One news item this week particularly piqued my interest – and apparently yours as well. A recent study found that a computerized canine from Sony known as AIBO (Artificial Intelligence RoBOt) was as...
A taxing situation
By
Liza Berger
Feb 27, 2008
There are a couple of hot-button government rules that are churning up a lot of discussion in skilled nursing circles these days. These rules involve two funding mechanisms – provider taxes and intergovernmental...
War of the words
By
Liza Berger
Feb 20, 2008
The blockbuster piece of nursing home legislation introduced last week put the for-profit community on edge – and in a delicate position in terms of public relations. That was evident in a bit of a verbal...
Bombs away
By
Liza Berger
Feb 15, 2008
Nursing homes have experienced more than their share of government scrutiny the last few months. It’s almost like the industry has a sign on it that says, “Hey, examine us! Look at our defects!”...
Tough love
By
Liza Berger
Feb 08, 2008
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is getting tough with its Medicare contractors, Quality Improvement Organizations. This week, CMS released its 9th Statement of Work. The three-year contract,...
Bush bombshell
By
Liza Berger
Feb 05, 2008
The president released his fiscal year 2009 budget on Monday, and it is more than a little tough on long-term care. He is recommending $1 billion in Medicare cuts to nursing homes in 2009 and $17 billion...
An elephant-sized problem
By
Liza Berger
Feb 01, 2008
If there’s still any doubt that Washington should start caring about the financing of long-term care, one only has to listen to the president. In his State of the Union speech Monday, President Bush...