Wartburg Executives Speak at Annual Meeting of the Nation’s Premier Aging Services Organization
Mount Vernon, NY, November 15, 2012 – David Gentner, President and CEO of The Wartburg Adult Care Community, and Dorothea Bell, Vice President of Human Resources, were tapped for their expertise to speak on October 24, 2012, at the annual meeting of the LeadingAge, the nation’s premier association of aging services organizations.
Mr. Gentner’s timely topic was “Ensuring Financial Viability in an Era of Healthcare Reform,” and he used The Wartburg as a case study. “Our long-term goal,” he said, “is to become a sustainable, nationally-recognized and fully-integrated provider of care and housing to seniors throughout the Greater New York region. That goal is what shapes our efforts at financial viability.”
Anticipating reform, The Wartburg several years ago developed a strategic planning process, which involved harnessing the knowledge of its board, retaining an outside consultant and interviewing key constituents about their needs.
“Among the biggest upcoming reforms is Medicaid,” Gentner said. “It is being redesigned in our state, and that will have a major impact, especially the mandatory enrollment of Medicaid patients in managed care. We think of this as an opportunity, and we will self-insure as a managed care plan to cover our patients.”
As a result of the strategic planning process, The Wartburg aims to expand geographically, develop and build new organizational resources, focus efforts to create and expand home and community-based services, develop formal brand management/marketing strategies and turn to the Wartburg Foundation for support in some initiatives – all of which support its long-term financial viability.
Dorothea Bell spoke at the session on “Wage and Hour Compliance Solutions” and talked about federal and state wage and hour laws and regulations, how to resolve wage and hours disputes and how to develop strategies to protect organizations from wage and hour claims and investigations.
“Many providers do not realize that one of the biggest threats to any health care organization is the threat of a wage/hour class action,” she said. “In the last two years, 90% of all employment class actions have been wage/hour cases, many of which result in six- and seven-figure verdicts and settlements. Healthcare employers are particularly vulnerable.”
The Wartburg Adult Care Community is affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and is located on a 34-acre campus in Mount Vernon, NY. It has served the long-term health care needs of the elderly since 1972. The Wartburg provides ministries of healing and hope through an array of services: day adult services, long-term home health care, licensed home care, assisted and independent living, long-term skilled nursing, subacute rehabilitation, respite and hospice care, caregiver support, speakers bureau and community relations, pastoral care, Alzheimer’s and dementia care, Eldersource, Lifeline and is a Project Lifesaver Bracelet Servicing Site.