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Show .ENTERPRISE Nursing home rules draw fire attorney Walter Plumb busy dissecting federal law to determine how much control the state really has over federal funding of Medicare and Medicaid patients. Once he deciphers the fine legal line between federal and state jurisdiction of nursing homes, the Health Care Association will consider filing the state department of social services for arbitrary and unfair practices, The state's obession with penny pinching precludes nursing home operators from making an honest dollar or even improving their homes, charges Dennis McFall, vice president of the Utah Health Care Association. And theres no sense being in the business for sentiment, is the way another operator feels about the situation. This week McFall has suit-again- McFall said. The contention began in January, 1977 when the department of social services began basing Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to nursing homes on a minimum of 70 percent occupancy. This means a facility with 60 of its 100 beds occupied must distribute the cost of running the home as if it had 70 paying clients. The purpose of the ruling, McFall said, was to reduce state outlays to Medicare and Medicaid patients, since the state pays 28 percent of the health care costs of these patients. The federal government picks up the tab for the remaining 72 percent. But the 70 percent occupancy rate is just one of st INVESTMENT BANKING AND FINANCIAL SERVICES FIRM desires to add experienced professionals with superior skills and academic credentials in one or more of the following areas: several questions McFall hoped to raise in his lawsuit. The department has made a decision with no basis COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE BANKING BUSINESS BROKERAGE Call 363-643- 0 in (federal) regulation or he charged. The equity, entire structure is an atmosphere of pinching pennies and denying the nursing home people an opportunity to make a dollar or improve their homes. or send resume to Suite 1350 Beneficial Life Tower, Operate in the red Salt Lake City .Utah 841 11 Under Utah law, nursing homes must be non-prof- it business, McFall explained. But this should not prevent the home from making the atmosphere a pleasant one for its clients, nor force it to operate in the red, McFall claims. But the state pinches defining cost, McFall continued. "One of the most riduculous rulings by the state says sending flowers to the funeral of a pennies in patient who passed away at the facility doesn't constitute cost. Its a minor problem compared with the others, but a large number of our clients dont have families. Valiev View Nursing Home in Mcndou wasthebrunt of another state ruling this year when owner Sidney Larson opted to get out of the business and lease the facility to someone else. No return in Investment New administrator Barbara Adams told the Enterprise the state has forbidden Larson to accrue any money through In the lease of his home. other words, he is forbidden from making any profit on his investment and is allowed to charge only the amount which will satisfy the monthly mort- gage payment, insurance and tax costs on the property. Hes getting roughly 10 percent less than we originally agreed upon for monthly lease payments, Adams exTheres no sense plained. being in the business for sentiment, yet hes only breaking even on his long-term A one word guide to selling your business. investment. Steve and Marsha Lassen administrators of the El Rancho home in Payson, are faced with a double bind due to a state ruling which requires them to have the home agreement can be made. Forced out of business Marsha Lassen explained that she and her husband became administrators at El Rancho when owner Dean Wignall was forced out of business because the state reimbursed him only $14 a patient day for Medicare and Medicaid patients who actually cost him $16 a day to support. Were not drawing salaries and monthly lease payments arc made with a promissory note, she said. "This way, we can keep our heads above water. Hopefully, when we have the facility appraised, the state will allow us to increase our prices. Lassen said the state has demanded an MAI appraisal of the property before a price increase can be allowed. That will cost us about $13,000, Lassen added. Although the state says it will reimburse us for that cost, we will actually receive only a 50 percent reimbursement since 50 percent of our patients are not Medicaid or Medicare. She claimed the home was keeping above water only by charging the patients $3 or $4 more each day than the state patients. McFall said as the home owners or administrators face financial crises of their own, the patients will face a stark and uneventful Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. Presents and candies, decorations and parties arc McFall lamentjust don't come under the state 'cost' listing, and owners may not be able to afford to dig into their own pockets for their clients this holiday season. not allowed, ed. Those appraised before a lease MFj ctcpai uiTiiucimiin igftLLli.vkii.viJi (T Dont. One reason is we bring you a lot more than just local prospects. Our referral system link with other off ices brings you valuable buyers from out of town and out of state. Prospects you cant get with anyone else. And those buyers are qualified. With all this going for you, you stand a much better chance of getting the price you want for your business. sold my business without ;i hassle thanks to UBI. 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