Our new health secretary is making big plans, at your expense
By
John O'Connor
Feb 13, 2017
On Friday, Dr. Tom Price was sworn in as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Long-term care operators should cast a wary eye toward the new HHS boss for two reasons: Medicaid and...
Have we not been through this before?
By
James Lomastro
Sep 16, 2013
Recently, the former head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services indicated that the agency should scrap a rule requiring three days as a hospital inpatient to qualify for Medicare coverage of...
No time to rest for long-term care operators
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 16, 2013
Even before the fall convention season started, providers could be pretty sure about what grand messages they were going to hear from the big guys: Work hard, produce good records, make better networking...
Healthcare reform and the safety net: The rising tide
By
James Lomastro
Dec 06, 2013
Home- and community-based care advocates seek a total rebalance of care. They want the care dollars to be shifted to home- and community-based care, which has been historically short-shifted. However,...
New Medicare, Medicaid initiative to experiment with ideas
By
Liza Berger
Nov 17, 2010
Let the brewing begin! That’s how I interpreted this week’s launch of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation.
Survey says … healthcare reform gradually coming into focus for long-term care providers
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 06, 2013
For those who think that long-term care providers aren’t sitting up and taking sufficient notice of healthcare reform changes on the way, I say take another think. Providers know they’re in...
Odds don’t favor another round of Obamacare
By
John O'Connor
Apr 23, 2012
The Supreme Court may be two months away from announcing whether President Barack Obama’s health care law is legal. But court watchers are already speculating on what will happen if the measure is...
View from a healthcare town hall meeting
By
Brett Bakshis
Sep 02, 2009
“There are certain rules we ask our students to follow during assemblies,” Dr. Nanciann Gatta, superintendent of Illinois School District 219, said before introducing Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s...
Strange ways to deal with long-term care’s staffing challenge
By
John O'Connor
Nov 15, 2013
It’s no secret that our nation’s long-term care facilities need additional caregivers. More than 43,000 direct care staff positions remain unfilled, according to figures from the American Health...
Spreading the word about long-term care reform
By
Liza Berger
Apr 21, 2009
Take a look at the top news stories on our Web site today and you’ll notice a common topic: healthcare reform. That subject has captured the attention of federal lawmakers and the long-term care community....