Prime time to firm up those Women of Distinction Awards nominations
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 08, 2023
The nomination period for the 6th Annual McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is at its midpoint, a good reminder to pull together key materials soon if they haven’t been already, organizers remind.
The top long-term care stories of 2023
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 18, 2023
Long-term care providers were intent on dismissing undesirable memories of the COVID-19 pandemic as much as possible in 2023, but the year’s top stories revealed there were still remnants of it to...
Providers gain needed allies against automatic nurse-aide training lockouts
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 15, 2022
Wednesday was a good day for nursing home operators and others opposed to nurse-aide training lockouts triggered automatically by high federal fines.
Therapists anxious without CMS guidance on telehealth coverage post-PHE
By
James M. Berklan
May 12, 2023
Therapy groups serving long-term care and other institutional providers were left hanging Thursday as the public health emergency officially lapsed and federal regulators still had not given clarification...
CMS releases nuances in expansive RAI manual changes, final MDS 3.0 item sets
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 04, 2023
Federal regulators sent nursing home operators and their MDS personnel scurrying for favorite reading spots Monday after they released finalized item sets and 450 pages of heavily updated Resident Assessment...
Providers worried about CMS pace on new MDS materials
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 09, 2022
Skilled nursing operators were happily surprised in September with an early draft of MDS revisions, but ever since it’s been a slog getting more information.
It’s time for well-earned salutes to those leaders we respect
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 06, 2022
Call them prized veterans, mentors, stars, uber-leaders. Label them whatever you want. We all have them around us in our work lives. Now it’s time to celebrate them properl
CMS call takes listeners back in time for MDS compliance but offers nothing new on staffing mandate
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 01, 2023
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services invited the nation’s nursing home stakeholders to a conference call Thursday but played its cards close to the vest regarding its pending release of a first-ever...
Providers grateful for certain opportunities in proposed 2025 Medicare pay rule
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 02, 2024
Even though debate will continue about how much Medicare reimbursement should rise next year, there’s little disagreement that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services got at least a few things right...
A man for all seasons: John Derr
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 05, 2023
That John Derr recently said he’s thinking of backing off a bit is both a shame and an inevitability. For few have ever packed as much into one lifetime as he has. A slowdown is the only real possible...