I have to admit that when I saw the news headline last week, “BREAKING: CMS cuts SNF pay rates by net $320 million,” I felt a kick-’em-while-they’re-down discouragement.
Have we become too accepting of high turnover?
By
Kristin Baird
Aug 27, 2020
A few years ago, when managing a big project for a long term care company, I was struck by their high turnover among nurses and nursing assistants. When I brought up my concerns to the chief HR officer,...
Resolving that tension between clinical and financial leadership
By
Steven Littlehale
Jan 27, 2020
It’s time to give purchasing agents more room to operate in long-term care. Here’s why, and now here’s a group that can help their efforts.
Decrease costs and boost morale by fostering a culture that prioritizes infection prevention and control
By
Buffy Lloyd-Krejci, DrPH, CIC
Aug 07, 2023
Before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, infection prevention and control (IPC) in long-term care facilities was usually relegated to the sidelines. If it was focused on at all, IPC often fell squarely on...
Administration and CMS’s big fix
By
Jacqueline Vance, RNC, CDONA/LTC
Mar 15, 2022
I think a lot of us were a little ticked off with the State of the Union address and the administration’s focus on improving the quality of care provided in America’s nursing homes. We all know we...
Nobody won yet
By
Donna Stuart
Aug 25, 2021
King Kong and Godzilla faced off above the city skyline. With his teeth, Godzilla rips a hunk from the skyscraper, flinging it in Kong’s direction. Kong bats it away, sending it spinning down onto...
Another COVID-19 symptom: Dueling liability decisions
By
Neville M. Bilimoria
Feb 19, 2021
If you thought you had a clear read on how courts would interpret federal COVID-19 liability protections, think again. After a set back last fall, there appears to be some good news for providers after...
“No man is a failure who has friends” — an MDS Merry Christmas
By
Joel VanEaton
Dec 20, 2023
As Christmas and the new year approach, I get nostalgic. I like to think back on good old childhood memories. For me those are the 1970s and ’80s. I remember one Christmas, I was probably 7 years...
Ethical principles: Respect for those we serve
By
Mary Eleanor Wickersham
Feb 01, 2021
My mother’s name was called, and we left the waiting room to approach the hospital desk to complete paperwork for her outpatient procedure. The clerk immediately began to ask me questions. “What is...
Prescription for faith in patient care
By
Ronald Ragotzy
Jun 02, 2014
For many people, the ending of life, whether it is our own or that of a loved one, is a time when we most turn to faith. In the medical profession, dying is happening all around us. It sometimes takes...