The long-term care industry has some obstacles to overcome, but the American Health Care Association is the strongest it’s ever been, said Bruce Yarwood, president and CEO, during a speech at the group’s annual conference in October.
“We’re in a pretty good position to move a long way forward,” stated Yarwood, who noted that 6,000 buildings have joined AHCA’s Advancing Excellence campaign to improve quality of care. He also cited the positive results in a resident satisfaction survey initiated by My InnerView. The conference took place Oct. 7-10 in Boston.
Still, long-term care providers are confronting large-scale problems, including a “broken” regulatory system and the looming implementation of therapy caps in January. Medicaid as a funding system also can’t sustain long-term care needs in the future, he said.
Yarwood also alluded to recent events that have cast a negative light on the industry. He spoke of a scathing New York Times story alleging detrimental effects private equity acquisitions have had on resident care. The story has caused lawmakers to call for a federal investigation and hearings into the matter.
As a result, Yarwood quipped that he’s liable to testify “in front of six congressional committees in six months.”
Looking ahead, AHCA has several initiatives. These include fixing the regulatory system, continuing the Advancing Excellence campaign, developing and training more caregivers, and creating a new funding system.
One of the immediate goals is to inject long-term care issues into the presidential debate, Yarwood said.
From the November 01, 2007 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
