Business View Magazine
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hospitals; making sure they rehab quickly and appropri-
ately, so they can return home to active lifestyles. The
nursing home profession has long been known for being
at the end of one’s life cycle and caring for people until
they die. The newmillennium brought another role to our
profession – the provision of post acute care services to
Medicare-eligible people recovering from a hospital stay.
Payment methodology is also changing. New federal laws
that have been passed, go into effect in 2018/19, for
a value-based purchasing method that calculates pay-
ments based on level of quality, rather than just a fee
for a service. Donchess warns, “Anyone operating as a
One or Two Star facility on a Five-star rating category
had better improve its rating, to ensure payments won’t
be affected.” Since 1992, LNHA has assisted (by invita-
tion) the Louisiana State Emergency Operations Center
whenever there is a major emergency or disaster. They
are called upon to help make life-saving determinations,
such as whether to evacuate a facility or shelter in place.
Devastating storms like Hurricane Katrina, as well as
man-made catastrophes – train derailments, chemical
spills, etc. – could all require their involvement. In a sad
nod to the times, LNHA has even scheduled an “Active
Shooter” seminar for their annual convention in Septem-
ber, taking into account recent incidents and acting on a
heightened desire to get direct training to their member-
ship.
Donchess sums it up clearly: “We are not an industry
that builds widgets. We are a profession that services
the needs of our most vulnerable elderly and disabled
clients. At LNHA, we give our members the knowledge
and information, so they can provide the highest quality
of care to their residents. That is why we’re in this busi-
ness and should be our primary goal in life.”
