USA Today Report Blasts Nursing Home Data Accessibility On the Heels of Proposed Industry Reforms

The Biden administration wants to make information surrounding nursing home ownership and conditions more publicly accessible. Reporting released by USA Today this week could add fuel to that fire.

The report stems from the publication’s nursing home project, where USA Today researchers combed through various databases to generate their findings.

Described as a “first-of-its-kind analysis” revealing “ownership webs” invisible to consumer, the nursing home project took a closer look at performance from October 2020 to February 2021 by combing through COVID-19 surveillance data and other statistics from the John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

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The reporters focused specifically on Trilogy Health Services as it was found to have the highest death rates reported by any large nursing home chain during that time frame.

The report showed that during the country’s COVID-19 surge last winter, when 71,000 nursing home residents died, Trilogy’s numbers ‘stood out’ as initial reports revealed 7.0 deaths per 1,000 compared to the national average of 3.3 deaths per thousand.

In response to the report, Trilogy told the publication that the company had mistakenly reported hundreds of deaths relating to the COVID-19 surge last winter and provided USA Today with data that showed far higher staffing levels than what was reported.

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Trilogy said an independent third-party firm reviewed an internal audit the company recently performed of its National Healthcare Safety Network reporting, confirming corrections it made to the site.

“The COVID-19 reporting system throughout the pandemic regarding case counts and fatalities has been rife with error and confusion,” Trilogy CEO Leigh Ann Barney said in an email to SNN. “This has included shifting guidance from public health officials and regulators, as well as varying requirements by state. In some cases, it appears data has been double counted. Improvements clearly need to be made in the reporting process so obvious shortcomings are not repeated in the future.”

Report links poor care quality to REIT ownership

The report further exposed data highlighting Trilogy’s reportedly poor care quality since American Health Care REIT took over.

Trilogy Health Services is owned by American Healthcare REIT, and is considered the real estate investment trust’s “primary source of growth” in the SNF market. American owns 73% of Trilogy.

Last October American Healthcare REIT was formed after a merger between Griffin-American Healthcare REIT III (GAHR III) and IV (GAHR IV), and the acquisition of American Healthcare Investors (AHI).

In the years after the REIT takeover, staffing cuts increased, USA Today found in its review of federally filed expense reports.

The publication also claims that despite a high COVID-19 death toll, the REIT’s stock continued to rise.

Now with a $4 billion portfolio and potentially “the largest healthcare REIT listing in history”, a 158-page annual REIT financial report from 2021 shows Trilogy’s share of the company reported $107 million in net operating income, the news organization reported.

Requests for comment from American Healthcare REIT by SNN were not returned.

Correction: An error was made in regards to Trilogy’s audit of its National Healthcare Safety Network data. SNN regrets this error.

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