A note from SNFs to hospitals: Stay away from Misfit Island
By
John O'Connor
Jul 25, 2016
Hospitals need to toughen up. Their impending new five-star rating system isn’t going to be the end of the world (at least, not for most of them). But if the experience of skilled nursing homes is...
We’ve identified the big problems. Now let’s just hope they go away.
By
John O'Connor
Sep 02, 2019
Whether most operators are paranoid is a matter of conjecture. But it’s no secret that many feel they have a big ol’ target on their backs. Maybe that sentiment derives from decades of battles with...
Why long-term care is sending out mixed signals
By
John O'Connor
Mar 08, 2021
Is long-term care a rock-solid enterprise dealing with a temporary setback it didn’t cause? Or is the field just months away from an all-but-certain collapse? Both? Neither?
Odds don’t favor another round of Obamacare
By
John O'Connor
Apr 23, 2012
The Supreme Court may be two months away from announcing whether President Barack Obama’s health care law is legal. But court watchers are already speculating on what will happen if the measure is...
Are you taking care of residents or conditions?
By
John O'Connor
Jun 17, 2013
Mr. Fogel quietly passed away last week at a Chicago-area nursing home. Most of the staff didn’t know he was in the building. Among the few who did, he was a resident with heart problems. What a...
LTC insurance adjustment: Smart business move or blatant sexism?
By
John O'Connor
Mar 01, 2013
There’s an adage about insurance coverage: While the big print giveth, the small print taketh away. Genworth Financial — one of the nation’s largest long-term care insurance carriers –...
This guy needs to change his tune
By
John O'Connor
Dec 19, 2021
The thought of fiscal sweeteners in the Build Back Better Act has had many operators humming “Happy Days are Here Again.” But after what played out this past weekend, “Slip Slidin’ Away” might...
For one glorious moment, a warped perspective makes sense — sort of
By
John O'Connor
Nov 07, 2016
If you look at America’s sports-addicted dynamic from a purely logical standpoint, it defies logic. Cities and states pull funds away from needed services in order to comfort the comfortable? In...
The DOL sure didn’t work overtime on this
By
John O'Connor
Apr 28, 2024
Ever notice how our regulatory agencies seem to keep turning good intentions into lousy directives?
For long-term care, mixed news is good news
By
John O'Connor
Dec 14, 2020
Two headlines we ran Friday probably tell you most of what you need to know about the current state of long-term care.