If you didn’t work in long-term care and I asked you to specify what Illinois, Washington, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico have in common, we could be waiting for your answer for a very long time.
Feds praise quality initiative results
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 10, 2005
The federal government’s Nursing Home Quality Initiative has been a success in several areas, although clear or positive results are not apparent for many criteria, health officials declared at a...
AHCA chief aims for better relationships
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 13, 2006
Leaders of the American Health Care Association were looking to engage a fence mender and a renovator when they officially named Bruce Yarwood their new president and CEO in late November.
Why providers aren’t elated about new pay-for-quality goals
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 28, 2015
You can forgive long-term care providers if they weren’t outwardly jumping for joy at Monday’s announcement that Medicare is going to start paying for quality, and not quantity, of services.
Providers catch big break as MDS 3.0 gets one-year delay
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 01, 2009
Nursing homes have an extra year to prepare for MDS 3.0 after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services disclosed it would delay implementing the program overhaul until October 2010.
CMS widens audits, hones in on Part A claims, expert says
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 01, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has increased its scrutiny of Medicare Part A filings recently and as a result, has reclaimed more funds than ever from providers, a long-term care compliance...
The Government Accountability Office recently issued a pair of reports within days of one another critical of how the Medicaid program gathers data and screens its provider participants.
Nurse sues facility over live hostage drill
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 01, 2014
A nurse who said she was not warned that she would be threatened and “taken hostage” by a gunman during an emergency preparedness drill is suing her former Colorado nursing home employer for...
Transportation feature: Fuelish dreams
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 10, 2006
Rising gas prices and lagging reimbursements have forced providers to re-examine their operations’ transportation plans.
Alzheimer’s spousal sex case has fallout
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 05, 2015
The case of a 78-year-old retired lawmaker who was prosecuted for alleged sexual abuse of his Alzheimer’s-afflicted wife highlights a need for nursing homes to have clearer policies on sex and intimacy,...