Center for Long-Term Care Licensure, Planning and Finance, said that comments on Draft Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) are getting closer towards finalization; she hopes they will be available for public release soon.
The next Public Health and Health Planning Council (PHHPC) meeting is on June 18 in New York City.
HCANYS Immediate Past Chair Michelle Mazzacco serves on the PHHPC.
MOLST
Kara Travis, director of the Center for Hospice and Palliative Care, noted the recent updates to the MOSLT forms. To date, they have not received an update from Excellus on EMOLST.