Zachary Gray, CEO and owner of Revive Health Senior Care Management LLC, has been named a 2022 Future Leader by Skilled Nursing News.

The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of senior housing, skilled nursing, home health and hospice care. To see this year’s future leaders, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.

Gray sat down with Skilled Nursing news to talk about his biggest lesson learned since first joining the industry and why the sector will remain much the same without major technological innovations and regulatory changes.

SNN: What drew you to this industry?

Zachary: During college I had a lot of wonderful opportunities to work at different organizations, and one of those jobs was in a skilled nursing facility. At the time, I was just trying to find a job that I enjoyed, and my plan was to get exposure to as many different facets of the health care world as I could. Initially, I thought I would enjoy a policy position, but after working for six months as a public policy intern, I thought I’d try something out of the office. After that, I tried working in a hospital ER but I didn’t really get to know any patients. When I first worked in the skilled nursing setting, I found I really enjoyed meeting all the different residents, and there was ample time to meet them before they were discharged home. There was a nice balance between office work and walking around and interacting with residents. Over the years, it has been the interactions with the residents that have kept me most engaged and passionate about being in the industry. Whenever I’m having a bad day, or feeling frustrated, I just walk around the building and go talk to the residents, and it almost always improves my day.

SNN: What’s your biggest lesson learned since starting to work in this industry?

When I first joined the industry, I did not fully appreciate how difficult it was to be a housekeeper or nursing assistant. In retrospect, I think I took those positions for granted. The longer I have worked in skilled nursing, the more appreciation I have developed for the front line workforce, and how difficult their jobs can be; not just physically, but also mentally in terms of the daily grind of some assignments. Unfortunately, there has been almost zero improvement (from my perspective) in the work assignments for these staff members since I started in the industry almost 20 years ago. These team members really deserve a lot more in terms of pay and respect.

SNN: If you could change one thing with an eye toward the future of skilled nursing, what would it be?

If I could change one thing in skilled nursing it would be the survey process. As it is currently structured, I think the process creates an unproductive tension between providers and regulators, and over time, I think it has driven a lot of really good people out of the industry. In some respects, the regulations have stifled innovation.

SNN: What do you foresee as being different about the skilled nursing industry looking ahead to 2023?

Labor continues to be most providers’ number one challenge. In 2023, I think providers are going to have to adapt to the lack of staff in inventive ways. There could be some significant paradigm shifts in the industry, and hopefully the changes do not negatively impact care. There are technological innovations on the horizon, like briefs that notify staff when wet, or sensors that notify when someone falls. However, these innovations are still not ready for large-scale use. Sooner, rather than later, I think they will enter the market and change the way we operate skilled nursing facilities.

SNN: In a word, how would you describe the future of skilled nursing?

“Same”. I think that skilled nursing facilities are an integral part of the health care delivery system, and until there are major technological innovations and regulatory changes, they will remain much the same. Keeping residents well cared for and facilities clean takes a simple, pragmatic approach. Operators struggle to innovate, as they are very busy with regulatory oversight. I think regulations will need to change significantly before any mass scale innovation happens. Until that time, SNFs will operate much the same as they have the last 20 years.