McKnight's Podcast

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 t...

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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 work...

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 cha...

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 sup...

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...

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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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 Rosaly...

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. Nor...

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 L...

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. Vanlanding...

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 weath...

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection an...

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....

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.   ww...

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 stew...

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. Hosted by Simplecast, a...

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 Care  Newsmakers 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...

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. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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....

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 evolut...

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 k...

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 s...

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...

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...