Challenge: Provide operational oversight of four (4) challenged skilled nursing facilities all requiring turnaround.Action: Developed and maintained a strong working relationship with administrators, physicians, and clinical teams. Worked with facilities to establish achievable goals for each home. Trained administrators on reducing overtime by monitoring HPPDs, preparing for annual surveys by utilizing critical element pathways (CEPs) with their management teams, maximizing opportunities for building census during a pandemic, implementing QAPI programs, reducing bad debt, and meeting budget goals.Result: Increased census by 15-20% in 75% of facilities. Increased quality measures by one star in 50% of facilities. Reduced overtime from 10% to 5% in 50% of facilities. Reduced citations from complaint surveys as a result of “past non-compliance” due to the QAPI process. Implemented policies and procedures with focus on quality improvement. Implemented recruitment and retention program that refocused facilities on prioritizing and properly orienting new staff to increase retention rates.

Challenge: Provide advocacy for 300 Illinois nursing homes, ensuring their voices are heard and desired outcomes are achieved in a difficult regulatory and reimbursement climate.Action: Serve as an intermediary between nursing homes and Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules (JCAR), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) by proposing solutions that establish common ground to improve the standard of care for nursing home residents and staff. Monitor regulatory correspondence at the state and federal levels for applicability and impact on nursing facilities.Result: Worked collaboratively to secure a 240M increase in the nursing home reimbursement rate by effectively communicating needs to legislators. Established the regulatory committee and re-established the corporate nurse clinicians' committee. Successfully reviewed proposed legislation and drafted comments resulting in needed changes for the industry. Continually resolve member regulatory and reimbursement concerns. Efforts resulted in promotion from Regulatory Specialist to Regulatory & Reimbursement Director.

Challenge: Creating a long-term care consulting firm that aided corporations by offering strategic planning, corporate compliance training, nursing facility monitoring, interim administrator services and consumer advocacy. Action: Researched demographics to create target population for consulting. Compiled facility specific data to utilize in making comparisons for corporations and consumers. Result: Procured a contract with the Illinois Department of Public Health to provide compliance monitoring for nursing facilities pending CMS decertification. Effectively provided LTC corporations with interim administrator services and recommendations for strategic planning. Developed comprehensive training for post-acute care facilities on perfecting the patient experience and reducing hospital readmission rates. Featured on the nationally syndicated radio broadcast “Midday Connection.” Interviewed on the television program “Things You Should Know.” Published the book, “Choosing a Good Nursing Home.” Featured in the Jewish Press Newspaper and in Howard Magazine. Authored article on “Alternatives to Nursing Home Placement” in “The Jewish Press.” Worked collaboratively with 2nd Congressional District office on providing seminars on “Choosing a Good Nursing Home.”

Challenge: Recruited to direct the overall operations of a 218-bed skilled nursing facility with 239 employees and several regulatory citations. Full responsibility for ensuring quality care, staff development, census building, and budget implementation.Action: Surveyed residents and family members to ascertain nature of concerns and needed actions to take to generate satisfaction. Trained and educated staff on understanding the correlation between achieving regulatory compliance and providing good customer service by building good rapport. Created a quality assurance/quality improvement committee to ensure that corrective measures remained in place. Implemented staff appreciation focus days for employees. Networked with physicians and social workers to increase facility occupancy.Results: Increased resident satisfaction by 70% within six (6) months by keeping the lines of communication open with residents, family members and staff. Increased staff retention by 38% by empowering staff and building morale causing a significant reduction in the number of agency employees. Substantially decreased Illinois Department of Public Health complaint visits resulting in the facility achieving regulatory compliance. Increased patient Medicare census by 30%. Promoted to oversee the operations of another nursing facility.

Challenge: Creating a comprehensive consumer guide to choosing the best nursing home for a loved one that allows the consumer to see a nursing home from the expert eyes of an administrator, as opposed to the layperson.Action: Developed a guide that walks the consumer step by step through everything from taking the initial tour of the facility to understanding Long Term Care insurance coverage.Results: Published and available at all major book stores in December 2009.

Challenge: Successfully build patient census and direct the overall operations of a 96-bed skilled nursing facility in a socio- economically challenged area.Action: Surveyed residents to discover the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the facility and implemented changes based upon survey results. Created a census development plan that utilized the ideas and skills of the department managers and staff. Established a Professional Advisory Committee of of physicians and hospital discharge planners to evaluate and propose changes in admission practices. Implemented procedures for welcoming new residents. Sponsored a health education series to increase facility exposure in the community and surrounding areas. Results: Health education series enabled facility to gain television exposure. Doubled Medicare patient census and increased overall facility occupancy. Reduced outstanding income for residents. Received the facility's best Public Health survey in ten (10) years.