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...
388,000 residents die each year of HAIs with infection control practices lacking, experts warn
By
Jun 15, 2017
Long-term care providers are falling behind when it comes to training for infection control personnel, leaving gaps that may be to blame for at least some of the 388,000 annual resident deaths linked to...
False Claims Act lawsuit against SavaSeniorCare, Medline unsealed
By
May 05, 2017
A 2015 lawsuit claiming SavaSeniorCare violated the False Claims Act by accepting kickbacks from Medline and creating a “revenge” scheme against a competitor was unsealed in court last week.
Canaries in a coal mine
By
John O'Connor
Dec 06, 2016
When it comes to measuring how well a long-term care facility is doing, we all know the usual benchmarks: revenues, profits and census levels.
Supreme Court upholds controversial False Claims liability theory
By
Jun 17, 2016
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a controversial legal theory that could increase False Claims Act scrutiny against healthcare providers.
Jury awards family $5.5 million in ‘record-setting’ wrongful death suit
By
May 18, 2016
The family of a 77-year-old resident who died while living at a Colorado nursing home received $5.5 million in damages on Friday, in what was believed to be a record-setting verdict.
Providers just have to look for their bright spots
By
James M. Berklan
May 04, 2016
Long-term care operators have plenty of reasons to recoil and lick their wounds over the course of a year. But sometimes they need to seek the light and resist the “woe is us” mentality.
‘Spending down’ for Medicaid is the most practical LTC financing plan for most Americans,...
By
Tim Mullaney
Nov 14, 2014
Forgoing long-term care insurance and relying on Medicaid is the smartest financial planning decision for the majority of unmarried Americans, according to investigators at Boston College’s Center...
Making a quality bet on ACOs a risky proposition
By
James M. Berklan
Nov 01, 2014
If there’s anything that’s become clear about this ACO business lately, it’s that it’s not going to be as simple as A-B-C.
Entitlement or over utilization?
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Oct 07, 2014
Many of our therapy patients are medically complex and we, unfortunately, are not able to predict the future, as it sometimes seems that regulators want us to do.