CMS not saying much about a payment deal that could be a game changer
By
John O'Connor
Jul 08, 2013
In recent years, many skilled care operators have nervously watched the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reduce and sometimes eliminate payments for physical, occupational and speech therapy services....
When LTC leaders delegate accountability
By
John O'Connor
Nov 19, 2012
What happens when delegation without accountability takes place? We saw a good example last week, when the Office of Inspector General released a damning report about excessive Medicare charges from nursing...
Shamelessly invoice at your own risk
By
John O'Connor
Mar 22, 2013
Here’s the good news for providers: new analytics are making it possible to understand and bill your care in ways that would have been impossible just a few years ago. Here’s the bad news:...
Therapy with a twist (of lemon)
By
Tim Mullaney
Oct 01, 2013
As you read this, you might be eyeing the new RAI manual that takes effect today, and are feeling a bit overwhelmed at the sheer number of new pages. So it’s with great regret that I have to add...
OIG? OMG! One lump problem
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Jan 23, 2013
The Office of the Inspector General’s recent report about what it calls $1.5 billion in inappropriate Medicare payments to skilled nursing facilities should be yet another wake-up call to providers.
A new kind of COVID-19-fueled drama unfolding right before our eyes
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 05, 2021
When providers get back to operating more the way they want to, will stakeholders be amused or will they feel like they’re watching an unfolding tragedy?
Home (safety) for the holidays
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Dec 21, 2012
It’s hard to believe the holidays are already here. As I have frantically baked cookies, mailed holiday cards and waited in long lines for the perfect gift, I couldn’t help but people-watch....
The resident’s ‘right to refuse’
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
Aug 28, 2012
Therapy services can be a tricky business when working with residents with a history of “behavioral issues.”
Providers, are you asking, ‘Show me your therapy minutes’?
By
Renee Kinder
Apr 08, 2021
It is a simple ask. It is the right ask. Show me your therapy minutes. The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have provided a bit of a pause to the anticipated review and audits we all anticipated seeing associated...
Just the facts? No way. Managing agitation and behaviors in dementia
By
Jean Wendland Porter
Mar 19, 2018
We need to better understand our dementia residents and learn how to enter their world to make them comfortable, maintain their dignity and improve the quality of their lives.