Wages
Lawmakers suspect Kindred of misspending public funds before closures at LTC facilities
January 17, 2018A group of state legislators is asking Massachusetts' attorney general to investigate Kindred Healthcare's plans to close four nursing homes and an assisted living facility in and around Boston, accusing it of misappropriating state money at those facilities.
Nursing home company must pay $62K in back wages, $124K overall
January 02, 2018A West Virginia nursing home company will pay $61,840 in back wages and an identical amount in damages to almost 500 employees, the Department of Labor announced.
Salary matters in long-term care
April 22, 2015The University of Pittsburgh's research involving certified nursing assistants and why they leave is among the most interesting I've seen recently in long-term care. Salary, it turns out, is not nearly as important as respect and flexibility in scheduling.
Your biggest expense is about to get worse
January 16, 2015There are growing signs that labor costs will soon be creeping up. That may be good news for the frontline workers and other staff who literally do the heavy lifting. But it's not so great for those who have to make sure payroll is met.
3 reasons why LTC profits may soon be harder to come by
November 24, 2014While nobody in the field is shouting it from the mountain tops, the long-term care sector has been enjoying more than its share of easy layups lately. That could be coming to an end in the not too distant future.
An overtime fix that seemed to work for everyone - except the feds
May 02, 2014It's a troubling staffing dynamic that regularly plays out at many long-term care facilities: Low-wage employees are practically begging for the opportunity to work extra hours. And the additional help is clearly needed. However, many facilities find themselves too cash-strapped to pay the time-and-a-half rate that overtime requires.
Improving your staff turnover rate in assisted living
March 31, 2014Assisted living communities have always had high turnover rates - generally attributed to the prevalence of non-professional/low paying jobs. Estimates for staff turnover range from a low of 21% to a whopping 135%, with an average of 42%.
Is this really the best way to get a raise?
March 17, 2014I can say with a straight face that I'm not a complete stranger to the battle over decent living wages.
Stiffing the help just doesn't add up
December 05, 2013Depending on the numbers you choose to believe, senior living profit margins are a razor thin 3% — or more like 20%. Regardless, many would like to believe operators are engaging in a fairly despicable business practice: intentionally underpaying the help.
The long-term care leftovers that earned a warning
July 09, 2013Today in the annals of Nursing Homes That Should Know Better, we turn our attention to a rural part of Tennessee.
Study links low wages with hypertension
January 07, 2013Employees with the lowest wages have a higher risk of hypertension than those with top wages, according to University of California-Davis researchers. The correlation between lower socioeconomic status and hypertension was unexpectedly strong with women and individuals in the 25-to-44 age range, investigators found.
Medicare payment reforms need to be based on more than geography, IOM says
July 18, 2012States should allow a broader scope of practice among healthcare providers to improve access to care, rather than have the federal government base Medicare payment adjustments around geographic locations, an Institute of Medicine analysis says.
Nursing homes in California under fire for cutting staff while receiving money for staffing
April 21, 2010The purpose of a 2004 California law was to provide nursing homes with additional funding to hire staff and increase wages. Instead, a number of nursing home providers took advantage of it to increase profits and pad their bottom line, according to a recent watchdog group report.
