Need more referrals? Expert hones in on the ‘M’ word
By
Kimberly Marselas
Dec 08, 2022
In a skilled nursing environment driven increasingly by data, providers must know which metrics matter most to their stakeholders — and be willing to work hard to improve those that exist beyond the...
Bill would use CMS’s Five-Star system to punish consistently 1-star nursing homes
By
Joe Bush
Oct 10, 2022
A bill that would use the federal government’s Five-Star ratings system as a means to identify and punish poor quality nursing homes passed a New Jersey senate committee Thursday, drawing criticism in...
Lots to learn with new Five-Star
By
Steven Littlehale
Jul 22, 2022
On a recent flight, I sat next to an attorney whose principal focus was compliance. It turned out that we were both on our way to speak at events in the same popular Florida conference destination. She...
Which matters most: Social media or Five-Star?
By
Steven Littlehale
May 27, 2022
Recently my colleague Ken Kelley, MS, OTR/L, RAC-CT, a clinical consultant/reimbursement specialist, posited something about Five-Star ratings that I hadn’t considered. He suggested that, in general,...
Additional staffing metrics point to organizational stability
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 04, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, through its consumer‐facing website, has made additional nursing home staffing data available. Doing so during a public health emergency, when the industry...
The truth in the stars
By
Jessica Curtis
Jun 07, 2021
Can a one-star skilled nursing facility be the same as a five-star facility? It depends on your zip code. When the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services assigns the health inspection...
Five-Star is anything but frozen
By
Steven Littlehale
Dec 13, 2017
The day after Thanksgiving, CMS further defined its intensions with the Five-Star Quality Rating System; more specifically how the new survey process and derivative data will be used in its calculation...
Maybe you don’t want to be in that preferred network …
By
Steven Littlehale
Jan 23, 2017
When it comes to contemplating joining caregiving networks, maybe you have more in common with the hospital than you think. Poor-performing hospitals tend to coexist in the same market as poor-performing...
Three stars will be the new one star
By
Betsy Rust
Dec 07, 2016
Nursing home operators call it low occupancy. Medicare insiders call it a declining census. Economists call it excess capacity.
Answers to lingering questions about PBJ
By
Karolee Alexander, RN, RAC-CT
Jul 08, 2016
Even though the Payroll-Based Journal kick-off was last Friday, it’s understandable that questions still cloud this new process. It behooves providers to get up to speed and become better informed...