Small fortunes are spent each year trying to figure out how juries reach their verdicts in malpractice cases.
Having just served on such a panel, I can probably offer some helpful insights. These may come...
The big picture: More Medicaid woes?
By
John O'Connor
Jul 01, 2011
When Congress repealed a budgetary provision known as the Boren Amendment back in 1997, I wrote that providers had lost a significant legal protection. It appears that the full force of that loss may soon...
Something in the water?
By
John O'Connor
May 02, 2011
Long-term care can seem like a pretty serious business. Perhaps rightfully so. Taking care of residents with dementia, pressure sores and bad attitudes — or worse — will never be mistaken for a weeklong...
The big picture: Gut-check time for LTC
By
John O'Connor
Apr 01, 2011
Many an operator is now contemplating whether to remain in the long-term care field. Having just returned from an NIC conference on the future of skilled nursing, I can offer a definitive answer: It depends.
This year I promise to…
By
John O'Connor
Jan 03, 2011
It’s very possible that as you are reading this, you have already abandoned those sincere New Year’s promises you made to yourself as 2011 was ringing in. If so, you’re hardly alone.
The BIG Picture: Let’s take out the trash
By
John O'Connor
Dec 01, 2010
In the song “Red Shoes,” Elvis Costello famously sings: “I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused.” Although the lyrics were recorded back in 1976, they provide an appropriate...
The BIG Picture: Giving you extra credit
By
John O'Connor
Oct 01, 2010
In the months ahead, we’ll be looking to offer continuing education in new and different ways.
The BIG Picture: The company we keep
Aug 01, 2010
It’s probably safe to say job demands partly explain the field’s chronic staffing challenges. Simply put, long-term care is hard work.
The BIG Picture: What’s in a (new) ‘name’?
By
John O'Connor
Jul 01, 2010
When the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging meets in Los Angeles this fall, a major announcement will be made: The organization will officially unveil a new identity.
The BIG Picture: a sense of entitlement
By
John O'Connor
Apr 01, 2010
We’re so accustomed to deficit spending, the mounting numbers have essentially lost most of their shock value.