BREAKING NEWS: CMS gives skilled nursing 2.4% Medicare pay raise, unveils another new resident classification...
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 27, 2018
In a flurry of activity late Friday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced an $850 million pay raise for skilled nursing facilities for fiscal 2019 that comes along with major simplifications...
A slap in the face for LPNs who keep nursing homes running
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 19, 2023
There are about 175,000 LPNs working in nursing homes — critical staff members who might no longer fit into the SNF job market if the proposed staffing rule is finalized as currently written.
Focus on part-time assignments to improve SNF care consistency, researchers advise
By
Kimberly Marselas
Dec 21, 2022
Nursing homes that prioritize building schedules around part-time workers can significantly improve consistency of care by potentially reducing how many nursing assistants care for each resident.
This season, the gifts will just keep on comin’
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 17, 2021
There’s no more dreading what’s in the box, no fear that you’re getting some dud gift dressed up in the fanciest of double-sided wrapping paper.
‘Keep it simple’ is just not in our nature
By
Steven Littlehale
Jun 28, 2021
I asked all the leadership at New Choice Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to bring me their department-specific resident assessment tools. They were to leave them on my desk by 5 p.m. When I returned...
The coming crackdown: COVID-19 and beyond
By
Karen Christian
Matthew Hittle
Apr 21, 2021
For more than a year, America’s nursing homes have been besieged by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has tragically claimed the lives of more than 130,000 residents and 1,600 staff. While America’s nursing...
Providers: CMS should first fortify skilled nursing workforce before imposing minimum staffing measures
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 07, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must first help the long-term care industry build up its workforce before implementing a national minimum staffing standard for nursing homes, many providers...
Will clear and present danger reveal itself as state mandates increase?
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jul 11, 2023
Nursing home operators in New York and Pennsylvania are stepping into the abyss this month, with no easy way to see just how far they might fall before hitting bottom.
The importance of a smoking policy
By
Betty Norman
Oct 25, 2012
Resident smoking polices mean much more than cleaner air at long-term care facilities. As recent incidents demonstrate, having effective policies for residents – and making sure they are followed...
CMS doubles down: Surveyors do not have to be COVID vaccinated
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 07, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has held audiences with skilled nursing providers, made presentations and entertained comments in recent months to assure operators that regulatory actions...