Everyone has something. Do you know what that “something” is for your team members? Recently, I was reminded that our teams, many times, are fighting a battle we may know nothing about. They...
Closures, consolidations and downsizings: Using crisis communications principles to share bad news
By
Nora Jacobs
Apr 21, 2023
Although many industries continue to struggle with the after-effects of COVID-19, perhaps no segment of the economy has suffered as extensively as the long-term care industry. According to the American...
Relaxed enforcement for telehealth is over
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Apr 19, 2023
Well, we knew it might happen sometime. We saw the silver lining of COVID-19 these past few years in the form of relaxed rules by the government to allow for the easier implementation and proliferation...
The MDS is the ‘bee’s knees’
By
Joel VanEaton
Apr 18, 2023
Last summer, we all got a taste of where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is heading regarding a unified payment system for Medicare-covered post-acute care
Minimum staffing requirement: Thank you?
By
Joe Xanthopoulos
Apr 14, 2023
“The only way to assure there is enough staff in a skilled nursing facility is to implement a minimum staffing requirement.” When you hear or read statements like this from a member of Congress, a...
Staff retention today, staff retention tomorrow
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Apr 04, 2023
A recent Washington Post article caught me where I live. It wasn’t about the impact of inflation, the current geopolitical climate in Europe, or the role of microplastics in our food. This article...
Will you pass CMS’s new schizophrenia MDS audits?
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 31, 2023
In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services started focused on-site surveys to address the issue of erroneous coding of schizophrenia in nursing homes. More recently, the agency began conducting...
Don’t be a ‘Dumb A – – ’
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Mar 28, 2023
Let’s be honest here: There is such a thing as a stupid question, or ask. I would say especially if you are a reporter! I don’t think that’s just my bias. I was working in a small border town in...
March, the summer solstice, and social determinants of health
By
Joel VanEaton
Mar 21, 2023
Daylight-saving time is finally here! I look forward to the day in March that it arrives starting June 21 every year. What’s June 21 you ask? Why, it’s the summer solstice. The summer solstice is...
Bad survey? Call your medical director
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Mar 20, 2023
I recently won a case against state surveyors and I learned something new… again. The surveyors were adamant that the facility neglected a resident, and cited violations of policies, and criticized...