I did an informal survey around the office to get a broad set of the top 13 predictions for 2019 and I’d like to share them with you. There is some cheek in these predictions, but all grounded in solid...
The Five Star Report, once again, in the SNF spotlight
By
Steven Littlehale
Sep 24, 2014
The Five Star Quality Rating System takes the spotlight on the front page of the New York Times and the top of the news cycle, kicking off other publicity and political pressure. Regardless of any of the...
Payment reform: Ready! Set! Don’t go! No, I mean go!
By
Steven Littlehale
Apr 23, 2018
Perhaps you think that the new therapy-payment bombshell (RCS-1) has turned out to be a dud. I hope to make the point that it was not.
The importance of data accuracy
By
Steven Littlehale
Apr 10, 2013
Has a day gone by when you haven’t heard about a new healthcare reform requirement coming of age? This month skilled nursing facilities were supposed to have started having an operational compliance...
Is ‘location, location, location’ still driving your Five-Star success? Yes!
By
Steven Littlehale
Apr 01, 2022
Tying reimbursement to investments in quality is a good idea, but it won’t work with the current Five-Star system.
How will PBJ impact Five-Star staffing? Would you like one lump or two?
By
Steven Littlehale
Mar 30, 2018
We don’t know when, and we don’t know how, but when Payroll-Based Journal staffing data replaces the data currently being captured from CMS Form 671 for calculating Five-Star staffing, we are...
A love letter to baby boomers
By
Steven Littlehale
Dec 14, 2022
Dear baby boomers, Thank you, thank you, thank you! You made my ugly-as-sin, chunky, deep-cut, orthopedic “sneakers” acceptable to wear with my fancy tailored business suit. I don’t have to...
A natural evolution of the MDS coordinator: Nurse Informaticist
By
Steven Littlehale
Oct 27, 2017
Jennifer Gross, BSN, RN-BC, RAC-CT, fascinates me. Most recently, she completed a graduate certificate program in informatics, a subject that is playing a critical role in the explosion of health information...
Prepare for a visit from the ghosts of reimbursement past, present and future!
By
Steven Littlehale
Dec 20, 2019
“If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with ‘Reimbursement Reform’ on their lips would be boiled in their own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through their heart!” Ebenezer...
Be thankful … for QAPI details?!
By
Steven Littlehale
Nov 25, 2015
t’s the time of year when we reflect and give thanks. With all the rapid changes in post-acute care, providers can be thankful for the Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement regulations detailed...