Readmission penalties could harm hospitals and SNFs
By
John O'Connor
Aug 24, 2012
Economic incentives – both good and bad – are a proven way to modify behavior. But what happens when an economic penalty is based on a dubious premise? Many hospitals may soon be forced to...
Medicare’s midlife crisis
By
John O'Connor
Aug 03, 2012
The Medicare program just marked its 47th anniversary. Whether that milestone is a cause for celebration or concern is open to debate.
GOP pledges to fight on after vote saves healthcare reform
By
John O'Connor
Aug 01, 2012
Who says one vote doesn’t matter? The Supreme Court preserved the Affordable Care Act because a conservative judge decided that a liberal president’s expanded healthcare program was worth saving.
Turning a challenge into an opportunity
By
John O'Connor
Jul 27, 2012
Many nursing home administrators are not sleeping well these days. If it’s any consolation, hospital administrators are probably catching even fewer winks.
Talk about tech tools
By
John O'Connor
Jul 02, 2012
After reading through some of the numerous applications for our first annual McKnight’s Excellence In Technology Awards — Connect Our World, I’m here to tell you that plenty of tech-based...
Why your future will be a numbers game
By
John O'Connor
Jul 02, 2012
In the looming world of acute-care partnerships, warm and fuzzy imagery is going to take a back seat to cold, hard data. So if you’re feeling like a number now, just wait.
Sorry, that’s not the full recipe for fixing nursing homes
By
John O'Connor
Jun 04, 2012
The Atlantic’s recent article called ‘How to Fix Nursing Homes’ is a well-written and thoughtful piece. My only gripe is that the headline is a bit of a reach.
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...
And you thought long-term care operators lived in silos?
By
John O'Connor
Apr 20, 2012
Our Founding Fathers were wise to separate our government’s executive, legislative and judicial branches. As we’ve seen all too often, concentrated power leads to disastrous results.
Rewarding tech efforts
By
John O'Connor
Apr 02, 2012
Senior living operators are harnessing innovative tech tools to improve care delivery. To celebrate their exceptional feats, McKnight’s and American HealthTech have established the first annual McKnight’s...