Health Policy and Economics

Medicare Advantage vs Traditional Medicare

Medicare Advantage vs traditional Medicare is no longer a beneficiary-choice discussion alone. It is a market-structure issue affecting referral patterns, hospital utilization, post-acute length of stay, network access, risk-bearing arrangements, and the financial viability of providers serving older adults. For...

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Also this Week

Recent Analysis

CMS Withholds $1B in Medicaid Payments From CA, MN

Policy and Politics - Federal

CMS Defer $1B in Medicaid Payments to CA, MN

The report that CMS is withholding $1B in Medicaid payments from California and Minnesota is not merely another Washington-versus-state-capital political skirmish. It is a reminder that Medicaid is financed through a conditional partnership, and federal…

9 min read
Fee for Service vs Value Based Care: What Changes

Health Policy and Economics

Fee for Service vs Value Based Care

A hospital can fill beds, a skilled nursing facility can maintain census, and a physician group can increase visits while the broader system still produces avoidable cost and uneven outcomes. That is the central tension…

9 min read
CMS Modernizes Nursing Home Oversight With Risk Surveys

Policy and Politics - Federal

CMS Changes SNF Surveys With New Risk Surveys

CMS is launching a streamlined review process for higher-performing nursing homes and making them easier for consumers to find on Medicare.gov. A new Quality, Safety, & Oversight memo outlines the risk-based survey process, which helps…

9 min read

Health Policy and Economics

Why Rural Health Transformation Matters

Rural providers are being asked to preserve access with urban-level expectations and far thinner margins. That is the core tension any rural health transformation program must confront. For hospitals, post-acute operators, clinics, and community-based organizations…

8 min read
https://rhislop3.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/life-plan-community-economics-explained-featured.webp

Life Plan/CCRC

Life Plan Community Economics Explained

A life plan community can look stable from the outside – full campus, strong reputation, long wait list history, predictable monthly fees. Then interest rates move, labor costs stay elevated, refund obligations come due, and…

8 min read
Post Acute Care Compliance Checklist for 2026

Home Health

Post Acute Care Compliance Checklist for 2026

For years, and littered throughout this site, are pieces (and presentations) I have done on compliance. Some goodies are below. https://rhislop3.com/2023/09/07/five-quality-and-compliance-tips/ https://rhislop3.com/2018/11/16/the-real-impacts-of-poor-quality-inadequate-compliance-and-weak-risk-management/ https://rhislop3.com/2018/11/29/follow-up-real-impacts-of-poor-quality-and-lax-compliance/ https://rhislop3.com/2019/06/14/the-connection-between-quality-and-revenue/ The one major implication of solid (or not) compliance is the…

9 min read
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Reg

Healthcare executive, consultant, and author covering post-acute care, senior living, and the economics behind both - for 30+ years.

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