Twofer Tuesday: Jimmo and Staffing Mandates

Happy Hump Day eve! There is so much going on right now with the economy, government shutdown (whew, avoided that one for a bit) dynamics, election news, and health policy that it is becoming difficult to parse topics into stuff of value. Hopefully, a couple of quick updates will make room for more insightful analysis … Read more

Friday (and Weekend) Feature: A Bit Tardy

Busy week and so, I got a tad behind. Lots of news to run through this weekend from health policy stuff (new MDS next week), to updated numbers on SNF staffing mandates, some new info. on the Jimmo case (ten years ago) and Medicare denials, and some economic data from yesterday and today (mixed bag … Read more

Quality and Quantity of Life for Seniors, in Senior Housing

Since my first years in senior housing and health care, and my work way back when with Alwyn Powell (AV Powell, AV Powell and Associates), I have been fascinated by the aging journey in care settings – lengths of stay, health care utilization, quality of life and quantity of life. I’ve supported numerous research studies … Read more

Leadership and 1776

Not too long ago, I had a conversation with a young, upcoming executive. I’ve known her for a number of years beginning when she attended a conference (and presentation) that I spoke at. She’s a future “rock star” if she chooses to be (bright, well-spoken, organized, etc.). She asked me, “What’s the number one thing … Read more

Friday Feature: Where Inflation Came from and Why

The Federal Reserve hasn’t always conducted FOMC meetings (Federal Open Market Committee). It started meeting in late 1973 or early 1974. The purpose of the meeting was to address inflation primarily, in the economy; ways to control it, ways to stabilize monetary policy, ways to create price stability. In the mid 1970s, the Fed began … Read more

Wednesday Feature: A Great Leadership Lesson

Happy Hump Day! The number one reason for staff turnover is NOT money, its bad bosses or moreover, the things that bad bosses do. I have had staff follow me from engagement to engagement (job to job) and still, have staff that would meet and work with me, anywhere (well, almost) anytime. Why? It isn’t … Read more

Senior Housing Occupancy Update

During the pandemic, senior housing (all forms) saw a drop, some precipitous like SNFs, in occupancy. As the pandemic has now waned, the recovery continues. This is good news for the sector, but occupancy is not the only factor impacting recovery. According to the National Investment Center (NIC), occupancy in the sector varies between market … Read more

Political Issue: Medicare Solvency

With election season heating-up, I’m going to drop some posts in from time to time on health policy issues that candidates SHOULD be talking about – not that they will. The issues I will put forth are the biggies, not the trivial stuff that campaigns and parties use as talking points (e.g., improving Obama Care, … Read more

Wednesday Feature: It’s the Economy, Stupid

The title may jog memories for some readers. During the 1992 election cycle, advisor to then candidate Bill Clinton, James Carville, (running against George H.W. Bush) used the phrase for campaign workers as a charge to focus on. He wanted people to pay attention to the economic issues (inflation) affecting how people were feeling about … Read more

Outlook for Single Site CCRCs/Life Plan Communities

As economic conditions continue to create headwinds for senior living, I thought this post was timely. Bottom-line: I’m seeing lots of single site and even a number of multi-site, small scale organizations struggling. Depending on their markets and their debt load plus cash position, surviving as independents could be a real challenge over the upcoming … Read more