I recently had the opportunity to tour three WWII-era ships, the USS Yorktown (CV-10), the USS Laffey (DD-724) and the USS Wisconsin (BB-64). All three provided me with extraordinary experiences. ...
The tantalizing tale of a bow tie, a fedora and the SNF VBP
By
Joel VanEaton
Sep 06, 2024
I am an amateur thespian and have been involved as such at our local community theater. Last Christmas, I was cast as George Bailey in a live radio production of “It’s a Wonderful Life.” To be...
A monster final rule with MDS teeth
By
Joel VanEaton
Aug 06, 2024
I recently spent a relaxing week’s vacation at the beach. I’m not a, “sit on the beach and worship the sun” kind of guy. I’m of Irish descent and, unfortunately, my fair skin is sun...
Have a rest from COVID-19: An MDS perspective
By
Joel VanEaton
Jul 06, 2020
I am trying to find ways to rest my mind from constantly thinking about COVID-19. There seems to be no escaping it. It invades every minute poking its head into our collective consciousness whether you...
Data Speaks: What is my niche? Data driven decision making
By
Joel VanEaton
Aug 03, 2020
When examined strategically, data has a voice, it comes to life, it can in fact speak volumes to you. Data speaks about the care you deliver, it provides insight into your treatment patterns, and data...
MDS meets VBP: I love a good value, don’t you?
By
Joel VanEaton
Oct 10, 2022
I love a good value, don’t you? It’s hard to find one these days in this economy. Recently a friend of mine purchased a used vehicle from a reputable local dealership. Within a week, the engine...
Do you know how to play SPADEs? MDS starts a new game
By
Joel VanEaton
Nov 28, 2022
Do you like playing cards? I do. I find it enjoyable to gather friends together for an evening of card playing. I would be lying if I didn’t say that there was no competition involved. Mostly though,...
CMS user’s guide updated with little fanfare
By
Joel VanEaton
May 06, 2019
Providers would be well served to download the current version of the Five-Star User’s guide in order to have an accurate understanding of their 5-Star Rating that CMS posted to Nursing Home Compare...
Have you learned how to play SPADEs in the new world of PDPM?
By
Joel VanEaton
Apr 22, 2020
EDITOR’S NOTE: For the new column on this topic, with all up-to-date observations, newly appearing Nov. 28, 2022, click here. So much is being written recently about the current trends that many...
Embracing the RAI manual
By
Joel VanEaton
Jul 01, 2019
The PDPM RAI Manual is here, Now what? We’ve had a little over a month to process the RAI manual, but there’s no denying that this year is different. Generally, the RAI Manual details the changes...