Short 2021 Tech Awards entry period off to a running start
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 23, 2021
The McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards program is now accepting entries through the May 25 deadline. Added this year will be a three-webinar forum, which will earn free CE credits for attendees.
Bundled pay cuts LOS, use
By
James M. Berklan
Nov 05, 2016
The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative is already showing promising results, researchers said.
Thanks for 1% Medicare raise
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 06, 2017
If they hadn’t known well in advance it would be that small, providers probably wouldn’t have been so gracious about a mere 1% increase in Medicare reimbursements from the Centers for Medicare...
Rate drops for antipsychotics
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 04, 2015
Industry leaders were pleasantly surprised to learn that nursing home operators had exceeded goals for lowering unnecessary antipsychotics use. The level dropped by nearly 20% over a three-year span.
When one dangerous compromise leads to another
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 28, 2021
Sometimes providers are backed into a corner and must do non-preferred things. But the big question becomes what’s the next step after the first concession?
CMS employee vaccination mandate could be unveiled today
By
James M. Berklan
Nov 02, 2021
Long-term care operators may learn details of a new federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers as early as today.
CMS ‘interested’ in patient satisfaction scores for nursing homes
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 22, 2020
Federal regulators say that nursing homes could eventually come to see patient satisfaction scores included in Five Star Quality Ratings and on the Nursing Home Compare website.
MDS proposal cuts Section G
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 05, 2020
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services surprised providers at the end of 2019 when they presented a first draft of the 2020 MDS item sets.
Provider denies it worked a nurse to death, but will court agree?
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 12, 2014
Long-term care workers, particularly nurses, might complain or even joke about it: I’m being worked to death. But now a dead nurse’s family is testing such an assertion in court.
It’s time to put up or shut up on vaccine mandates
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 20, 2021
Will Wednesday’s White House announcement that COVID-19 vaccinations will be mandated for nursing home employees be a dealbreaker? It depends.