Alarming headline about safety gives incomplete picture
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 16, 2015
Curse the headline writers, for they sometimes don’t do stories justice. The nursing home profession knows this as well as anyone.
Feds’ new pay-for-quality goals are OK, except …
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 05, 2015
Long-term care providers weren’t outwardly jumping for joy when it was announced that Medicare is going to start paying for quality, and not quantity, of services.
The 2015 McKnight’s Online Expo is here
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 04, 2015
9th annual ‘virtual’ tradeshow makes it easy to earn continuing education credits, learn from national experts, visit vendor booths and get up to speed on the profession’s hottest topics
Officials: More additions and rebasings of nursing home ratings to come
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 23, 2015
Nearly one-third of the nation’s skilled nursing facilities lost a rating star due purely to administrative changes Friday, when regulators also emphasized that more quality measures will be added...
As rating system changes, nursing homes should power on
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 17, 2015
As the countdown to Friday begins, and nursing homes ratchet up their anxiety over the public debut of the “new” Five Star rating system, I have a few words of wisdom to share.
A time for providers to savor the good
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 11, 2015
It’s true that there is danger in not stopping to smell the roses. Yet, in long-term care, it’s understandable if you do just that, given how many hassles are tossed your way.
Strength in unity is their prescribed motto, hope
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 01, 2015
Growing up, we had a saying when we wanted to cross a busy street but couldn’t catch a break from drivers. “C’mon,” one of us would gamely yell, while pulling the others onto the...
Why providers aren’t elated about new pay-for-quality goals
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 28, 2015
You can forgive long-term care providers if they weren’t outwardly jumping for joy at Monday’s announcement that Medicare is going to start paying for quality, and not quantity, of services.
Not time to pull the plug on hospital readmissions program … yet
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 21, 2015
It’s hard to sit on one’s hands when caregiving issues are in play. Yet, that’s exactly what I’d recommend with regard to at least one initiative aimed at lowering hospital readmissions.
Strength in unity is pharmacies’ motto, and hope
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 15, 2015
Growing up, we had a saying when we wanted to cross a busy street but couldn’t catch a break from drivers. “C’mon,” one of us would gamely yell, while pulling the others onto the...