Operators might be forgiven for feeling a bit more tense and morose than usual in these trying days. But believe it or not, there are also pockets of joy to savor.
Life with PDPM: ‘This has such high potential’
By
James M. Berklan
Nov 13, 2019
It’s paid to have a thick skin or optimistic nature lately if you’re a post-acute therapy provider. Luckily for Martha Schram, she has both.
Deficit reduction and long-term care: Enjoy things while you can
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 03, 2011
If you thought the last few weeks of politicians’ stomach-turning brinksmanship over the national debt ceiling wasn’t fun — and who did? — you have no reason to look forward to the end...
Will drug price list bring clarity or just transparency?
By
James M. Berklan
May 16, 2018
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma announced Tuesday that her agency will be publishing “Drug Dashboards” to show the public how much drug prices covered by...
Don’t snooze? You lose
By
Oct 11, 2016
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study noting health concerns for night-shift workers didn’t exactly give the day-shift crowd a clean bill of health, either. Day-shift workers still...
Proof of the value of palliative care consultations
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 21, 2016
Everybody’s looking for win-win scenarios, especially in healthcare. Because of such tight operating margins, that goes double for long-term care. That’s what makes some of the newest palliative...
Failure in discharge planning
By
Elizabeth Newman
May 18, 2015
There’s a feel-good national story that debuted last week around how emergency responders helped an 81-year-old man. Wonderful people came to his aid. But why did it have to come to this?
Why providers aren’t elated about new pay-for-quality goals
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 28, 2015
You can forgive long-term care providers if they weren’t outwardly jumping for joy at Monday’s announcement that Medicare is going to start paying for quality, and not quantity, of services.
A nudge toward budgeting
By
Elizabeth Newman
May 22, 2012
There is many a manager who has been told “work on the budget” and left to sink or swim. If that’s different in your facility — that is, if each nurse manager is giving a course in...
Illinois nursing home settlement could have major impact
By
Liza Berger
Mar 19, 2010
A recent legal settlement regarding mentally ill nursing home residents in Illinois has the potential to transform the state’s long-term system. It also likely will have a ripple effect on the field...