Friday, August 7, 2026 - Updated Daily
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…
For years, healthcare operators have heard the same directive: move from volume to value. The future of healthcare reimbursement models, however, will not be settled by a slogan or a single CMS demonstration. It will…
Medicare post-acute care (PAC) reimbursement is increasingly driven by stricter federal spending controls, closer Medicare Advantage (MA) utilization oversight, and limited rate increases. Current policy priorities center on value-based accountability, shifts to lower-intensity care settings,…
A review of Medicare Advantage prior authorization starts with an operational reality: a clinically appropriate service can be delayed, redirected, or denied before the provider ever has an opportunity to deliver it. For hospitals, skilled…
The practical question is not whether value-based care affects operators. It already does. The more consequential question is whether an organization recognizes the change early enough to redesign how it manages referrals, clinical performance, workforce…
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…
The most consequential healthcare economics trends 2026 will not be driven by a single law, rate update, or election headline. They will come from the collision of four forces that now define the sector –…
CMS did not put out the View Rule as a routine paperwork exercise. For operators already carrying margin pressure, survey exposure, labor inflation, and reimbursement uncertainty, this request for information is a signal. It suggests CMS is…
Washington rarely changes healthcare overnight. It changes incentives first, then scrutiny, then payment. For operators across senior living, post-acute care, home health, hospice, and the broader provider landscape, that is why federal healthcare policy updates…
Healthcare executive, consultant, and author covering post-acute care, senior living, and the economics behind both - for 30+ years.
No noise - just what changed in healthcare policy and economics, and why it matters to your operation.