Ensign Group Acquires Three More Nursing Homes; Genevive, Medica Expand I-SNP to 140 Buildings

Skilled nursing giant The Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) on Tuesday announced the acquisition of three new skilled nursing facilities in Colorado.

The San Juan Capistrano, Calif.-based Ensign picked up the following three facilities as of April 1:

• The 140-bed Boulder Canyon Health and Rehabilitation in Boulder
• The 76-bed Berthoud Care and Rehabilitation in Berthoud
• The 106-bed South Valley Post Acute Rehabilitation in Denver

The three facilities, all subject to a long-term triple-net lease, will be operated by Endura Healthcare, Inc., Ensign’s Colorado subsidiary.

“Each of these operations is well situated to become the operation-of-choice in their markets,” Endura president Dave Jorgensen said in a statement. “We are excited to work together with our health care partners as we strive to provide top-notch care for our patients and their families.”

Ensign now manages 235 facilities in 13 states, with continued plans to grow despite the pandemic; the operator is notable for refunding all of the federal aid that it had received amid continued record financial quarters during 2020.

“We are pleased to be adding these operations to our Colorado portfolio and look forward to the contribution they will make to our same store operations in the state,” Ensign CEO Barry Port said in the statement.

Eduro Begins Managing Montana Vets’ Home

Eduro Healthcare this week announced its takeover of the Southwest Montana Veterans Home in Butte, which accepted its first new resident this past March 8.

The Utah-based Eduro inked a long-term deal to run the new facility, which will feature 60 beds across five residential “pods,” along with a community center.

“It is an honor to give back to those who have served our country, and look forward to managing this amazing property,” Eduro managing partner Brian Ramos said in a statement.

Founded in 2008, Eduro now manages 23 facilities across 10 states, recently picking up a quartet of buildings in Texas. The company also manages a pair of facilities in Montana outside of the veterans’ home, with locations in Helena and Clancy.

“This opportunity is special for me because my father is a proud veteran and also manages all purchasing for our company,” managing partner Michael Bewsey said in the statement. “We honor veterans for their service and try to give back wherever possible.”

Genevive, Medica Expand I-SNP Offering

Medica, a Minnesota-based health plan, this week announced the expansion of its Institutional Special Needs Plan (I-SNP) with its care coordination partner, Genevive.

The two companies added 10 new providers to their existing I-SNP network, which now covers 140 long-term care and assisted living facilities in 12 counties.

I-SNPs emerged in the pre-pandemic period as a potentially beneficial strategy for long-term care providers interested in taking greater control over reimbursements.

The special Medicare Advantage plans cover seniors in institutional care settings such as nursing homes and assisted living communities; Medica’s strategy includes partnering with Genevive to provide a higher level of integrated care and transition support, among other services.

“Medica has been very pleased with the partnership with Genevive and providers in our PartnerCare initiative,” Medica senior vice president and general manager of government programs Tom Lindquist said in a statement. “We’ve worked together for many years and understand the needs of aging seniors with long-term chronic illnesses and challenges. We are seeing encouraging outcomes and look forward to helping more seniors in additional counties live their fullest lives possible.”