March 10, 2011

Pssssst! Have we got a deal for you!

We might have just been subjected to the biggest dose of chutzpah seen in a long, long while. It smacked of the old image of the leering used-car salesman (sorry, used car sales people) rubbing his thumb and forefinger together to imply he could save YOU money.

I'm speaking, of course, about the revelation that impeached Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich has filed a motion in court to have a second trial against him ruled unnecessary. If you recall, he's the big-haired politician accused of trying to sell President Obama's former U.S. Senate seat.

In an initial trial, Blago was convicted on just one of 24 counts. Subsequent interviews showed that just one holdout juror stopped a slew of other charges from going against him.

So now Blago's saying he doesn't have money to defend himself and — get this — he's trying to save the financially burdened state of Illinois from the cost of prosecuting him again. The only thing missing was him adding that "his" saved funding could go toward Medicaid to help needy nursing home residents. Puh-leeze.

That's not a good deal.

But here's something that is a GREAT deal for long-term care providers: McKnight's 5th Online Expo.

• You can learn from national experts on five high-profile long-term care subjects.

• Earn up to five CE units.

• Explore nearly 20 top-flight vendor booths, chatting live, collecting research and making further appointments, if desired.

• Do this from the comfort of your office (or whatever your keyboard might be).

• And pay nothing. Zilch. Nothing for the expo registration. Nothing to earn the CE credits. And, of course, nothing for travel, hotel, etc.

The main event takes place March 23-24. The expert line-up is as follows:

March 23

* 10 a.m. (Eastern) — McKnight's "Ask the Expert" legal columnist attorney John Durso, Esq., dissects legal issues concerning new technology in your workplace.

* 11:30 a.m. (Eastern) — Avoidable, unavoidable and end-of-life pressure ulcers are discussed by Karen Lou Kennedy-Evans, RN, CS, FNP, namesake of the Kennedy Terminal Ulcer.

* 1 p.m. (Eastern) — Michael Hargrave, the guru behind the market statistical analysis service for the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing and Care Industry, reveals the latest research and outlook.

March 24

* 11 a.m. (Eastern) — Well-known consultant and expert Leah Klusch examines progress made, and opportunities lost, with MDS 3.0 implementation. Are you still leaving Medicare dollars on the table?

* 1 p.m. (Eastern) — The new Quality Indicator Survey will be untangled by Lori-Ann Griffin, RN. She's the supervising nurse consultant for Connecticut, one of the first few states to deal with this new tool, which is being rolled out nationwide with far-reaching implications.

There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but there IS a free online trade show here for you, with free CE credits.

It's a deal you cannot afford to pass up. Sign up now and enjoy yourself with us in about two weeks. See you there!