Sometimes running a long-term care business is like being in third grade all over again. The timid do not necessarily do so well.
Just as the successful pupil is more likely to raise his or her hand and volunteer classroom input, the wise operator is going to engage its higher-ups and try to make a good impression.
This was never clearer than when a panel of successful regional operators told some of their secrets at the NIC Spring meeting in Dallas last week.
In Texas, providers recently received their first Medicaid pay bump in 10 years. It didn’t come while merely sitting back in the corner, hoping for some kind of miracle intervention.
The best strategy was for a state provider coalition to systematically engage and educate legislators about what goes on in nursing homes, explained Gary Blake, CEO and co-founder of Creative Solutions Healthcare, whose 164 facilities are all in Texas.
“Some were very open and some were not,” he acknowledged.
But at least providers knew where key players stood. The end result was a $20 per resident per day Medicaid boost, the largest in state history, Blake said.
“The greatest return on investment is having the governor, lieutenant governor and senators understanding what your mission is, and having some street credibility out there. That you’re not gaming the system but trying to sustain it. And you’re not going to sustain it if every patient is a dollar loss per day. You just can’t,” Blake stressed. “We really explained how our metrics were driving quality. They (the politicians) really want to be part of the solution. They want that jewel in their crown.”
Giving an up-close look at those providing the front-line care can be invaluable, added fellow panelist Joe Kiernan, chief strategy officer and senior vice president of network development for New Jersey-based post-acute service provider Ocean Healthcare.
Show the governor and senators who’s doing the work, Kiernan urged.
“Let them meet the CNA who needs and deserves to make a living wage. They have to keep the lights on and pay the mortgage,” he said.
Then don’t be afraid to address the elephant in the room, he added.
“Tell (the politicians) ‘Understand we’re not asking for this increase because we don’t have enough profits. We’re asking for this increase because we want to pay our staff, we want to take care of our residents.’ That engagement goes a long way,” he explained.
In other words, it’s not just showing up in a dress suit and trying to persuade government overseers. Rather, it’s doing your homework and letting those in the scrubs and labcoats interact.
“You would be shocked how many people have never set foot into a nursing home and yet they are sitting in a legislative meeting, making a decision on how much money we’re going to be reimbursed to take care of all of those lives,” Kiernan related in disbelief.
And the end result? “New Jersey,” he said, no doubt drawing envy from peers in the room, “has been a good state for us.”
James M. Berklan is McKnight’s Long-Term Care News’ Executive Editor. Opinions expressed in McKnight’s Long-Term Care News columns are not necessarily those of McKnight’s.
