Healthcare, Senior Living, Economics
Off the golf course (reluctantly) and back to work. Last week was full of catching up and revisiting issues and reports. As promised before I went temporarily AWOL, here’s Part I of at least two parts (maybe three) of issues that I am following. Politics and the First Tuesday in November: The conventions are done and … Read more
Finally, my plans and I collide again on a Friday afternoon and I’m somewhat back on schedule … for now. With forecasted travel next week plus a touch of R&R time, it looks like I’ll be back off-track before long. We’ll see. Not a lot different on my dashboard as this week concludes. I’m pretty much awash … Read more
Probably the biggest trend as of late is my tardiness in getting these posts out on-time…sorry. My end of the week (last week) got distorted as I needed to attend a meeting with regard to a Medicaid shift in Kansas from fee-for-service to “managed”. As I have been through these conversions or switches before, it’s … Read more
Travel last week took me off schedule a tad so this post, normally scheduled for last Friday, didn’t make it on-line until Monday. Below is the list of what I am trending (watching) followed by last week’s Fall Outs (worth noting but not worth watching). Hospice Fraud Redux: This issue is one that I have … Read more
Opening celebration at the Olympics is catching most of the buzz today and the Dog Days of Summer are definitely full-on. Still too much heat and not enough rain for my pleasure but August is around the corner and hopefully, some cooler weather. If nothing else, I can rely on the Olympics to alter my … Read more
Every once in a while, I make a mistake (rare I think but others when asked, would convey a different sentiment). This gaff is really an omission; a missed thought from Friday’s post on “What’s Trending”. In reviewing my notes (the mess that they can be), I noticed I forgot to include a “watch” tip for … Read more
Back after a week of vacation (sort of) and then a week of scramble to catch up, here’s the latest that I am watching and that I find trending from readers and clients. Medicaid and Health Care Reform: Oddly, this has been a Medicaid week for me on a number of fronts. The Supreme Court decision … Read more
Last week, Senators Kohl, Grassley and Blumenthal introduced an amendment to an existing FDA bill that would require the informed consent of nursing home patients or their legal surrogates before certain anti-psychotic/psychoactive medications were given. The target of this legislative initiative is to reduce the use of certain types of drugs commonly used to treat serious, chronic … Read more
Across a recent engagement that spanned a large system, wide geography and about a year’s worth of work, I had the chance to reflect numerous times on “what” has changed in the post-acute arena, particularly applicable to SNFs, over my 30 years. Below I’ve organized my thoughts in “eras” or periods of time. Cost Based/The … Read more
In my recent work and across recent discussions, phone conferences, etc., I’ve encountered a thematic trend; a circle of issues or as in reference to geese, perhaps a gaggle. Doing a bit of research and sifting through notes written over the past few weeks, here is what is trending. Pharmacy: In October of last year, … Read more