Joan M. Woods

Lack of insurance stops patients in their tracks

Monday, April 30, 2012 1:57:36 PM by Administrator Account

By Joan M. Woods

The other day I heard a story that’s far too common in my world as a nursing home administrator. A fellow administrator told me about a woman who came to his nursing center following a hospital stay that needed rehabilitative care following a fall.

Conduct lots of research before picking care facility

Sunday, April 01, 2012 6:17:43 PM by Administrator Account

By Joan M. Woods

Trusting someone unfamiliar to provide the care a friend or family member needs is difficult. And, since most people are unfamiliar with nursing home care when first confronted with the reality that 24-hour care is necessary, the experience of placing a loved one in a skilled nursing center becomes all the more daunting.

Reducing readmissions will save Medicare billions

Friday, February 24, 2012 11:41:24 PM by Administrator Account

By Joan M. Woods

In Rhode Island, more than one in four Medicare patients discharged from the hospital return within 30 days. Those hospital readmissions are not only a physical and emotional strain on patients, but they are also a costly strain on taxpayers here and elsewhere. Nationally, hospital readmissions cost Medicare more than $17 billion in 2010. The Medicare program and its participating health care providers are working together to identify the causes of those readmissions and to eliminate the ones that are preventable.

Health care group ready to work with legislature

Monday, January 30, 2012 12:26:41 PM by Administrator Account

By Joan M. Woods

It was recently reported that Rhode Island ended Fiscal 2011 on June 30 with an approximate $85 million surplus. That is about $7 million more than initially budgeted last summer and more than $4 million above what was anticipated by the Chafee administration when updating its projections in September.

Be prepared before facing life-changing moves

Thursday, January 05, 2012 1:22:09 PM by Administrator Account

By Joan M. Woods

The other day, I spoke with a man whose wife had recently suffered a stroke. Neither he nor his wife had planned for the sad turn of events, and he felt blindsided by the upheaval and anxiety it had caused.

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