McKnight's Podcast: Recent Episodes
McKnights
As a house call firm, Ennoble Care brings the most skilled clinicians to a patient’s house to provide essentially a doctor's office inside, CEO Kush Das explained. That slowly progresses to more longitudinal care with nurses and social workers and care managers supporting patients. The company serves both Medicare and Medicare Advantage patients, depending on the market. About 1 of every 2 Medicare patients it serves is in the ACO REACH model, Das explained. He is proud of the work of the Complex Care Alliance, which has advocated for high-needs Medicare patients in accountable care. He is bullish on the LEAD model, which will take the place of the REACH Model starting in 2027. The latest physician fee schedule proposed rule reflects the work involved in operating a house call company, he said. The company, which doubled in the last 12 months, will continue on a similar growth trajectory, he said. The federal hospice moratorium — which he believes in — will hurt the company's efforts to grow hospice in the short term, he said.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Ennoble Care on social media:
Facebook: Ennoble Care
LinkedIn: Ennoble Care
Instagram: ennoblecare
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Kush Das, CEO, Ennoble Care
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
he International Home Care Nurses Organization is a gathering of international nurses — ranging from RNs to clergy, aides and therapists — who come together to share what they know about home healthcare nursing. Susan Hinck, PhD, president of organization, and Marilyn Harris, RN, a board member, recently returned from a three-day global conference in London at which nurses represented 33 countries. It’s helpful to learn what other countries are doing in the area of home healthcare nursing, Hinck said. The Scandinavian countries —with their universal access to healthcare — in particular are an international model of strong home care nursing. Technology has allowed nurses in the home to provide more hands-on care, Hinck said. And the increased focus on social determinants of health has helped to improve the health of home care patients, Harris noted.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow the International Home Care Nurses Organization on social media:
X: @IHCNO_Nurse
Facebook: International Home Care Nurses Organization
LinkedIn: International Home Care Nurses Organization
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Susan Hinck, PhD, president, International Home Care Nurses Organization; and Marilyn Harris, RN, board member, International Home Care Nurses Organization
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Kendal Corporation spent two years on a system-wide rebranding that recently was unveiled. The process involved engaging residents, employees and others to build a brand that better aligned with their perceptions while honoring the system's heritage.In this Newsmakers podcast episode, McKnight's Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers speaks with Morgan Lamphere, Kendal's senior director of communications, marketing and sales. She details Kendal's experience and shares lessons for other organizations considering a rebrand.This discussion is an essential listen for anyone interested in organizational change, mission-driven branding and balancing tradition with innovation in the senior living sector. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
As the skilled nursing sector continues its march toward recovery, providers need a more comprehensive plan for long-term workforce and payment stability.That’s why Michael Bassett, senior vice president of government relations for the American Health Care Association, wants an all-of-Congress approach that takes into account the ground-level realities nursing homes are facing as Americans get older and sicker.“If Congress doesn't look at this soon, because of a lag in training doctors and nurses and CNAs and LPNs, then this is going to be a real big problem in 10 years,” Bassett tells McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas in this episode.“It's bigger than us,” he says. “The whole Congress needs to kind of have a new Marshall plan to get workers into these fields, or else … with 11,000 people each day turning 65 … we’re not going to have enough people to care for them.”Bassett leads AHCA’s work on Capitol Hill and earlier this month had nearly 700 helpers, as members, frontline staff and vendors met with elected officials to help illustrate providers’ pain points.Workforce has recovered to near the sector’s pre-pandemic baseline, allowing other issues to rise to the top of the skilled nursing wishlist. Most important, and maybe most possible this session, is Medicare Advantage reform.Listen to this episode recorded in Washington, DC, to learn three major MA areas Basset believes Congress could address to reduce friction between providers and private insurers, why bipartisan support for change is growing, and what it all means for post-acute and long-term care patients.Come for political insights and a little prognostication and stick around for insights on claims denials, Medicare’s three-day stay requirement and CNA lockout legislation. It’s all in this McKnight’s exclusive interview. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The medical complexity driving significant change in skilled nursing care approaches doesn’t stop at the door to therapy. With demand for speech-language pathology greater than ever, one North Carolina-based provider organization is looking to expand its therapists’ knowledge and encourage the use of advanced staff training to help patients regain function.Michele Hass, regional therapy consultant for Principle LTC, recently became one of the first SLPs in the nation to earn a dysphagia certification from Accelerated Care Plus. The highly specialized credential focuses on swallowing disorders, aspiration prevention and patient safety — and Haas plans to use what she’s learned to encourage others to use the techniques she picked up and pursue their own advanced credentials.”These certifications, they're more than just a piece of paper,” Haas tells McKnight’s Long-Term Care News in this episode. “I think they represent a commitment to patient care and staying engaged in the profession.”Principle wants to leverage Haas’ interest in the ACP training — focused on advanced biofeedback technology— to enhance care capabilities across its regional footprint. It’s just one way the operator of 38 facilities is responding to the clinical shift from compensatory care to modern rehabilitation, according to DeLaine Rice-White, Principle’s senior vice president of therapy services.She emphasized that supporting advanced credentials can dramatically boost employee satisfaction and stabilize staffing levels, protecting facilities from the steep costs of turnover. Professional development, she added, is essential measure to protect against clinical stagnation. "If we don't do this, and we always do what we've always done, we'll always get what we always got,” she tells McKnight’s Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas. “Our outcomes will not keep pace with the evolution of science and innovation if we go down that road."Listen to the full episode to learn more about ACP’s approach to dysphagia care and why Principle views certifications and other training opportunities as critical investments for skilled nursing providers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In this McKnight’s Senior Living Newsmakers podcast, Front Porch CEO Sean Kelly and Editor Lois Bowers discuss the gap between public perception and the reality of modern senior living and how senior living providers can counter the view that aging is synonymous with decline. Kelly shares how Front Porch is cultivating a culture of transparency and partnership, meeting the high expectations of the baby boomer generation, which differ from previous generations. Listen to hear how technology is fostering connection, how communities are becoming places for older adults to discover purpose and wellness, and ways to address the perennial industry challenges of recruiting and retaining a skilled workforce. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Most senior living operators have a rigorous clinical admissions process — but almost no financial one. In this conversation, Sunbound CEO Manny Cominsky makes the case that the admission is the single most financially dangerous moment in senior living, and that operators are absorbing months of lost margin on residents who couldn’t afford care from day one. He shares how leading operators are now running financial underwriting in parallel with clinical assessment — stopping bad debt before it starts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The CareWorks Project provides technical expertise on issues such as workforce, caregiving, aging, and long-term services and supports financing. It also supports leaders around issues related to narrative change and strategic communications. And it helps design programs and initiatives related to long-term care, and assists with leadership and organizational development. While wages and benefits are a top need of direct care workers, they also need strong training programs that reflect today's competencies, along with honest career pathways, a wide range of workforce supports from transportation to child care, and respect, Espinoza said. Direct care workers remain largely invisible and society. There was a temporary moving of the needle during the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a surge of appreciation for work that direct care workers do, but it did not lead to sound policy changes that materially improve their lives. If he had a magic wand, he’d create a long-term care financing system, along with the creation of policy and structural arrangements that allow people to age in place in their homes and communities. What concerns Espinoza most is the pervasive belief that care is a private burden as opposed to a public responsibility.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow The CareWorks Project on social media:
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger and Robert Espinoza, founder and CEO of The CareWorks Project
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In addition to facing the Medicare home health and hospice moratorium, New York home care providers have been grappling with the federal government’s scrutiny of its Medicaid personal care program. The state defended the program appropriately, including pointing out that some of its data was off the mark, noted Al Cardillo, president and CEO of the Home Care Association of New York State. It’s important not to paint the whole program with a broad brush of fraud and abuse when it might be an administrative problem, he pointed out. New York’s Medicaid personal care program has a lot of anti-fraud protections, and the state actually rolled out Electronic Visit Verification before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services took it to a national scale, commented Mordechai Wolhendler, founder and CEO of GlattHealth. One of the reasons the Medicaid personal care program has attracted so much national attention is it consumes most of the nation’s Medicaid personal care dollars, Cardillo said. And now most of the program is the Consumer-Directed Personal Care Program (CDPAP), which allows the consumer to choose their caregiver who can be a family member. Internally, CDPAP has been dealing with a major transformation, moving more than 600 fiscal intermediaries to one. The lesson from this fraught experience is that stakeholders and the state are in it together, Wolhendler said.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Home Care Association of New York on social media:
X: @HCANYS
Facebook: Home Care Association of New York State
LinkedIn: HCANYS - Home Care Association of New York State
Instagram: hcanys
Follow GlattHealth on social media:
LinkedIn: GlattHealth Consulting Group
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Al Cardillo, president and CEO of the Home Care Association of New York State; and Mordechai Wolhendler, founder and CEO of GlattHealth, a New York-based consulting group
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
As care organizations face rising expectations for more personalized experiences and outcomes, they’re also under pressure to standardize operations, improve consistency, and do more with limited staff. In this episode, we explore the growing tension between personalization and scalability, where standardization helps, where it can hinder, and how smarter use of data and technology can help organizations deliver more individualized care without adding complexity. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Amid a backdrop of relentless operational challenges and high leadership turnover, there’s a new professional standard for nursing home administrators. The American Association of Post-Acute Care Nursing has officially launched its first certification designed for nursing home administrators to ensure facility CEOs have the specialized tools and credentials necessary to foster stable, high-quality care environments.In this episode of McKnight’s Newsmakers, Denise Winzeler, RN, LNHA, director of education and certification strategy for AAPACN, explains the organization’s move into the administrative suite after years of setting the bar for MDS and nursing certifications.Hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas, this conversation highlights the program’s ability to bridge clinical knowledge and operational excellence.The certification is about more than just checking a box, says Winzeler. It speaks to the evolution of the profession and leaders’ growing needs for regulatory savvy and emotional intelligence."This role demands more than just competence. It demands heart, vision and unwavering commitment," Winzeler says. "The future of long-term care really depends on leaders who will rise to meet these needs."The certification is designed as an on-demand, online course tailored for the busy schedules of active administrators. To qualify, candidates must be licensed with at least two years of experience in the post-acute care realm and pass a final exam with a score of 80% or higher.To learn how the program aims to transform resident care and professional development — and to check out how its three primary pillars may enhance a career — listen to the complete episode.You can also find more details in the McKnight’s article and on AAPACN’s website. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In a regulatory environment increasingly characterized by administrative overreach, long-term care providers are teaming up to challenge practices that appear to bypass constitutional protections.Membership in newly formed state and national litigation groups is taking the onus off of individual skilled nursing facilities and helping attorneys find the right cases to elevate as providers target a patchwork of informal guidelines and third-party audits. Those are increasingly being used by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to “weaponize” the star-ratings system. Negative results can be reputationally and financially devastating to providers, and yet the agency offers no way to appeal findings made outside of its traditional survey process.Chad Bogar, founder of sb2 Healthcare, likens the current audit environment to a sporting event where the rules are changed mid-game by a third party with no referee to consult. He’s working with Mark Reagan, a veteran attorney with Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, to ensure legal challenges are filed in favorable jurisdictions with a unified strategy.Listen in to this episode hosted by Senior Editor Kim Marselas to learn more about:-How the teams are supporting providers’ efforts to limit the impacts of schizophrenia and Payroll-Based Journal audits -Why right now is an "ideal time" for providers to challenge over-regulation-What legal challenges this team might bring nextCheck out the full episode for a meaty discussion on pending litigation against CMS and how the changing legal landscape is opening doors for providers. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The healthcare system relies too heavily on personal care for dual-eligible Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries living at home, said Romanos Fessas, CEO and co-founder of Jukebox Health. Often, when an older adult at home is struggling with a functional challenge, the answer may not lie with more care but rather with addressing a structural problem in the home, such as placing grab bars in the shower. Jukebox Health aims to fill this need — and relies on care managers of Medicaid Managed Care Organizations to notify them when there is a concern. Jukebox’s core population is the Medicaid long-term services and supports population — the 6% of Medicaid beneficiaries who receive 37% of Medicaid’s budget, Fessas said. Recently, Jukebox acquired Braided Health, which helps provide data and insights for Medicaid MCO care managers.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Jukebox Health on social media:
LinkedIn: Jukebox Health
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Romanos Fessas, CEO, Co-founder, Jukebox Health.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Recently retired Sen. Debbie Stabenow, and Dave Totaro, former BAYADA chief government affairs officer, are excited to bring their healthcare expertise and talents to the bipartisan Liberty Partners Group. Reimbursement challenges for the field are nothing new, they said. What keeps Totaro up at night is the dwindling number of home health agencies. There are 10% fewer agencies today than in 2013, he said. Stabenow is pleased with the progress that took place last year with the 2026 home health final rule, which marked the end of permanent adjustments. Now Liberty Partners is working with the administration to help restore home health funding to 2020 levels when the Patient-Driven Groupings Model began. It also is urging the administration to use verifiable data to fight fraud in home health and hospice. Given the harsh Medicaid cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, 2026 and 2027 promise to be some of the toughest years financially for the field, Totaro said. He also expects home health to experience cuts for 2027 and does not think any major home care legislation will pass before the midterms.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Debbie Stabenow, senior policy adviser at Liberty Partners Group; and Dave Totaro, principal at Liberty Partners Group
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) has become a high-stakes mandate that could determine the financial survival of modern practices and the physicians who care for long-term care residents.While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality program has existed for years, a "perfect storm" of increasing penalties and a national push toward value-based care is forcing post-acute providers to better support active clinical participation — and to form more meaningful partnerships between SNF operators, PAC physician practices and value-based care model entities such as ISNPs, hospital-based ACOs and PAC-centric ACOs."There's this sort of perfect storm of confusion happening between different CMS programs that a patient may be attributed to... that the practice now has to keep track of somehow," says Steve Buslovich, chief medical officer for senior care at PointClickCare.In the latest episode of the Market Leaders podcast, McKnight’s Long-Term Care New Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas sits down with Buslovich and Tom Haithcoat, vice president of government affairs with Care Connect MD and president of Ceptor Consulting.Together, they decode how MIPS is influencing care — and coordination — at the bedside, as well as the friction between traditional primary care metrics and the unique realities of the geriatric population. They also explore why stronger alignment and collaboration across SNFs, physician groups and value-based entities is becoming essential to succeed under evolving CMS models.Penalties for non-compliance or poor reporting can now slash Medicare reimbursement by up to 9%, often representing the difference between a practice being "in the black or in the red,” Buslovich says. But often, Haithcoat adds, failure to capture care may be a reflection of missing or misaligned technology rather than lapses in patient treatments. Listen in to learn why practitioners often struggle to capture quality measures across fragmented systems, and how the MIPS measures themselves may be a mismatch for today’s skilled nursing and senior living residents.If you need a full breakdown on helping reduce the burden for your community’s physicians and clinicians as they navigate MIPS pathways, this is the episode for you. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In this Newsmaker’s podcast, McKnight’s editors bring you highlights of the 2026 McKnight’s Pinnacle Awards + Summit in New York City — as well as thought leadership from senior living and care experts, recorded live at the event.
Learn:
- The single most important thing you can do to transform your workforce strategy immediately.
- What providers need to do to make senior living and care more attractive to prospective employees.
- The small steps you can take to increase happiness, positivity and gratefulness in your personal and professional lives.
- What successful operators should be focused on.
- The importance of actionable data for operators, investors and lenders.
- More about the biggest challenges facing the profession — and solutions to those challenges — as well as predictions for the future of long-term care.
Listen now to gain insights from:
- Lifetime Achievement Award winner Mary Ousley, President of Ousley & Associates and Chief Strategy Officer, PruittHealth
- Keynote speaker Scott White, chairman of Invesque and author of “The Life is Too Short Guy”
- Thought Leader Award winner Scott McQuinn, President and CEO, Life Enriching Communities
- Industry Ally Award winner Kurt Read, Managing Director and Partner/Board Member, RSF Partners/NIC
- Marketplace Influencer Award winner Lisa Thomson, COO, Pathway Health
- Pinnacle Summit Panelist Matt Durgin, VP of Marketing, Smartlinx
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Financial distress in senior care rarely happens overnight. Subtle breakdowns in cash conversion, labor alignment, and sales momentum often appear long before a census decline makes the crisis visible. Yet, many owners and lenders remain focused on occupancy rather than the execution metrics that actually drive it.In the latest episode of the McKnight’s Market Leaders podcast, Executive Editor Jim Berklan sits down with experts from Everest Management Solutions to discuss "operational drift" — a quiet threat that can devastate a facility if left unchecked. Joining the conversation are Elizabeth Thornton, chief operating officer, and Tiffany Flynn, vice president for senior living sales and operations. Together, they pull back the layers on why a stable census can sometimes mask deep-seated structural issues.The discussion highlights three critical areas for operators to monitor:-Quality over quantity: A high census is meaningless if it consists of "bad" revenue, such as unoptimized rates or significant collection issues.-The churn trap: In senior living, net move-ins and length of stay are more predictive than raw occupancy, which often hides a high-turnover "revolving door" of residents.-Leadership and systems: Stabilization is only realistic if leadership is held accountable and provided with the systemic tools — not just cost-cutting mandates — to succeed.As the experts note, waiting for a formal survey deficiency or a financial crash is often waiting too long. Success requires a holistic, interdisciplinary look at daily operations to ensure quality outcomes match the revenue goals."Operational drift doesn't announce itself. It shows up quietly," Flynn warns. "It shows up in the metrics. It shows up in the way the staff is responding ... It’s not like a big red flag goes up that says it’s time to get help."Listen to the full podcast episode to learn how to build a practical framework for stabilizing performance and protecting your asset value before the drift becomes a downfall.Note: This recap was assisted by Gemini, which used artificial intelligence to help capture key points. It has been reviewed by an editor for accuracy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Flournoy Health Systems, which evolved from Primecare Home Care Services, grew out of his mother’s living room in Milledgeville, GA, in 2007. Today, the family-owned private business offers Medicaid personal care, hospice and pediatric services, along with Structured Family Caregiving training and assistance. Faris Flournoy, an Air Force veteran, wants to prove to hospitals that home care can provide hospitals reliable support to operate hospital-at-home for Medicaid beneficiaries. It starts with understanding hospitals’ pain points such as readmissions, he said. Then it is proving to hospitals through data that home care can produce healthy outcomes. Offering hospital-at-home care for underserved Medicaid beneficiaries will lead to a transformation in the home care industry, he said.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Flournoy Health Systems on social media:
Facebook: Flournoy Health Systems
LinkedIn: Flournoy Health Systems
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Faris Flournoy, CEO of Flournoy Health Systems
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this episode, McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers sits down with Amy Schectman, outgoing CEO of 2Life Communities, and Lizbeth Heyer, the current president who will succeed her as CEO. They discuss Schectman’s 15-year tenure and upcoming retirement with the organization, the shared leadership model Schectman and Heyer have used for the past two years, advice on succession planning and leadership in senior living, and the evolving landscape of affordable and middle-market senior living. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Kendal at Home was one of the first “CCRC with no walls” programs of its kind. Now there are about 40 programs like it, Giacobbe said. The model is designed to serve the older adult who wants the connection and assurances of a retirement community but is adamant about staying at home. A key staff role is the care coordinator who serves as a liaison between the family of the client and the CCRC, and also manages the client’s care and treatment.
The program is similar to hospice except that while hospice aims for a person to die with dignity, Kendal at Home wants the member to live with dignity, Giacobbe said. Some members have been in the program since its inception. Over the years, technology, which can monitor health conditions, has helped members stay independent and connected. Kendal at Home has grown up with Medicare Advantage, which offers supplemental benefits such as home care. Healthcare in general today is focused on preventing falls and keeping people cognitively sharp, Giacobbe said. She is proudest of being part of something unique in the long-term care space and watching it flourish. She has also enjoyed partnering with LeadingAge, a big supporter of CCRCs, and serving members faithfully for so many years.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Kendal at Home on social media:
X: @KendalatHome
Facebook: Kendal at Home
LinkedIn: Kendal at Home
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Lynne Giacobbe, CEO, Kendal at Home
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Despite continued political volatility, macroeconomic fundamentals, lower interest rates, and increasing market stability led to a record-setting 2025 for seniors housing M&A transactions, and that active pace continues in 2026. Pipelines are robust, portfolios are coming to market, and deal activity is accelerating. Owners/operators are also recapitalizing under-levered assets and using the capital to reinvest into their existing portfolios and acquire new communities.As the year unfolds, what financing products, strategies and trends are shaping the landscape? How can a borrower choose the right funding path and help facilitate a seamless execution? We will answer those questions and more in this insightful discussion. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Robin Heffernan, PhD, started Empassion during the COVID-19 pandemic to help support people with hospice and palliative care in their last year of life. During this time, she had a personal brush with the benefit as her dad needed it. The company’s new hospice certification, launched earlier this month, aims to separate the high-quality hospices from the rest. The certification has generated a lot of interest, from providers and regulators, she said. With the certification, the company is not creating new metrics, but rather paring the metrics down to five to seven that really matter. With the mainstream press talking about hospice fraud, the certification is a way to take advantage of the attention and help people understand that there are great hospices available to provide care. The Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) model, the hospice component of which ended in 2024, was also an impetus for the certification. Because a second demonstration likely is inevitable given the prevalence of MA, it’s important that MA plans be able to work with good hospices. She is optimistic that, given the healthcare savings that hospice allows, MA plans would pay hospice agencies fairly. While home health agencies had a difficult experience with MA plans, at least initially, the difference is MA plans truly see the ROI of hospice; not all grasp the value of home health, she said.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Empassion on social media:
LinkedIn: Empassion Health
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Robin Heffernan, PhD, co-founder and CEO, Empassion
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
While we may think of housing and senior care dwelling in distinct silos, a long-term care researcher says those should be torn down given compelling evidence on the influence of residential stability on long-term care needs. Nurse and researcher Marissa Bergh sat down with McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas to discuss her team’s findings, which underscore how the built environment and economic pressures often force families into making difficult nursing home placement decisions. Her review of 25 years of research suggests that for many older adults, the move to a nursing home is less a medical necessity and more a consequence of financial and physical housing failures.Bergh highlights three primary pathways through which housing impacts institutionalization: the financial asset of homeownership versus the strain of renting, the physical mismatch between declining mobility and inaccessible home designs, and the compounded inequities faced by marginalized communities. While homeownership often acts as a "financial reservoir" to pay for in-home help, renters are frequently priced out of their communities exactly when they need stability most, notes Bergh, a PhD candidate at the NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing. She points out that waitlists for affordable senior housing in some cities stretch up to eight years — a timeline that doesn’t align with the rapid health changes of an aging population.This "anemic supply" of housing often forces seniors to live in clinical settings they don't necessarily require."When we talk to families and caregivers, this was not avoidable for them," Bergh explains. "This is sort of a last resort: They couldn't care for their family members as much as they wanted to. There just weren't the resources there."Repeated too often, that scenario fills nursing home beds that are increasingly in demand by hospitals and a growing number of seniors with complex health needs.Bergh urges clinicians to move beyond basic screenings for homelessness and begin identifying "proximal risks" like housing affordability and minor accessibility needs. Skilled nursing providers can play a role by learning about their short-term patients’ housing needs and suggesting resources such as rent-freeze or home modification loan programs. She says such solutions might help change some seniors’ long-term care trajectories. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Glee McAnanly, president and CEO of FirstLight Home Care, is no stranger to franchise businesses. Prior to coming to FIrstLight five years ago, she worked her way up at ServiceMaster, a home service business. Working for a home care franchise is not so different, she said, as instead of taking care of the home, she is helping take care of the person inside the home. She also is not a stranger personally to taking care of older adults. Her first brush with care was when she was in college; her grandmother came to live with her family. To help set FirstLight apart, she is looking for franchise owners who have the capacity to be successful. This entails having both business sense and an emotional connection to home care. Innovation is also important to the company, and the company is piloting a number of technology programs including in the area of remote patient monitoring. In the next five to 10 years, the company will be more involved in skilled care. It also is putting an emphasis on disease-specific care, including dementia care. It is rolling out a pilot in Florida pertaining to the (Guiding and Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model in the next few months.
Notes:
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow FirstLight Home Care on social media:
LinkedIn: FirstLight Home Care
X: @FirstLightCare
Facebook: FirstLight Home Care
Instagram: firstlighthomecarenational
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Glee McAnanly, president and CEO of FirstLight Home Care
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
"Strategic kindness" is an underused leadership approach that can foster loyalty and respect and increase efficiency, creativity and job satisfaction in the workplace, according to Linda Cohen, who has work experience in senior living and is the author of the book “The Economy of Kindness: How Kindness Transforms Your Bottom Line.” In this podcast episode, she shares how senior living providers can benefit personally and professionally by implementing this strategy. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The SCAN Foundation has committed nearly $8 million over three years for the Aging & Disability Health Policy Lab, a nonprofit endeavor that will focus on advancing public policies at both the state and federal level to help improve access to care for low-income older adults and people with disabilities, Tim Engelhardt, executive director of the lab, said. Among the public policy work the lab will address on the state and federal levels are improving the healthcare system’s cost and complexity — two issues that often prevent older adults and people with disabilities from accessing care. In particular, the lab aims to streamline enrollment processes. He cited Virginia, where those who receive Supplemental Social Income (SSI) have to apply separately for Medicaid. This administrative burden taxes applicants, their families and government officials, he said. A total of 12 million people in this country are dual-eligible — on Medicare and Medicaid. This heterogeneous group consists of low-income older adults and people with disabilities who have, on average, high rates of disability and chronic illness and need significant supports to live in the community. About half of people in HCBS programs are dually eligible, he noted.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow The SCAN Foundation on social media:
LinkedIn: The SCAN Foundation
X: @TheSCANFndtn
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Tim Engelhardt, executive director, Aging & Disability Health Policy Lab
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
If you’re navigating rising managed care penetration, paperwork burdens, mounting denials, and shrinking margins, this is a must-listen on how clinically guided AI can reduce burden, protect patient care and maintain financial stability. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Comfort Keepers CEO Natalie Black talked about a range of issues for the podcast. Besides the importance of supporting family caregivers, Black talked about Comfort Keepers becoming a fully franchised home care model last year. She also welcomes legislation in states that regulate home care as it raises the playing field. Meanwhile, the workforce shortage remains the biggest challenge for major personal care franchisor. “Having a reputation as a good employer is just as important as having a reputation as a good provider,” she said. Among the workforce issues Black is paying close attention to is the Department of Labor’s proposed companionship exemption rule. If finalized, it would mean certain home care workers would be exempt from federal overtime and minimum wage requirements in the Fair Labor Standards Act. The industry has changed a lot in the last 10 years, Black said. It’s fast-paced, there is a lot of competition and there is new technology to incorporate into operations. Going forward, she sees more opportunity for specialization in the vein of the company’s new Positive Pathways program, a person-centered approach for caring for clients with Alzheimer's and dementia. In the future, there is the possibility of more specialization around respite services, post-acute care and post-procedural care, she said.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Comfort Keepers on social media:
Facebook: Comfort Keepers Home Office
LinkedIn: Comfort Keepers
Instagram: comfortkeepersofficial
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Natalie Black, CEO, Comfort Keepers
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Paul Boethel joined Watermark Retirement Communities as CEO in April. Now he joins McKnight's Senior Living to talk about the organization's goals and accomplishments over the past several months, which have been guided by two themes: increasing pace and shifting to a people-centric and data-centric focus. He also provides insights into changes in marketing, ownership involvement and resident preferences in senior living; Watermark's plans for 2026; and, longer term, how senior living will change "dramatically" in the future. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Rita Mabli has spent almost 50 years of her career at United Hebrew of New Rochelle and has been CEO for more than 30 of them. Mark Sanchez began working in senior living at the age of 14 and currently is the administrator of United Hebrew's nursing home, having served as an administrator-in-training under Mabli. Now, as Mabli plans to step into a senior adviser role and Sanchez prepares to succeed her as president and CEO, they discuss mentorship, succession planning and the ways senior living has changed over the years. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Triangle Healthcare Consulting Services provides licensure and immigration support for internationally educated healthcare professionals. It’s a solution that has helped ease the healthcare workforce crisis in the past — and could do so again today. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
We will explore how resident-expressed interests, gathered through the TSOLife interview process, can inform and shape personalized wellbeing strategies in senior living communities and how Primrose leverages this data to create personalized experiences that promote their six dimensions of wellness among residents. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Expectations for success in senior care are shifting. While metrics like census and compliance still matter, they no longer tell the full story in a landscape shaped by workforce challenges, evolving reimbursement models, and increasing pressure to deliver a more personalized, transparent experience for residents and families.In this live conversation, industry leaders will explore how organizations are rethinking performance for the future. From aligning with value-based care and redefining KPIs to engaging families more effectively and supporting leaner care teams, this session will highlight strategies that position providers for long-term success. We’ll also look at how technology like AI is helping organizations move from reactive operations to more proactive, outcome-driven care. Listeners will gain practical insights they can apply right away to refocus priorities, sharpen performance and prepare for what’s ahead in 2026. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
This special live podcast event at the AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo in Las Vegas is a dynamic, high-level conversation on the future of long-term care. Our panelists sat down to explore the biggest challenges — and opportunities — facing the industry today. From workforce and funding to managed care and innovation, this timely discussion spotlights how we can move forward, together. From regulatory reform and Medicaid funding to workforce resilience and pharmacy innovation, this session covers the top issues shaping the industry and the opportunities ahead for collaboration. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Stan Szpytek, president of Fire and Life Safety Inc., is a former deputy fire chief and fire marshal who has been advising senior living organizations for years, but when he recently was on the other end of an emergency, as a potential victim, he said, "It gave me a wave of empathy that I never thought I would experience." In this Newsmakers podcast, he shares that experience as well as best practices that senior living communities can use to prepare for any type of emergency and to decorate for the holidays in a safe way. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Success in post-acute care depends on more than meeting CMS requirements—it’s about closing documentation gaps, following up within 7–14 days to prevent readmissions, and keeping both outcomes and contracts strong. In this episode, our guests break down the latest compliance expectations, share practical strategies for aligning clinical and administrative teams, and highlight how technology can help standardize documentation, reduce risk, and strengthen payer relationships.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Florida is the state most often hit by hurricanes, and with roughly 700 nursing homes, year-round emergency planning and preparedness training are imperatives.Building on a dramatic weather year in 2024 — three major storms made landfall, including two in the same area, back-to-back — the Florida Health Care Association this month published a new resource for its members and long-term care providers much further afield.The Emergency Preparedness in Long Term Care report acknowledges that three major hurricanes and resulting evacuations put providers’ emergency planning responsibilities “to the test.” But time-sensitive decisions using predetermined procedures and solid communication plans developed months before those emergencies were critical, said co-author Kristen Knapp, FHCA’s senior director of strategy and communications.“All emergencies are local, so those relationships with your local emergency managers, your local utility providers, those are so critical during blue sky experiences, when there's not a storm threatening,” she tells McKnight’s in this podcast episode, recorded at the American Health Care Association’s annual convention in Las Vegas.Storms aren’t the only thing the report examines and offers tips on. It addresses proactive preparation, training implementation and important considerations such as transfer trauma that providers in any state can use to enhance their own emergency planning efforts — for a range of natural and manmade events.“One of the things that happened this past year is a significant power outage. … You need to be prepared for that. You know, we have tornadoes, we have wildfires in Florida. There's cybersecurity threats,” she says. “Making sure that you are training your staff, that your comprehensive emergency preparedness plan that your facility has is inclusive of other emergencies besides a hurricane is really critical.”Listen in for more tips on preparing, a day-by-day strategy to get ready for a predicted weather threat, and more insights on helping residents and staff weather any kind of storm, both physically and emotionally. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Mary Marshall Assisted Living is a 52-bed community in Arlington, VA, that supports older adults with intellectual disabilities or mental illness by integrating housing and healthcare. Paul Soczynski, senior vice president of healthcare at Volunteers of America, discussed the unique aspects of the model that improves outcomes and lowers costs. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Nurse practitioner Judi Lacinak has spent more than two decades working with patients living with HIV, the last three with those needing long-term or post-acute care.She’s both a clinical expert and a passionate advocate for better HIV care. That makes her an ideal candidate to teach others how to treat patients, understand the risks and deliver treatment and services while preserving dignity.During a recent visit to Broadway House for Continuing Care, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News asked Lacinak for strategies that can help build confidence for new caregivers.For new staff, she says, training on bloodborne pathogens, infection control, standard precautions, enhanced barrier precautions and various types of isolation are critical. They can improve care for patients and reduce fear or misunderstanding among frontline team members.“I think back to the ’80s and the '90s when somebody had HIV and they were put in a room in isolation and they were in there by themselves because we as healthcare providers didn't know,” she tells McKnight’s Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas.“But nowadays it's different. You walk into a room, you're going to treat that patient who’s HIV-positive the same as you would treat the patient who's in the bed next to them, who's not,” she explains. “Think of it as a chronic illness, and if I can manage your high blood pressure, I can manage HIV.”Lacinak, a nurse educator, also offers advice on how to educate patients to be better advocates for themselves, especially amid continued advances in the medications that control the virus and support their immune systems.And in this final piece of McKnight’s HIV in LTC series, Lacinak also takes a few minutes to remember a short-stay patient whose life she touched — and whom she later encountered thriving after treatment.“I really think that it's a privilege to take care of patients here. And I try to get that through to student nurses, when they come through here, that somebody is trusting their family member or their loved one into your hands to be a caregiver to them,” she says. “That's a privilege that we can't take lightly.”Listeners of this special McKnight's Newsmakers podcast will come away with actionable insights and an uplifting dose of inspiration. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Joe Shega, chief medical officer for VITAS Healthcare, supports the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ initiative to ensure that hospice beneficiaries have a smooth, uninterrupted, high-quality, highly coordinated hospice experience. Such an experience, he noted, could occur through traditional hospice or Medicare Advantage. But there are certain non-negotiables: There must be access to hospice care as well as safeguarding of the pillars of hospice, which include frequency of touches from multiple disciplines. He also talked about problems involving the now-halted Special Focus Program. One of the problems of the program was it conflated the issues of quality hospice care with fraud, waste and abuse. These are two unique and distinct issues. Other topics discussed included the new Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) assessment tool, which was released on Oct. 1. It allows for real-time assessments at admission and then two times within the first 30 days, Shega said. He noted there have been challenges with the rollout as it coincided with the launch of the new Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System. To be successful, HOPE requires adjustments of workflow and scaling. To improve hospice uptake in minority communities, it’s important to make sure the hospice team mirrors the community being served and ensure there are individualized care plans so patients and families feel supported on their end-of-life care journeys, he said.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow VITAS Healthcare on social media:
Facebook: VITAS Healthcare
LinkedIn: VITAS Healthcare
Instagram: vitashospice
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Joe Shega, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Vitas Healthcare
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
With CMS survey enforcement ramping up, long-term care leaders are facing more scrutiny than ever. In this episode, we explore what these changes mean for providers, how operational partners can help ease the compliance burden, and why strong support systems are key to maintaining confidence and delivering high-quality resident care. Listeners will gain practical insights into staying survey-ready while keeping their focus on people and outcomes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Revenue cycle management in skilled nursing is evolving beyond billing and collections. The future is about building trust and transparency at every step: providers knowing they’re reimbursed accurately, families understanding their bills, and payers having accountability. When that happens, providers are better equipped to sustain financial health, staff are freed from administrative burdens, and families gain confidence in the care their loved ones receive. In this episode, we take a 360-degree look at how technology is driving this shift and what a more balanced RCM future means for skilled nursing. Sponsored by MatrixCare Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The Train More Nurses Act, which has been introduced in both houses of Congress, represents a positive development to address the dire shortage of nursing faculty, said Patty Knecht, PhD, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, Ascend Learning, and Molly Carpenter, Director of Workforce Strategy and Development, LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston. It would direct the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Labor to conduct a review of nursing grant programs to find ways to increase faculty at nursing schools, especially those in underserved areas. It also would increase pathways for licensed practical nurses to become registered nurses. The faculty shortage in nursing schools means schools are turning away 80,000 students each year. The nursing shortage is even worse in the long-term care sector because it doesn’t have the “street cred” of hospitals. Still, nursing students are gaining more exposure to long-term care and home care in their training.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Ascend Learning on social media:
LinkedIn: Ascend Learning
Follow LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston on social media:
Facebook: LeadingAge LTSS Center at UMass Boston
LinkedIn: LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Patty Knecht, PhD, RN, Chief Nursing Officer, Ascend Learning; and Molly Carpenter, Director of Workforce Strategy and Development, LeadingAge LTSS Center @UMass Boston
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
As fee-for-service models become less sustainable and reimbursement grows increasingly tied to quality outcomes, more long-term care operators are turning to value-based care as a path to financial stability and improved performance. In this episode of the McKnight’s Reimagining Senior Living and Long-Term Care podcast, Jim Berklan sits down with Curana Health Vice President of Operations, Tasha Janssen, NP-C, and Care Initiatives' Vice President of Clinical Services, Johanna Volm, RN, BSN, to explore how skilled nursing facilities can lay the groundwork for success before diving into value-based care arrangements. You won’t want to miss this insightful discussion, which breaks down the essential steps operators can take to avoid common pitfalls and maximize impact. Sponsored by Curana Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The senior care industry is facing rapid change—and with it, big opportunities. In this episode, we dive into how demographic shifts, economic pressures, and new technologies are reshaping senior living. Hear fresh insights on aligning care with wellness, value-based care, and what it takes to stay ahead in a transforming landscape.Episode sponsored by PointClickCare. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The biggest challenge facing home health providers today is the disconnect between the value that home health providers and the reimbursement environment, said Barb Jacobsmeyer, president and CEO of Enhabit Home Health & Hospice. Another difficult situation is negotiating with Medicare Advantage plans, which tend to pay lower rates, but that problem has improved as MA plans have realized the value of home health. Still, managing MA relationships is constant because it entails making a case about home health’s value and then making sure the payment is accurate. In the area of MA, data is paramount, she said. The last four years as CEO have been bumpy at times, particularly when a shareholder pushed for a strategic review based on the company’s declining share price, she noted. She was able to weather the storm because shareholders believed the company had the right strategy. In terms of advocacy, stopping home health cuts is a top priority. It’s also important that MA updates trickle down to home health. The next CEO of Enhabit needs to think innovatively and figure out how to care for more patients with less staff, she said. Even if the company is sold or goes private, the mission of helping patients and families does not change, she insisted.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Enhabit Home Health & Hospice on social media:
X: @enhabit_hhh
Facebook: Enhabit Home Health & Hospice
LinkedIn: Enhabit Home Health & Hospice
Instagram: enhabithhh
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Barb Jacobsmeyer, President and CEO, Enhabit Home Health & Hospice
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
One of the major advocacy issues for providers is pushing for passage of the Home Health Stabilization Act, which was introduced earlier this month and would halt home health Medicare cuts for 2026 and 2027, Scott Levy, chief government affairs officer for the National Alliance for Care at Home, said. This legislation may be able to gather more co-sponsors than previous legislation, the Preserving Access to Home Health Act. Another key legislative item for members is extending telehealth waivers that are set to extend at the end of the month and waive in-person, face-to-face encounters. While there may be another short-term extension, this likely will appear in a healthcare extenders package, Levy said. The Alliance also is against making hospice part of Medicare Advantage, known as a carve-in. This is far from a “done deal,” and the Alliance wants to get ahead of the issue, Levy said. Preserving Medicaid also is on the table given the recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. And providers will continue to talk to Congress about rescinding the controversial 80/20 rule, which is contained in the Medicaid Access Rule. Advocacy matters, Levy said. He would love to have one advocate for every member organization, which would be a total of 1,500 advocates marching on Washington.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow the National Alliance for Care at Home on social media:
X: @TheAllianceHome
Facebook: National Alliance for Care at Home
LinkedIn: National Alliance for Care at Home
Instagram: thealliancehome
Show contributors: Editor Liza Berger; Scott Levy, Chief Government Affairs Officer, National Alliance for Care at Home
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
It wasn’t a typical groundbreaking ceremony at the Elizabeth Seton Children’s campus in Westchester, NY, last month.For starters, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the top Catholic official in the region, came out to bless the ground that will become home to nearly 100 long-term residents about two years from now.More importantly, the construction project is like no other in the US: It is creating a much-needed home for medically complex young adults who are aging out of the organization’s prestigious children’s center.Such children are today living longer than ever expected in past years. But in 2019, the organization saw 30% of children it discharged due to age die a little more than a year after the move. That was a clarion call for CEO Pat Tursi, who recalled crying in the chapel with staff as they mourned the loss of children who’d become like family.Now, Tursi sees her fledging young adult center — a demonstration project funded in part by New York state and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — as a potential model for providers all over the country facing similar realities.“We needed to be the pioneers, and we needed to be the innovators because that is what we do and nobody else wanted to do it,” Tursi tells McKnight’s Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas in this episode. “How can you just sort of take away all of the wonderful foundation that we've built upon and the love and and have it just, you know, disappear at age 21.”Under the new model, older residents will be able to stay with Elizabeth Seton Children’s until age 35. Buoyed by private donations, the organization is building a physical campus that supports residents with upgraded features and the technical specifications needed to serve young adults with physical needs, such as ventilator and trach care, and severe intellectual and other disabilities.Mobility for residents within the center — their home — and the ability for most residents to go on outings with the support of a robust staff have been key considerations.Listen to this special episode to learn from Tursi about what she envisions for today’s residents, tomorrow’s young adults with intense medical needs — and what lessons traditional skilled nursing providers can take from Elizabeth Seton Children’s journey. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Chapters Health System on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/Chapters_Health/with_replies
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChaptersHealth/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chapters-health-system/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chaptershealthsystem/?hl=en
Show contributors: McKnight’s Home Care Staff Writer Adam Healy and Andrew Molosky, president and CEO of Chapters Health System
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Modivcare provides 15,000 personal care aides to 13,000 patients in seven states, said Bekah Corns, VP of quality and clinical, home, Modivcare. The company also provides nonmedical emergency transportation and remote patient monitoring. Medicaid is a major payer for Modivcare’s personal care program, and the vast majority of the company’s personal care workforce is nonskilled home care aides, she noted. There is nursing oversight of aides in several states, she pointed out. While the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will significantly cut Medicaid funding, the impact on Modivcare’s personal care patients and workers is not yet clear, Corns said. Going forward, it will be important to advocate how personal care provides value for patients and to larger communities and how it is less expensive to care for someone in their home than to send them to a nursing home. The workforce shortage presents another obstacle for personal care. Modivcare’s strategy is to offer the most competitive rates based on reimbursement, and investing in learning platforms to provide education for aides and a rewards platform to recognize deserving aides. Many family caregivers work for Modivcare, Corns said.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Modivcare on social media:
X: @Modivcare
Facebook: Modivcare
LinkedIn: ModivCare
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Bekah Corns, VP of quality and clinical, home, Modivcare
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow BrightStar Care on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/brightstarcare
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BrightStarCare/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/72717/admin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightstarcare_corporateoffice/
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Staff Writer Adam Healy and Andrew Ray, chief executive officer of BrightStar Care.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Midland Care Connection, a nonprofit in Topeka, KS, offers the spectrum of senior care to people over 55 in 40 counties in Kansas and Missouri. Its services include home health, hospice, palliative care and the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). It also is the owner of an Accountable Care Organization. Dual eligibles make up about 85-90% of Midland Care’s PACE clients. PACE, which provides a range of services to keep people in their homes and out of nursing homes, helps to improve the quality of life and lower healthcare costs of dual eligibles within the first 90 days, Wiltz said. Preventive care, he emphasized, is the key to treating this group. One of the biggest changes that has taken place since the organization started PACE in 2007 has been Kansas’ growing understanding and acceptance of PACE. This bodes well with the recent passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which contained federal Medicaid reductions. Midland Care’s diversified revenue streams also help to shoulder the organization from Medicare home health and Medicaid reimbursement cuts. With the continuing reductions to home health payment, Wiltz believes home health is reaching a crisis point. Agencies are going to have to pivot away from Medicare fee-for-service and move to models such as Medicare Advantage’s Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs).
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Midland Care Connection on social media:
X: @MidlandCares
Facebook: Midland Care Connection, Inc.
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Jeremy Wiltz, Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Midland Care Connection
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The way Robin Hillier sees it, there is not a single process that is going to make or break a skilled nursing facility more than the MDS resident assessment. She should know.A 40-year long-term care veteran, who serves on major association national advisory panels and boards, in addition to once owning her own facility and now running her own consultancy, Hillier is a long-term care guru of rare caliber. Her insights into the power of the Minimum Data Set and related coding procedures are just the tip of the iceberg. She tells McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Executive Editor James M. Berklan in this McKnight’s Newsmaker podcast that this is “certainly one of the most complicated eras that we’ve been in.” She cautions about situations where high-quality, yet unsuspecting providers may be most prone to new audits and scrutiny from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. She also counsels about coping with provisions of BBBA, which, she emphasizes, will affect each state differently.“A group of people have their head in the sand and think there’s nothing in here that could possibly be bad,” she says. “And then the other opposite is ‘the sky is falling.’”Hillier also confides about her “geeky” side and how she looks eagerly ahead at this time each year, and why.Download this podcast to hear her full remarks, which include best practices advice in numerous subject areas. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
There are serious ramifications for the continued payment reductions in the Medicare home health regulations, Steven Landers, MD, MPH, CEO of the National Alliance for Care at Home, said. Beyond the lack of access to home health services, the whole payment structure has been decimated, he said. This year, the home health payment program will total just over $15 billion, down from $17.8 billion in 2019. The cuts are making it harder for agencies to have the purchasing power to staff agencies. Another negative development for home care is the passage of the “Big Beautiful” bill, which will place pressure on states to reduce home- and community-based services. The Medicaid work requirements in the law may hurt personal care workers who use Medicaid as their health insurance, he noted. While home care is not the most powerful lobbying contingent in Washington, “sometimes right beats might,” Landers said. Landers’ past positions, which included his role as director of home care at the Cleveland Clinic, helped him see the value of home care and how policy making in Washington affected the care regular people receive. As part of his tenure, he would like to see home care providers be able to deploy new care models such as the Medicare Care Choices Model. Landers sees the Alliance being a partner with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to combat rampant hospice fraud.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow the National Alliance for Care at Home on social media:
X: @TheAllianceHome
Facebook: National Alliance for Care at Home
LinkedIn: National Alliance for Care at Home
Instagram: thealliancehome
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Steven Landers, MD, MPH, CEO, National Alliance for Care at Home
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Leaders at River Spring Living in New York are on the verge of flipping the “on” switch for a “rehab model for the future” that aims to revolutionize the way therapy is delivered. Featuring robotic elements, its goal is to shrink the length-of-stay for short-term patients and employ numerous kinds of newer technology. THe Hauser Rehab Center of Excellence has been built with the input of not only clinicians but also the housekeeping, food service and activities departments, says RiverSpring COO Deborah Messina in this McKnight’s Newsmakers podcast.Hear how this innovative life plan community has converted parts of three existing buildings to bring the vision to reality. An October start date is racing up, but comfortably so, Messina tells McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Americans plan their vacations in more painstaking detail than they plan for aging, even though the aging stage of life lasts much longer, said Peter Ross, CEO of Senior Helpers. After meeting Richard Wexler, host of the podcast Caring in America about a year and a half ago, they decided to launch a nonprofit foundation to help Americans plan their aging journeys and be proactive. The result is APlan2Age.org. Unlike other sites that provide resources, APlan2Age is noncommercial and does not seek to profit off the site, Ross said, noting that Senior Helpers is an advisory council member. He encourages other home care firms to reach out and help support the site. One of the site's signature aspects is a care plan that visitors can fill out and modify over time. Ross noted that the purpose of APlan2Age is to try to prepare for the aging process as a way to head off a catastrophic life event. Families, for example, might talk about installing grab bars in loved ones’ showers to help prevent falls. Wexler learned about the importance of planning the hard way — when he and his wife were thrust into caregiving roles for their parents in their 80s. One of the big reasons to prepare for aging is to take pressure off family caregivers who shoulder most of the burden of caring for aging family members, Ross said. The next big development for APlan2Age will be Tuesday, July 29, at 1 pm ET, when Ross and Wexler hold a webinar entitled “The National Conversation on Aging.”
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow APlan2Age on social media:
Facebook: APlan2Age
Instagram: aplan2age
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Peter Ross, CEO of Senior Helpers and Co-founder of APlan2Age; Richard Wexler, CEO and Co-founder of APlan2Age
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The need and opportunity for senior living providers to serve middle-income older adults have been in the spotlight especially since 2019. In this Newsmaker's podcast, Melissa Andrews, president and CEO of LeadingAge Virginia, joins McKnight's Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers to discuss what has changed from 2019 to now, as well as important considerations — and new resources on the way — for those who wish to serve the middle market. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In this episode, we explore how Eventide Senior Living Communities is transforming the post acute and senior living experience by investing in its most valuable asset—its people. Joined by Kayla Linn, Chief People Office from Eventide and Gavin Reeg, Healthcare Solutions Consultant from UKG, we discuss how leveraging UKG's AI-driven, people first solutions helped Eventide boost employee engagement, improve efficiencies, including significant time savings with PBJ reporting, and ultimately enhance resident care. For example, by utilizing UKG solutions, Eventide was able to reduce PBJ reporting time by 99% from 16-20 manual hours per cycle down to seconds with the click of a button. Hear how the right technology can support a culture of trust, improve work-life balance for caregivers, and position senior living organizations for long-term success in an evolving industry.Whether you're in healthcare leadership, HR, operations, or workforce management, this conversation offers powerful insights into aligning mission-driven care with modern technology. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
As Tutera Senior Living and Health Care marks its 40th anniversary, President/COO Randy Bloom shares with McKnight's Senior Living Editor Lois A. Bowers how the company is meeting evolving resident expectations and the industry's ongoing challenges related to employee recruitment and retention, and he also discusses the organization's growth strategy and the country's increasing need for more affordable senior living options. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
While most long-term care providers understandably dread the staffing recruitment and retention problems that face virtually everyone in the business, there’s a different mindset at Tutera Senior Living & Health Care. They call staffing a “huge opportunity.”It’s the type of proactive optimism that has led Tutera, which manages 86 communities in 10 mostly Midwestern states, to rise up and embark on a year-long, multi-tiered 40th anniversary celebration.“Our outlook is very bright. We continue to grow for the right reasons and we’re growing in a way that allows us to be successful,” Tutera President and COO Randy Bloom tells Executive Editor James M. Berklan in this McKnight’s Newsmakers podcast.At the heart of it all is a philosophy of how to best deal with people — residents, families, the company’s 6,000-plus employees and others, Bloom says. The special Tutera Younite approach is the anchor.Download this special podcast to learn more about what makes the Tutera powerhouse tick, and the characteristics leaders say allow them to operate successful life plan communities and other freestanding facilities in an increasing number of locations. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In this episode of the Reimagining Senior Living and Long-Term Care series, Jim sits down with Allison Rainey, Head of Nursing and Clinical Informatics at MatrixCare, and Daniel Zhu, Vice President, Product Management at MatrixCare, to explore the concept of collaborative intelligence in modern care planning. Together, they dive into how the integration of human expertise with AI-powered insights is reshaping the care planning process—helping care teams make faster, more informed decisions while still honoring the clinical judgment and personalized touch that residents deserve. From surfacing relevant goals to reducing variability across shifts, this conversation highlights how technology is not replacing the human element but enhancing it to elevate both efficiency and outcomes. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
William Dombi has been too busy working on home care advocacy to relax during his retirement from the National Alliance for Care at Home, he told McKnight’s Home Care in a Newsmakers podcast. Besides working for the law firm Arnall Golden Gregory, he is the board of advisers for New Day Healthcare. With the federal administration honing in on fraud, waste and abuse, Medicaid and hospice are in the crosshairs. The field has been in such a predicament before. The Balanced Budget Act of 1997 brought about a new payment model for home health. Then the Affordable Care Act resulted in the rebasing of home health payment rates, which hurt the industry. Hospice could see a similar rebasing of rates. The new generation of hospice also could see the introduction of Medicare Advantage to hospice. And there may be an expansion of palliative care as well. While there are concerns, there are opportunities in home care as well. There needs to be more education to teach home care about getting involved with hospital-at-home programs and other innovative approaches to care, he said.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Arnall Golden Gregory on social media:
X: @agglaw
LinkedIn: Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; William Dombi, senior counsel, Arnall Golden Gregory
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
When you’ve worked from the statehouse to the governor’s mansion, to AARP’s executive offices to long-term care association leadership, one builds a rich reservoir of workplace wisdom.Joseph DeMattos Jr. is out to share insights he’s gained during a rich, decades-long career to help raise long-term care providers experiences and fortunes. In this special McKnight’s Newsmaker podcast, the former Healthcare Facilities of Maryland top executive gives his four keys to LTC success and offers ways that everyone from a nurse aide to CEO can improve their career arc.The CEO of DeMattos Strategic Advisory and Triple Latte Leadership LLC, escribes how providers can take control — and what they should try to take control of — even amid this era of historic disruption.He offers listeners insight on marketplace shifts and what the fragmentation of the sector means for frontliners, managers and top execs. Investing time and effort, and engaging in the right areas are critical, he explains.“All quality care starts with the people working in the (long-term care) center,” he tells McKnight’s Executive Editor James M.Berklan. “ … If you’re a C-suite executive, put quality as Job No. 1. Quality will always distinguish you.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
One Senior Care, based in Erie, PA, serves seniors in Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky and soon-to-be northeastern Ohio. Because its population base is rural, one of the unique services One Senior Care provides is driving to seniors’ homes and transporting them to PACE services, Chief Operating Officer Craig Worland said. One Senior Care’s promise is to do what it can to let seniors stay in their homes and communities. PACE is a bipartisan issue, Worland believes. Republicans and Democrats as well as bureaucrats have a favorable view of PACE. With the restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services, oversight of PACE likely will move to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI). Worland is not so concerned about where PACE is housed, but he wants the government to be aware that PACE is “not an experiment.” Barriers — particularly enrollment ones — need to be removed to grow the program, he said. PACE organizations, as opposed to states, should control eligibility to cut down on red tape and facilitate easier enrollment into the program, he said. He’d like to see every state offer PACE in coming years.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow One Senior Care on social media:
LinkedIn: One Senior Care
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Craig Worland, Chief Operating Officer, One Senior Care
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Gene Hackman’s death offers a vivid example of the choices older adults and their family caregivers need to consider such as where to live and how to develop a network of support, Andrea Cohen, board chair of the Caregiver Action Network and founder of HouseWorks, said. Home care can play a role in these conversations, Anne Tumlinson, founder and CEO of ATI Advisory and founder of the family caregiver group Daughterhood, said. Home care must treat family caregivers as one of their key stakeholders, along with the client and employee, Cohen said. When she started HouseWorks, a personal care company, family caregivers were invisible. No longer. Family caregiver training is much better than it used to be. Public policy also has shifted so that, through the new GUIDE Model, Medicare now recognizes the important role that family caregivers of loved ones with dementia face, Tumlinson said. Going forward, home care companies need to be strategic and provide a range of services, such as home modifications, for their clients. Tumlinson agreed. The most successful home-based care models are interdisciplinary and scalable, she said. And they must be data-driven, Cohen added. Providing for family caregivers is essential. Taking care of them helps to solve problems for the hospital and healthcare plan and other parts of the healthcare system.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Caregiver Action Network on social media:
Facebook: Caregiver Action Network
LinkedIn: Caregiver Action Network
Instagram:@caregiveraction
Follow ATI Advisory on social media:
LinkedIn: ATI Advisory
Follow Daughterhood on social media:
Facebook: Daughterhood
Instagram: Daughterhood
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
A new nationwide learning institute for nurse aides aims to be the turnkey pipeline for both newcomers to the long-term care sector and mid-career professionals.The CareForce Academy was unveiled earlier this month and will be accepting its first applicants in July. Its technical platform and curriculum are in place, says Lori Porter, the co-founder and CEO of the National Association for Health Care Assistants, in this edition of the McKnight’s Newsmaker’s podcast.Porter and others in the NAHCA braintrust came up with the idea for the academy and are now lining up scholarship funding in order to make enrollment costs free or as low as possible. All offerings and counseling will be online and will offer more than enough for anyone wanting to pass a CNA licensing test, Porter said. There also will be specialty modules for aides to build or expand their knowledge and skills in areas such as infection control, wound care and more.“We’ve had the prescription for a long time. We’re just now filling it,” Porter explained about the large-scale effort to train more aides. In this heartfelt discussion with McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan, she conveys details and the passion behind the new academy, which will both complement and distinguish itself from other aide-focused programs.“I think we finally got it right,” Porter says. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Nancy Kao, the executive director at the Life Care Services-managed The Forum at Rancho San Antonio in Cupertino, CA, was nominated and selected to receive a 2025 McKnight's Pinnacle Award based on her efforts related to workplace culture, employee retention, resident satisfaction, wellness, technology and more. In this Newsmaker's podcast, she shares insights gleaned over her 30-year career as well as her thoughts on the future of senior living and care. "We need to be the one driving changes. Whether it's through innovation, culture or simply leading with heart, we have the power to shape communities where people thrive. Let's all step up and stay curious," she advises. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The healthcare landscape is shifting—fast. As the industry moves away from Fee-For-Service (FFS) and toward Value-Based Care (VBC), practice groups must rethink how they deliver and get paid for care. But making the leap isn’t just about changing contracts—it’s about transforming the way care is coordinated, risks are managed, and success is measured. In this episode, our expert panel breaks down what it takes to thrive in a value-based world. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The United States healthcare system will change more in the next 10 years than it has in the last 100. That is the thesis of a new book written by Paul Kusserow and David W. Johnson. The high cost of care and poor outcomes are helping to drive the transformation, Kusserow said. To improve the system, there needs to be more whole-person care, and care needs to migrate out of high-cost institutions such as hospitals. Home remains a suitable setting for care because it is the most efficient place to deliver care, Kusserow said. As part of this evolution, rules need to be relaxed to better handle patients’ care needs in the home — be they behavioral health needs or social determinants of health. Small home care firms are in the best position to provide care because they understand their local communities. Kusserow recommends such businesses employ technologies that enable them to drive individual customized plans so they can compete with the likes of large companies like Amedisys. He also believes strongly in hospital-at-home and thinks it should be a permanent program. Using and paying family caregivers to care for older and disabled adults has the potential to be a new arena for home health providers, said Kusserow who is the chairman of Careforth, a company that helps to pay family caregivers through Medicaid. During this time of upheaval at the federal level, home care firms need to do a better job of telling their success stories in Washington, he said.
Follow us on social media:
X: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Amedisys on social media:
X: @AmedisysInc
Facebook: Amedisys
LinkedIn: Amedisys
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Paul Kusserow, Chairman, Amedisys
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The staff at Yates Center Health and Rehabilitation were riding high after learning in early March that their humble one-story nursing home in eastern Kansas was the state’s highest rated.The team had celebrated a third-straight five-star survey not long before.But an out-of-control grass fire that swept across the prairie the afternoon of March 14 dramatically changed the fortunes of the facility, its staff and residents.The fire encroached on the brick nursing home with little time to prepare, leaving Yates Center Health and Rehab a total loss within an hour.Nikki Jacobs, the building’s former administrator, still lives in the town of Yates Center and happened to be on scene within minutes. Now serving as a regional vice president for the provider’s parent company, Mission Health Communities, Jacobs rushed to help in the evacuation after getting calls about the fire from family members as the danger became quickly apparent to those in the close-knit community.Staff and volunteers were able to rescue 37 residents swiftly, with the fire ultimately sending just two people, including a hospice patient, to the hospital for ongoing care. In this episode, Jacobs recounts the early hours on site, how emergency preparedness plans worked — pillows were a key tool — and future plans for a facility that is beloved in its community.While still determining how and when they can rebuild, Jacobs said Mission is committed to reuniting the team that enabled great quality and an incredible emergency response. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Optimism for the future and helpful advice for long-term care professionals who hope to advance were in deep supply recently when the 2025 McKnight’s Pinnacle Awards winners gathered to receive their honors.In this special installment of the McKnight’s Newsmakers Podcast, honorees David Gifford, MD, and nursing leader Robert Francis Amoloria give their thoughts on the makings of success — personally, professionally and for the sector in the years ahead.“I’m very optimistic,” says Amoloria, the chief nursing officer for Legacy Healthcare, which operates 125 facilities in three states. “Amidst the commotion, the bluster, the upheaval, the noise, I still have faith in the healthcare industry and the profession’s noble calling to service. I sincerely believe we’re all going to rise above the fray against all odds and use our powerful calling to make a difference.”He urges colleagues to keep up with the swift technological changes hitting the sector — which should be viewed as opportunities as well as challenges, he reminded. “We are getting there,” he says in reference to post-acute care catching up to acute-care partners in adopting tech.Gifford, chief medical officer for the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living, also is encouraging, noting “huge” opportunities for job entry and growth in the coming years.Gifford notes he’s continually impressed by the current senior care workforce and its desire to elevate care. He says that even in tough times, he sees direct caregivers — as well as housekeepers, activities professionals and others — having a profound impact on patient care and quality.“Don’t give up,” he prods. “It’s the greatest place to work. There’s no better job than taking care of the elderly.”Gifford prioritizes four areas where sector professionals need to focus attention. The first is improving staff recruitment and retention, and he reveals natural appeals there. Listen in to the full podcast hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Executive Editor James M. Berklan to hear the others.“Nothing’s out of your reach,” he tells senior care professionals. “One of the beauties of working in the nursing home or assisted living area is it’s a great, small, confined healthcare system and team. You can make changes there. You can make relationships with your mayor, local elected officials and tell them your story.”Amoloria advises up-and-coming sector professionals to keep an open mind, not be afraid to try new things and to lead by example.“Rise and defy the affinity for self-obsession so that you can live for something bigger than yourself,” he adds. “Evaluate your use of time, talents and energy so you are dedicating it to something that improves and edifies others, and most of all, elevates life.” Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Education remains a barrier to hospice care, Rachel Jordan, director of legislative affairs and advocacy at Hospice of the Chesapeake, said. There is still a lot of fear and stigma surrounding the word hospice. The provider, which has four locations and recently began offering high-flow oxygen, tries to reassure people that hospice does not have to mean forgoing treatment. As a nurse practitioner, Jordan said her goal is to support the patient and family, improve the symptom burden and increase quality of life. The African-American community, in particular, has mistrust pertaining to hospice, she pointed out. To help spread the word about hospice to this community, she reaches out to local Black churches. And to raise awareness about hospice among caregivers, she is working with nursing programs at institutions of higher education to intertwine hospice and palliative care education throughout the curriculum. Her organization is working to prepare for the Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation (HOPE) tool, which is set to begin Oct. 1.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Hospice of the Chesapeake on social media:
Facebook: Hospice of the Chesapeake
LinkedIn: Hospice of the Chesapeake
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Rachel Jordan, Director of Legislative Affairs and Advocacy, Hospice of the Chesapeake
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The new Lunder CareForce Institute makes no small plans: It aims to be a driving force behind solving the nation’s frontline healthcare worker shortage.Established by Hebrew SeniorLife, a Harvard Medical School-affiliate, the institute opened for business last week with sector veteran Tammy Retalic at the helm. It will employ a mix of technology and elite caregiving expertise, as well as online modules that inject experts into training and education cycles. The first nurse-aide students should be enrolled by mid-summer, Retalic told McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan in this McKnight’s Newsmakers podcast. An LPN track will be added within 18 months, she added.The concept uses a “hub” model that extends into the local greater Boston community. If that can be successfully grown around the state, Retalic is confident its influence can blossom further from there.“If that is something we can accomplish, which we are confident we can … we’ll have the ability to go throughout the country and replicate this type of model, and that’s really our big vision,” said Relatic, who switched from Hebrew Senior Life’s chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services to the Lunder CareForce Institute’s executive vice president last week. “We don’t want to just solve it just for our own needs.”The secret, she says, is finding individuals who are motivated and are filled with compassion. Students will undergo paid six-week nurse-aide training periods, and might not necessarily think of themselves as aide-candidates when first approached.They could be high school students, under- or unemployed individuals, military veterans, parents returning to the workforce, or many others who may thrive with steady caregiving employment, noted Retalic, an award-winning longtime educator. “If we can create some kind of training option that produces the most amazing students when they are done, students who are motivated and accountable, who really want to make a difference, then we need to be able to lead that way nationally,” she said. “You can’t teach compassion. You can’t teach motivation. But when you have those two things, you pretty much can teach any other skill set,” she added. “We believe that. We’ve seen that time and time again … They flourish. They thrive.”Listen in to hear Retalic explain the genesis of the Lunder CareForce Institute, how it will work and the way officials will flex to create a thriving program to produce thousands of high-quality caregivers over the next decade. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
The expansion of home- and community-based services has been an important milestone in the tenure of Margaret McDonald, associate vice president for the Center for Home Care Policy and Research at VNS Health. More work needs to be done to enforce the Omstead decision, a landmark case that found that people with disabilities have a right to receive supports in the community under certain conditions, said McDonald, one of this year’s McKnight’s Pinnacle Award winners. On the week of the 2025 Pinnacle Awards event, McDonald talked to McKnight’s Home Care for a Newsmakers podcast about HCBS and her research.Notes: In her role at VNS Health, Margaret McDonald works on conducting investigations to improve home- and community-based services (HCBS) and oversees the administrative functions of the Center for Home Care Policy and Research. Some of the center’s current research focuses on speech recognition to find out if audio recordings can be translated to help reduce the burden of caregiver documentation and explore whether the data collected can identify people who have early-onset of cognitive impairment. The rebalancing of long-term services and supports to HCBS and away from institutions means HCBS has to staff properly, she said. It also means HCBS needs to implement evidence-based practices of care in the home. Physician and nurse practitioner oversight may limit the move toward advanced services, such as hospital-at-home, into the home, she said. The federal government’s move to cut scientific research may affect the center’s work. But she is hoping that since her research informs clinical practice and healthcare policy including developing strategies to reduce rehospitalizations and delay nursing home admissions that the center will continue to receive support for her work.Follow us on social media:X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCareFacebook: McKnight's Home CareLinkedIn: McKnight's Home CareInstagram: mcknights_homecare Follow VNS Health on social media:X (formerly Twitter): @vnshealthFacebook: VNS HealthLinkedIn: VNS HealthInstagram: @vnshealthShow contributors:McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Margaret McDonald, Associate VP for Center for Home Care Policy and Research, VNS Health Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
During Argentum’s recent Public Policy Institute in Washington, DC, Senior Vice President of Public Policy Maggie Elehwany and Vice President of Government Relations Paul Williams discussed Argentum’s legislative priorities for the 119th Congress, as well as updates to its public policy paper highlighting the value of assisted living. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Investors in the seniors housing and care space have always seemed to make skilled nursing a second-thought customer. Now, however, the demographics have become so positive, even skilled nursing is enjoying more time in the spotlight — and it should for a long time to come.That’s according to Bill Kauffman, a senior principal at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, who keeps a close eye on skilled nursing matters.“The optimism is certainly here, for sure,” he told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Executive Editor James M. Berklan at the recent NIC spring conference in San Diego. “Especially over the next 10 years.”The US Department of Housing and Urban Development has traditionally been a strong capital provider for skilled nursing operators, Kauffman noted. But now that most major pandemic concerns have subsided, real estate investment trusts — including public ones — are also becoming more active.With interest rates remaining high, the cost of capital remains the big question mark, Kauffman explained. But, he quickly added, he thinks “it’s just a matter of time” before skilled nursing funders take advantage and build more to accommodate the historic crush of baby boomers.“You have a supply and demand situation for private pay seniors housing and have a supply and demand situation for skilled nursing — and they’re both positive,” he explained.Listen in to hear more on what Kauffman thinks the key factors are and what moves providers must make to get more capital — and what they must spend at least some of it on to succeed. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Esther Cromwell founded the first Haven Family Care Home in 2005 after realizing her passion for older adults while helping a widowed neighbor. She began researching what goes into senior care facilities and realized more could be done. Today, Haven Family Care is Avendelle Assisted Living, with 18 locations in North Carolina and Virginia, serving as a bridge between home and skilled nursing care.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
In this episode of the Reimagining Senior Living and Long-Term Care series, Jim sits down with Allison Rainey, Head of Nursing and Clinical Informatics at MatrixCare, to discuss a side of technology that often gets overlooked–when is it too much? While technology plays a critical role in supporting staff, too many disconnected systems, overwhelming amounts of data, and inefficient workflows can lead to staff burnout rather than relief. Allison shares insights on how to ensure technology is truly supporting caregivers–from selecting solutions that integrate seamlessly into workflows to continuously evaluating whether systems are helping or hindering care teams. She also highlights strategies to prevent information overload to ensure data is actionable rather than adding to unnecessary complexity. Tune in to hear practical strategies for avoiding the “Tech Trap” and ensuring technology remains a tool for support–not another burden on staff. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
R. Tamara Konetzka, PhD, the Louis Block Professor of Public Health Sciences at the University of Chicago, has been studying the intersection of Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS) and Medicare. Her research has found that when dual eligibles use Medicaid HCBS they are more likely to use home health versus skilled nursing facilities after hospitalizations. Konetzka also is fascinated by the idea that community-initiated home health serves as a frontier for a long-term care benefit. Other areas of research for Konetzka are Medicare Advantage. She’d like to examine the use of supplemental benefits, but there is not much data available on the use of them. She speculates that the Trump administration will have a hands-off approach to MA and likely will not expand funding for HCBS.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow University of Chicago on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @UChicago
Facebook: The University of Chicago
LinkedIn: University of Chicago
Instagram: uchicago
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
The Biden administration over the last three years spearheaded efforts to rein in Medicare Advantage plans’ use of prior authorizations to deny care and cut short coverage for nursing homes. But at the end, it also left some pretty substantial decisions on the table for the incoming Trump team — seen by many as pro-Medicare Advantage.In this episode, Nicole Fallon, vice president of integrated services and managed care for LeadingAge, breaks down what we know about the future of MA.First up: What happens to updated rules for MA plans proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in November? They called for more limits on artificial tools and automated denials of care, strategies that a 2024 Senate report found were being employed frequently to cut off access to post-acute services, particularly in nursing homes.What happens next with those proposals is unknown, says Fallon, noting that such policy updates are not required annually, although payment updates (also still pending approval for 2026) are. Trump’s new team at CMS could allow them to flounder and issue its own proposal (or not) for 2027. Of broader concern, however, is whether members of Congress and patients will be able to keep pressure on the federal government to adopt further improvements as some Trump appointees embrace the idea of growing MA even faster.“Our hope is that both Congress and the administration really recognize that, first we need to kind of shore up those foundational issues — like access to care, enforcement of the rules, some greater transparency and data collection and really being good stewards of those Medicare trust fund dollars — before we engage in that debate about whether MA for all is really the right strategic direction,” Fallon says in this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas.Listen in to hear Fallon’s current expectations and more about what the change in administration could mean for addressing more challenging MA reimbursement concerns. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Matt Derrick, managing partner of Denver-based Confluent Senior Living, discusses baby boomers, supply and demand challenges, key growth markets and the future of senior living. "For 2026 and beyond, the sky is the limit for senior housing developers," he says. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
In this podcast episode, we dive deep into the world of practitioner efficiency and explore practical strategies for maintaining and enhancing it within your practice group. Laurie Bergeron, VP Product Management, PointClickCare, and Darcy Koehn, Chief Population Health Officer, Peak Healthcare, discuss specific strategies and tools, and the crucial role technology plays in streamlining workflows. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Medically Home, which provides a decentralized hospital-at-home program, has been in business over 10 years and has 20 health systems across 18 states. The Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver, instituted during the pandemic, has helped the company grow more swiftly, Medically Home CEO Graham Barnes said. Given that the Congressional Budget has scored the waiver budget-neutral, and it is popular among both Medicare beneficiaries and hospitals, he believes Congress will grant the waiver a five-year extension when it expires in March. At least half of typical patients admitted for inpatient level care in the brick-and-mortar hospital can receive treatment through hospital-at-home, he said. The average patient in the program today is over 65 and has experienced an acute episode — usually an exacerbation of a chronic disease such as heart failure or COPD, with a pneumonia or other infection. The concept still meets challenges from hospitals around concerns for patient safety and change management. Not everyone can be admitted to the program, he explained. Patients must pass social and clinical checks for admission. Among the social checks: There must be a caregiver at home who provides support to the patient.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Medically Home on social media:
X: @medically_home
Facebook: Medically Home
LinkedIn: Medically Home
Instagram: medicallyhomegroup
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Comfort Keepers, which has more than 600 locations in the United States and Canada, aims to “elevate the human spirit.” That mission permeates every aspect of the company's operations — from its approach to client care to its selection of franchises, according to Scott Oaks, vice president of franchise development for the companion and personal care company. To recruit and retain strong franchisees, the company puts an emphasis on its onboarding process. Franchisees walk caregivers through a four-hour onboarding process, which entails training on both the tasks caregivers will perform in the home as well as how caregivers should interact with the client and family. As artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, franchisees can use it for employee scheduling, or to identify changes in people’s conditions or eating patterns, he said. As a new presidential administration begins, key for the company is to maintain the flexibility and diversification of payer sources and service offerings, Oaks said. Still, private pay will remain the company’s main revenue stream, he noted.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Comfort Keepers on social media:
Facebook: Comfort Keepers Home Office
LinkedIn: Comfort Keepers
Instagram: comfortkeepersofficial
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
LeadingAge has formally asked the incoming presidential team to repeal the federal nursing home staffing mandate adopted by the Biden White House.
“The staffing mandate, we are expecting it to be repealed, and we are asking the administration to repeal the staffing mandate,” said Janine Finck-Boyle, vice president of health policy and regulatory affairs for LeadingAge. “We have moved definitely in advocacy, and we’re looking at, hopefully, that will be what will happen.”
Those efforts come as LeadingAge and the American Health Care Association near a potential January ruling in their case challenging the staffing rule in federal court.
Finck-Boyle and Jodi Eyigor, LeadingAge director of nursing home quality and policy, joined McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Thursday to discuss the latest regulatory, payment and policy considerations affecting nursing homes on the cusp of 2025.
While providers could score wins related to regulatory rollbacks and burden reduction efforts in a second Trump presidency, other initiatives are likely to continue regardless of who controls the White House or Congress.
“I think it’s important to be based in reality,” said Eyigor. “We do expect they will be picking up that mantle again … But it’s also important to remember that the job remains the same. We’re still going to be taking care of residents, every day, day in and day out, and we’re still going to need to do certain things, like documenting that care, having good coordination with other care providers.”
Emergency preparedness, for instance, is a long-standing focus, and even the first Trump administration had proposed some infection control changes. Payment also remains a huge, highly variable issue for providers — with plenty of questions swirling around the future of entitlement programs that fund most nursing home care.
Other topics covered in this wide-ranging episode include ongoing concerns with new ownership transparency requirements; provider response to the so-far limited use of shorter, risk-based nursing home surveys, and how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s role in nursing homes could be reshaped by new leadership.
Listen is as Eyigor and Finck-Boyle highlight key challenges to prepare for and possible opportunities providers may be able to seize upon in 2025.
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Julie Ward, senior executive officer of public policy for The Arc, feels a strong sense of urgency to help protect the Medicaid program and its home- and community-based services (HCBS) from impending cuts. For people with disabilities, she noted, HCBS is a lifeline. If HCBS is cut, it will force people into institutions and cause hardships for families. The HCBS program is currently grappling with challenges including a waiting list of over 711,000 and a workforce shortage. Procedural challenges that ensued with the Medicaid unwinding — the process of refining Medicaid enrollment following the COVID-19 pandemic — may serve as a cautionary tale if the Trump administration enacts work requirements, she said. The need to act to defend Medicaid feels stronger than it ever has been, she noted, as there will not be a divided Congress to serve as a backstop.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow The Arc on social media:
X: @TheArcUS
Facebook: The Arc of the United States
LinkedIn: The Arc of the United States
Instagram: thearc_us
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger and Julie Ward, senior executive officer of public policy, The Arc
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Discover how senior care communities can prioritize resident and staff safety with dedicated emergency response solutions. In this episode, we explore the critical role of highly trained emergency dispatchers in delivering compassionate, reliable support—from elevator safety to risk mitigation—freeing nursing staff to focus on exceptional care while enhancing safety, reliability, and peace of mind for all. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Thanks to monitoring technology, Griswold has learned just how often clients fall when caregivers are not in the home, CEO Michael Slupecki said. This technology also has helped to provide insights into whether caregivers and patients are getting along and whether patients are confused about their medications. This type of data not only helps to improve the experience for patients, it also provides key data for insurance payers like Medicare Advantage. As the number of people aging in place grows and caregiver shortages worsen, AI will help to manage limited resources, he said.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Right at Home on social media:
Facebook: Griswold Home Care
LinkedIn: Griswold
Instagram: griswoldhomecare
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Remember when the iPhone transformed our understanding of what a phone could be? There's a similar revolution brewing in LTC admissions. Tune in to explore how leading facilities are reimagining the first 24 hours of care—turning a fragmented process into an experience that's beautifully simple, yet remarkably powerful. Ari Shabat, Reside Admissions' CEO, reveals how Admissions 3.0 sets a new standard where compliance feels effortless, staff love their work, and revenue naturally follows. Discover how more than 800 facilities are already achieving higher occupancy rates and staff satisfaction while reducing compliance risks -- all through an intelligent admissions process that's as intuitive as your favorite app and as thorough as your best clinician. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.comfor information about our collection and use of personal data foradvertising.
Mary Munoz manages the western region of Ziegler's senior living practice, where she specializes in financing senior living mergers and acquisitions, and in stragegic and capital planning consulting services. On the cusp of her impending retirement from Zieger, Mary shares her unique perspective as both an expert and a consumer, how she's seen the industry change over time, and her predicitons for the future of senior living.
Discover how data analytics are transforming senior living, enhancing resident care, improving operational efficiency and driving innovation. Learn actionable insights that will shape the future of this evolving industry.
Joseph Kitonga, founder & CEO of Vitable Health, joins us from the National Association for Home Care & Hospice’s 2024 Conference where he shares how his parents’ experience running a home care agency led him to create Vitable, a company designed to help home care agencies offer affordable health benefits to their employees.We also dive into why home health care businesses are among the most likely to be audited by the IRS for non-compliance with the Affordable Care Act, what it means to get a penalty notice from the IRS, and how agencies can think about health benefits as part of their overall growth strategy.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow BoldAge PACE on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): https://twitter.com/NA4Caregiving/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NA4Caregiving/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-alliance-for-caregiving/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caregiver_nation/
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Staff Writer Adam Healy and Jason Resendez, president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Caregiving
All team members at skilled nursing facilities have a stake in getting the ever-evolving MDS stipulations right. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is collecting more information than ever before, and they’re studying it for patterns more rigorously than ever.Consider MDS processes another example of high-risk management, and it shouldn’t be taken lightly. That’s the view of Leah Klusch, the executive director of The Alliance Training Center, who sat down with McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Executive Editor James M. Berklan recently to discuss all things MDS.She re-emphasizes the importance of making the data reproducible. She discusses the latest coding changes in version 1.19.1 of the MDS. She warns that not filling out the section on the mood interview could cost providers $40 to $50 per patient day. She dotes over providers’ needs like any 57-year nursing veteran might.Beyond that, Klusch already has had a peek at a next iteration of the MDS and comments how she thinks it will bring even more crystallization to the nursing home assessment and admissions process.
Not live from the AHCA/NCAL conference in Orlando, FL, where he was to be a speaker, Stan Szpytek, president of Fire and Life Safety Inc., discusses what senior living providers must do to prepare for natural disasters and man-made events. He also shares problems that can occur when communities decorate for the holidays.
Tom Grape, founder, chairman and CEO of Benchmark Senior Living talks about advocating for the senior living industry, fighting cost creep, settings rates and what's ahead for Benchmark and senior living in general.
Liz Fandel, chief marketing and innovation officer of FellowshipLIFE, shares thoughts about the changing expectations of senior living residents and prospective residents, ways that providers are marketing to them and their families, ideas for improving those efforts, and more.
Providers who’ve been waiting on the sidelines in a lending environment that felt nearly impossible are already coming to the table, ready to make new deals, after the Federal Reserve made its first rate cut in four years on Sept. 18.That’s the report from Tami Antebi, the New York-based senior vice president and head of healthcare for global bank BHI.“They’ve been looking forward for the last year for these cuts to come,” Antebi says during this episode, recorded live at the National Investment Center for Seniors Care & Housing’s 2024 Fall Conference in Washington, DC.“It’s a really positive improvement. A lot of deals that didn’t make sense before are going to be making more sense,” Antebi tells McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas. “Things that they couldn’t do, like construction, people may pick up and do those types of deals.”But not everything will change at once, Antebi notes. Take a listen to discover which loan products might be more affordable most quickly, and how to work with lenders as the deep freeze on many traditional bank loans begins to thaw.
Darcy Santos, national director of resident programming for Five Star Senior Living, has spent the past five years fostering meaningful connections with residents and teams across the country through Five Star’s EPIC Living program. The holistic program, inspired by four dimensions of wellness — emotional, physical, intellectual, community — helps older adults manage changes and prevent common age-related health issues.
Long-term care providers and others have felt the sting of False Claims Act litigation more than they ever cared to through the years, but now there’s a new, even more potent “whistleblower” program that could produce even more aggressive legal problems for providers.It’s called the Corporate Whistleblower Awards pilot program and it started quietly in August. Despite the “pilot” in its name, one expert warns the label merely means federal officials are in the process of honing it to make it even more polished and lethal by the time it comes to determine whether to make it permanent.Paul Werner, a principal attorney with Buttaci, Leardi & Werner, explains that the new pilot is being conducted under the auspices of the Criminal DIvision of the US Department of Justice. It is “quite a bit more” than the False Claims Act, he says, for a couple of reasons. First, it doesn’t limit its scope to federal healthcare payers and second, it focuses on allegations in a criminal — as opposed to civil — light.“I think anything the government openly describes as a ‘bounty program’ should be concerning to anybody,” Werner tells McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan in this McKnight’s Newsmakers podcast. A veteran provider defense attorney who has dealt with various federal agencies for years, Werner delves into nuances of the new program especially pertinent for long-term care providers. He details who might be most likely targeted, and how, as well as how providers can steer clear of prosecution. He also discusses when the first accusations probably will be announced, making this a must-listen episode for anyone working in the sector.
Debra Whitman, executive vice president and chief public policy officer at AARP, discusses her new book, “The Second Fifty: Answers to the 7 Big Questions of Midlife and Beyond,” and the messages it has for senior living providers and others. Among the insights she shares are those related to her experience with assisted living through her father-in-law, tackling workforce issues, older adults' financial security — or lack of it, and the benefits of bringing several generations together.
Ole Lindbo, regional director of operations at The Springs Living and National Center for Assisted Living state leader for the state of Washington, shares how The Springs Living and other providers are observing National Assisted Living Week as well as discusses what attracted him to senior living, the ways he has seen the field change over the course of his career, the biggest opportunities and challenges facing providers, and his thoughts on what the future holds.
Libby Care Center of Cascadia in Libby, MT, didn’t necessarily have a wide choice of psychiatrists to turn to when leaders decided to focus on lowering antipsychotic use among residents.So CEO Rachel Toland and her team turned to telehealth, a solution that has helped to bring in resources more quickly, manage behaviors without unnecessary medications, improve a key quality indicator and keep residents in their local community.“It really allowed us to be able to manage patients or residents that we in the past maybe wouldn't be able to consider simply because getting those services would have been difficult,” Toland told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas.That’s just one of the many quality initiatives undertaken by Libby, one of two winners of the 2024 Gold – Excellence in Quality Award from the American Health Care Association/ National Center for Assisted Living.Libby, which advances to Gold after winning silver and bronze in 2023 and 2022, respectively, is also focused on staff training and consistency of care for residents.In this episode, Toland shares how Cascadia supports efforts to imbue quality in a building’s culture, unfolds her team’s roadmap to success and reveals their plans to keep pressing forward.
In this episode, we explore the transformative potential of technology in augmenting staff efficiency in long-term care facilities. As the industry navigates staffing challenges, innovative solutions are being deployed to support caregivers, streamline operations, and enhance resident outcomes. Jim and Bharat welcome Dr. Dustin Feld, Head of Technology Innovation at MEDIFOX DAN to discuss practical applications of technology in areas such as onboarding and care coordination. Additionally, they address critical issues surrounding data privacy and regulatory compliance and provide guidance on what to look for when implementing new technologies to ensure they enhance, rather than replace, staff roles.
PHOENIX — Never has networking been more important for skilled nursing operators, especially given the seismic shifts happening thanks to a rush of post-pandemic mergers and acquisitions.Hersch Krohner, founder and CEO of eCap, recently talked with McKnight’s Long-Term Care News about his vision for his organization’s skilled nursing events and the future of the industry as regional operators begin to dominate.“Face-to-face networking has always been a pillar for leaders to really engage, interact and build relationships,” Krohner told McKnight’s Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas at eCap West this summer. “By creating an environment [where] people can really connect and interact in a more organic way, by having that in-person interaction … that’s never going to be replaced by something like an email or a Zoom, and especially when times are tough.”Learn more about eCap’s events, attendees and opportunities in this quick and engaging episode.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow BAYADA Home Health Care on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/InnovAge/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MyInnovAge/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/myinnovage/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/myinnovage/
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care
Staff Writer Adam Healy and Richard Johnson, MD, MPH, chief medical officer for InnovAge.
What is wisdom? What makes someone wise? How does someone acquire wisdom? The Mather Institute set out to answer these and other questions in a survey of older adults. Dr. Jenny Smith, assistant vice president and director of Mather Institute, talked with McKnight’s Senior Living about a recent Mather research brief, Words of Wisdom, based on how older adults defined wisdom.
In hiring lifelong “Washington guy” and veteran Beltway lobbyist Clif Porter as its next president and CEO, the American Health Care Association has perhaps a more insightful view into presidential and congressional politics than ever before.In his first interview since his promotion, Porter opened up with McKnight about his unique leadership style, caring for his mother and, among many other vital topics, how he expects the US presidential election will unfold for the long-term care sector.“If there’s a (Kamala) Harris administration, obviously, there’s concerns it would continue in the direction President Biden has,” he cautions in this McKnight’s Newsmakers podcast. But, he quickly adds, there are also possible reasons for hope whether Donald Trump or Harris wins the White House.Porter also forecasts who is favored to win each chamber of Congress and how the races generally have tightened over the last few months.In addition to that, this “new” hire, who is currently AHCA’s senior vice president of governmental affairs, opens up to McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan about how the Supreme Court’s Chevron ruling may affect providers, the role of music in his life, and what his vision for the future of long-term care is after his upcoming run as the most visible and prominent spokesman for the long-term care sector in all the land.
Dwayne Clark, founder, chairman and CEO of Aegis Living, shares how senior living and Aegis Living have changed over past couple of decades, insights into attracting staff members and residents, and thoughts on what senior living could look like in the coming years.
This podcast unravels the significance of Institutional Special Needs Plans (I-SNPs) in healthcare, focusing on their potential for skilled nursing facilities, assisted living / memory care communities, and other senior living providers. We will discuss the benefits of I-SNPs, address industry challenges, and uncover strategies for leveraging these plans to enhance care delivery and financial performance.
Fee Stubblefield, founder and CEO of The Springs Living, talks with McKnight's Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers about tackling senior living's biggest challenges, making communities more attractive to the next generation of residents, and other lessons shared in his new book, "A Culture of Promise: The True Story of a Small Company's Quest to Transform the Senior Living Industry."Lois A. BowersEditor, McKnight's Senior LivingFee StubblefieldFounder and CEO, The Springs Living
A pending decision on whether Medicare will cover skin substitute grafts could put effective wound care tools out of the reach of too many seniors, an expert in wound care and health economics is warning.Bill Padula, former president of the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel and an assistant professor with the Department of pharmaceutical and health economics at the school at the University of Southern California, notes the products in the crosshairs are used to treat DFUs and venous leg ulcers, both common in nursing homes patients.Medicare Administrative Contractors could remove dozens of options from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services coverage list. And without coverage, doctors likely won’t have a full range of products to reach for — or the ability to offer them as frequently as needed.“Of course, that doesn't mean that it's impossible to get these skin substitutes to the patient, but they are expensive,” Padula says in this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimbelry Marselas. “If Medicare is not paying for it — and we all know the story of seniors on fixed incomes that most are unlikely to be able to afford the of-pocket payments for skin substitutes on their own — this could amount to thousands of dollars every visit.”As a health economist, Padula acknowledges CMS must monitor spending on evolving products to ensure appropriate use. But this is a coverage decision that could well deliver a literal lesson in an ounce of prevention being better than a pound of cure.Chronic wounds that don’t heal, notes Padula and a wealth of other researchers, often lead to amputations and increased mortality.Listen in to learn more about the debate fueled by the MACs’ decision and how providers still hope to shape the ultimate call.
The latest example of New Day’s innovative care delivery models is integrating a long-term therapy virtual staffing partner into its Texas Medicare Advantage (MA) business. New Day now is hoping to expand this model to other regions. This development, which entailed integrating an episodic care agency into a nonepisodic business, is an extension of the company’s “burning the ships" mantra, which means rethinking business in the wake of MA’s penetration, Herman said. Kaltroco North America, a private equity company that owns New Day, has helped the home care firm succeed with its belief in “doing well by doing good,” Herman said. And thanks to its diversified service lines, New Day has been able to weather continued home health Medicare payment cuts, as well as the 80/20 Medicaid rule. The company is building out its proprietary Carelytics software that allows it to handle chronically ill patients with a longitudinal care approach, predict when they are about to have problems, and intervene.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow New Day Healthcare on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @newdayhc
Facebook: New Day Healthcare
Instagram: newdayhc
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; G. Scott Herman, CEO and Founder, New Day Healthcare
Guests:
- Robin Arnicar, president, NADONA
- TJ Griffin, chief clinical officer, Pharmerica
Guests:
- Bharat Monteiro, General Manager, Senior Living and Long-Term Care, MatrixCare
- Daniel Zhu, VP of Product for Data, Analytics and AI/ML, MatrixCare
- Allison Rainey, Head of Nursing and Clinical Informatics, MatrixCare
Journalist, humorist and history buff Mo Rocca talks with McKnight's Senior Living Editor Lois A. Bowers about his latest book, "Roctogenarians: Late in Life Debuts, Comebacks, and Triumphs." He shares inspiring stories of several later-in-life achievers and the lessons we can learn from them, as well as what he hopes to achieve later in life.
National Skilled Nursing Week is meant to honor workers in America’s nursing homes, and plenty of leaders now roll out the red carpet for staff members with annual celebrations and prizes. But CareRite Centers, operating 33 facilities in four states, might be the standout when it comes to making teams feel a part of something bigger.The company has made a multimillion-dollar commitment to staff and resident experiences that exceed the norm, draw local and national interest, and keep applicants coming and current workers staying. Its’ 10th annual nursing home celebration this spring was no exception, with each building in its network offering events, vacations and raffles to show appreciation for everyone, from housekeeping to the back office.In this McKnight’s Newsmaker Podcast episode, CareRite Chief Experience Officer Ashley Romano explains why her Experience Team is committed to staff appreciation with a “wow” factor year round and how preparation for skilled nursing week — and opportunities to be honored or win luxurious prizes — actually starts months beforehand.“A little bit of fun goes a long way,” Romano says, calling Skilled Nursing Week the “Super Bowl” of CareRite staff experience efforts. “It's a beautiful way to celebrate every single discipline. … We wanted to make sure that every single one of our team members knows just how important and impactful they are, not only to the lives that they serve, but to one another.”Listen in for Romano’s tips on growing your own employee appreciation event, keeping staff motivated with meaningful incentives throughout the year, and building a better reputation as an employer by involving team member families and the broader community in more activities.
There remains confusion about palliative care, which differs from hospice care in that recipients do not have to give up curative care. It focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stresses of the illness for the patient and the family, and it is appropriate at any age and any stage of illness. Also, an interprofessional team delivers it. While Medicare Part B pays for it, the fee-for-service payment remains inadequate, many argue, because it fails to adequately cover the comprehensive team approach. There actually is a strong value proposition under value-based payment, Bowman noted, and many Medicare Advantage plans are contracting with palliative care providers based on this value proposition. There are other bright spots surrounding palliative care, Bowman and Silvers said. One of these is the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ request for comment in the hospice proposed rule for fiscal year 2025 about higher-cost palliative care treatments. This opens the door to a new payment system that covers the services of an interdisciplinary specialty care team, Silvers noted. Another positive development is Hawaii recently became the first state to cover palliative care through Medicaid.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Center to Advance Palliative Care on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @CAPCpalliative
Facebook: Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)
LinkedIn: Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC)
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; and Brynn Bowman, CEO, and Allison Silvers, Chief Health Care Transformation Officer, of the Center to Advance Palliative Care
Months before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services proposed federal staffing minimums for nursing homes, the American Health Care Association said it would sue over the rule should it offer providers little hope of compliance.But when that rule was finalized in May — requiring nursing homes to have RNs on site 24 hours a day and increasing hourly direct care requirements from an earlier proposal — finding providers to carry the legal torch wasn’t necessarily a given.Many providers might shy away from the possible scrutiny lawsuit involvement would bring, the chance to be pilloried in the mainstream media and have their motives questioned by families. But Derek Prince, CEO and Managing Partner of HMG Healthcare, knew he wanted his company play a major role in the case many now see as a last line of defense for the sector.When AHCA leaders approached him seeking a Texas provider to share their concerns, Prince told them ‘Hell yes!” “We instill in all of our folks, ‘Take care of people and we can always defend if you're doing what's right and trying to make stuff better and you're trying to take care of our population,’ ” Prince said. “So in this particular instance, we believe that the lawsuit is what's right.”The CMS rule is too rigid for the many different kinds of nursing homes in the country and the different patient types they serve, Prince argues.“It was a fairly easy decision to go, ‘If it’s not us, who,?’ and this is the time to step up. We always tell all of our team members, ‘You've got to get out there and execute, and you've got to be effective.’ And we just thought, ‘We have to walk the walk.’”In this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas, Prince explains his reasoning on the lawsuit, why his company puts quality achievement ahead of staffing stars and what he sees as the best outcome for his patients and the sector.
Signify Health performed over 800,000 home health assessments in the first quarter of 2024 and over 3 million assessments in 2023, Schwarzwald said. The comprehensive yearly assessments aim to provide pictures of patients’ physical and mental health as well as their home situations. One key purpose of the assessment is medication reconciliation. Being a part of CVS Health has allowed the company to offer more services in the home such as piloting new ECG monitors. The partnership also has allowed Signify Health to leverage Oak Street Health, another CVS subsidiary, to connect more patients to primary care providers. Data helps to set Signify Health apart. It has a sophisticated algorithm, which helps identify the right members. It also allows clinicians to determine health gaps and select diagnostic and preventive services to offer in the home. Data reports then are used to inform primary care providers and health plans and find new ways for members to utilize CVS services. Going forward, Signify Health is considering performing patient in-home health assessments more than once a year. It is thinking about opportunities for visits focuses specifically on diabetic, cardiovascular or cognitive health, Schwarzwald said.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Signify Health on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @signifyhealth
Facebook: Signify Health
LinkedIn: Signify Health
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger and Heidi Schwarzwald, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, SVP, Signify Health
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow BAYADA Home Health Care on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): https://x.com/BAYADAHHC/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BAYADAHomeHealthCare/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bayada-home-health-care/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bayadahhc/
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care
Staff Writer Adam Healy and Michael Johnson, practice president for home health and chief researcher for home care innovation at BAYADA Home Health Care
Providers trying to sort out which tactic might be the most likely to save them from rigid new staffing rules slated to roll out in 2026 might feel like they need a map.In this episode, Melissa Schakowsky, director of government affairs at the Ambassadors Group, takes us on a tour of the possibilities, the paths through Congress and the factors that may ultimately influence a successful outcome.“This is certainly the most activity that I have seen [in Washington] surrounding long-term care, and I think that really speaks to the gravity of the consequences if this rule becomes finalized and fully implemented,” Schakowsky says. “I think it's more important than ever that our providers engage in advocacy.”Schakowsky breaks down the differences between the Congressional Review Act and two bills currently being considered that could reverse the rule. She also briefly touches on a complimentary legal strategy. (This episode was recorded the day before the American Health Care Association filed its 56-page lawsuit seeking to have the rule dismissed by a federal court.) Listen in as Schakowsky breaks down possible timing, strategies that providers can use to help federal lawmakers understand their viewpoints and what role November’s congressional and presidential elections might play.
Notes:
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow BoldAge PACE on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): n/a
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boldagepace
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bold-age-pace/
Instagram: n/a
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Staff Writer Adam Healy and Russell Hilliard, chief growth officer at BoldAge PACE
Long-term care residents are at increased risk for TB infection and TB disease. Insufficient screening and prevention policies can put residents, employees and the community at risk for TB exposure. During this podcast, Rita Khoury, MD, Clinical Lab Director at Acculabs, NJ, will discuss strategies to reduce the risk of TB in long-term care facilities. She’ll also describe her experiences evaluating the efficacy and accuracy of TB blood tests as an alternative to traditional skin testing. You’ll learn about best practices for TB screening, CDC testing guidelines and the importance of TB prevention for both staff and residents.
The SCAN Group, which offers Medicare Advantage plans along with primary care and other services to older adults, recently released its first-ever Environmental, Social and Governance report. The purpose was to showcase the ways in which the organization is supporting employees, members, patients and communities, and advancing social aims for the company. Among the company’s points of pride is its work to address homelessness among older adults, according to Jain. It offers many clinical programs for the older population, including an Independence at Home program. With the release of the MA rate for 2025, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is sending a message that it would like to cut payment to MA plans. The SCAN Group’s MA model is different than other MA companies in that it enables providers to actually own the risk themselves. Jain’s interest in social justice originated, in part, from his parents who grew up at the time of Indian independence and his early exposure to inequality and racism, he said.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow SCAN Group on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @SCANHealthPlan
LinkedIn: SCAN
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger and Sachin Jain, MD, CEO, SCAN Group
In this episode, Bharat Monteiro, GM, Senior Living & Long-Term Care at MatrixCare, teams up with Chris Pugliese, Director of Interoperability at MatrixCare, to uncover the pressing challenges and promising opportunities in achieving seamless transitions within long-term care. Join them as they provide actionable insights and strategies to empower providers in navigating the complex landscape of interoperability, driving tangible improvements in resident care and outcomes.
Bhatt is excited about the federal focus on family caregivers in the United States. She mentioned the RAISE Family Caregivers Act, which became law in 2018 and directed the secretary of Health and Human Services to develop a national family caregiving strategy. The recently introduced GUIDE model, which aims to support people living with dementia and their unpaid caregivers, also offers an important step forward. She would like to see the model address other conditions and disease states other than dementia. In general, there should be an awareness of the financial and other needs of family caregivers. Many rely on government and other assistance to address their social determinants of health such as food and healthcare. Increasingly, community organizations, including faith-based organizations, and employers are filling the gap, she noted. One of the key priorities of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers is to establish a federal office focused on caregiver health.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @RCICaregiving
Facebook: Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers
LinkedIn: Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers
Instagram: rcicaregiving
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger and Paurvi Bhatt, President and Chief Impact Officer for the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers
Paulo Rocha, Head of Sales at Miele Professional, will join McKnight’s Senior Living News to explore the growing trend of on-premise laundry in commercial operations. Rocha will highlight how processing laundry onsite can help senior care facilities meet and exceed quality and safety standards, while also enhancing efficiency and making operations more sustainable. Rocha will talk about Miele’s new Benchmark on-premise washers and dryers, designed for use in senior care environments, and explain how these machines are revolutionizing the way senior care facilities manage their laundry needs.
Marcum, an entrepreneur who is an investor and chairman of Golden Harmony, a home care agency in Raleigh, NC, finds it alarming that Medicaid centers in states leaning both Democratic and Republican are against the 80/20 rule. Helping home care agencies thrive is one of Marcum’s specialties. In his current work, he coaches agencies on how to improve their cultures through his venture Home Care Breakaway Accelerator. He believes in the importance of onboarding and the critical 90-day period when an employee first joins a company. Helping employees feel empowered to make their own decisions will overcome an agency’s tendency to allow them to dictate the rules, he said. One of Marcum’s most significant enterprises to date has been founding Home Care Pulse, a home care technology firm. Leading the firm, he helped to elevate the industry in terms of data and quality standards, he said. In the next 10 to 15 years, he believes technology will play a role in helping companies communicate better with their clients. Artificial intelligence, in particular, will help in the area of onboarding employees. Still, Marcum does not think technology will ever replace the power of human touch.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Aaron Marcum on social media:
LinkedIn: Aaron Marcum
This engaging exploration of the value of ACOs discusses what all providers should know about this up-and-coming caregiving structure, as well as how Curana has improved care delivery for patients living in nursing facilities, assisted living, memory care and other senior living settings by participating in MSSP and High Needs Reach ACOs. Subject matter expert Nate Aumock also reveals key success factors from the provider perspective and discusses how partnership with facilities is critical to success.
In today's healthcare environment, understanding regulations and reimbursement is crucial for success. By mastering these complexities, you're not just minimizing risks, you're maximizing opportunities for fair compensation and financial stability. Tune in to learn how navigating healthcare regulations and reimbursement can empower your success.
Contributors:
David V. Pomeranz, president and CEO at RiverSpring Health
James M. Berklan, McKnight’s Executive Editor
Social:
https://twitter.com/RiverSpringNYC
https://www.linkedin.com/company/riverspringnyc/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurawilker/
@mcknightsltcn on Twitter and Instagram
McKnight's Long-Term Care News on LinkedIn
One critical piece of missing information about falls is the role of the physical and occupational therapist in helping to prevent falls, Patel said. There is no mention of “falls” in the therapists’ titles so healthcare regulators and legislators don’t realize that such therapists are falls specialists. With the appropriate clinical intervention — such as helping someone gain strength, receive a more appropriate-sized cane or modify their home for safety — older adults can reduce their risk of falling and be able to age comfortably in place. Major home falls risk factors are lack of lower extremity strength, a hazardous home environment, poor vision and a previous fall, King and Patel explained. When someone leaves the hospital or a rehab facility and returns home, it is important to strike the right balance between returning to function and receiving the appropriate assistance, perhaps from a PT, King said. Home health and personal care agencies are in a great position to help stop falls among older adults because they can see the person’s living situation firsthand and make appropriate changes. Just understanding a patient’s nutritional needs may make a difference in stopping a fall, King noted.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow APTQI on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @AlliancePTQI
Facebook: Alliance for Physical Therapy Quality and Innovation
LinkedIn: Alliance for Physical Therapy Quality and Innovation
Follow FOX Rehab on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @FOXRehab
Facebook: FOX Rehabilitation
LinkedIn: FOX Rehabilitation
Instagram: foxrehab
One in four skilled nursing beds is offline in Pennsylvania, with providers tying reduced access directly to a lack of frontline staff and Medicaid payment shortfalls.But that’s no one-state issue, says Garry Pezzano, President and CEO of LeadingAge PA.“These are beds that are already licensed and the providers are self-limiting. [Providers are] telling us that they're not able to really work at full capacity or serve as many patients as they would otherwise be able to because of inadequate nursing aid staff,” Pezzano says, sharing results from his organization’s latest survey on access to care. “There is a workforce crisis, there's a funding crisis and what it's leading us to, ultimately, is an access-to-care crisis.” Two-thirds of the not-for-profit skilled nursing providers represented by LeadingAge PA responded to the survey. Nearly half (48%) are saying no to at least some hospital referrals, sending ripples through the state’s healthcare matrix.State lines don’t limit such concerns, Pezzano tells McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas.“What we see going on in Pennsylvania is really a reflection of what's going on nationally,” Pezzano says, “The growth of the over-65 population is outpacing the workforce population. There lies the workforce issue: the funding and the fact that care is more expensive and that reimbursement has not kept up with that.”Listen to see what providers say they need from their state, and what they plan to do with any Medicaid increases they see as the state’s latest staffing requirement increases kick in this summer.
BrightStar Care is a leader in the rapidly expanding home care industry, renowned for its ability to successfully stand up complex in-home care delivery models, exceptional B2B partner solutions and nurse-led care model. With a holistic approach that spans medical staffing, private duty home care, hospital at home, commercial insurance plans and more – BrightStar Care not only fills a critical gap in the healthcare sector but its flexible solution based approach has led the network to offer innovative, high-value solutions tailored to meet each partner’s needs. As the industry evolves, BrightStar Care continues to be at the forefront, delivering a higher standard of care in the industry and positioning itself as the premier partner for future healthcare collaborations.
Long-term care reimbursement matters have never been more sophisticated and the same can be said of Zimmet Healthcare Services Group — for all the right reasons. The boutique “consul-tech” firm hosts a one-of-a-kind conference every year that tackles a holistic approach to rationalizing the data that will bring providers greater gains. In fact, it’s a data-crunching approach that CEO Marc Zimmet and his team of nearly 200 integrated subject matter experts pursue year-round.As Zimmet himself notes, it’s a system that takes a multifaceted approach to “move the industry” and help providers, whether they’re part of a healthy slice of the skilled nursing sector or stuck in a distressed geographic pocket where extra assistance is needed, no matter how strong the virtues of an operator are.
Care of residents has traditionally functioned within two different systems: Nursing and Therapy. Join us to learn how technology and access to better data can be used to speed up the alignment between the differing systems, allowing for improved coordination of care for residents. We will show you that using integrated therapy solutions allows you greater visibility when comparing nursing and therapy assessments and discrepancies leading to better patient outcomes.
Social
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-mccracken-62ba78a/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-investment-center/
https://twitter.com/Natl_Inv_Ctr
@mcknightsltcn
After much wrangling, RiverSpring Health is bringing New York City its first, and possibly last, continuing care retirement community. The man set to lead it, RiverSpring President and CEO Daniel Reingold, sees a great future for the baby boomer-focused addition to the vast array of other RiverSpring offerings. Meanwhile, he wants nothing but subtraction and destruction for the way the typical nursing home does business. “Blow it up,” he says in this McKnight’s Newsmaker podcast moderated by McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
Social:
https://twitter.com/RiverSpringNYC
https://www.linkedin.com/company/riverspringnyc/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurawilker/
@mcknightsltcn
Experts from NORC at the University of Chicago discuss with McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois A. Bowers the increasing financial disparities among members of the “Forgotten Middle” — middle-income older adults whose resource status puts them at risk of not being able to afford senior housing and care as they age — and what they mean for senior living providers. New research finds that a growing number of Black and Hispanic middle-income older adults may not be able to afford housing and healthcare in the next decade, and middle-income older adults who live in rural areas face challenges as well.
Right at Home, which has 700 locations across the United States and five other countries, recognizes that the need for personal care services is only growing and it needs more caregivers — specifically 26,000 nonmedical ones this year domestically — to meet that demand. To help find enough and capable caregivers amid a workforce shortage and to compete with other agencies also seeking to grow, the company needs to win at the local level, according to Margaret Haynes, CEO of Right at Home. Renee Pfister, a Right at Home franchisee in the South Carolina Upstate who employs about 130 caregivers, has set a goal of hiring eight to 10 new caregivers every week. To find these new employees, her franchise is reaching out to new potential applicants: those who did not finish the application process, caregivers who may have left due to childcare and other issues, people interested in going to nursing or medical school, and also family caregivers who have hearts for caring for older adults. A robust training program and also ties to a local college for CNA certification help to entice interested applicants. Since Haynes became CEO in 2022, she has been most surprised about the resilience of the network and the brand and her franchise owners.
Follow us on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Right at Home on social media:
X (formerly Twitter): @rightathomeUS
Facebook: Right at Home
LinkedIn: Right at Home
In this episode of the Reimagining Senior Living and Long-Term Care podcast, a pair of special guests join Bharat and Jim to discuss the transformative power of strategic collaborations. Among other things, they explore how interoperable tech systems and outsourced financial services drive substantial cost and time savings. Listeners discover not only the financial benefits but also how these initiatives address pressing staffing challenges in long-term care. The experts shed light on the crucial role a well-integrated tech stack plays in facilitating efficient data flow, boosting workforce productivity and enabling staff to refocus on resident-centric roles.
The government’s thinking toward value-based care has evolved in recent years thanks to innovative partnerships between healthcare stakeholders and payers, Katy Lanz said. Thanks to healthcare entities successfully assuming risk for seriously ill populations, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) has taken the stance that it wants to continue to drive value-based partnerships, said Lanz, former chief clinical officer of Aspire Health. CMMI models such as the Value-Based Insurance Design (VBID) Model and Accountable Care Organization Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (ACO REACH) Model are examples of this. The models, which involve providers assuming risk, have proven to save money and avoid unwanted, unnecessary hospitalizations and care. Traditional home care firms would be wise to initiate “strategic refreshes” and find opportunities to partner with at-risk providers. Lanz, who advises healthcare organizations on growth and innovation, talked about one of her large-scale clients, Dollar General. The retailer is interested in value-based care because it is concerned about its female shoppers not being able to afford or access healthcare. Also, during the podcast, Lanz clarified that when she talked recently about providers having to “show me the money,” she was talking about sharing in upside and downside risk, not receiving money for referrals.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow TopSight Partners on social media:
LinkedIn: Katy Lanz
The rule issued last month from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reduces wait times to within one week for many standard Medicare Advantage prior authorization decisions. It does not go far enough, said Nicole Fallon, VP of managed care public policy or LeadingAge, noting that prior authorization decisions should only take a couple of hours. She and her colleague, Mollie Gurian, VP of home-based public policy for LeadingAge, pointed out that they also are pushing for MA prior authorizations to cover patients across their post-acute care journeys, including 30-day home health episodes. They also are striving for payment adequacy, as many MA plans pay only 60% or 80% of Medicare fee-for-service rates. Among other changes, they are hoping for the shedding of the statutory noninterference clause that prohibits CMS from telling plans how to pay. Despite the challenges ahead in reforming MA, Fallon and Gurian believe MA has introduced positive healthcare reforms, such as supplemental benefits, and CMS and lawmakers are asking the right questions to continue to improve the private Medicare benefit.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow LeadingAge on social media:
Twitter: @LeadingAge
Facebook: LeadingAge
LinkedIn: LeadingAge
The nursing shortage is preventing home care from meeting client demand, Sun acknowledged. But advances in immigration, outreach in nursing schools and CNA career pathing are three ways to solve the nursing shortage, she said. Besides home care, the company, which has more than 365 franchised and company-owned locations nationwide, has branched into senior living and care homes. The latter is a residential community initiative that involves homes of 10 to 12 residents in the Boise, ID, area. Franchises have signed up in other states, and Sun is hoping there will be 30 to 35 communities across the country in the next couple of years. Besides diversifying her business, Sun is looking for new payer sources and continues to be an advocate of Medicare Advantage. She is eyeing hospital-at-home as one of the company’s next big growth opportunities. Ensuring clinical quality comes before offering consumer experience tools, she said.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow BrightStar Care on social media:
Facebook: BrightStar Care
LinkedIn: BrightStar Care
We are joined by Kunaal Goel, Vice President Analytics & Insights at Sentrics, as we explore the transformative power of data in senior living. Together, we unravel the intricacies of leveraging data to not only improve resident well-being but also streamline operational efficiencies within senior living communities. By the conclusion of our conversation, listeners will gain a comprehensive understanding of how data can be a catalyst for positive change in senior living, empowering them with the knowledge to foster better outcomes for residents and elevate operational excellence.
The Medicare payment reduction in the home health final rule is making it difficult for providers to operate, David Grams, CEO of Compassus, told McKnight’s Home Care in a podcast. To make up for some of the financial pressures, providers have to exercise “a better stewardship of resources,” he said. This entails being mindful of staffing numbers as well as the allocation of capacity to help patients access home care from the hospital, said Grams who was in Washington, DC, as recently as this week advocating on behalf of providers.
Notes: While reimbursement poses a problem in home health, it also is challenging in hospice, particularly in rural areas. Grams supports efforts to make sure it is a “level playing field.” He also is in favor of increased hospice oversight to root out bad actors. Compassus, which offers home health, hospice, palliative care and infusion services across 29 states with 250 points of care, should see double-digit growth in all of its lines of business for the foreseeable future, Grams said. It is working to innovate across its service lines to bring technology into the home. Among its solutions are a tool that is “over 90% accurate” in trying to identify when people are reaching the end of life. It also recently introduced a patient engagement and family engagement application in a limited number of markets and is looking to expand it nationwide. Grams expects rapid growth in its SNF-at-home service line, which it introduced in 2023.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Compassus on social media:
Twitter: @compassus
Facebook: Compassus
LinkedIn: Compassus
Does every nursing home need a value-based care strategy today? The answer, says Brian Fuller, ATI Advisory’s new managing director of value-based care design and delivery, is “unequivocally yes.”The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services continues to promote a shift to have all Medicare beneficiaries engaged in some type of value-based care by 2030, with the goal to be at 60% by the end of 2024.That’s bringing added pressure to skilled nursing providers, many of whom may still be confused about exactly what value-based care is, how they can participate, and how they might benefit under newer, more nuanced programs. The time to prepare is now, says Fuller.“The work is incredibly complex and difficult, and it simply doesn't happen overnight,” Fuller tells McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimbelry Marselas in this episode.. “And so any strategy is a multi-year process. The longer an organization takes to make sure that they have a clear and actionable strategy, the more they risk that they fall further behind in their marketplace and being able to optimize their opportunities.”Listen in to learn about data tools and partnerships that can help any provider excel under a variety of models ranging from Institutional-Special Needs Plans to the year-old ACO Reach.
The national Center for Excellence in Assisted Living in 2003 began to advance the well-being of those who live and work in assisted living through research, practice and policy. CEAL@UNC ushered in a new era for the organization, expanding its capacity to do that work. Sheryl Zimmerman, MSW, PhD, executive director of the newly established CEAL@UNC, discusses how the organization is working to develop evidence, bolster the workforce and promote evidence-based practices and policies in assisted living.
As one of the fastest-growing home care franchisors in the nation, SYNERGY HomeCare has to be nimble to support the needs of both clients and franchisees. The company is constantly updating its product strategy and pioneering new ways to deliver compassionate care to put its most important people forward, according to Chief Executive Officer Charlie Young. And though challenges like a new joint-employer standard and possible 80/20 Medicaid payment rule loom on the horizon, a person-focused approach helps the franchisor operate at the top of its game, Young told McKnight’s Home Care in a Newsmakers podcast.
Join us as we explore the transformative influence of technology on the evolution of value-based care. Leaders from MatrixCare, a key technology solution, and Mark Parkinson, President of AHCA, join us to discuss the challenges faced by post-acute providers in the ever-changing world of value-based care. Together, we’ll uncover the role of technology in overcoming these challenges and shaping the future of healthcare. Join this insightful conversation that brings together technological expertise and strategic leadership, exploring the intersection of technology and the ongoing evolution of value-based care.
Join us for an engaging conversation with a seasoned long-term care operator who has taken bold steps in business diversification. Whether developing new levels of service or expanding clinical care offerings, discover how they’re changing their models of care and longstanding personnel structure to boost their reputation and bottom line.
Maintaining a strong workforce, managing referral sources and cultivating the best clients are challenges that all providers face. Carl Bossung, co-founder and CEO of Indiana-based personal care provider Senior1Care, has created some unique solutions for these areas. For his family-run business, Bossung and his son have built a home care community employing more than 500 trained and dedicated workers serving clients at four locations across the state. To Bossung, success depends on having the right people, he told McKnight’s Home Care in a Newsmakers podcast.
How is research helping to define the future of senior living? Lisa McCracken, the new head of research and analytics for the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care, recently spent a few minutes with McKnight’s Senior Living Content Editor Kimberly Bonvissuto to answer that question, as well as to discuss how the field has changed and what excites her moving into 2024.
Hiring continues to be a massive challenge in the healthcare space, so facilities need to offer what job seekers are looking for in order to stand out and attract the best. And for many job seekers, one of the biggest offerings they’re seeking from employers is long-term growth and stability.However, it might not be as simple for a healthcare organization to provide clear paths to growth for workers as it is in a corporate setting. Hireology’s Adam Robinson is here to give you some tips and tricks for providing real career growth opportunities in order to recruit and retain better talent long-term.
As senior living organizations continue to face a challenging labor and economic climate, their boards can be sources of solutions. Jane Mack, president and CEO of Friends Services Alliance in Blue Bell, PA, shares how providers can strengthen their boards, recruit candidates who align with their missions, educate board members and help them deliver clear messages to important audiences.
The good news for nursing home operators is that while salary raises may remain higher than normal in the near future, their rate of increase is dropping. However, now federal regulators are complicating things with new overtime rules.
More pay transparency laws also are popping up around the country — but that can actually be a good thing for the right providers, explains Matt Leach, a senior consultant with Total Compensation Solutions, in this installment of the McKnight’s Newmakers Podcast series.
While there are going to be more regulatory demands of providers, “the future doesn’t have to be scary,” Leach tells McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
Rinaldo expressed enthusiasm for the growth of nonmedical supplemental benefits under Medicare Advantage. Despite the limited hours under the in-home support services benefit, CareLinx provides a lot of value to the patient, identifying unmet social needs, for example, and helping patients arrive at wellness appointments. While fewer MA plans are offering in-home support services in 2024 — 867 versus 1,308 in 2023, according to research and advisory firm ATI Advisory — CareLinx is well-positioned to offer value with its services. In 2024, the company is looking to offering chronic care management services.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow CareLinx by Sharecare on social media:
Twitter: @CareLinx
Facebook: CareLinx by Sharecare
LinkedIn: CareLinx by Sharecare
As some would-be administrators-in-training struggle to find placements, organizations looking to grow the next generation of long-term care leaders say it’s time for a reset.“We need to look at it more from the standpoint of investment instead of viewing the whole process as an expense,” says Bob Lane, president of the American College of Health Care Administrators, and the guest on this Newsmakers podcast. “That's what it truly is: investing time and dollars into bolstering a field that is so important for the care of our elders now and going forward.”Lane talked with McKnight’s Long-Term Care News about efforts to raise the stature of AITs, or residency programs, and some of the obstacles facing both providers and trainees.Listen in to this episode hosted by Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas to understand why he’s joining the Vision Centre and others to encourage more nursing homes to offer up preceptors and nurture new talent — even if those workers might eventually work outside that facility.
NourishedRx, a digital health and nutrition platform, and The Helper Bees, a platform that offers a one-stop shop for services in the home, recently celebrated the delivery of 30,000 meals to older adults at home. It’s a milestone Lauren Driscoll, CEO of NourishedRx, and Andy Friedell, COO of The Helper Bees, are proud of given the nutrition needs of seniors. Driscoll believes the recognition of the role of food in healthcare is long overdue, and it’s frustrating that diet-related disease has spiraled out of control. Medicare Advantage plans continue to innovate their offerings, according to Friedell. What has trended over the last few years is plans moving away from a unit of service type of allocation toward a more member-directed program, he said. In 2024, Friedell and Driscoll hope to be able to collect more data on the performance of services and improve efficiency and personalization of offerings.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow NourishedRx on social media:
LinkedIn: NourishedRx
Follow The Helper Bees on social media:
Twitter: @thehelperbees
Facebook: The Helper Bees
LinkedIn: The Helper Bees
Recorded at the American Health Care Association's annual conference in Denver, “Delivering Solutions 2023,” Julieann Esper Rainville, CEO of Viventium, dives into the importance of flexible payroll and HR tech built for skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. Viventium’s mission is to enrich the lives of caregivers through technology so they love going to work every day – and it is no secret that the biggest challenge today is a caregiver shortage that continues to place demands on great hiring and even better employee retention.
Parenteral Nutrition (PN) therapy can be safely administered in the long-term care setting with the appropriate preparations. These include nursing education on administration and care of patients receiving PN, updated policies/procedures, skills checklists, and having additional PN resources available.
Episode 15 of the Spoonful of Sugar podcast, recorded live at the AHCA/NCAL Conference earlier this month, features AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson, along with John O’Connor from McKnight’s Long Term Care News, and TJ Griffin, Chief Clinical Officer at PharMerica. Hear them discuss the current landscape and challenges facing the long-term care sector, the shift toward patient-centered care, and how technology can enhance care and residents’ well-being.
Vicki Hoak, who began as the head of the Home Care Association of America on the eve of the COVID-19 pandemic, is proud of the work the association did to communicate with members. She is also pleased that the pandemic helped to shine a light on the value that home care workers provide. At the upcoming national conference, Hoak, who has been an advocate for home care for 25-plus years, is looking forward to thanking members for their hard work. Looking ahead, she sees enormous potential with Medicare Advantage and its coverage of home care as a supplemental benefit. She’d also like to see more members join HCAOA to raise the voice of home care workers in Washington, DC. Following the conference, her first order of business is to take a long walk in the woods of Pennsylvania and reflect on her home care advocacy work and the friendships she has made.
The complexities of the pandemic highlighted a need for creativity and innovation in skilled nursing human resources departments. At Loretto, a vast provider of senior care services in central New York, they’ve tapped into that vein by adding to traditional HR department roles.
By creating a Learning, Development and Employee Experience office within the HR department, Loretto has been able to better keep its finger on the pulse of its 2,500-strong workforce. Loretto Chief People officer Nancy Williams, EdD, MSN, RN, explains the unique abilities of an evolved HR department. Employee coaches, a Leadership Academy, Supervisory Bootcamp and other investments in employees’ success are just the start, she says.
The veteran leader tells
McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan in this McKnight’s Newsmakers podcast all about the refinements and enhancements that have created a “partnership where everyone’s voice matters.”
Karen Welsh, vice president of clinical and reimbursement excellence at Functional Pathways, shares how senior living providers can ensure that residents are engaged, that activities programming is centered on wellness, and that ageism isn’t part of their offerings.
Some of the most effective workforce retention strategies aren’t necessarily “rocket science,” says Aimee Middleton, vice president of operations for Good Samaritan Society, the nation’s largest nonprofit nursing home provider.But they take an intentional approach and investment of time and resources to prove successful.Middleton was one of several providers who spoke with the National Investment Center’s Bill Kauffman on the “State of the Nursing Home Industry” during an educational session at the American Health Care Association’s 2023 Convention & Expo in Denver While the panel addressed such major topics as inflation, occupancy, reimbursement and managed care, Middleton remains hyper-focused on workforce and the way a lack of nursing staff threatens access in many of the rural communities that Good Sam serves.In this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas, Middleton highlights strategies, such as a new mentorship program, with which Good Sam has had recent success.The first 90 days are proving critical, from the frontlines to building leadership.“They have a really intentional effort on workforce,” she says. “And in both our rural and urban facilities, we’ve seen great success with it. And it’s not like the ideas are rocket science, but it’s just having that intentional effort on it and really walking alongside our leaders.”Hear how much the new Good Sam approach has improved retention and what other benefits are revealing themselves, as well as why Middleton says reimbursement will remain a critical concern as organizations like her keep the focus on staffing.
Pittsburgh-based Vincentian has been providing long-term care to its community for nearly 100 years, thanks to an order of Catholic nuns who set out to nourish the souls of 24 residents at the Holy Rosary Cottage.Today, the not-for-profit collaborative care system is still serving seniors across multiple settings, but leaders have found a new way to quite literally nourish those living outside its communities, too.The Unconventional Kitchen offers meals for one, meals for some and meals for a crowd. All revenues from the new catering service support Vincentian’s mission, one that has been increasingly challenged by revenue shortfalls over the last two years.“This is not a temporary condition,” says Patty Embree, chief operating officer and vice president of innovation at Vincentian. “This is our new normal. We have to be creative and innovative in our processes to think about how we can make sure that we get additional revenue in.”In this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas, Embree outlines how Vincentian converted a little-used commercial kitchen in a convent into a once-again thriving space — and how others might take a cue from the kitchen’s “Eat Well, Give Back” motto.Whether picking up a family meal at the organization’s child care center after a busy work day or ordering fine cuisine (and “sinfully delicious” baked goods) for a wedding, customers have been moved by the idea of supporting a local human services organization with their purchases.“It resonates with people,” says Embree.
A proposed federal staffing mandate has the potential to scare off investment that is badly needed in the skilled nursing sector, a seasoned investment banking and restructuring expert tells McKnight’s.In this episode, Matt Caine, managing director of SOLIC Capital Advisors, warns there is “no question” the rule and its launch during a broad-scale healthcare labor crisis would lead to more skepticism about the market.“Time and time again, the shortages with respect to staffing continue to be a recurring theme and key element of diligence inquiry with respect to would-be investors, partners and buyers,” Caine tells McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas. “That’s only going to escalate.”Listen in to learn more about Caine’s concerns and his thoughts on making it fair and workable.
Speakers:
Breanna Jameson
CEO
Lewiston Transitional Care
Kimberly Marselas
Senior Editor
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News
LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cascadia-healthcare/
The home health proposed rule contains several problematic features, Cunningham said. One is the permanent behavioral adjustment of -5.653%. Others are adjustments to the case mix and wage index, which would make the reductions even deeper. Lack of adequate reimbursement in recent years has hurt staffing at home care firms, Cunningham and Baiada said. This has resulted in the ability to accept requests for home care, which creates disruptions in the healthcare system at large. All firms — big and small, urban and rural — are feeling the effects of the staffing crisis, according to Cunningham.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare on social media:
Facebook: Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare
Twitter: @PQHH
Follow BAYADA Home Health Care on social media:
Twitter: @ BAYADAHHC
Facebook: BAYADA Home Health Care
LinkedIn: BAYADA Home Health Care
Instagram: bayadahhc
Speakers:
Rachel Zimmerman
CEO
Aspen Park of Cascadia
Jennifer Trout, LPN
Admissions Coordinator
Aspen Park of Cascadia
Socials:
LinkedIn:
Cascadia Healthcare: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cascadia-healthcare/
The number of older adults and people with disabilities losing Medicaid is growing by the week, said Terzaghi, who is calculating national disenrollment figures for these groups. The latest figures? Twenty-three states have disenrolled over 6% of older adults and people with disabilities since April. The main reason for the disenrollments, Terzaghi speculates, is procedural reasons such as incorrect paperwork or documentation. Older adults and people with disabilities have more complex eligibility criteria compared to other Medicaid groups. Besides the unwinding, another serious Medicaid concern is the 80/20 provision in the proposed Medicaid Access Rule. The provision, if it becomes a reality, would force home- and community-based services providers to use 80% of Medicaid payments on wages, which is not tenable for most. A final rule is expected at the end of 2023 or beginning of 2024.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow NAHC on social media:
Twitter: @OfficialNAHC
Facebook: National Association for Home Care & Hospice
LinkedIn: National Association for Home Care & Hospice
CEO of MissionCare Collective, Brandi Kurtyka, and SVP at BrightStar Care, Leslie Waddell, discussed the prevalent and timely topic of home care turnover. The two experts shared their insights on the causes of high turnover in the home care industry, as well as some strategies for reducing it.
Lisa Hardy, president and CEO of Emerald Communities, shares her thoughts on tacking workforce challenges at all levels of an organization—from recruiting and retention and pipeline development to succession planning—as well as leadership, the future of senior living, and having an all-women leadership team for the first time in Emerald's history.
Recent spikes in flu, COVID-19 and RSV cases have raised concerns of a “tripledemic” hitting this winter, a wave that could be especially harmful in skilled nursing facilities.
Regional Nurse Consultant, Leslie Zimmerman-Black explains how providers should address this concern and encourage vaccination — particularly in light of the recent end to vaccine mandates for facility staff.
“Continuing to educate and offer flexibility in administering … maybe it’s as simple as making those shots available on the weekends?” Zimmerman-Black muses.
She also weighs in on the recently FDA approved RSV vaccine and its possible importance this upcoming virus season. Zimmerman-Black answers the question that many of us have been asking, “Do I need to get yet another vaccine?”
Tune in to this special McKnight’s Newsmaker podcast moderated by Anjali Byju to learn new options and best practices as prospects grow for a potential major hit to nursing homes and other senior care communities.
There is a serious care crisis facing the severely mentally ill, Joe McDonough, CEO of Innovive Health explained. These patients may be hospitalized 12 to 15 times in a year, and when they return home, there is not a safety net in place to help them manage their complex medical issues. The nurses of Innovive Health, a home care company, provide these patients with treatment plans, help them manage their medications and serve as case managers to assist them in navigating the healthcare system. McDonough estimates his firm saves the state of Massachusetts six hospitalizations a year per patient, or roughly $200,000 per person.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Innovive Health on social media:
Twitter: @InnoviveHealth
Facebook: Innovive Health Care
LinkedIn: Innovive Health
Instagram: innovivehealthcare
Kate Bertram, the new president and CEO of Christian Horizons Living, discusses the company's growth plans, how to foster a healthy organizational culture, and the past, present and future of senior living.
Empathy. Critical thinking skills. People management techniques that reduce friction with fellow employees.
These are the kinds of soft skills that American Senior Communities is looking to strengthen with a broad new leadership development program. It goes beyond traditional career ladder and administrator-in-training programs to boost could-be leaders in a range of positions across the Indiana provider’s 100-plus facilities.
The long-term goal is to build cohorts of workers who can ask tough questions, think deeply about processes and procedures, improve retention and make clinical and operational gains organization-wide.
“Any kind of training and learning is gonna strengthen everybody around them,” says ASC Senior Adviser Donna Kelsey. “If we have leaders in the building that are strong and care for people that are independent and make good decisions, of course they have empathy and all those other wonderful things, then everybody's life becomes easier because they're gonna keep their staff.” Listen to this episode hosted by McKnight’s Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas to learn how Kelsey is designing the program to encourage new long-term care leaders and “lift all boats.” “We have that 20% of the buildings that are just killing it,” she says. “And then we have that challenged 20 due to location, physical plant, the type of residents … If we can strengthen those bottom 20, the whole company is gonna get better, as they say, with the rising tide.”
Innovators like Laguna are facing difficult healthcare conditions with labor shortages and economic slowdowns, to name a few. Still such headwinds could prove to be favorable in the home care space, Yoni Shtein, CEO and co-founder of Laguna said. He left a comfortable job in finance to start Laguna with co-founder Yael Adam after his mother-in-law died during a post-hospital discharge. He sees Laguna, which uses technology to improve outcomes for older adults going from the hospital to home, as the Waze of health transitions. The firm will help adopt the recovery route for patients as it assimilates all the challenges facing patients as they come home. The destination is the same: a return to health.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow Laguna on social media:
LinkedIn: Laguna Health
Show contributors:
McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger; Yoni Shtein, CEO and co-founder, Laguna
Speakers:
Lois Bowers
Editor
McKnight's Senior Living
Melissa Labor
Chief People Officer
12 Oaks Senior Living
While federal regulators are officially revoking a nationwide mandate for healthcare workers, including those in nursing homes, to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Aug. 1, employers can’t drop the ball now.
That’s the warning from Erin McLaughlin, an attorney and shareholder for Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, who specializes in healthcare labor and employment. Overall, McLaughlin sees the shift back to voluntary vaccinations as a plus for nursing homes struggling to hire.
But some providers may want to hang onto their own requirements, making the new era of staff vaccination ripe for legal challenges. Changing state rules will certainly complicate providers’ efforts in some places.
“If you are in a state which would allow you to have a vaccine mandate for your workers, you're still going to have to comply with the requirements, under both the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title 7 as it relates to religious accommodations, which have just been expanded by the Supreme Court,” McLaughlin says in this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas. “You will have to continue to have really good processes and procedures in place to deal with potential accommodations,” she adds.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has also promised to maintain strong data tracking to understand trends in cases and protection for both residents and staff. McLaughlin offers tips on remaining vigilant as both an employer and a caregiving organization.
What’s top of mind when attorney Adam Guetzow thinks of the legal and regulatory issues swirling around nursing homes in 2023?
Dealing with the realities of perpetually understaffed regulatory agencies — and the potential impact on operations, finances and reputation that can come when surveyors have too many buildings to cover.
“We need to confront the issues that they're dealing with and make sure that we're protecting ourselves,” says Guetzow, co-practice group leader of Hinshaw & Culbertson’s healthcare practice and an expanding aging services group.
In this episode, Guetzow offers specific tips for operators — such as reconsidering your stance on appealing denials of payment for new admission — that might help you weather the storm affecting survey agencies nationwide.
It’s part of a wide-ranging legal conversation moderated by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas.
In long-term care, few infections are potentially more dangerous than tuberculosis. Failing to detect a TB case among residents could prove deadly — but many long-term care providers are still under-testing or relying on outdated methods to check for TB.
In this podcast, infection preventionist/CEO IPCWell, Dr. Buffy Lloyd-Krejci discusses key strategies to reduce the risk of active TB in long-term care facilities. Instituting a comprehensive TB prevention program can get workers in the door faster and keep residents safer. You’ll learn about best practices for TB screening, CDC testing guidelines and the importance of TB prevention for both staff and residents.
For more information, visit qiagen.com/us
An Open Letter To Administrators: DONs and administrators work toward the same goal. But it often seems they are miles apart, especially when it comes to ensuring nurses receive the tools and support they need. In this engaging and lively discussion, nurses will speak out about ways to improve the dynamic.
pharmerica.com
nadona.org
The growing demand for PACE along with its proven effectiveness in keeping older adults healthy has created a surge of enthusiasm for the model, according to Matt Patterson, president of WelbeHealth, which operates seven PACE programs in California. The pandemic only highlighted the program’s ability to keep people safe and help them thrive in their homes. One of WelbeHealth’s aims is to scale the model, which has high start-up costs. Patterson expects the number of PACE programs to double in the next five to 10 years. He also talks about the reasons for his passion for the program: being a Navy doctor and the son of a dual-eligible, frail senior.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow WelbeHealth on social media:
Twitter: @WelbeHealth
Facebook: WelbeHealth
LinkedIn: WelbeHealth
The COVID-19 pandemic “ravaged” the nursing home administrator role, a profession that was somewhat isolated already. But there are ways that these key administrators can rise above the fallout, assures American College of Health Care Administrators President and CEO Bob Lane in this McKnight’s Newsmakers podcast.
The veteran administrator identifies skills that future leaders need, and where to find them. He also discusses the mindset needed and identifies the two key traits that all successful administrators need to be good on the job in this podcast moderated by McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
Elara Caring CEO and Chairman Scott Powers talked about the firm’s innovative services, including behavioral health, palliative care and ElaraConnect, a personalized care platform. Also, with the rise of Medicare Advantage and value-based care, Powers believes that it’s important for home care providers to be in risk-bearing arrangements. He also pushed back on a report critical of private equity in home health. Elara Caring is under private equity ownership.
The report found that as of early 2023, private equity was behind 5.7%, or about 492, of 8,591 total home health providers. While seemingly small, the actual percentage likely is much higher, given private equity’s lack of transparency, according to Viera. Also, private equity’s presence in highly concentrated markets raises concerns about higher prices, lower quality and less innovation, Moss said. Antitrust regulators need to take notice to curb the spread of these firms in home health, Viera and Moss said.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Follow American Antitrust Institute on social media:
Twitter @AntitrustInst
Follow Americans for Financial Reform on social media:
Twitter: @RealBankReform
Facebook: Americans for Financial Reform
The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society is exiting the pandemic as a much different organization than what it was just five years ago, cutting its massive footprint back to seven states and, with its parent organization, Sanford Health, pursuing a merger with another major Midwestern health system.
The pandemic “forced us to reflect on who and where we serve,” CEO Nate Schema told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas at the AHCA/NCAL Congressional Briefing on June 6.
Schema is the association’s not-for-profit board member and spent his time in DC sharing insights with key Midwestern leaders on the possible implications of a coming federal staffing minimum. He and several other Good Sam leaders also stressed the need for common-sense legislation that can help create a workforce pipeline for skilled nursing facilities. His chief concern remains impact on rural access to care.
“It’s no secret: We’ve closed 13 buildings now over the last two years. It’s forced people to now have to make some really hard decisions, and I don’t want to ever have to be in that situation where I’m standing in front of family members and loved ones and say, ‘You going to have to drive another hour or two away,’ Schema says in this episode, recording live at the Briefing.
“I’m concerned that a minimum staffing mandate could create an even greater disproportionate impact on our rural seniors. It’s those seniors who are going to pay the price.”
Nancy Swanger, PhD, founding director of the Granger Cobb Institute for Senior Living at Washington State University, discusses efforts to attract more people to work in senior living, what the hospitality and senior living industries can learn from each other, and more.
This panel of experts in the fields of therapy, senior living and technology will discuss how technology-enabled rehab therapy creates significant value within senior living communities throughout the United States. The panel discussion will focus on the benefits of therapy within senior living communities, and the role technology plays in the delivery of an outstanding resident experience alongside exceptional clinical and financial outcomes. The panel aims to provide senior living executives with practical advice on how to improve their communities through technology-enabled rehab therapy and advanced analytics.
The updated guidance went into effect in October 2022 and focuses on employing strategies to prevent infusion catheter related infections and complications. Key elements of the new guidance include more detailed assessment of the vascular access device and the resident’s ability to report signs and symptoms of complications. Is your facility prepared?
Amy Kaszak has been talking with senior living operators about ISNPs since 2013. In our podcast today, we’ll talk about some of the most common things that the industry often gets wrong about ISNPs.Just a quick reminder for the audience—ISNPs or Institutional Special Needs Plans—are Medicare Advantage plans that limit enrollment eligibility to Medicare beneficiaries who live or are expected to live in a long term care institution for 90 days or longer. You have to be an ISNP owner if you want to share in savings.
Post-acute care clinicians are facing a wave of challenges that impact how they deliver care. Patients are arriving with increasingly complex needs, while an already overtaxed staff must adapt to regulatory changes and the demands of a new reimbursement model. Meeting these challenges requires a fundamental shift in the model of care delivery in the post-acute setting. SNFs and senior living communities are turning to advanced practice clinicians, who are engaged in hands-on, day-to-day patient care, while also adopting specialty clinical services, like on-call coverage to ensure the staff is supported and equipped to manage patient care throughout all shifts, including the highest-risk shift for readmissions, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. On this podcast, Jon Raffesberger, DNP, APRN, NP-C, Director of Clinical Specialty Services, Post-Acute Care for TeamHealth, will discuss these challenges, as well as how facilities are overcoming them with new care services, new specialty clinical approaches and an entirely new level of thinking for the growth of post-acute care.
Inbound Health, which formally began last October after serving as a platform in Allina Health, has successfully proven that hospital-at-home and skilled nursing-at-home provide hospitals profitability, CEO Dave Kerwar said. The company has achieved over 5,000 episodes across 350 disease states. To get health systems and insurance plans on board requires demonstrating three areas: clinical quality, cost savings and top-line growth. Still, the program faces headwinds. Addressing the role of the family caregiver will be critical to the program's success, he said.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
The 3.925% payment cut that went into effect in January has had a serious impact on home health providers and the healthcare system. In anticipation of the proposed home health rule, which is due out this summer, National Association for Home Care & Hospice President William Dombi and Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare CEO Joanne Cunningham asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to implement a one-time forecast error correction related to market basket shortfalls in 2021 and 2022.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
For years, says skilled nursing reimbursement expert Maureen McCarthy, managed care organizations have gotten away with denying appropriate care and denying or reducing payments to providers using less-than-ideal methods.
But a new federal rule governing Medicare Advantage payments aims to right past wrongs and ensure beneficiaries who need a skilled nursing stay can get it more easily. If it works, providers should also see a smoother path to the pay they’ve earned.
But it’s critical to understand what the new rule — going into effect June 5 — does and doesn’t do. Providers also must be on the lookout for payers who continue to try and skirt rules that are designed to equal the access afforded to all Medicare recipients and put in place more stringent requirements around preauthorization and diagnoses.
In this fast-paced but info-packed episode, McCarthy tells McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas how the playing field might be leveling out, at least a little.
Interim HealthCare President and CEO Jennifer Sheets told McKnight’s Home Care Daily Pulse the Biden administration’s recent executive order directing more resources into the home falls short at a time when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is cutting home health rates. In this Newsmakers podcast, Sheets talks about how she plans to advocate for the industry in her new role as board chair of the Research Institute for Home Care.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
At Viviant Healthcare of Murfreesboro, located in rural TN, 25% of residents are short stay. When they leave, Lisa Lugo, Director of Social Services, worries. Lacking transportation makes it hard for many to fill prescriptions. Some in need of pain medications can’t get an appointment with a pain clinic for days. Others return home and don’t follow up with their healthcare providers.
Without support, residents may experience health mishaps that land them back in the hospital. To avoid these complications, Lugo opted to take part in a pilot program for Continue Care, a suite of services from PharMerica designed to help keep patients healthy at home. It worked: the rehospitalization rate for Viviant during the pilot was 10%, a significant improvement over the average rate among SNFs of 23%-31%.
And residents weren’t the only ones who benefitted. By eliminating manual processes and calls or faxes to the pharmacy to get prescriptions filled, Continue Care saves a lot of staff time and frustration and frees caregivers up to spend more time with residents. Plus, with a three on/three off schedule, there’s no risk of orders falling through the cracks between shifts.
Hear firsthand from Lugo when she joins hosts John O’Connor and TJ Griffin along with PharMerica’s Bill Deane, whose team operationalized the program, to discuss her facility’s previous processes that prompted her to adopt Continue Care and the positive impacts it has had on outcomes and her team alike.
As the newest board member at Griswold Home Care, Lori Griswold is preparing to take the firm her late mother-in-law founded four decades ago to the next level. Griswold served as the firm’s executive vice president until 2009 and later served as executive director of the Jean Griswold Foundation. The gerontologist and policy analyst told McKnight’s Home Care Daily she hopes to grow the company’s franchise network and staff by selecting the best and the brightest.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Want to learn more about the latest CMS quality proposals? Check out this McKnight’s article with additional insights from Tribe-Scott and other nursing home clinical and quality experts.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
One in 5 full-time employees is serving as a family caregiver, Jennifer Olsen, DrPH, CEO of the Rosalynn Care Institute for Caregivers, said in the podcast. Because of this, home care agencies and other organizations need to have policies to support family caregivers, she said.She also talked about the 4Kinds Network devoted to engaging caregivers in advocacy and peer support.
Follow the Rosalyn Carter Institute for Caregivers on social media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rcicaregiving
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/rcicaregiving/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rcicaregiving/
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Older adults who choose to age in place could be at risk of becoming socially vulnerable or socially frail. That could increase their mortality risk, according to a 2008 study. Caregivers need to be on the lookout for social frailty and respond, advised Steven Norris, MD, medical director at Transitions Care, which specializes in end-of-life care, symptom management and primary care services. Norris spoke to McKnight's Home Care for a Newsmakers podcast.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Providers should not necessarily fear regulators’ ramped up scrutiny efforts on nursing home operators and private-equity investors in the long-term care space. The temperature in these pursuits is only going to continue to rise anyway. These are just a few of the key observations from someone who knows all sides of the federal legal landscape well, Jolie Apicella, a partner with Wiggin and Dana LLP, and a former assistant US States Attorney.
Even though a proposed new nursing home ownership disclosure rule could lead to more whistleblower lawsuits, Apicella says “shedding light will be better” for everyone. Greater accountability will “put everyone on the same page” and should lead to greater quality of care and better reputations all around, she reasons in this McKnight’s Newsmaker podcast moderated by McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
Apicella also offers providers advice on what to look for in an investor, when to walk away from a proposed deal, and whom to contact to be in close contact with to make sure they stay on the right side of the law.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
Managing a chronic condition in an older adult becomes significantly harder if that senior also suffers a behavioral health issue, according to Christine Vanlandingham, CEO of Michigan Region IV Agency on Aging. That’s why the agency’s new Integrated Care at Home program deploys behavioral health specialists into the homes of seniors, along with primary care providers and nutritionists. Vanlandingham spoke recently to McKnight's Home Care in a podcast about the subject.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Times are tight in long-term care, and every penny counts.
That’s why the Diakanos Group’s Todd Beesley went the distance last week. He recorded 62 miles in 48 hours to raise money for employees in the organization’s 15 skilled nursing, assisted living and group home facilities. That’s a little longer than a 100K, a popular distance among ultrarunners who push themselves through all kinds of weather and terrain to make the finish line.
Beesley, a seasoned distance runner, repeated a feat he accomplished in 2021, hoping to double the fundraising effort that accompanied his run. All the money raised benefits a FUN Committee for frontline staff, which provides monthly incentives and activities, food pantries and other necessities when a team member is in need.
Learn more about Beesley’s run and how he engaged with staff and residents across his two-day journey — and maybe attracted a few new job candidates — in this episode moderated by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
Lynne Katzmann, founder and CEO of Juniper Communities, shares how Juniper shifted its corporate mindset to a wellness focus and the returns on investment it has seen by doing so. She also suggests areas that senior living operators can focus on when making such a shift, including where to start.
Nursing homes and the skilled nursing arena could be in for choppy waters as far as investors are concerned. Yet there are markers that give the sector reason for optimism, especially for stakeholders who play their cards right, says NIC investment expert Bill Kauffman in this podcast moderated by McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
Home health and hospice ranked in the top 15 healthcare subsectors for private equity investment in 2022, according to the Private Equity Stakeholder Project. In this McKnight’s Home Care Newsmaker podcast, Mary Bugbee and Eileen O’Grady from the nonprofit watchdog group explain why labor issues and patient safety call for more government oversight of private equity investment in the sector.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
CMS plans to increase psychotropic drugs oversight – to include targeted audits. These stepped up efforts follow the latest updates to the State Operations Manual surveyors started using October 24, which include unnecessary psychotropic use, misdiagnosis related to antipsychotics, and gradual dose reductions of these medications. Nursing facilities are not yet required to have a psychotropic stewardship program. But adopting one can preempt regulatory action while promoting the appropriate use of these medications to improve outcomes, reduce adverse events, and drive a higher Five-Star rating.Listen as hosts TJ Griffin and John O’Connor discuss the importance of implementing a psychotropic stewardship program to prevent headaches, problems, and costs down the line – and get a leg up if CMS decides to mandate such an initiative.
Denial data has a story to tell, a story that can help revenue cycle leaders improve financial processes and facility cashflow. The key is unlocking it and entrepreneur Lori Zindl did. In this podcast, we explore how she built a tool to see her end-to-end revenue cycle in real-time, which improved overall operations, payer relationships and profit margins for her customers.
In healthcare, there can be a disconnect between patients, payers and providers in determining what amount of care is appropriate. The gap could widen under value-based care. In this McKnight's Home CareNewsmakers podcast, Elara Caring's Chief Medical Officer Kevin Henning, MD, explains how home health providers can better align those interests.\
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
On the heels of the release of the association's strategic plan and as its annual Public Policy Institute approaches, Argentum President and CEO James Balda discusses pressing issues facing senior living providers as well as possible solutions.
With the final expiration of all nurse-aide training waivers, the three-day stay waiver and other major supports looming due to the upcoming end of the public health emergency (PHE), nursing homes that don’t prepare properly to transition could be putting themselves at serious risk. But it doesn’t have to be that way, explains quality and policy expert Jodi Eyigor, who has solutions at the ready.
She shares what’s at stake, the keys to overcoming hurdles and why she thinks “something really beautiful” could be in store for providers in this podcast moderated by McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
Former Health and Human Services Secretary Alexander Azar told McKnight's Home Care Daily Pulse in a Newsmakers podcast that flexibilities in home health — from dialysis and telehealth to hospital-at-home — are modernizing medicine and must continue. Now a board member at value-based kidney care firm Interwell Health, Azar and Interwell Chief Medical Officer George Hart, MD, discussed the evolution of value-based care.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Vulnerability verified: New attacks on health IT demand LTC reinforcements
Phishing, ransom, the dark web. You’ve heard these terms for years, but with every passing day, the threats to long-term care providers become more real.
With spending being devoted to COVID resources and staffing needs, providers may be tempted to put technology upgrades and cybersecurity on the back burner. But that kind of thinking is likely to leave unguarded providers burned, says Dan L. Dodson, CEO of Fortified Health Security.
In this podcast, he lays out the evolving risks and why skilled nursing facilities may be an easy and tempting target for hackers.
“They want to get into your healthcare organization so they can extract medical records and data so that they can exploit that data in multiple ways,” says Dodson, who also shares insights from his firm’s 2023 Fortified Horizon Report. “Healthcare data is extremely valuable because you can monetize it in so many ways.”
Join host Kimberly Marselas, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News senior editor, to learn more about common entry points for cyber attackers and real, low-cost interventions skilled nursing providers can use to identify and address weaknesses starting today.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
Time was, not too long ago, that some skilled nursing facilities refused to contract with Medicare Advantage plans, knowing their rates typically came in far below those for traditional Medicare patients.
That time is over, says Susie Mix, a consultant who has spent more than two decades helping providers navigate the ever-changing world of managed care contracts.
“There isn’t a viable way to be successful running a skilled nursing facility without working with the managed care plans in your area,” Mix tells McKnight’s Long-Term Care News in this episode hosted by Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas.
Even though nursing homes continue to accept more medically complex patients — a factor that, logically, should move payment upward — a recent report shows average Medicare Advantage payments per patient day actually continue to fall. And Medicare Advantage plans now cover close to half of all Medicare beneficiaries.
But that doesn’t mean providers are helpless. Mix offers insights on the latest operational and financial challenges and expected regulatory changes, while also providing actionable tips on negotiating more favorable Medicare Advantage contracts.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
Scan Group CEO Sachin Jain has tough words for healthcare providers when it comes to advancing health equity: "Put your money where your mouths are!" In this McKnight's Home Care Newmakers podcast, Jain describes the challenges and opportunities in advancing health equity.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
A lot of preconceptions and thought processes are going out the window at Guardian Healthcare, which boasts 35 skilled nursing facilities and more than 3,800 residents in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. That’s to make way for better collaboration and more localized decision-making.
Guardian President and CEO Michael Herald explains how other providers can follow suit if they’re looking to deliver better care and increase their capabilities. Herald outlines his company’s growing support system and its unique vision for success in this podcast moderated by McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
For HarmonyCares, home health is the linchpin in comprehensive in-home care. The Troy, MI-based firm provides comprehensive in-home medical care to older adults and the chronically ill in 36 locations across a dozen states. In this McKnight’s Home Care Newsmakers podcast, Chief Strategy Officer James Lydiard talks about what the company is looking for in home health partners.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Bob Kramer, founder of aging services think tank Nexus Insights; co-founder, former president and CEO and current senior adviser to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care; and recipient of the 2023 Career Achievement Award as part of the inaugural McKnight's Pinnacle Awards, discusses the past, present and future of senior living, including how operators will need to change to remain viable, what they can learn from the recent Southwest Airlines debacle, and the most important piece of advice he has for providers.
In our podcast today, we want to talk about an issue that has risen to the "crisis" level in healthcare. Staffing shortages are being felt across the healthcare sectors – in acute care, ambulatory, and long-term care. We will dig into quantifying the extent of this 'crisis,' discuss strategies that healthcare organizations are employing to deal with the situation, and discuss the impacts on quality measures and star rating calculations for skilled nursing facilities.
Visit Inovalon here.
After two blockbuster years, the number of home care and hospice deals declined more than 40%, according to M&A advisory firm Mertz Taggart. But despite that, there is still an appetite from private equity and corporations to acquire agencies. In this Newsmakers podcast, Mertz Taggart Managing Partner Cory Mertz talks about what will drive deals in 2023.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
David Schless, president and CEO of the American Seniors Housing Association, talks about the biggest challenges facing senior living and how the field will be changed permanently by the pandemic. He also discusses the Senior Living Hall of Fame and its 2023 inductees.
In this podcast, Jennifer Schiller, executive director of the Research Institute for Home Care, talks about her organization’s new name, how it funds a grant specifically dedicated for home care research. She also discussed some of the big issues in home care, which include staffing; polypharmacy; multiple payment models; telemedicine; diversity, equity and inclusion; and family caregiving.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Katie Smith Sloan, president and CEO of LeadingAge, discusses the biggest challenges facing senior living and how the field will be changed permanently by the pandemic.
Nearly three years since it was triggered, it’s “still too early to tell” how well the federal Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act will protect nursing homes and other healthcare providers from COVID-related lawsuits.
That’s the take from attorneys Drew Graham and Tara Clayton, who on this episode outline ongoing challenges at multiple levels and the fallout from the Supreme Court’s late-fall decision not to intervene in a key PREP Act case at this point.
“It has left open the question and left this difference between the circuits, and sometimes within the circuits, as to when and how the PREP Act should apply,” Clayton says.
She and Graham also explore the potential impact on COVID lawsuits as the end of the Public Health Emergency nears. Join
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News
Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas for a quick and informative update on what all the action means for provider liability.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
Long-term care payment expert Amy Kaszak of AllyAlign Health knows the best way operators can better control the flow of incoming reimbursements and she shares details in this podcast moderated by McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
Our topic for the podcast is focused on operational excellence, what exactly that means when looking at your pharmacy, and how it can benefit facilities overall. We want to emphasize the value you can get from a pharmacy that prioritizes operational excellence.
Burnout among healthcare providers has escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating the caregiver shortage. But there are a number of ways home care providers can identify who is at risk of burnout and address the problem. This is according to Sheria Robinson-Lane, assistant professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, in a McKnight's Home Care Newsmakers podcast.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
In December 2021, tornado sirens sounded throughout Arkansas and Kentucky, and a deadly EF3 twister ripped through the Monette Manor nursing home. Inside, 67 residents huddled together under the protection of staff who shielded them with little more than mattresses, blankets and their own bodies.
When the storm receded, just one resident had died, a miracle likely made possible by solid emergency planning and preparation. But the facility, a community landmark, was destroyed. In this episode, Monette Manor Co-owner Rick Sampson talks about recovery in the tornado’s immediate aftermath and lessons learned in the 12 months since that harrowing night.
Sampson tells
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News
Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas how he and his team decided to rebuild the facility and about their hopes to reunite staff and, possibly, some residents when the new home opens in 2023.
Vaccines are marvelous tools for public health but only when they can be injected into people’s arms. Misinformation and culturally based fear are challenges for healthcare providers, as is a lack of resources. Listen as Community Catalyst’s Director for the Vaccine Equity and Access Program Sheree Keitt explains how her organization helps advocates like LeadingAge reach challenged communities and providers to boost vaccine uptake. Join us for this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Staff Writer Joe Bush.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
The holidays bring cheer, but they can also bring depression and anxiety for older adults. Behavioral health has been deteriorating during the COVID-19 pandemic and the holidays could worsen it. In this McKnight's Home Care Daily Pulse Newsmakers podcast, C&V Senior Care Specialists President Katherine Vanderhorst offers advice on how home health agencies can address the issue.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
What are the possibilities and opportunities for the future of long-term care? Phil Fogg, President/CEO of Marquis Companies and Consonus Healthcare and Board Chairman of AHCA/NCAL knows the issues that are being faced and sheds a light on how they can be solved. Now is the time to build back and improve our industry and the care we provide.
As a provider of nursing home care and other services to more than 9,000 seniors and people with disabilities in New York City, ArchCare had to think out of the box when COVID first hit.
The healthcare system, operated by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, launched an ambitious and comprehensive infection control program called PROTECT. Now that the third year of living with COVID has been pressurized by rising cases of flu and RSV, the organization is leaning even more heavily on the principles it adopted during the pandemic.
Investing in prevention and control measures and making staff feel empowered will remain key efforts for ArchCare, and they should too for other providers, warns Walid Michelen, MD, senior vice president of Clinical Planning and Innovation and Chief Medical Officer at ArchCare. He predicts new viruses will become a regular occurance with increased globalization.
In this useful episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas, learn what more your organization can do to stay ahead of the latest threats and those yet to come.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
Staffing shortages and high turnover rates are constant challenges across the sector. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has only made things worse. Nursing facilities have lost nearly a quarter million employees during the current pandemic.
Given the direct correlation between staffing levels and adverse outcomes -- including increased mortality, hospitalizations, and ED visits -- how can facilities improve the safety and quality of care when workers can’t be had?
Back by popular demand, we’ll discuss ways nursing homes can maximize staff efficiency by putting first things first. Among the issues our provider panel will address:
- Streamlining workflows and optimizing processes
- Systematic and consistent use of operating protocols
- Training and development to boost capabilities and versatility
- Support that can ease staff burdens like feedback, variety, and growth, because when employees are satisfied, work is completed faster and with better results
You will walk away with proven methods to enhance operational efficiencies while improving outcomes.
Solving the nursing home sector’s ongoing staffing crisis can’t be just about filling open positions, says Sally Cantwell, the top recruiter at PACS, a management and consultant group supporting more than 150 nursing homes nationwide.
Looking outside the box for candidates to meet local needs is only step one. Today’s recruitment and retention efforts also must be focused on identifying and building individuals’ interest in skilled nursing care, giving workers strong reasons to stay and equipping those who want to move up with the realistic ability to pursue those goals.
Listen to this engaging conversation moderated by McKnight’s Long-Term care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas to learn more about how PACS is innovating typical nursing home hiring strategies - starting with hiring Cantwell. The former nursing school dean and acute care nurse is bringing an entirely different lens and creating a new kind of recruitment and retention tool box for PACS partners.
In this podcast, Marianne Longo, chief clinical officer of Help at Home, talks about how the company’s new Care Coordination segment uses data collection and care coordination to gain a full picture of clients’ physical, behavioral and social needs. She talks about developments — growth among dual eligibles and consumers’ desire to age in place — that have given rise to a program like this and why value-based payers are embracing it.
Minimum Data Set (MDS) expert Leah Klusch says now is the time for providers to shore up processes to best deal with big MDS changes that will hit in 2023. She shares ways to avoid losing as much as $60 per patient day in this podcast moderated by McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
In this podcast, Andy Edeburn, consultant with Elder Dynamics, and Lindsey Sand, vice president of population for Knute Nelson, talk about the significance of population health in healthcare today and how home care, which represents the lowest cost site of care, can help drive discussions on the topic. Knute Nelson’s new population health initiative in rural Minnesota called Connected Communities serves as a positive example of a value-based care arrangement.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
If Indeed is the place you’re going to recruit home care and hospice staff, you’re probably missing out on top talent. That’s the word from Transcend Strategy Group CEO Stephanie Johnston. In this McKnight’s Home Care Newsmakers Podcast, Johnston offers up some unusual ways to find caregivers and keep them.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
The healthcare system appears to be failing those who are living with dementia, and the costs of this failure is significant. There is a lack of specialized knowledge and skills among caregivers and professional level staff, in spite of the fact that the aging population has such a significant number who are living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias. Creating a dementia capable workforce has been a goal of many for years, because it has the potential to make an extraordinary positive impact. In this podcast we will explore the essential knowledge and skills of a dementia capable workforce and the many ways this workforce can have a positive impact, including reducing distress behaviors without drugs, optimizing function, quality of life, and health, and supporting loved ones.
The home health field is poised for the release of the final home health rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Meanwhile, hospice providers are waiting on updated survey guidance, which will overhaul the public reporting process and create a special focus facilities program. National Association for Home Care & Hospice's (NAHC's) Calvin McDaniel, director of government affairs, and Davis Baird, director of government affairs, hospice, recently broke down the significance of these items for McKnight's Home Care in a Newsmakers podcast.
Follow NAHC:
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Ben Unkle, CEO of Westminster-Canterbury on Chesapeake Bay, discusses early advantage programs to expand the reach of a life plan community and also engagement and how it can help alleviate social isolation and loneliness in residents.
In today’s labor market, it’s easy to see why skilled nursing providers are tempted to throw money at any potential employee and especially those applying for hard-to-fill positions.
But when it comes to key roles, those recruits are getting smarter about asking for the intangibles that really matter when it comes to hiring and retention, says Julie Osborne, a seasoned hiring expert and director of recruitment for national healthcare search firm LeaderStat.
With directors of nursing and other nurse leaders, the money may attract but it’s the workplace, the benefits and the follow-through that will get people through the door.
“Yes, the salary is attractive, but I will tell you it’s more culture, benefits, last survey history, what’s their staffing ratio?” Osborne said. “We’re getting very different questions. It’s not just salary-driven.”
In this episode hosted byMcKnight’s Long-Term Care NewsSenior Editor Kimberly Marselas, learn what strategies Osborne sees working across the country, and why she thinks some traditional approaches just may not cut it anymore.
Follow us on twitter:
@mcknightsltcn
@LeaderStat
@KimMarselas
Staffing shortages and high turnover rates are constant challenges across the sector. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has only made things worse. Nursing facilities have lost nearly a quarter million employees during the current pandemic.
Given the direct correlation between staffing levels and adverse outcomes -- including increased mortality, hospitalizations and ED visits -- how can facilities improve the safety and quality of care when workers can’t be had?
Back by popular demand, we’ll discuss ways nursing homes can maximize staff efficiency by putting first things first. Among the issues our provider panel will address:
- Streamlining workflows and optimizing processes
- Systematic and consistent use of operating protocols
- Training and development to boost capabilities and versatility
- Support that can ease staff burdens like feedback, variety, and growth, because when employees are satisfied, work is completed faster and with better results
You will walk away with proven methods to enhance operational efficiencies while improving outcomes.
pharmerica.com
In this podcast, Carrie Coumbs, senior strategic adviser for TruBlue, talks about making homes safer for seniors, TruBlue's partnership with The Helper Bees and why the evolution in technology marks the biggest change in her career.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Kristine Theurer, PhD, discusses a new model to address mental health challenges such as loneliness and social isolation in long-term care residents, which were highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society just marked its 100th anniversary, but its leaders are looking forward to a future in long-term care that will, in many ways, look much different.
Now the nation’s largest not-for-profit senior living organization (when ranked by nursing care beds), Good Sam is advocating for legislative change, making investments in people and technology and depending on the call of mission to help it thrive for years to come.
“We’re constantly looking for people who have a heart for this work,” said President and CEO Nate Schema, outlining recruitment strategies at the 2022 American Health Care Association Convention in Nashville.
“That looks a little different now than it once did. The identity is a little different, but what I’m constantly reassured by is this vibrancy, this faith that’s being lived out in all of our communities. I think that truly is a differentiator for us.”
Even as Schema looks to attack his organization’s staffing and census challenges organization, he is playing a larger role on the national scene. During the convention, he was elected to a three-year term on AHCA’s board of governors.
In this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Editor Kimberly Marselas, Schema outlines what his organization — and others — will need to continue delivering quality care in coming years.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
The traditional home care business model is broken, says Arosa CEO Ari Medoff. Low wages and a system that punishes workers when a client passes away or leaves home care must be fixed. In this McKnight’s Home Care Newsmakers Podcast, Medoff talks about attracting, training, and treasuring home care workers.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
ADVION is the new name of the successful post-acute ancillary services provider group formerly named NASL. Executive Vice President Cynthia Morton explains what the name means, and how the group has evolved its mission. She joins McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan in this enlightening discussion with one of long-term care’s most prized lobbying organizations.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
Follow ADVION on twitter: @NASLdc
Landmark Health CEO Chris Johnson believes the more the merrier when it comes to big firms like CVS Health and Amazon pushing healthcare into the home. Landmark has been doing that for chronically ill seniors for nearly a decade. In this McKnight’s Home Care Newsmakers Podcast, Johnson talks about how moving healthcare into the home can improve the healthcare system and reduce costs.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Lutheran Senior Services in September hired its first chief experience officer. It’s a new role for the massive Missouri provider, and one almost unheard of in long-term care. So what exactly is this new kind of CEO? Beth Rusert is now tasked with ensuring staff, residents and community members have positive experiences however they come into contact with LSS, a not-for-profit organization providing Life Plan communities, affordable housing and other services in Missouri.
LSS President and Chief Executive Officer Adam Marles joins
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News
Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas to discuss what this new position entails, what it could become and why other long-term care providers may want to follow the lead of LLS.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
In long-term care, few infections are potentially more dangerous than tuberculosis. Failing to detect a TB case among residents could prove deadly -- but many long-term care providers are still under-testing for TB. During this podcast, Theresa Watts PhD, RN, MPH, CPH, assistant professor at Orvis School of Nursing will discuss key strategies to reduce the risk of active TB in long-term care facilities. Instituting a comprehensive TB prevention program can get workers in the door faster and keep residents safer. You’ll learn about best practices for TB screening, CDC testing guidelines and the importance of TB prevention for both staff and residents.
Home care has become one of the most popular nonmedical supplemental benefits offered by Medicare Advantage plans, but some agencies complain about the challenges of working with those plans. healthAlign tries to smooth that path by acting as a match-maker for providers and MA plans. In this McKnight’s Home Care Newsmakers Podcast healthAlign CEO Andy Friedell talks about how home care agencies can benefit from a changing Medicare Advantage landscape.
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Thrive Personalized Medical Rehabilitation CEO Brad Haber discusses why he is championing a “more modern,” clinically complex approach to long-term care. He joins McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan to discuss the resources, strategies and clinical relationships needed to capitalize on this “sure thing” market.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
www.mcknights.com
Follow Thrive on twitter: @ThriveRehab
thriveahead.com
Thanks to COVID-19 and rapidly rising inflation, operators must now pay more than ever for virtually everything.
In episode 2 of this two-part Spoonful of Sugar podcast, industry legend Robert G. Kramer will address how and why operators must grow to succeed.
He’ll address influencers that support growth and expansion moving forward -- and how facilities can take advantage to improve care, occupancy and the bottom line.
Join industry veteran Andrew Sfreddo, head of Blueprint’s recently launched Behavioral Healthcare group, to hear how his team plans to deliver for clients and operators in the behavioral healthcare space and add to Blueprint’s track record of more than $8 billion in transaction volume in fewer than 10 years. Blueprint is a Chicago-based healthcare real estate advisory firm specializing in seniors housing and care, medical office, capital markets and behavioral healthcare.
We’re live from the NIC Fall 2022 Conference in Washington, DC, where lenders and operators gather to make deals and get ahead of changing economic conditions. In this episode, Jessica Johnson, manager of healthcare banking for BOK Financial, discusses how persistent inflation and rate increases are impacting the skilled nursing sector. It’s a quick-paced conversation on key topics ranging from acquisition trends to recession possibilities to workforce promises.
This episode was recorded live at the NIC Fall 2022 Conference.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
Connect with BOK on social media:
LinkedIn: @BOK Financial and @Jessica Johnson
Facebook and Twitter: @BOKFinancial
www.mcknights.com
It’s no secret that recruiting and retaining employees is the senior living industry’s No. 1 challenge, and part of that challenge is planning for the next generation of leaders. Douglas Olson, PhD, the new president and CEO of the new Vision Centre, shares how the organization is working to tackle that challenge.
Value-based pay expert Fred Bentley says long-term care providers have great opportunities to start diversifying services and entering in more risk-based payment schemes. He shares what’s working and what the consequences are if providers sit on the sidelines in this podcast moderated by McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
www.mcknights.com
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
Connect with Fred on LinkedIn here, and ATI on LinkedIn here.
Is the U.S. economy headed for a recession? More than three-quarters of healthcare and life sciences leaders polled believe there is a greater than 50% chance that it is, according to a recent survey by business consulting firm KPMG.
In this McKnight’s Home Care Daily Newsmakers Podcast, Kristin Pothier, KPMG’S global healthcare and life sciences deal advisory and strategy leader, offers home care providers strategies on developing an action to prepare for an economic downturn and even profit from it.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
South Davis Specialty Care won its second AHCA Gold Quality Award since 2014. COO and Chief Nursing Officer Scott Anderson explains the keys to success and the lessons learned from earlier, non-winning entry years.
www.mcknights.com
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
Connect with South Davis Specialty Care on LinkedIn by clicking here.
Executive Director Krista Drobac talked to McKnight’s Home Care about the organization’s main challenge — getting policymakers on board — and the group’s success — exposing the diversity of care that is possible in the home. She voiced opposition to the proposed home health rule and said she was as surprised as everyone else when Amazon Care, a founding member of the coalition, disclosed it is closing at the end of the year. Meanwhile, she is excited about the possibility of Medicare Advantage, which is “showing the way of what could be done in fee-for-service,” she said.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Social for Moving Health Home:
@MoveHealthHome
For the past two years, operators have had to deal with higher costs brought on by COVID-19. Now comes the highest inflation rates seen in more than four decades. In episode 1 of this two part-Spoonful of Sugar podcast, you will hear from industry legend Robert G. Kramer as he talks through the impact of higher operating costs in this sector. He’ll dig into the diverse new pressures operators are coping with, and will discuss why the new normal promises to be very different indeed.
Join Nancy Losben, Executive Director, Quality at Omnicare and Jim Berklan as they discuss the utilization of psychotropic drugs in the long term care community and the upcoming changes going into effect soon.
At a time when low census and shifting payer mixes are making it harder than ever for some providers to focus on quality, Mountain Valley of Cascadia has kept beds full, retained staff and poured resources into promoting resident care. The Idaho skilled nursing facility recently was named a Gold winner in the American Health Care Association QualIty Award program — for the second time.
On this episode, Mountain Valley CEO Emilee Kulin and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas explore what it takes to be a Quality Award winner, and why integrating improvement efforts into everyday culture must be about more than the recognition. From a senior leader rounding program to infection control management and pursuing technology grants, Kulin shares strategies that helped Mountain Valley maintain its performance goals during the pandemic and beyond.
www.mcknights.com
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
Follow Mountain Valley of Cascadia on Social media:
Instagram: mtvalleyjourney
Facebook: Mountain Valley of Cascadia
Growth in Medicare Advantage plans could result in lower rates for home care and hospice firms. But not if agencies up their game, according to Enhabit Home Health and Hospice CEO Barbara Jacobsmeyer.
In this McKnight’s Home Care Daily Newsmakers podcast, Jacobsmeyer talks about how the industry needs to position itself for future growth and how she aims to accomplish that for her own company since its recent spin off from Encompass Health.
Follow us on twitter: @McKHomeCare
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Rural communities have about half as many primary care providers as urban communities, according to Homeward CEO Jennifer Schneider, MD. Homeward is trying to correct that imbalance by bringing healthcare to underserved areas through technology and home-based physician visits. In this McKnight’s Home Care Daily Newsmakers podcast, Schneider talks about why the future of primary care is in the home.
Follow us on twitter: @McKHomeCare
www.mcknightshomecare.com
Do you think the skilled nursing job slide is finally coming to an end? That may not be the case, especially when we look at staff in key building-level leadership roles. The 2022 McKnight’s Mood of the Market paints a still-dark picture when it comes to job satisfaction. In the fourth year of surveying nurse leaders and administrators, more respondents than ever told McKnight’s they are seriously considering leaving their jobs.
Job retention is not all about pay, and the 2022 McKnight’s Mood of the Market survey bears that out. Listen as Cara Silletto, a sought-after HR expert, breaks down survey results, then goes deeper to examine what’s driving the perpetually bad mood, and how nursing home operators can start to shift their thinking about pay, benefits and workload. Join us for this episode hosted by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas, and find plenty more survey insights at mcknights.com.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
In the race to recruit talent you have to “wave the flag that you are doing something different,” said Andres Tapia, senior partner at management consulting firm Korn Ferry. As the company’s global diversity, equity and inclusion strategist, Tapia has helped Fortune 500 companies and small firms put together plans to attract diverse talent. In this McKnight's Newsmakers podcast, Tapia explains why these plans give all firms, including home care ones, a leg up on recruitment.
Follow us on twitter: @McKHomeCare
In this Newsmakers Podcast, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News staff writer Danielle Brown sits down with Deb Emerson, principal at accounting and consulting firm CliftonLarsonAllen LLP. We discuss CLA’s recent analysis on the impact a minimum staffing requirement would have on nursing homes and if there’s any scenario where this type of mandate could be implemented efficiently.
In this podcast, Joanne Cunningham, CEO of the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare, discusses the lobbying effort leading up to the new federal legislation, the Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2022, which would delay the 7.69% home health payment cut proposed for 2023. She also talked about the universal support for home care and why home care will continue to grow despite harsh regulations like the proposed rule.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
During the darkest days of the pandemic, Buffy Lloyd-Krejci, DrPH, CIC, traveled to nursing homes across the U.S. to assess their infection control practices and help them adopt protective strategies. What she saw — too little PPE, missing basics like hand sanitizing stations, distracting and “nitpicky” regulatory obligations and penalties — led her to write “Broken: How the Global Pandemic Uncovered a Nursing Home System in Need of Repair and the Heroic Staff Fighting for Change.”
COVID, Lloyd-Krejci says, “cracked open an understanding of how real the problem is” when it comes to outbreak preparedness. Will nursing homes be ready when the next one hits?
In this episode, Lloyd-Krejci and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas discuss the lessons learned from the pandemic, whether they’ll be forgotten as COVID eases, and what policymakers and facilities themselves can do to ensure nursing homes remain safe for residents and staff.
Follow us on twitter:
@IPCWell
@mcknightsltcn
@KimMarselas
MDS coordinators are usually responsible for two core duties: monitoring care quality and maximizing payments. But as staffing challenges worsen and regulations increase, more MDS coordinators are taking on a third responsibility: walking the floor. Is this a reasonable job extension? Or an unfair demand? Moreover, might facilities that adopt this practice be leaving money on the table? In this Spoonful of Sugar podcast, two of the nation’s foremost nursing experts will address the pros and cons of this emerging trend.
As senior living providers increase their focus on wellness, McKnight's Senior Living Editor Lois A. Bowers sits down with Colin Milner, founder and CEO of the International Council on Active Aging, to discuss how the pandemic has changed the industry's view of wellness, how wellness can attract middle-income prospects, and a group that often is overlooked in providers' wellness plans.
In this Newsmakers Podcast, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News staff writer Danielle Brown sits down with Allison Silvers, chief healthcare transformation officer at the Center to the Advance Palliative Care, to discuss the underutilization of palliative care in long-term care and how providers can better incorporate those services into their offerings. We also talk about a recent push by Congressional lawmakers calling for more support for palliative care in LTC and how industry stakeholders can help the cause.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Tens of thousands of nursing students who could make a major dent in long-term care worker shortages are being denied chances to complete their training and gain employment. But it doesn’t have to be that way, explains LTC nursing administration expert Jackie Vance, who has solutions at the ready. She shares the replicable model her company is already using to build its nursing corps and says there’s also an excellent foreign system to emulate in this podcast moderated by McKnight’s Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
Medicare's proposed home health rate cut is the biggest threat in decades to home care firms, according to Katie Wehri,, director of regulatory affairs at the National Association for Home Care & Hospice. In this Newsmakers Podcast, Wehri offers strategies for dealing with the proposed cuts and other regulations impacting the industry.
Long-term care providers already have what they need to solve their staffing problems: their current team of employees and the views they provide, believes Lisa Thomson, chief strategy officer for Pathway Health. Operators need to better learn the expectations and communications methods of the five or more generations of workers now in play to improve recruiting — the true staffing battlefield, she adds.
They should use current workers’ own observations to build their “employee brand,” says Thomson, who gives numerous other valuable tips from her experiences as top consultant, former administrator and federal advisory panel member in this engaging edition of the McKnight’s Newsmaker Podcast moderated by Executive Editor James M. Berklan.
A few months ago, geriatrician Edie Calamia, M.D., became one of the most important names in healthcare. She joined CVS Health as chief medical officer for Aetna Medicaid. Calamia will help the holistic healthcare firm coordinate care for some seniors who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid. She talked to McKnight's Home Care Daily about moving health home and the role social determinants of health will play.
SNF Therapy is complicated- whether you have in-house, hybrid, or full-service, are you and your patients getting the full benefits available? Hear from industry leaders J. Lynn Bauknight, VPO for TAG Management and Stephanie Parks, Chief Development Officer for Reliant Rehabilitation on today’s hottest topics including reimbursement, risk-share, proposed recalibration, and more.
From staffing and regulatory issues to the many challenges DONs face in long-term care, NADONA, McKnight’s and PharMerica surveyed nurses to find out their biggest concerns in 2022. We’ll address them all during our live podcast event.
In this podcast, we will discuss the topics nurses told us are their top challenges, including important trends that are, or will be, affecting you, your facilities, and your residents. We know keeping educated about and on top of these issues is a constant challenge for DONs and Nurse Leaders. That’s why we’re here for you with solutions to the top concerns you face daily. You have a voice with us!
Communication, understanding and good planning result in peace of mind, happy work environment, and work-life balance
This episode covers the medication error trial and conviction of former nurse RaDonda Vaught and its implications for long-term care. Speakers explore the factors that led to the deadly error, Vaught’s willingness to cooperate in audit procedures, and why many in healthcare were considered about prosecutors’ decision to charge her. Could a similar scenario play out in skilled nursing? With staff shortages and increased reliance on technology, it’s increasingly likely.
Twitter:
@mcknightsltcn
@HallBoothSmith
@MarshallDennLaw
Rusty Holman, M.D., is trying to fill what he thinks is a serious leadership void in healthcare today. In his leadership roles at LifePoint Health and Cogent Health, he found a disconnect between leadership and the frontlines of medicine. Homan founded 1821Health two years ago in an effort to help improve healthcare leadership, which could help improve recruitment of direct care workers.
This episode covers the Human Aging Project’s initial pilot projects, major grant funding, the role of artificial intelligence in identifying and addressing declines, and how nursing home residents might benefit from the collaboration.
Twitter: @hopkins_HAP
@mcknightsltcn
In this podcast, Edo Banach, president and CEO of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization, talked about the positive and negative aspects of the proposed hospice payment rule for fiscal year 2023. He also addressed growing support for the community palliative care benefit and the government’s concerns regarding hospices' long lengths of stay and high discharge rates. Banach advised members “to do the best job they can do at delivering the benefit every day” and said those hospices dedicated to bereavement services rise above the rest.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Looking to increase efficiencies in your staff, optimize facility operations and decrease turnover? In addition to its clinical guidance and programs, Omnicare offers proactive communication and partnership, along with operational tools and services, like Omniview, Pharmacy Automation and ReadyFill that can help you can do just that.
In this podcast, Dave Totaro, chief government affairs officer with Bayada, shared the goals of the new Home Care Workforce Action Alliance. Among its plans: It is reaching out to other associations that have worker shortages to collaborate on solving the problem. The stakeholders will convene in Washington, D.C., this August and break out into various work groups. The groups then will meet during the latter part of the third and the fourth quarter and report on policy recommendations by end of year. Next year, the alliance aims to work to convert the recommendations into action on Capitol Hill.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Achieving career success is the goal of most long-term care professionals. A recent McKnight’s in-person forum featured six outstanding long-term care leaders. They discussed what other LTC professionals — no matter where they are in their career paths — can do to enhance their skills and job success. This podcast brings highlights of the “real life” lessons offered, covering attitudes, mentors, education, team building, and much more.
Follow us on Twitter: @mcknightsltcn
As a 2022 inductee to McKnight’s Women of Distinction Hall of Honor, Demetress Harrell, CEO of Lufkin, TX-based Hospice in the Pines, brings a unique perspective to the hospice industry. In this Newsmakers Podcast Harrell talks about the ingredients of strong leadership today, which includes a focus on social justice, climate change, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion.
Argentum Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Maggie Elehwany and Vice President of Government Relations Paul Williams speak with McKnight’s Senior Living Content Editor Kim Bonvissuto about the top policy and legislative priorities facing the senior living industry.
Seniors have long been underrepresented in the clinical trial process. Principle LTC CEO Lynn Hood, Principle LTC COO Joylin Nation and Tyler E. Miller, MD, Ph.D., director of patient access at Care Access, discuss their partnership and the role nursing homes can play in connecting seniors to potential new treatments. First, they tackled COVID. Now, they’re exploring whether a new Alzheimer’s drug can improve quality of life for staff, residents and their families. The result could lead to healthier seniors. It could also improve the reputation of participating nursing homes, who show their willingness to contribute to the community beyond their doors.
Follow us on twitter: @mcknightsltcn
Providers and payers are realizing that keeping patients healthy goes beyond addressing their medical needs. Nutrition, transportation and social engagement are equally important. Lifespark CEO Joel Theisen talks to McKnight's Home Care Daily Pulse about the importance of addressing social determinants of health.
As leaders, we’ll always have to think of ways to keep our employees happy and engaged. In the wake of COVID-19, however, we see a clear trend in today’s employment landscape: It is very much a job-seekers’ market. Facilities are struggling to fill open positions and critical roles and get their operations back to running at full potential. But job candidates aren’t rushing right back to work. They’re using their newfound leverage to be more selective about their options.
An employer of choice stands out among the competition by offering unique benefits beyond surface-level promises. In this episode, we’ll examine the trends, challenges and opportunities facing long-term care leaders in senior living to find top talent and keep them engaged. You will walk away with practical things you can do as a leader to make your workplace a draw for employees and a place to stay for the long haul.
Arena Analytics President and CEO Myra Norton talks with McKnight’s Senior Living Content Editor Kim Bonvissuto about how senior living providers can avoid bias and ethics issues in adopting artificial intelligence and other software tools to make employment decisions.
What is the secret to being fully staffed, and why is it such a hard nut to crack? It may not be what you think. Listen in as we discuss misconceptions about the workforce and inadvertent barriers placed by state legislators.
In this episode live from the 2022 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards ceremony (Thursday, May 12), Patti Cullen, president and CEO of Care Providers of Minnesota, discusses the impact of potentially losing the federal government’s pandemic support and President Joe Biden’s nursing home reform proposals.
Follow us on Twitter: @mcknightsltcn
In this episode, we’ll hear from Mark Parkinson firsthand on growth opportunities and strategies your organization can embrace. These insights will help providers not just survive, but thrive in the years ahead.
An aging population colliding with a severe workforce shortage is creating a crisis for the home care industry. In this Newsmakers Podcast, Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the Brookings-Urban Tax Policy Center, talks to McKnight's Home Care Daily Pulse about what the industry and policymakers need to do to address the crisis.
Amy Schectman, president and CEO of 2Life Communities, discusses the organization's new Opus brand for middle-income older adults and the future of senior living with McKnight's Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers.
Cassie Morris, the assistant director of nursing at Mayfield Health and Rehab, the top manager on site at the time, presciently led a practice drill just hours before a major twister hit. That and other follow-up care, performed despite personal tragedy that struck her family that fateful night, helped save countless residents’ lives. It was a hero’s tale, as 70 others lost their lives that day in a series of tornadoes that wreaked havoc over a 165-mile stretch in America’s heartland.
Follow us on Twitter:
@mcknightsltcn
More than 1,200 senior living communities operated by more than 80 companies were named "best" May 10 with the announcement of the inaugural U.S. News & World Report’s Best Senior Living ratings. U.S. News Managing Editor and Chief of Health Analysis, Ben Harder, sat down with McKnight's Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers to discuss how the ratings were determined, how providers can use the results, and how communities can participate in the future.
Margaret Haynes was recently names CEO of Omaha based, Right at Home. She's been at the firm for more than a decade, overseeing expansion of the companies franchise system. Diane Eastabrook, McKnight's Home Care Senior Editor, speaks with Margaret about the explosive growth the home care industry has experienced over the last few years - and what that means for Right at Home and other Home Care companies going forward.
Nursing home providers seeking protection from lawsuits and financial liability related to the care they've provided during the pandemic are largely dependent on the federal PREP Act, especially now that many state shield laws are expiring. But a series of legal challenges has led to a back-and-forth on the act's ability to shield operators from all claims. That has also created jurisdictional tussles that may ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.
In this episode, attorney Drew Graham and national COVID-19 claims coordinator Olga Kats-Chalfant discuss the challenges and the act's potential fate. With some 700 cases hanging in the balance, Kats-Chalfant says the few that have been decided so far are "just a drop in the bucket." Who decides the rest - and where - will be an important development for providers to watch, Graham tells moderator Kimberly Marselas.
Follow us on Twitter: @mcknightsltcn
In this podcast, Vicki Hoak, CEO of the Home Care Association of America, shed light on the seriousness of the workforce shortage. She also presented priorities from the association’s recent State of Home Care, Industry at a Crossroads Report. And she expressed enthusiasm that Medicare Advantage is now offering home care as a supplemental benefit. Finally, despite Build Back Better’s failure to pass, she remains confident aspects of it will become law. Among them: the Credit for Caring Act, the Choose Home bill and the Elizabeth Dole Home and Community Based Services for Veterans and Caregivers Act.
Follow us on social media:
Twitter: @McKHomeCare
Facebook: McKnight's Home Care
LinkedIn: McKnight's Home Care
Instagram: mcknights_homecare
Robin Hillier of RLH Consulting explains why this rule comment period is critical for providers to ensure their suggestions are taken seriously and ways they can still take advantage of the Patient Driven Payment Model in the future.
Follow us on Twitter: @mcknightsltcn
In this episode, we’ll hear from Mark Parkinson firsthand on his specific request to have Congress take additional steps to ensure the safety and protection of America’s most vulnerable. You will walk away with a better understanding of how these measures would help invest in the frontline caregivers our nation’s seniors need, so they continue to have access to high quality, long-term care. Read the full letter.
Oncology promises to be the next frontier in home-based care. Reimagine Care is leading the charge. In this Newsmakers podcast, Reimagine Care CEO Aaron Gerber, M.D., talks about the firm's first pilot and the role home health agencies can play in home-based cancer care.
Federal health officials recently proposed in close succession huge funding cuts and broad nursing home reforms. And those could be just the tip of the iceberg. ProMedica Vice President of Government Relations and Advocacy Brian Perry discusses the depth of the potential dangers for providers, as well as some possible opportunities for improvement.
Follow us on Twitter: @mcknightsltcn
The pandemic has served as a catalyst of growth for home care services. By 2025, up to $265 billion worth of services for Medicare beneficiaries may move into the home from traditional facilities. That is according to a new report from management consulting firm McKinsey and Co. Report authors Oleg Bestsennyy, partner, and Michelle Chmielewski, associate partner, sat down with Liza Berger, editor of McKnight’s Home Care to discuss the forces pushing services to the home, where the pockets of expansion are and how home care providers can adapt to this new world.
Follow us on twitter: @McKHomecare
Federal officials are launching an ambitious study in support of the first minimum staffing rule for nursing homes. If you think you know how they'll set their targets and all the reasons they'll matter to providers, think again. Attorney Drew Graham of Hall Booth Smith and Steven Littlehale of Zimmet Healthcare Services Group walk us through what the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should consider in its evaluation.
Follow us on Twitter: @mcknightsltcn
Industries as diverse as health insurance and technology are muscling into home care and home healthcare through acquisitions. But despite this new competition, KPMG National Sector Leader of Healthcare and Life Sciences Ash Shehata says there is room for everyone in this booming market.
Follow us on twitter: @McKHomecare
In this episode, we’ll explore the influencers that support this transitional care model and how facilities can take steps to capitalize on the growth of care at home to impact their census, financial penalties, and outcomes.
This is the third installment of the Spoonful of Sugar podcast. Please click here to tune into its first and second installments.
It’s been almost three years since the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care-funded study about the middle market appeared in the journal Health Affairs. NIC Chief Economist Beth Mace and NIC Principal Ryan Brooks join McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers to discuss the latest industry efforts to reach those older adults whose incomes are too high to qualify for Medicaid and yet not high enough to be able to afford many of the private-pay senior living communities that exist today.
McKnight's Home Care Editor, Liza Berger, speaks with Bill Dombi, President of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice about the 1% Medicare sequestration cut hitting the industry April 1st, how the spike in gas prices has impacted labor costs, and how he holds out some hope that pieces of "Build Back Better" will make it into legislation this year.
As home care agencies struggle to recruit and retain staff, Homewatch Caregivers COO Jennifer Tucker says caregiver safety is a core value at her company, driving onboarding and training.
Heal CEO Scott Vertrees discusses how Heal's strategy of bringing primary care into the homes of seniors is improving outcomes and attracting more patients to the platform.
President Biden’s State of the Union address calls for the most comprehensive nursing home industry reforms in nearly a quarter century. Staffing and other key operational areas are targeted, along with revised payment incentives. But no new payment provisions were included.
The workforce crisis in long-term care is not a new phenomenon, but one that has been decades in the making. Regulations make it difficult for facilities to stay efficient without investing in resources to manage the overload of daily administrative work.
Long-term staffing plans are certainly worth considering, but ultimately freeing up staff from administrative tasks and introducing operational efficiencies that allow them to spend more time with patients is in everyone’s best interest – the facility’s, the staff’s, and the patients’.
Many administrative tasks in long-term care are repetitive and tedious, which leave care teams overworked and with less time to spend on patients. However, with minimal investment, hundreds of hours can be saved while delivering better patient outcomes, lower operational costs, and faster revenue recognition.
In this episode, we’ll examine trends, challenges, and opportunities facing long-term care leaders in skilled nursing. You will walk away with proven methods to enhance operational efficiencies while improving outcomes.
Listen to this podcast to learn about the current state of pharmaceutical management of COVID in PALTC facilities. Hear about the challenges and opportunities seen both nationally and statewide with the delivery of monoclonal antibodies in the facilities as we work to combat the omicron variant. We'll analyze novel treatments for COVID, address how facilities can access medications and review the current state of vaccinations and boosters.
It’s still the very early days of hospital-at-home, Travis Messina, CEO and founder of Contessa, told Liza Berger, editor of McKnight’s Home Care. It’s the “top of the first inning,” he said during the Home Care 100 Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, AZ. Contessa is operating in eight of Amedisys’ markets and aims to be in 15 by the end of 2022, he said.
Low and late payments to home care firms from Medicare Advantage plans are leading to an “untenable situation,” Paul Kusserow, CEO and chairman of Amedisys, told McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger during the Home Care 100 Leadership Conference this week.
Bruce Greenstein, chief innovation and technology officer for LHC Group, sat down with McKnight's Editor Liza Berger at the Home Care 100 conference in Scottsdale, AZ, this week.The industry needs to have a "wake-up call" when it comes to Medicare Advantage partnerships, he told Berger. Also, the company is building out its hospital-at-home platform, which the firm plans to roll out later this year.
Stephanie Parks, chief development officer of Reliant Rehabilitaion, discusses the 15% Medicare Part B Therapy Assistant cut implemented on Jan. 1, 2022. In this podcast, Parks and McKnight's Long-Term Care News executive editor James Berklan discuss the financial impact of this cut.
As we start 2022, ongoing concerns remain around occupancy, staffing and price-to-value. The industry looks to three new concepts for answers: Providing the right care at the right time, rethinking staff and resource management and leveraging technology to demonstrate results and identify unmet needs. In this McKnight’s Senior Living Market Leaders Podcast, Lois Bowers talks with Sentrics CEO Darin LeGrange about the importance of these issues and the role technology will play in turning the tide.
This episode explores how skilled nursing facilities can leverage their partners and vendors to offset these challenges with innovative solutions that can drive better care and outcomes.
In this McKnight's Newsmakers Podcast, Diane Eastabrook rounds out the special series Lonely at Home with a conversation with Linda Fried, M.D., Dean of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health. The geriatrician explains why social isolation and loneliness have become a global health crisis, and how care providers can intervene.
In this McKnight's Newsmakers Podcast, Jake Rothstein, founder and CEO of UpsideHom, talks to Diane Eastabrook from McKnight's Home Care Daily Pulse about how his company is rethinking senior living and home care. UpsideHom provides high-amenity apartments to seniors with add-on services. Exclusively in Florida, Rothstein hopes to take UpSideHom nationwide and change the way we think about aging in place.
Christine Gallo, CEO of Gallo Medical Company, discusses the use of robotics in long-term care for UV light disinfection, telehealth and patient/resident transport with McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers.
Today's sellers have plenty of options. Here, Laca Wong-Hammond, managing director and head of mergers and acquisitions for Lument, and Brandon Gill, the firm's associate director for seniors' housing and healthcare in the midwest, share insights on how to work around lingering COVID-19 challenges, seize opportunity and find the right buyer. Looking to hold onto a property but need help? Wong-Hammond and Gill also share strategies for that with McKnight's Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kim Marselas.
Alex Cohen, co-founder and CEO of Liberty SBF, provides a recap of the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care Fall Conference and discusses the state of the senior living market with McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers.
In this podcast, Daniel Reingold, M.S.W., J.D., president and CEO of RiverSpring Living, discusses why long-term care providers need to capitalize more often on the positive news about their profession and workplaces. Along with McKnight's Long-Term Care News Executive Editor James Berklan, he also explores the dangers of not using, and not pressing others to use, more suitable terminology to describe long-term care residents and workers.
Congenial long-term care luminary and sought-after consultant Larry Minnix, past president and CEO of LeadingAge, returns to the convention floor to reveal the most significant problems facing long-term care operators today. In this podcast, Minnix and McKnight's Long-Term Care News Executive Editor James Berklan also discuss what to do about the industry's challenges and the top lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Denise Boudreau-Scott, president of Drive, talks about the difference between culture and engagement, how senior living providers can foster a culture that people want to be a part of and that enables them to compete with other employers, and how culture can affect occupancy.
Barbara Speedling, quality of life specialist, talks about how senior living providers can create positive living environments for residents, what baby boomers will expect from senior living, and factors to consider when remodeling or constructing communities.
In this podcast, McKnight's Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kimberly Marselas interviews Zach Shamberg, President and CEO of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, live from the floor of the 2021 AHCA/NCAL convention and expo. They explore staffing challenges, how to lean on peers for support and inspiration, and the rough road ahead for providers.
In this podcast, McKnight's Long-Term Care News Executive Editor Kimberly Marselas interviews Brendan Williams, President and CEO of the New Hampshire Health Care Association, live from the floor of the 2021 AHCA/NCAL convention and expo. They discuss the stressful staffing environment and how to respond to being "at the mercy of contract nursing agencies and their exorbitant costs.
McKnight's Home Care Daily talks to Ryan Iwamoto, President & Co-founder of 24 Hour Home Care, about the culture behind one of America's fastest growing home care firms and the challenges of maintaining that culture as the firm sets its sights on national expansion.
In this podcast, live from the American Health Care Association / National Center for Assisted Living Convention and Expo, McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois A. Bowers interviews Stan Szpytek, president of Fire and Life Safety Inc. and a consultant to associations and companies in the long-term care industry, about the importance of emergency preparedness plans, how planning by assisted living providers differs from planning by skilled nursing operators, and why emotional recovery needs to be taken seriously.
In this podcast, McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois A. Bowers interviews Medtelligent CEO John Shafaee about early findings from the company’s groundbreaking length-of-stay study, which analyzes longitudinal data from more than 500 assisted living communities. Learn why senior living leaders should focus efforts on “length of stay” key performance indicators, and how they can influence this important success measure to improve resident care.
Medtelligent makes ALIS: software purpose-built for clinical management, billing, and operational reporting in assisted living, memory care, and independent living communities. To learn more, visit medtelligent.com.