Antipsychotics report will have severe side effects
By
John O'Connor
Jul 13, 2012
Antipsychotic drugs are often used to calm residents with dementia. This reality is common knowledge among most people who have spent more than a few minutes in a nursing facility. But it is apparently...
Opportunity may be knocking, but many operators don’t want to answer the door
By
John O'Connor
Nov 07, 2014
If you are a long-term care operator, the latest report from the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization should leave you with mixed feelings.
This ‘crackdown’ should really melt your cheese
By
John O'Connor
Oct 05, 2015
Can someone please tell me exactly what “melty cheese” is? The product exists in commercials but is apparently not to be found elsewhere. And as far as I can tell, no state regulators are cracking...
Don’t like the new ratings system? Welcome to our world
By
John O'Connor
Jun 19, 2017
The content in the angry letter sounded all-too familiar. “Flawed methodology” and “substantive errors” in CMS’s “chosen methodology.” Another nursing home organization...
Feeling threatened at work? You’re probably a woman
By
John O'Connor
Sep 28, 2015
Who has the most dangerous jobs in America? Police officers? Fire fighters? Loggers?
CMS is not terribly interested in hearing about your staffing woes
By
John O'Connor
May 06, 2019
It’s no secret that finding and keeping nurses is one of the skilled care sector’s biggest headaches. But it would appear that the folks who regulate this field don’t want to hear it any more.
The Alzheimer’s investment that’s not being made
By
John O'Connor
Jun 13, 2016
Our best hope to make progress against Alzheimer’s disease probably lies in the form of increased research funding.
This new budget doesn’t pass the smell test
By
John O'Connor
Nov 16, 2015
For many operators, the new federal budget is beginning to smell like a rotten onion. And as more of its layers get exposed, the stench keeps getting worse.
It’s time to screw up that courage and take the plunge
By
John O'Connor
May 05, 2014
I’ll never forget my first encounter with the high diving board at Sherman Park pool.
What’s happening in the Senate is no thing of beauty
By
John O'Connor
Jul 17, 2017
When it comes to the Senate’s latest healthcare bill, providers have unloaded many valid criticisms of it. Sadly, they may be irrelevant. It’s easy to get so caught up in this legislation’s...