Preparing for a presentation is always fun for me, especially when it involves original research. In anticipation of Reimbur$ement-Con, and my session “The Unexpected Nemesis,” we took a deep dive...
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,...
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...
The Five Star Report, once again, in the SNF spotlight
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 24, 2014
The Five Star Quality Rating System takes the spotlight on the front page of the New York Times and the top of the news cycle, kicking off other publicity and political pressure. Regardless of any of the...
How will PBJ impact Five-Star staffing? Would you like one lump or two?
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 30, 2018
We don’t know when, and we don’t know how, but when Payroll-Based Journal staffing data replaces the data currently being captured from CMS Form 671 for calculating Five-Star staffing, we are...
I rinse out my plastic bags
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 22, 2017
I rinse out my used plastic bags. Maybe not all the time, but often … I do love our Mother Earth, but that wasn’t driving my behavior.
Monet embraced change, have you?
By
Steven Littlehale
Apr 12, 2019
It’s a wild time in long-term care — and a good time to embrace change.
It’s not morbid to talk about death … a lot
By
Steven Littlehale
Dec 07, 2018
It’s not morbid to talk about death, even on the dance floor at your high school reunion.
‘Love hurts’ and sometimes so do averages
By
Steven Littlehale
Jul 23, 2018
Averages can help or hinder your evaluation of performance. Adding a few additional pieces of data can really support your efforts to properly see opportunity and manage risk.
Do the new QMs have you seeing stars?
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 18, 2016
Actions providers take now will make or break their Five-Star Quality Rating experience in July. That’s because the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has changed quality measures in a way...