The G-codes are here for payment claims — ready or not
By
Shelly Mesure, MS, OTR/L
May 23, 2013
Effective July 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will begin rejecting claims received for Medicare Part B patients that do not include the new requirement of G-coding. That really means providers...
Stiffing the help just doesn’t add up
By
John O'Connor
Dec 05, 2013
Depending on the numbers you choose to believe, senior living profit margins are a razor thin 3% — or more like 20%. Regardless, many would like to believe operators are engaging in a fairly despicable...
Where’s your next lawsuit coming from?
By
John O'Connor
May 22, 2015
If a recent survey of about 800 corporate attorneys is to be believed, there’s no shortage of things to lose sleep over.
A ‘promising’ new year
By
Liza Berger
Jan 06, 2009
It’s the New Year, otherwise known as resolution time—the season to hit the gym five days a week, read more books and be nicer to your mother-in-law. At least until the end of January, that is. Since...
Chicken Little strikes again
By
Liza Berger
Mar 27, 2008
If you’ve been in this field long enough, you are accustomed to the threat of doomsday. In the long-term care industry, the sky is falling. Constantly. It’s easy to feel that way today as nursing homes...
Catheters, infections and … you don’t want to know
By
Elizabeth Newman
Mar 06, 2012
Urinary catheters were on my radar twice last week. The first involved a late-night trip to the vet with an unhappy cat. The second, a political animal.
Painting and opera lessen agitation in resident
By
Jack York
Jun 06, 2016
On our journey last month in McKnight’s, we were introduced to a pilot from Brookdale.
LTC’s ‘diamond in the rough’ elevated to center stage
By
James M. Berklan
May 24, 2017
Eye-rollers might be inclined to snort at the thought of “just another” research center popping up. But they might want to have another think after Tuesday’s big long-term care announcement.
A tisket, a tasket … No LPNs in the RN basket
By
Steven Littlehale
Jul 20, 2015
Reporting direct care hours is nothing new, but the Affordable Care Act takes it to the next level with mandatory quarterly electronic submission of staffing and census data. This focus on staffing ratios...
When the caregiving glass is half-empty
By
Elizabeth Newman
Mar 13, 2012
The prevailing wisdom in healthcare is that a family member’s inability to accept a loved one’s impending death or a dire prognosis relates to miscommunication. A new study turns this on its...