Since its founding in 2019, the McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards program has become the premier recognition program for women long-term care professionals of all experience levels

Eligible for recognition are women working as direct care providers, managers, executives, corporate executives and owners in independent living, assisted living, memory care and life plan communities. That’s in addition to those working in those capacities in skilled nursing facilities and in home care, home health, hospice and palliative care. 

Women who serve the fields indirectly — for instance as association staff members, academicians or thought leaders — also are eligible for recognition. Individuals working for vendor companies serving the industry are not eligible.

The early nomination deadline hits Jan. 5, 2024. Entries thereafter will be charged a late fee during a short window.

Since the program began in 2019, some 252 women leaders in the fields of skilled nursing, senior living and home care have been honored across multiple award categories.

The nomination categories are:

• Hall of Honor: Candidates should be senior-level professionals in the C-suite or at a level equivalent to vice president or higher and should have made a significant impact on their organization or the industry.
• Veteran VIP: Candidates should have more than 15 years of experience making an impact in long-term care and should be at a level lower than vice president or its equivalent.
• Rising Star: Candidates must be 40 or younger or have fewer than 15 years of experience in the profession.
• Spirit Award: This award recognizes inspiring caregiving and service provision efforts. Nominations in this category are free. Eligibility is open to women who have demonstrated acts of bravery, courage, perseverance, dedication, determination — or have made other noble gestures.

A Lifetime Achievement Award winner also will be named.

Nominations for the Rising Star, Veteran VIP and Hall of Honor categories (described below) that are submitted by Jan. 5 will have an $89 entry fee. Nominations in the week after that will cost $20 more.

The program, now in its sixth year, is coordinated by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care.

All honorees, past and present, will be honored at an in-person event Tuesday, May 14, in Chicago. Information about the event, which includes a companion summit with educational sessions, is available now at mcknightswomenofdistinction.com.

For more information about the awards, or to submit a nomination for a deserving leader, visit mcknightswomenofdistinction.com.

Questions should be directed to Amanda Hassler, director of events for Haymarket Media, the parent company of McKnight’s, at amanda.hassler@haymarketmedia.com.

Read about previous award winners here. See lists of previous classes of honorees here and here.

Sponsors of the 2024 awards program include Curana Health, DirecTV for Business, Healthcare Services Group, PharMerica and Priority Life Care.

Then, we want to see if your concerns match those of your colleagues’ around the country. Please help us do that. There are multiple potential payoffs for taking part.

It takes just a handful of mouse-clicks to take the 2024 McKnight’s Annual Outlook survey. It’s free, it’s anonymous and it will not only lead to story coverage in the week ahead, it will help us frame coverage for the months and all of 2024.

Please click on the link now to get your “voice” tallied among the aggregate answers. A $25 Amazon gift card will be given to 20 lucky winners in a drawing after the survey closes.

We’re looking for leaders to share candid thoughts on how you and your facility view regulatory, clinical and payment changes coming down the pike. How optimistic are you? What coming challenges are keeping you up at night?

We know it’s a busy time of year, so head right on over to the questionnaire.

The nomination period for the 6th Annual McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is at its midpoint, a good timeto pull together key materials soon if they haven’t been already, organizers remind.

The program honors outstanding leaders in three experience categories. 

Eligible for recognition in the sector’s prestigious competition are women working as executives, managers, direct care providers and owners in independent living, assisted living, memory care and life plan communities. Also eligible are those working in those capacities in skilled nursing facilities and in home care, home health, hospice and palliative care. 

Women who serve the fields indirectly — for instance as association staff members, academicians or thought leaders — also are eligible for recognition. Individuals working for vendor companies serving the industry are not eligible.

The program is jointly sponsored by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care. It will culminate with a grand awards ceremony and banquet in Chicago in May 2024.

The primary categories are the Hall of Honor (for senior level professionals), Veteran VIPs (for long-time leaders) and Rising Stars (for less experienced individuals). There also will be a Lifetime Achievement Award honoree and others receiving the McKnight’s Spirit Award.

“With the year-end holidays approaching, it’s a great time to consult the entry form and realize how easy it is to get a respected colleague, mentor or friend entered,” said John O’Connor, McKnight’s vice president and editorial director. “A little bit of preparation goes a long way.”

Nominators are encouraged to provide detailed qualitative and quantitative information about nominees’ work histories, exceptional achievements and contributions or service, extracurricular highlights and anything else the judging panel should consider.

The first deadline for nominations for the Rising Star, Veteran VIP and Hall of Honor categories is Friday, Jan. 5. Nominations submitted between Jan. 6 and Jan. 9 will add a $20 late fee.

A Lifetime Achievement Award winner also will be named by organizers.

All honorees will be celebrated at an in-person event on Tuesday, May 14, in Chicago that also will recognize inductees from previous years. Some information about the event, which also will include educational sessions, is available now at mcknightswomenofdistinction.com. Additional details will be announced at a later date.

For more information about the awards, or to submit a nomination for them, visit mcknightswomenofdistinction.com.

Questions should be directed to Amanda Hassler, director of events for Haymarket Media, the parent company of McKnight’s, at amanda.hassler@haymarketmedia.com.

Read about previous award winners here. See lists of previous classes of honorees here.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) will delve into the adequacy of skilled nursing facility payment levels at the panel’s annual December meeting next Friday morning.

SNFs will be one of a handful of healthcare-related groups learning what their recommended pay levels should be during MedPAC sessions Thursday and Friday (Dec. 7-8).

By law, the congressional advisory body must meet and review Medicare’s fee-for-service payment policies and make recommendations for the next fiscal year. MedPAC has recommended trimming SNF reimbursements every year in recent memory, though the politicians they advise have remained resistant to doing so.

Effects of ongoing staffing shortages, which could be exacerbated by a federal minimum staffing mandate that’s been proposed, could be a key topic of discussion. Commissioners are expected to discuss beneficiaries’ access to SNF care, quality of care, SNFs’ access to capital, and the relationship between Medicare’s payments and SNFs’ costs.

MedPAC’s December 2023 public meeting will be held virtually via video conference on the GoToWebinar platform.

Given the limited number of registrants allowed for each session, officials recommend signing up only for sessions that one is able to attend.

The SNF-discussion session can be signed up for here.

Also discussed that morning will be home health care and inpatient rehab facility services.

Physician and other healthcare services will be discussed at Thursday morning’s session, while that day’s afternoon session will dig into payments for hospital inpatient and outpatient, hospice and outpatient dialysis services.More on the MedPAC meetings next week can be found at the group’s website.

Join us on Tuesday, Nov. 14, starting at 10:30 a.m. ET and earn up to three CE credits while you learn how to attract workers to a modern careforce, budget for staffing over the last few weeks of the year, and better understand the role independent workers can play.

Register here, and learn more about the three sessions below:

Session 1 at 10:30 a.m. ET

Modern careforce: What they’re looking for and current trends

During this webinar, sponsored by KARE, you will:

•  Uncover the potential of AI in workforce recruitment and retention.
•  Gain a deeper understanding of where you can derive maximum value and engagement from your workforce as you build both traditional and non-traditional benefits programs.
•  Discover how to create and sustain a robust careforce through third party staffing.
•  Equip yourself to dispel the myths surrounding caregivers true preferences from their employers.

Speakers include Evan Kuo, regional vice president at KARE; Catie Ramp, president & CEO at Georgia Senior Living Association; and Serina Durrah, vice president of operations at Phoenix Senior Living.

Session 2 at 12:00 p.m. ET

In this session sponsored by Intelycare, you will learn how to:

• Best manage staffing spend in the final 6 weeks of the year
• Budget appropriately for this high-demand period
• Position their facilities for a solid start to 2024

Speakers include Landa Stricklin, director of clinical consulting, Richter Healthcare Consulting; Jennifer Richter, president & CEO of Richter Healthcare Consulting; and Sean Carney, vice president of client Services for Intelycare.

Session 3 at 1:30 p.m. ET

How independent workers are supporting the healthcare workforce

During this webinar, sponsored by ShiftKey, attendees will learn:

• The value of the independent worker model and its relevance to healthcare,
• How independent professionals can help combat burnout and improve retention.
• Ways to implement strategic scheduling to attain consistent staffing levels.

Speakers are Regan Parker, chief legal and public affairs officer at ShiftKey, and Brandon Tappan, chief revenue officer at ShiftKey.

If you’re counting today, you have less than three days to finish your nomination in the 2024 McKnight’s Pinnacle Awards program. Nominations must be in by midnight Sunday (Nov. 5), which closes the late-filing window, organizers remind.

The good news is, outstanding veterans of long-term care are easily identifiable and the entry process is straightforward and relatively basic. Check the entry form here.

“There are outstanding, dedicated leaders worthy of this recognition in just about every high-quality company in the field,” observed McKnight’s Associate Publisher and Editorial Director John O’Connor. “This is a wonderful, fitting way to honor colleagues, mentors and others who are looked up to.”

To recap many of the salient points: The Pinnacle Awards honor outstanding long-term care leaders with 20 or more years of experience in skilled nursing, senior living or home care who are setting new standards, driving change, providing guidance and inspiring others in the industry.

Nominations are judged by an independent panel of national experts.

Now in its second year, the program kicked off with a rousing start last year by honoring some of the most well-known, as well as numerous lower-profile, long-term care leaders around. You can check out coverage of the 2023 celebration and winners here.

The 2024 finalists will be announced Dec. 11. Winners will be recognized at an in-person gala awards ceremony and banquet March 21, 2024, at the iconic Ivy Room in Chicago.Learn more about the awards and nominate someone at mcknightspinnacleawards.com or here.

The award categories for nominations are:

• Setting the Standard Award
• Agent of Change Award
• Inspiration Award
• Thought Leader Award
• Unsung Hero Award

• Industry Ally (for elected officials, high-level government administrators, trade group members, analysts, influential academics or researchers, other thought leaders, etc.)
• Business Partner (for vendors/sponsors that have helped move the sector forward)

In addition, one Career Achievement Award will be bestowed, as determined by program organizers. Read about the 2023 Career Achievement Award winner, Robert Kramer, here.

The program is coordinated by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care.

Organizers have announced that the late entry period for McKnight’s Pinnacle Awards nominations has entered its final week. Submissions may be made through midnight Sunday, Nov. 5.

The entry portal for the awards program — which honors long-term care veterans with 20 or more years of work experience — can be found at mcknightspinnacleawards.com.

Read about the 2023 celebration and winners here.

The Pinnacle Awards recognize skilled nursing, senior living and home care industry veterans who are setting new standards, driving change, providing guidance and inspiring others in the industry. 

The award categories for nominations are:

• Setting the Standard Award
• Agent of Change Award
• Inspiration Award
• Thought Leader Award
• Unsung Hero Award

• Industry Ally (for elected officials, high-level government administrators, trade group members, analysts, influential academics or researchers, other thought leaders, etc.)
• Business Partner (for vendors/sponsors that have helped move the sector forward)

In addition, one Career Achievement Award will be bestowed, as determined by program organizers. Read about the 2023 Career Achievement Award winner, Robert Kramer, here.

The 2024 finalists will be announced Dec. 11. Winners will be recognized at an in-person gala awards ceremony and banquet March 21, 2024, at the iconic Ivy Room in Chicago.Learn more about the awards and nominate someone at mcknightspinnacleawards.com or here.

The program is coordinated by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care.

Former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) will be the keynote headliner at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the National Investment Center for the Seniors Housing & Care Industry conference in Chicago. 

A previous NIC speaker, Ryan will touch on the business and political landscape. He will also ring in on the current state of affairs in the House of Representatives, which has foundered without a House Speaker since Kevin McCarthy was historically forced out Oct. 3.

The 2012 running mate of presidential candidate Mitt Romney, Ryan served as Speaker of the House from 2015 to 2019. He “possesses unparalleled insights and experience across a wide range of transformative business, economic, policy and geopolitical issues, and their potential to reshape society,” NIC event organizers said.

“Speaker Ryan will provide an easily digestible explanation of the interconnectivity of all the elements in play in the current risk environment,” they noted. “He will thoughtfully outline potential scenarios for how pivotal policy decisions may play out and put forth practical action steps for developing solutions for tomorrow’s issues, today.”

The skilled nursing keynoter will be Phil Fogg Jr., CEO and president of Marquis Companies and immediate past board chairman of the American Health Care Association. He will speak at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. He will deliver “keen insights into how to not only survive, but thrive given the current challenges faced by the industry.”

“The skilled nursing sector has seen numerous challenges over the past few years, including pandemic impacts, regulatory changes, managed care expansion, staffing shortages and the move to home and community-based services. This tsunami of events is causing operational and financial hardship for operators and investors alike,” organizers note. “Despite these threats, the skilled nursing sector still presents opportunity for growth given the demographics of the aging population and the sector’s place in the post-acute healthcare delivery system.” 

All events at the NIC fall conference will take place Oct. 23-25 at the Sheraton Grand Chicago.

As usual, a variety of educational sessions of interest for skilled nursing, assisted living, independent living and other types of operators will take place. Topics will range from lending and finance practices to labor, regulatory and caregiving issues.

Visit the event website to learn more.

The respected awards program honors long-term care sector veterans in a broad range of categories. Winners will be celebrated both online and in print, and at an in-person awards banquet in March.

The Pinnacles recognize leaders who have been setting new standards, driving change, providing guidance and inspiring others. Last year’s inaugural class included professionals from more than a dozen states, with job titles ranging from nurse to CEO.

These “Best of the Best” awards are coordinated by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Home Care. Winners must have at least 20 years of experience and work in or around the skilled nursing, senior living, home care or other long-term care-related fields.

“This really is about showing appreciation for those among us who have done the field and themselves proud day in, day out — and they’ve done it year after year,” said McKnight’s Editorial Director John O’Connor.

The nominating categories are: 

• Setting the Standard Award
• Agent of Change Award
• Inspiration Award
• Thought Leader Award
• Unsung Hero Award

Pinnacle Awards also will given in these two categories:

• Industry Ally (for elected officials, high-level government administrators, trade group members, analysts, influential academics or researchers, other thought leaders, etc.)
• Business Partner (for vendors/sponsors that have helped move the sector forward)

Finalists will be announced Dec. 11. 

In addition, one Career Achievement Award will be bestowed, as chosen by program organizers. 

After Oct. 20, the entry period will remain open for two more weeks but with a late-entry fee added on. 

The gala awards banquet will be held March 21 at the iconic Ivy Room in Chicago.

Learn more and nominate a deserving candidate here. You can also read up on the 2022 inaugural class and the first Pinnacle Awards celebration at mcknights.com.

The LeadingAge conference and expo lands in Chicago Nov. 5-8 and will feature a handful of new wrinkles. One of the most notable will be a revamped exhibit hall experience, grouped into seven learning communities, each with a corresponding educational track. 

With “thought-provoking activations, collaborative spaces, and eateries to creatively interactive booths, every moment in E2 will be more experiential and less transactional than a traditional expo,” organizers said. Included will be “chef-inspired hot meals in spaces that feel like swanky downtown restaurants.”

Exhibits will be open 12-3:30 p.m. both Monday and Tuesday. All events will be held Nov. 5-8 at McCormick Place.

The annual convention kicks off with a Chicago Street Fest at 11 a.m. Sunday Nov. 5 and then blends into afternoon sessions at the convention center on Chicago’s lakefront.

The Monday morning sessions will be anchored by a keynote address by Arthur C. Brooks, a Harvard professor, social scientist, best-selling author and columnist at The Atlantic. Among other things, he is a co-author, along with Oprah Winfrey, of “Build the Life You Want.”

Karen Walrond will be the Tuesday morning keynoter. She is a nationally-recognized author and photographer who inspires others to find and celebrate their own uniqueness, through the power of storytelling. She has spoken around the world appearing on CNN, TEDxHouston, and the “Oprah Winfrey Show.” Through her book “The Beauty of Different,” her blog Chookooloonks, her e-books, online courses and in-person retreats, she impresses that individuals’ uniqueness, skills and stories have the power to connect in the “most beautifully different ways.”

Attendees will have the option of attending dozens of educational sessions, with the opportunity to earn up to 16 continuing education credits.

Numerous opportunities for member site visits, as well as many networking opportunities onsite also will be available.

Visit the LeadingAge conference website for more information or to register.