Shifting industry trends and regulatory change creates new opportunities for senior living to add services, further improve quality, and overcome challenges. These can also create new revenue streams that support such improved quality. Leavitt Partners, a health care intelligence business founded by former secretary of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Mike Leavitt, performed…

ARIZONA AL Training Requirements – SIGNED BY GOVERNOR (SB 1244) Modifies the training program for AL communities to include training that is consistent with the training, competency and test methodology standards developed by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) for in-home direct care workers. Stipulates that the Board must prescribe rules for AL…

The Trump Administration is working to finalize a rule to make clear that long-term care communities can require residents or their families to agree—before a dispute arises—to settle complaints through arbitration rather than through litigation.  Simultaneously in Congress this week, legislation has been introduced in the House and Senate to eliminate the agreements.  Rep. Hank…

The House Education and Labor Committee approved a bill on March 6th that would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.  HR 582, was approved along party lines and would increase the federal minimum wage by 2024.  The legislation would eventually phase out lower wage levels for tipped workers and disabled workers. Currently…

As anticipated, earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would make more than a million more American workers eligible for overtime.  This proposed rule is generally referred to as the “Overtime Rule”. Under currently enforced law, employees with a salary below $455 per week ($23,660 annually)…

ARIZONA SB 1244 – Assisted Living Caregivers Training Requires that training for assisted living facility caregivers be consistent with the training, competency and test methodology standards developed by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) for in-home direct care workers. Directs the Arizona Board of Nursing Care Institution Administrators and Assisted Living Facility Managers…

As part of OIG’s ongoing efforts to fight waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicare, Medicaid, and more than 100 other HHS programs, it recently released a report identifying vulnerabilities to fraud and poor care. The new report covers hospice care since 2005 and increases in utilization and reimbursement. OIG made more than a dozen recommendations…

On July 18, the Department of Labor’s (DOL) Office of Labor-Management Standards issued a final rule rescinding the so-called “persuader rule,” a controversial Obama-era regulation requiring employers to disclose advice received about labor unions. Specifically, the persuader rule altered the advice exemption under the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, interfering with both employers’ access…

Food service operations in senior living communities are increasingly getting attention as a source of competitive advantage. David Koelling, president of Strategic Dining Services, a dining service and hospitality management provider, knows the strategic importance of the dining operation. “For many operators, dining is the number one controllable expense, and the biggest driver of resident…

The House of Representatives is slated to pass over 59 bills coming from five different oversight committees addressing the opioid crisis.  The Senate Finance Committee has also unanimously approved legislation that combines 22 bills recently introduced by committee members.  The Senate opioid package includes provisions that would expand telehealth access for addiction treatment, remove lifetime…