As part of a slew of clemency grants announced by the White House on December 22, President Donald Trump commuted a 20-year prison sentence for Philip Esformes, who used to control a network of skilled nursing and assisted living facilities running from Miami to Chicago. The remaining parts of Esformes’ sentence, including supervised release and […]
Year: 2020
The year 2020 will be forever marked by a disease named for the year prior to it, especially for the skilled nursing sector. COVID-19 dominated the headlines at outlets and publications ranging from here at Skilled Nursing News up to the New York Times. In a deluge of updates and regulatory changes, keeping track of […]
With two COVID-19 vaccines officially authorized for use, the immunization of health care workers and long-term care facility residents is finally underway in earnest. The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) to Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) COVID-19 vaccine on December 11 and to Moderna’s (Nasdaq: MRNA) on December 18. There are several considerations […]
The new spending bill passed by Congress on Monday night, which includes $900 billion in COVID-19 relief, also contains some respite for cuts to Medicare Part B that posed a significant threat to therapy operations in skilled nursing facilities. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 is now awaiting President Trump’s signature, and it includes a […]
This article is sponsored by BD. In this Voices interview, Skilled Nursing News sits down with Chuck Cooper, BD’s Global Vice President of Medical and Scientific Affairs for Integrated Diagnostics Solutions to get his take on how BD is supporting the skilled nursing industry throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically with its widespread and direct distribution […]
Congress reached an agreement on a new COVID-19 relief package on Sunday, but for skilled nursing providers, the measures in the bill are at best a preliminary step toward the aid necessary for them to survive the aftershocks of a grueling year. The bill, which runs to almost 6,000 pages and had not been finalized […]
Each year, Skilled Nursing News uses the end of December to look back on the stories that shaped the previous 12 months. In the past, the exercise has occasionally revealed a few forgotten surprises from the year that was, though SNN’s lists of most-read stories often have a recurring theme. For the past two years, […]
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found “significant problems” with the managed long-term supports and services (MLTSS) covered by Medicaid and implemented through contracts with managed care organizations. The GAO made the discovery in a recent review of six states. In the report, which was released publicly on December 16, the GAO recommended a […]
A picture is becoming all too common with the renewed rise in COVID cases in SNFs and other senior care facilities: a staff member at your SNF tests positive for COVID-19, thus triggering the facility’s testing protocols including immediate contact tracing. This is a time-intensive process, leading to increased testing and anxiety among residents and […]
There’s no easy way to look back over 2020 in the skilled nursing sector. That’s both in the sense of the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the sense of trying to review it in a way that would make lead to any meaningful conclusions. There are so many critical areas to examine: the treatment of workers […]
Starting New Year’s Day, payment rates for occupational, speech, and physical therapy for Medicare Part B will be cut by up to 9%. Skilled nursing facilities will have to take a hard look at these services, a ripple effect that could have big implications for third-party vendors. The cuts come on top of pivotal changes […]
There will be countless attempts to sum up the horror of COVID-19 — both in nursing homes and society at large — in the coming years, once we’re collectively a safe enough distance away from the peak of the crisis to process what we’ve seen and heard. We at Skilled Nursing News, like most people, […]
With one COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and another likely to gain approval soon, the end of the pandemic could be coming into view. In the meantime, though, testing remains a critical element of the response, particularly for skilled nursing facilities, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) […]
Skilled nursing and senior living landlord LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) will reduce rent escalators for its tenants by 50% in 2021, the real estate investment trust (REIT) announced Thursday. The move will bring a $560,000 revenue hit to the Westlake Village, Calif.-based LTC for the first quarter of the new year, along with a $1.4 […]
A December survey of more than 900 nursing home providers —conducted by one of the largest trade groups in the sector — found that 65% of providers are operating at a loss or negative margin, while just 34% believe they can sustain operations for more than a year. The December survey was conducted by the […]
The growth in U.S. spending on nursing home care lagged behind gains in overall health expenditures — as well as the increase in cash spent on care at home and in hospitals — according to the most recent update to an annual analysis of American health care costs. The United States spent a collective $172.2 […]
The federal government on Wednesday announced an expansion of the third phase of COVID-19 relief for health care providers, specifically releasing an extra $1.1 billion to nursing homes. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) decided to boost its Phase 3 funding total from $20 billion to $24 billion after determining that the initial […]
Of all the systemic flaws that led to the still-unfolding disaster in American nursing homes, the design of the buildings themselves stands among the most plainly visible. Shared rooms where residents live up to four abreast, with double occupancy still the norm in most facilities. Communal bathrooms where, in addition to suffering the indignity of […]
A bipartisan group of senators released a stimulus plan on Monday consisting of two different aid packages, $748 billion and $160 billion apiece — one of which includes a controversial liability protection for health care providers and other businesses. The latter aid package contains parameters, favored by business interests of multiple stripes, on liability for […]
The emergency use authorization (EUA) granted to Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) COVID-19 vaccine late on Friday launched a flurry of promises and commitments to get the vaccine out to vulnerable long-term care residents as quickly as possible. Alex Azar, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) suggested on Sunday in an interview […]
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