In this Issue 

SNFs that Contract With Hospice Providers Will Have to Amend Their Existing Contracts in December 2008
If you have one or more hospice providers delivering end-of-life care in your nursing facility, be aware that your contract with the hospice will have to be amended in December 2008. Earlier this year, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new Medicare Conditions of Participation (COPs) for Medicare certified hospices.

Gold Discovered at Tarboro, N.C., Nursing Facility: A 24-Karat Moment for One of Our Colleagues Nursing Home Admission Agreements: A Follow-Up
I get really tired of all the negative news about nursing homes in the press. Ninety-some percent of nursing homes had deficiencies in 2007, 87 percent of nursing home appeals are won by CMS, blah blah blah. So, we decided to share some great news. Gold has been discovered at the Golden Living Center of Tarboro! And not just 18-karat gold plate, but honest to goodness 24- karat gold.

Nursing Home Admission Agreements: A Follow-Up
My lecture at the North Carolina Healthcare Facilities Association Mid-Year Meeting on nursing home admission agreements, and the article on that same topic we published in the August/September issue of Shorts, generated a fair number of emails and questions.

Change Is Coming— Election Results Will Likely Lead to New Employment Laws
The results of the November elections make it likely that employers will see several new employment laws enacted. One example is a potential increase in the federal minimum wage. Both the incoming presidential administration and congressional leaders have indicated support for increasing the minimum wage.