Parkinson, former CMS chief agree: ‘Nightmare’ COVID-19 a chance for providers to learn, improve
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 07, 2020
COVID-19 has been a “clinical nightmare and a business disaster” but also can be an outstanding learning opportunity, leaders said Tuesday.
Looking at COVID-19 through the eyes of residents with dementia
By
P.K. Beville
Aug 10, 2020
When I was in graduate school as a single parent, barely making ends meet, I lamented to my mother in loud, ugly sobs that I thought I might be going crazy. I was serious. My mother calmly responded,...
Protecting privacy in the midst of COVID-19
By
Stephanie Anthony
Randi Seigel
May 19, 2020
The nation’s nursing facilities, assisted-living facilities, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and home care providers — and their long-term care (LTC) workforces — are at the forefront of the...
COVID-19 underscores PDPM advantages
By
Bent Philipson
Jan 27, 2021
The efficacy of the Patient-Driven Payment Model has never been clearer than now, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. PDPM enabled skilled nursing facilities to see a 9% increase in Medicare reimbursement...
What 2021 has in store on the legal front
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Jan 20, 2021
Everyone has been celebrating that 2020 is over, and who can blame them? Yet, I can’t help think the legal issues facing long term care in 2020 won’t necessarily go away in 2021. Some of the lingering...
Minimizing the impact of touch starvation in long-term care residents
By
Jennifer Birdsall
Sep 09, 2020
What is touch starvation? Also known as “touch deprivation,” “skin hunger” or “hug deprivation,” touch starvation is what occurs when a person’s exposure to physical contact has been significantly...
Nursing homes to feds: Expand COVID-19 testing to all, pay $120K per facility, increase PPE shipments
By
James M. Berklan
May 05, 2020
The nation’s largest nursing home and assisted living association has turned up the pressure on the federal government, sending formal letters to federal authorities Monday asking for priority COVID-19...
BREAKING NEWS: New federal nursing home commission members named
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 19, 2020
Top leaders in the long-term care industry lead the names announced Friday as members of the White House’s new Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes.
Feds’ ‘dramatic expansion’ of telehealth widens payment coverage; HIPAA rules are relaxed for COVID-19
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 18, 2020
The federal government removed Medicare restrictions for telehealth coverage nationwide Tuesday while also temporarily relaxing HIPAA obligations for providers. The latter opens the door for doctors’...
Making the loneliness epidemic a mainstream problem, finally
By
Joel Landau
Feb 22, 2021
With the coronavirus pandemic still raging this summer, a senior living facility in North Carolina began posting photos on its Facebook page, each showing a resident holding a sign that listed the person’s...