I’m all about simplistic solutions to impossible difficulties. Faced with huge challenges like staffing, staffing and staffing, long-term care operators, administrators and clinical leaders are feeling...
Addressing improper billing
By
Kristin Walter
Mar 23, 2015
The government has put the RAC program on a shelf, while they determine how to deal with confusion among providers regarding billing short inpatient hospital stays. It’s time now to get the RAC program...
Flu creates challenges, but staff can prepare effectively
By
Paula J. Fenza, M.A.
Feb 26, 2013
On average, roughly 24,000 Americans die each flu season, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and more than half of those hospitalized are over age 65. This season’s influenza...
Meeting behavioral health needs begins with stable staffing
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Jun 18, 2019
The first step in the process of addressing the behavioral health needs of nursing home residents is to improve staff retention.
The keys to reducing turnover in long-term care
By
Eleanor Feldman Barbera, Ph.D.
Feb 07, 2014
The turnover rate in long-term care is a very significant problem, so I dug into the research about it. Some of the findings were shocking. Others were simply very disappointing. Here’s what I found,...
New payment models present opportunities for SNFs
By
Jeff Terkowitz
Jun 18, 2014
For skilled nursing facilities, the Medicare SNF 3-day rule can make it difficult to place the right patients in the right setting at the right time. The 3-day rule requires that a Medicare beneficiary...
Spacely Sprockets and the future of medical care
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Apr 02, 2014
So does anyone remember the cartoon “The Jetsons”? You know, George and Jane, daughter Judy, son Elroy and, of course, the dog, Astro. It’s kind of fun to see how their 1960s and 1980s...
California medical association strongly supports the president’s nursing home plan
By
Michael Wasserman
Mar 28, 2022
The California Association of Long Term Care Medicine (CALTCM) applauds President Biden’s ambitious plan to improve the care of our nursing home residents. CALTCM is the medical voice of long-term...
When a pay raise isn’t enough, you know there’s trouble
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 29, 2024
Newcomers to the long-term care game may not believe it, but there once was a time when the announcement of the next year’s proposed Medicare payment bump was the hottest ticket around.
Focus on life safety during the management of COVID-19
By
Stan Szpytek
Mar 24, 2020
Note: This story was updated on May 12 to reflect new regulatory changes. As skilled nursing facilities around the nation rise to the challenges of managing this current infectious disease outbreak, providers...