Medicare Advantage: A not-so-advantageous deal for beneficiaries and providers
By
Brendan Williams
Nov 29, 2023
Open enrollment is well underway for Medicare, as television viewers inundated with cheesy insurance company ads can tell. Those ads must work. For the first time 2024 will see most Medicare...
Creating unity for positive change in nursing homes
By
Michelle Arnot
Nov 13, 2023
Federal regulators’ recently proposed rule on nursing home minimum staffing standards seems to have exacerbated the divisiveness among the various stakeholders in the aging services field. In an...
This is how we continue to offer hope
By
Julie Thorson
Nov 08, 2023
Trust, compassion, stability and hope have been my focus this year for the Living Leadership blog. I certainly can’t take credit for the four things followers need from leaders — that comes directly...
The federal Medicaid bait and switch
By
Stephen A. Moses
Nov 06, 2023
It was supposed to work like this. When people need long-term care, they pay privately until they’re impoverished. Then and only then Medicaid helps. To avoid that outcome, people were urged to save...
Falling by the wayside
By
Steven Levenson
Oct 24, 2023
This month’s column invokes several previous columns, one about medications and the other about knowing if we know what we don’t know. A recent medical journal article concluded that falls in...
Who benefits behind the scenes from high prescription drug prices?
By
Alan G. Rosenbloom
Oct 16, 2023
If there’s one thing most Americans still agree on, it’s that the ever-increasing cost of healthcare is simply unsustainable. And while there is plenty of blame to go around, one must look at who benefits...
HHS could open the door for more marijuana use in nursing homes
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Sep 19, 2023
I have been touting the benefits of medical marijuana for nursing home/senior care residents for many years now. As a cannabis attorney, as well, I have been immersed in the research and studies,...
How do we know if we know what we don’t know?
By
Steven Levenson
Sep 08, 2023
The amount of knowledge and skill involved in complying with the OBRA regulations is monumental. Every topic, from pressure injury prevention to behavior management, has many tec hnical details and clinical...
Making sense of two approaches to the skilled nursing quality assurance privilege
By
Mario C. Giannettino
Sep 01, 2023
Skilled nursing facilities are required by law to have quality assessment and assurance committees to maintain and improve safety and quality in their facilities. The documents created and used by the...
More residents with opioid use disorder are coming. Are we ready?
By
Dina Besirevic
Aug 23, 2023
The 55-year-old female resident with multiple wounds on both of her arms wasn’t this nurse’s favorite. Yes, the nurse had provided wound care over the years to many people who were irritable...