Catheters, infections and … you don’t want to know
By
Elizabeth Newman
Mar 06, 2012
Urinary catheters were on my radar twice last week. The first involved a late-night trip to the vet with an unhappy cat. The second, a political animal.
Another one bites the dust
By
John O'Connor
Nov 15, 2021
Skilled care has been absorbing a lot of body blows lately. The latest was delivered Friday, and it’s going to leave a mark.
Might there be a drug company in your future?
By
John O'Connor
Sep 13, 2018
If you want to know what skilled care will look like in five years, consider what hospitals look like today.
Is it the docs’ turn to get stoned?
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 25, 2018
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services brought out its equivalent of a brass band and confetti machine Tuesday to tout a new provider payment strategy. One could almost hear strains of “Happy...
The caregiver king
By
Liza Berger
Aug 21, 2008
Be nice to your employees. You never know when there might be royalty in your midst. That’s a lesson a nursing home in Harrisburg, PA, is not apt to forget. A certified nursing aide named Charles Wesley...
CMS not saying much about a payment deal that could be a game changer
By
John O'Connor
Jul 08, 2013
In recent years, many skilled care operators have nervously watched the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reduce and sometimes eliminate payments for physical, occupational and speech therapy services....
Nursing home chains take worthy quality steps
By
Liza Berger
May 09, 2008
Two privately held nursing home chains went public this week with smart quality and resident care initiatives. The moves are worth touting – particularly in light of the scrutiny and bad press that have...
Did OSHA just tell nursing homes to cut back on care?
By
John O'Connor
Feb 12, 2018
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration dropped the hammer on a Colorado facility last week. Given what’s happened, OSHA’s response might seem reasonable. At least on paper.
The key to keeping employees around? Kindness
By
Jun 27, 2017
We talk a lot about employee retention in this industry — and I mean a LOT. With the current employment climate of the sector, it would be unwise not to. Here’s a key to it.
Don’t like the new ratings system? Welcome to our world
By
John O'Connor
Jun 19, 2017
The content in the angry letter sounded all-too familiar. “Flawed methodology” and “substantive errors” in CMS’s “chosen methodology.” Another nursing home organization...