Wednesday Feature: Independence Day

Happy Hump Day! Within less than a week, America’s most significant holiday will occur – Independence Day. Celebrated on July 4th, this day commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the assembled U.S. Constitutional Congress, in Philadelphia, declaring separation and independence from English (King of England) rule. The 4th of July became the … Read more

Wednesday Feature: First Day of Summer!

Happy Hump Day! Today is the first day of summer (northern hemisphere) otherwise known as the Summer Solstice. On this day, the sun is at its furthest northern rotational position providing maximum daylight north of the equator and minimal nighttime. On the first day of winter, the Winter Solstice, the inverse is true as the … Read more

Blast from the Past – Duties of Boards: An OIG Perspective

There are nearly 300 articles/posts on this site and from time to time, I’m going to repost an “oldie but a goodie” that is as applicable now as it was when I originally wrote it.  This is from July of 2009.  This follows well with Tuesday’s piece on OIG initiatives and SNFs…https://wp.me/ptUlY-BJ This seemed to … Read more

Wednesday Feature: Father’s Day and Sunday Dinner

This Sunday (upcoming) is Father’s Day. Father’s Day, like Mother’s Day, is a day singled-out on the calendar to celebrate the paternal role within the family – dad or father. By spending and activity however, the day receives less attention and recognition than Mother’s Day. As a dad, I can understand that and relate to … Read more

OIG Initiatives for SNFs

On the heels of a report released in January of this year, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services has created a series of regulatory reviews/quality initiatives for SNFs. The report focuses on the SNF experience during COVID and what, in the opinion of the OIG analysts, regulatory interventions … Read more

Owner’s Rep – What It Is, When and How to Use One

Healthcare has a great deal of complexity in terms of care delivery and clinical needs. Today, and going forward, equal complexity exists on the business and operations front. Large provider organizations and systems are likely to have the capacity and capability to acquire and internalize, expertise within the organizational structure. Smaller, single site or regional … Read more

Friday Feature: Occam’s Razor and Management

When I have coached/mentored executives and senior management, I am always initially surprised by how much these folk want to complicate things. Healthcare is notorious for bureaucracy and to a large extent, folks that have worked only in healthcare have been socialized that complex regulations and rules and then, organizational systems for compliance wrapped with … Read more

Wednesday Feature: The Greatest Generation

Yesterday was the 78th anniversary of Operation Overlord a/k/a D-Day. On June 6th, 1944 the Allied Forces comprised primarily of U.S., Canadian, and British forces conducted a series of beach front invasions along the Norman coast (French). The invasion involved 156,000 troops arriving on the beaches or via airborne units (paratroopers) and another 195,000 naval … Read more

Merge/Affiliation Strategy Update – Checklist

A recent federal funds rate cut by the Federal Reserve of 50 bps has created a bit of optimism in the M&A and capital development arena for senior living and senior housing. The expectation of more Fed rate cuts going forward undergirds the optimism BUT…Overall economic conditions remain sketchy including inflation which, ticked a notch higher … Read more

SNFs Get Ready – Claims Audits Start Soon!

Recently, CMS announced that its Medicare Audit Contractors (MACS) would soon commence (June 5) a five-claim audit process for every nursing home in the nation participating in the Medicare program. The reviews are set to occur on a rolling basis whereby each MAC in its region, will begin by pulling five Medicare claims from each … Read more