Q: Tell me about your organization.
Blair Wagner: Medicalodges is a skilled nursing facility. In 1998 Medicalodges employees acquired the company making it the first long-term care facility to be 100% employee owned in the U.S. Medicalodges owns and operates over 30 facilities in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and we continue to be in acquisition mode. Medicalodges is located in Holton, Kansas and is a 70 bed facility. Approximately 60 -70 % of Medicalodges residents comes to us from a hospital setting, followed by assisting living facilities, or directly from home where a spouse or sibling could no longer take care of them. We provide short term stays that can range from 2 weeks to 30 days as well as long term care. However, we do not …show more content…
This is a small town so it’s not unusual that I run into family members out in the community. I think because it’s a small rural town I have the opportunity to build closer relationships with the families where if I were in a bigger city I may not. I love interacting with the residents and telling jokes or stories. I am proud that our facility and staff provide a quality of life for our residents that is not stigmatized by the old perception of nursing homes. Also, I find working through issues with the staff very satisfying.
The most challenging thing about my role is that the condition of health care is unhealthy. Leaders in the health care industry are asked every year to do more with less. This impacts staff financially making their relationships at home tenuous.
The survey process is very frustrating. In prior surveys surveyors shared openly with us what they found in a collaborative effort to make improvements. I think the surveyors have turned adversarial and impersonal. Currently during surveys, there are little to no communication from the surveyors. They do not sit down and review any issues with us while they are on …show more content…
Medicare/Medicaid cuts continue with new costly and restrictive regulations. State and federal agencies are using new tools to redefine and recoup resources. Some days having a vision for the months ahead, putting the pieces together to bring about that vision and having a hand on the immediate issues/challenges seem an insurmountable task. Three years ago the State of Kansas decided they were going to save money by hiring “three middle men” to administer Medicaid funds. KanCare offers 3 privatized managed care plans for Medicaid recipients through a clearing house. Before the clearing houses we use to see a 90 turnaround for Medicaid acceptance it is now taking 6 or more months.
Medicare is conducting more RAC audits which created additional work for us to provide proof for services render sometimes many months prior and they can decide we have to reimburse monies for services they did deem billable.
Occasionally with private pays we are seeing some children not want to relinquish what they see to be their inheritance and they will hold back paying which can be challenging at times.
Q: Do you foresee issues that might impact your organization with Medicare rebalancing by shifting spending away from the long-term care institutional settings by offering in home and community based
Blair Wagner: Medicalodges is a skilled nursing facility. In 1998 Medicalodges employees acquired the company making it the first long-term care facility to be 100% employee owned in the U.S. Medicalodges owns and operates over 30 facilities in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma and we continue to be in acquisition mode. Medicalodges is located in Holton, Kansas and is a 70 bed facility. Approximately 60 -70 % of Medicalodges residents comes to us from a hospital setting, followed by assisting living facilities, or directly from home where a spouse or sibling could no longer take care of them. We provide short term stays that can range from 2 weeks to 30 days as well as long term care. However, we do not …show more content…
This is a small town so it’s not unusual that I run into family members out in the community. I think because it’s a small rural town I have the opportunity to build closer relationships with the families where if I were in a bigger city I may not. I love interacting with the residents and telling jokes or stories. I am proud that our facility and staff provide a quality of life for our residents that is not stigmatized by the old perception of nursing homes. Also, I find working through issues with the staff very satisfying.
The most challenging thing about my role is that the condition of health care is unhealthy. Leaders in the health care industry are asked every year to do more with less. This impacts staff financially making their relationships at home tenuous.
The survey process is very frustrating. In prior surveys surveyors shared openly with us what they found in a collaborative effort to make improvements. I think the surveyors have turned adversarial and impersonal. Currently during surveys, there are little to no communication from the surveyors. They do not sit down and review any issues with us while they are on …show more content…
Medicare/Medicaid cuts continue with new costly and restrictive regulations. State and federal agencies are using new tools to redefine and recoup resources. Some days having a vision for the months ahead, putting the pieces together to bring about that vision and having a hand on the immediate issues/challenges seem an insurmountable task. Three years ago the State of Kansas decided they were going to save money by hiring “three middle men” to administer Medicaid funds. KanCare offers 3 privatized managed care plans for Medicaid recipients through a clearing house. Before the clearing houses we use to see a 90 turnaround for Medicaid acceptance it is now taking 6 or more months.
Medicare is conducting more RAC audits which created additional work for us to provide proof for services render sometimes many months prior and they can decide we have to reimburse monies for services they did deem billable.
Occasionally with private pays we are seeing some children not want to relinquish what they see to be their inheritance and they will hold back paying which can be challenging at times.
Q: Do you foresee issues that might impact your organization with Medicare rebalancing by shifting spending away from the long-term care institutional settings by offering in home and community based