The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission could be getting closer to formally recommending more uniform payments to skilled nursing facilities and inpatient rehabilitation facilities.
Nursing home leader releases five-year plan, tells members they ‘cannot forget the vulnerable’
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 29, 2013
The leaders of the largest U.S. long-term care convention and exposition sought to inspire members at the group’s annual meeting Monday in Dallas as if they were at a “family reunion.”...
Where Eagles dare
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 23, 2013
A traditional portrayal of a Boy Scout has him helping a little old lady cross the street. But what if the senior citizen turned around and helped the young man advance to Scouting’s highest rank?...
No time to rest for long-term care operators
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 16, 2013
Even before the fall convention season started, providers could be pretty sure about what grand messages they were going to hear from the big guys: Work hard, produce good records, make better networking...
Providers to learn: never enough friends in play
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 01, 2013
Sometimes long-term care providers struggle to find meaning in the signs that are strewn in their path. Whether it’s legalese, regulatory gobbledy-gook or some form of bureaucracy, uncertain messages...
Shipping Grandma out (of the country) for her own good
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 18, 2013
The latest controversy in long-term care has nothing to do with upcoding, sex among seniors or Medicare scams. Rather, it evolves around “exporting” one’s loved one to another country...
Survey says … healthcare reform gradually coming into focus for long-term care providers
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 06, 2013
For those who think that long-term care providers aren’t sitting up and taking sufficient notice of healthcare reform changes on the way, I say take another think. Providers know they’re in...
OIG finds ‘observation stay’ problems, calls for reform
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 01, 2013
Long-term care groups are among those hailing a federal study that raises critical questions about hospitals’ apparent over-use of “observation stay” designations for patients.
Pride by association for long-term care pros
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 28, 2013
At their blandest, associations can be conglomerations of disparate members, known for collecting dues for unrecognized purposes and forming mission statements that are forgotten quicker than they are...
Fix flaws before changing nursing home pay: AHCA says
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 01, 2013
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should consider a higher market basket update for nursing homes due to improper calculations that could be costing providers, the American Health Care Association...