I’ve learned after many years of covering long-term care that certain things are sure to arouse providers’ anger — over regulation, under payment and reckless media accounts among them. What...
Doubling rapid COVID testing would have saved thousands of nursing home lives: study
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 23, 2023
Thousands of lives could have been saved at relatively very little cost, if nursing home operators had made wider use of rapid COVID-19 tests during the pre-vaccine days of the pandemic, a study published...
Washington owes Medicaid programs $4 billion, govs say
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 02, 2011
With federal lawmakers trying to figure out ways to cut expenditures, balance the budget and reduce the national deficit, funding to states — and healthcare providers in particular — has frequently...
Cases subject to escrow
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 01, 2013
Federal regulators have expanded the use of escrow accounts so that as of this month, providers will be subject to their use for any kind of deficiency from a standard or complaint survey that draws a...
2022 McKnight’s Tech Award winners crowned
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 05, 2022
Award-winning skilled nursing operators took home top prizes in the 2022 McKnight’s Excellence in Technology program for outstanding strides made in infection control practices, visitor screening processes...
Days-old MDS creating chaos for some providers
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 04, 2023
Just two days into a new era in nursing home patient assessments, providers were reporting widespread struggles with an updated MDS system, observers said Tuesday.
Groups to find out if Obamacare is their golden ticket
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 09, 2014
Healthcare reform — Obamacare — has stuck a lot of providers and caregivers in tough positions. Whether proponents or opponent of the watershed law, most expect rocky times, at least temporarily, are...
CMS’s confusing kick in the teeth
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 23, 2015
One gets the feeling that federal regulators, no matter how proper the official talk went, took a bit of pleasure in sticking it to nursing home operators over rebasing their star ratings the past week...
It’s time to make that deserving leader a Women of Distinction nominee
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 22, 2023
The early deadline for the 2024 McKnight’s Women of Distinction awards program is just two weeks away and counting down. Prime time for action, in other words.
Nursing homes criticize CMS chest-thumping about $15.5M pandemic fines, severe citations
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 17, 2020
Nursing home operators were left shaking their heads and criticizing the Trump administration over the weekend after the latter touted larger than usual numbers of serious citations and fine amounts against...