The Five Star rating system is about to get retooled, thanks to a scathing report in The New York Times. The only real question is how extensive the changes will be.
Verify payroll totals for rankings: letter
By
John O'Connor
Oct 01, 2014
Federal regulators need to collect nursing home staffing data directly from payroll systems rather than from providers themselves, members of the Congressional Seniors Task Force said in a recent letter...
Is it any mystery why so many beds remain empty?
By
John O'Connor
Sep 15, 2014
Ask skilled care or senior living operators about their biggest operational challenge, and the answer is almost always the same: keeping the place full. A new investigation of the way many operators deal...
Playing hardball with recidivists or taking good nursing homes out of the game?
By
John O'Connor
Sep 12, 2014
Even if you’re not a baseball fan, you’re probably familiar with the notion of three strikes and you’re out. If a lawmaker has his way, it’s an approach that might be soon get applied...
Meals on wheels may never be the same
By
John O'Connor
Sep 10, 2014
As facilities struggle to staff, help may soon be available in the form of a meal-delivering robot.
New healthcare REIT wasting little time
By
John O'Connor
Sep 10, 2014
A newly formed real estate investment trust out of Nashville has already raised nearly $164 million and made five acquisitions, according to the self-managed and self-administered firm.
More vendors see value in video-based marketing
By
John O'Connor
Sep 10, 2014
A growing number of business-to-business marketers have begun using videos to get their message across, according to a survey sponsored by Vidyard and conducted by Demand Metric.
Finally, some coverage that puts ‘nursing home’ and ‘great’ in the same headline
By
John O'Connor
Sep 08, 2014
By any standard, much of what’s being reported about nursing homes these days could hardly be considered good news. I could point out many examples, but the point is clear: There’s a lot of...
Why the survey system may never be fixed
By
John O'Connor
Sep 05, 2014
Given certain realities about skilled-nursing facility inspections, we should not be wondering why cheating has occurred. Rather, we should be amazed it hasn’t been more rampant.
Rate hike will be only a part of the new Medicare reality
By
John O'Connor
Sep 01, 2014
Many providers are relieved that Medicare rates are slated to go up by 2% in the next fiscal year. After all, who wants to turn down $750 million, especially in a rate-cutting climate?