There’s a looming massive report on all the hospital readmissions data in your area and the strategic plan your facility needs to pursue. It involves talking to lots of employees, gathering data,...
The sweet irony of a nursing home report card
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 17, 2014
It’s said that politics, among other things, makes for strange bedfellows. Add long-term care quality improvement efforts to the list.
Five-star ratings: What a racquet?
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 16, 2014
The provider community can sound downright oxymoronic when it comes to the five-star rating system for nursing homes.
Is it any mystery why so many beds remain empty?
By
John O'Connor
Sep 15, 2014
Ask skilled care or senior living operators about their biggest operational challenge, and the answer is almost always the same: keeping the place full. A new investigation of the way many operators deal...
Playing hardball with recidivists or taking good nursing homes out of the game?
By
John O'Connor
Sep 12, 2014
Even if you’re not a baseball fan, you’re probably familiar with the notion of three strikes and you’re out. If a lawmaker has his way, it’s an approach that might be soon get applied...
The upside of a long-term care journal
By
Elizabeth Newman
Sep 11, 2014
I thought writing in a journal to recap my day would be more trouble than it’s worth. That was before I went on a two-week vacation halfway around the world. But you don’t have to travel that...
Latest therapy-billing showdown could be ominous sign for long-term care providers
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 10, 2014
Don’t let anyone tell you that long-term care operators don’t know how to read between the lines. They might not have known to fear a McKnight’s Monday news item before it broke, but...
Control issues: helping patients and staff members after a setback
By
Tim Mullaney
Sep 09, 2014
If you’re a leader at a long-term care facility, you’re constantly trying to promote persistence in the face of obstacles. Maybe you’re trying to motivate a patient to progress with therapy...
Finally, some coverage that puts ‘nursing home’ and ‘great’ in the same headline
By
John O'Connor
Sep 08, 2014
By any standard, much of what’s being reported about nursing homes these days could hardly be considered good news. I could point out many examples, but the point is clear: There’s a lot of...
Why the survey system may never be fixed
By
John O'Connor
Sep 05, 2014
Given certain realities about skilled-nursing facility inspections, we should not be wondering why cheating has occurred. Rather, we should be amazed it hasn’t been more rampant.