Compliance, the Courts and a Risk Reminder

In previous posts I’ve written about the need for providers in all industry sectors to fully understand the compliance and legal risks that are inherent to the appropriate industry sector, as well as to health care today in general.  As someone who has been immersed in health care operations and health policy for the past … Read more

Doc Fix Survives, Medicaid Ehanced Match Doesn’t

In another procedural vote on the revamped Jobs bill in the Senate, Democrats fell short of mustering 60 votes to end a Republican filibuster, effectively ending for now, legislative efforts to extend unemployment benefits.  The vote count was 57 to 41 to continue debate.  Dying with the extension of unemployment benefits are a series of … Read more

Senate Sets Roadblock on Jobs Bill: Impact is Felt for Doc Fix and Medicaid Funding

Yesterday the Senate, via  a procedural vote, set a roadblock on the continued track toward passage for the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act.  The original version, re-crafted by the House to lower the price tag and then sent to the Senate, found limited traction on Wednesday.  Oddly enough, the House version effectively trimmed … Read more

Part B Therapy Cuts Delayed to June 1

As a follow-up to a post from last week regarding pending cuts in Part B therapy rates, last evening the House passed a bill that the Senate had passed earlier in the day, included within is a provision to delay the pending cuts to the physician fee schedule until June 1.  The provision is tucked … Read more

Health Care Reform Implications: Home Health Care

I’m a tad behind where I hoped to be in terms of getting these posts out.  Its been a bit  busy over the last ten days or so but headed into the Holiday weekend, a break in the schedule affords me the opportunity to “maybe” get caught up. Of all of the industry sectors touched by … Read more

Strategies for Accomplishing New Development or Major Capital Projects

One of the focal areas of my consulting practice/work is assisting health care organizations in accessing sources of funding (securing financing basically) for major projects and/or new development.  Given the state of the economy, most specifically the capital markets over the past eighteen months, getting funding for capital projects and/or development has been challenging, though … Read more

CMS Releases Annual Report on Health Spending

Earlier today, CMS released its annual report on national health spending for the year 2008.  In summary, health spending grew at a rate of 4.4% (over 2007), equating to a per capita cost of $7,681 and a total cost of $2.3 trillion.  This rate of growth, per CMS, is the slowest increase since 1960 although … Read more

CCRCs and Problems: Much Ado About Likely, Very Little

A product that has seen its share of struggles in the economic downturn is entry-fee CCRCs.  To clarify, not all CCRC models are struggling and not even all entry-fee based CCRCs are struggling as certain regions have seen less housing market fall-out and concurrently, operators have done the right things to keep their census stable during the “down … Read more

Why Quality Matters

In the past month or so I have had a lot of conversations with various entities ranging from providers to investors about the financial state of the industry.  The majority of the discussions have been around all things financial – reimbursement in particular and as this topic goes, so goes expenses.  Understandably the economic and … Read more