Webcast

Providers will get frontline advice on how to drive efficiencies, control labor costs and build revenue in the face of looming Medicare and Medicaid funding struggles at a free McKnight's webcast Nov. 10. Registration is ongoing for the event, which starts at 1 p.m. Eastern Time (10 a.m. Pacific). Jeff Amann, vice president of operations for American Baptist Homes of the Midwest, will be the featured presenter.

Nursing home administrators must be absolutely certain their billing department staff and MDS coordinators are up to speed on the newly implemented PPS rules for therapy. That is one of the central messages that came through at a special McKnight's webcast Oct. 5 that focused on changes to MDS 3.0 and nursing home payment systems. A rebroadcast of the extremely popular hourlong session is attainable in the mcknights.com archive. Interested individuals simply must re-enter the sign-in environment or complete the free registration for the first time.

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Wal-Mart on Monday in a major class-action lawsuit accusing the corporation of sex discrimination. In a 5-4 vote, the justices decided the world's largest private employer did not have a common corporate policy of discrimination toward women in terms of compensation and promotion.

Providers will learn about "Payment challenges and opportunities" Tuesday at the next McKnight's Super Tuesday webcast. Free CE credits will be offered for the first time. The event kicks off at 2 p.m. (Eastern) May 3 (this Tuesday) and will feature McKnight's "Ask the Payment Expert" columnist Patricia Boyer, MSN, NHA, RN, as well as top McKnight's editors. Free registration for the event is ongoing at www.mcknights.com/expo2011.

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.

Healthcare reform has been a big topic this year. But not everything demands reform. That could certainly be said for the McKnight's Online Expo.

A McKnight's webcast on safe patient handling practices will be held in February.