Hurricane Sandy delivered a wallop – and a troubling reminder about life’s uncertainties
By
John O'Connor
Nov 05, 2012
We humans tend to be creatures of habit. Most of us like to develop daily routines and stick with them. This approach has its benefits. It saves a lot of time that would otherwise be wasted sorting out...
Your residents might be safe, but what about your data?
By
John O'Connor
Mar 03, 2014
Long-term care providers go to great lengths to keep residents out of harm’s way. But it appears that the data many operators count on might be anything but safe.
More talk about putting nursing homes out of business
By
John O'Connor
Feb 14, 2014
Almost exactly two decades ago, we saw a huge push to move residents from nursing homes into home-based settings. But a funny thing happened once the number crunchers started doing the math. It soon became...
MedPAC needs a new role, Rockefeller says
By
John O'Connor
Sep 01, 2009
Sen. John Rockefeller IV (D-WV), chairman of the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Health, continues to advocate for a stronger role for the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC).
In lift to management, Labor department rejects ‘persuader rule’
By
John O'Connor
Jul 20, 2018
The Department of Labor has officially revoked a rule that requires employers to report whenever they seek assistance from consultants or lawyers to dissuade employees from joining unions.
Antipsychotic add-on falls off FDA measure
By
John O'Connor
Jul 06, 2012
The Senate failed to approve legislation meant to enhance antipsychotic regulations in nursing homes, despite passing the bill to which it was attached.
Finally, some coverage that puts ‘nursing home’ and ‘great’ in the same headline
By
John O'Connor
Sep 08, 2014
By any standard, much of what’s being reported about nursing homes these days could hardly be considered good news. I could point out many examples, but the point is clear: There’s a lot of...
The BIG Picture: Once invincible business models aren’t so bulletproof after all
By
John O'Connor
Jan 01, 2010
As 2010 dawns, many providers and publishers find themselves limping along. Both have just endured one of the more challenging years on record.
A sick way to reduce readmission burden?
By
John O'Connor
Jan 08, 2018
A growing number of hospitals have found a novel way to reduce readmission rates: insist that patients are sicker than they really are.
Think things can’t get worse?
By
John O'Connor
Jul 05, 2020
Things not only could get worse for long-term care providers, there’s a good chance they will. Especially if Joe Biden is elected president in November.