The Supreme Court is about to deliver another blow to unions
By
John O'Connor
Feb 05, 2018
An upcoming Supreme Court ruling might be the end of public unions. As far as most nursing home operators are concerned, it’s too bad the same fate wouldn’t extend to non-public unions as well.
Bed taxes and other troubling compromises
By
John O'Connor
Aug 04, 2014
As my colleague Tim Mullaney reported last week, the Government Accountability Office has been taking a closer look at Medicaid bed taxes lately. And the investigative arm of Congress doesn’t seem...
A toxic nursing home strike that gets weirder by the day
By
John O'Connor
Feb 11, 2013
The late Hunter S. Thompson famously said that when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. By his logic, the management and workers involved in a strike across five HealthBridge Management facilities...
The Affordable Care Act is here to stay, even if nobody seems to know what that means
By
John O'Connor
Nov 12, 2012
As late as Friday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) indicated he still would like to upend Obamacare. But he really needs to find a less frustrating way to spend his working hours.
When it comes to free Medicaid dollars, some governors in a state of denial
By
John O'Connor
Jun 10, 2013
Under a newly expanded Medicaid program option, states stand to reap billions of dollars in what amounts to free money. Much of this could go toward better resident care. But some governors can’t...
Is it any wonder this field has an identity crisis?
By
John O'Connor
Aug 25, 2014
What’s in a name? That’s a fairly topical question, given the many differing views on how best to describe the business we’re in. Not that this field’s identity crisis is a recent...
Keeping your friends close, and the media closer
By
John O'Connor
Jul 30, 2018
After nearly three decades of watching this sector, I’m still astounded by two bizarre aspects of general media coverage.
SNFs and cabbies agree that more regs are needed — for the other guy
By
John O'Connor
May 16, 2016
You can gain real insights about your future by examining what the competition is up to. Remarkably, there are still some skilled care operators who don’t see assisted living as the competition....
Replace the Five Star Quality Ratings system with points?
By
John O'Connor
Nov 17, 2014
There’s a need to fix what’s broken with the Five Star nursing homes-ratings system, and the way to do it is obvious.
As a boss, are you providing good guidance, or ‘good’ stories?
By
John O'Connor
Nov 22, 2013
Say what you will about bad bosses: They always seem to create great stories. But not usually as intended.