4 Skilled Nursing CEOs Share Early Look at Plans, Priorities For 2023

As nursing home operators continue to tackle the host of issues that have challenged them throughout 2022, many have set their sights on what’s in store for the year ahead.

Industry-wide staffing shortages, an ever changing regulatory environment and record inflation will likely remain pain points for the sector heading into the new year, but some top executives believe there will be more room to innovate and take advantage of new opportunities to provide quality resident care as the pandemic reaches its tail end.

Skilled Nursing News asked four CEOs to outline their plans for the next year, and how tackling these goals would propel their companies forward.

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In our managed communities, 2022 has been a year where we have seen a return to normalcy in many ways, including census rebounding, broader operational focus and most importantly, vibrancy back to resident life. We look to 2023 at HDG as a launch from this return to normalcy to our new future with seven new communities welcomed to the HDG family in 2022, and several more planned for early 2023. We also see continuing record growth in our consulting practice providing services to post-acute, long-term and senior care providers, payors and hospitals across the country.

We have seen the growth in a few key consulting service areas including troubled long-term and senior care assets needing operational oversight and turnaround services, post-acute discharge delays from hospital and health system driving post-acute strategy development and significant growth in need for workforce support and strategy. Our goal is to be able to continue this growth and support of the market by expanding our services and teams.

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While we head into this new year at the the tail end of a pandemic, what seems to be the middle of a national workforce crisis and facing record inflation, our goal is to remain laser focused on what we can control: our discipline to the four key pillars of HDG’s Caring Above and Beyond™ — excellence in quality and customer service, for our people, in our financial performance and our sales & marketing.

— Erin Shvetzoff Hennessey, CEO, Health Dimensions Group (HDG)

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Since joining Consulate as CEO one year ago, I have been blessed to work with a great team of people. I was inspired by the vision of an organization focused on the success of the local market providers and not the big company, a philosophy I have subscribed to throughout my career. This past year has been filled with some exciting new changes that are leading to better outcomes overall, but we are also still facing some challenges that need to be overcome. Through all of this, however, our vision is clear. We will ensure a successful future by ensuring our local markets have the support and resources to provide best in class care, where it matters most, at the bedside.

How do we accomplish this? At a macro level, we are focused on three things:

1. Connecting People – our mission is “Providing Service with our Hearts and Hands” because we recognize that everything we do is through the hearts and hands of others. We are people taking care of people, and that includes our staff as much as it does our residents, patients and families. The pandemic has taken an unprecedented toll on our teams. It is more important than ever that employee care holds the same priority as patient care. We are investing in leadership training, succession planning, Growing Our Own programs, recognition and reward platforms, and a brand new Core Value program that truly connects our teams to patients and families, to our local communities, and ultimately, to our organization in a meaningful way. Our Core Values will help us re-connect to our “why” and use that to fuel our passion, perseverance and positive approach to the future.

2. Progression – It is imperative that we learn from the past, and then let it go! We have to move on from Covid and the mindset that at times has held us back. This requires that we change our perspective. Our past helps to shape our vision for the present and the future, but it does not dictate what our future will be. I see this as a top priority as CEO. Setting a clear vision and expectation for the future is the goal of our 2022 Leadership Tour that kicked off on Oct. 26. Our executive team is holding local market meetings with every executive director and director of nursing across our five regions to clearly communicate our vision for the future and what their role is in helping us get there, while providing them with the tools and resources to be successful as leaders. This will continue to be what drives our goals and strategic plans into and beyond 2023.

3. Best In Class – Through all of the changes and challenges, our vision is clear. We will ensure a successful future by ensuring our local markets have the support and resources to provide best in class care, where it matters most, at the bedside. We are laser-focused on improving and maintaining 5 STAR standards, including quality measures, RTH, and survey outcomes. Investing in our people who are providing the care is also an investment in patient care, so we are actively revising and creating action plans that prioritize training, education and implementation around the new Requirements of Participation to ensure that we meet and exceed the standards.

I firmly believe that all of these initiatives are vital to our goal of being the provider of choice across the communities we serve and I am excited to be leading Consulate into an era of positive change and growth.

— Jeron Walker, CEO, Consulate Health Care

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As we conclude the year and shift into the next, we are grateful to have grown and accomplished so much within the organization. We have had several key priorities and look forward to propelling into some new areas of opportunity as the new year kicks off. We have and will continue to be mindful of Covid and the responsibility required of us as operators. However, as restrictions have loosened, it provides us the time to wrap our arms around new objectives and goals.

The Majestic Difference, a comprehensive benefits package, will complete its first full year of implementation. The Majestic Difference had a direct correlation to the reduction and utilization of agency staff across our communities. The reduction of agency staff is valuable to our Care Team growth as we enhance the bench strength and workforce by investing in those that have joined the journey. We are dedicated in providing career pathways for all our Care Team and believe this will result in reenergized care givers in the industry to make long and lasting impact in the field. We will look to expand our first year of our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee to find ways to expand the engagement within our culture and have positive impact on our Care Team Culture.

While our Care Team is the heart of who we are, the quality of care delivered to the residents we are privileged to serve is the soul of our organization. We provide compassion, understanding, respect and a person-centered approach to all we do. We are committed to bringing the basics back to improve quality measures and quality care. We will continue to look at the updated ROP’s, adjust to the new regulatory environment and improve through the use of an enhanced QAPI program. We are excited as we continue to invest and seek new technology in resources to assist us meet the commitment of exceptional care. Quality care and quality measures provide trajectory on many levels for years to come.

Our culture is committed to our Care Team and this extends into personal and professional growth. Professional growth is something we challenged our Care Team with this year. We invested in Disney Institute training for our leaders and believe that continued growth, especially as the industry evolves, is something that we must have a pulse on and seek to pursue. Joining the journey requires change, an investment to learn, rooted growth and a desire to improve. Undertaking the responsibility of professional growth is something I continue to shoulder as the CEO, looking internally to become more knowledgeable and influential.

Majestic Care will celebrate its fifth anniversary in 2023. We remain steadfast in keeping our Care Team at the heart of all that we do. As we end this year with our first Care Team Member satisfaction survey, we look forward to and value the anticipated feedback. Our commitment in continuing to enhance our culture by listening to the voice of each Care Team member will drive our next steps and provide insight and navigation. Each Care Team member has a voice that matters and we know our organization is stronger because we listen.

— Bernie McGuinness, CEO, Majestic Care

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Navigating the skilled nursing space — with its ever-changing state and federal governmental regulations, publicly funded reimbursement challenges and work staff shortages — can seem nearly impossible.

However, when you build from the basics of strong values, listen to the input of your staff and always keep the ultimate patient and family experience in mind, it becomes much clearer how to create meaningful programs that drive quality outcomes.

Particularly in skilled nursing where innovation can sometimes slip to the back burner, the ability to pivot quickly and support new initiatives is one of the biggest differentiators a company can have.

That said, 2023’s vision strongly focuses on innovation through strategic vendor partnerships, assisting others with distressed property management, and introducing technology in new ways to the organization.

As CEO, I believe in partnership. I mean partnership that is not just bound to a best pricing structure, but partnership that is forged in strong bonds of shared vision, equal risk and positive outcomes for all parties.

Mission Health will continue to work with its strategic partners in 2023 to enhance services, control costs and boost engagement across the portfolio. In fact, as these partnerships become more defined, we can take what we learned and bring these relationships with us to assist other senior living organizations that may be languishing under receivership, struggling with clinical or financial strain, or are simply the wrong management company for the marketplace.

Technology within the skilled nursing space has taken off in ways still yet to be imagined. Mission Health’s ability to care for its residents, staff and other stakeholders will continue to be enhanced in the coming year. Technology like telemedicine and bedside care efficiencies are exciting areas that we are exploring — and for our more rural communities, connectivity advancements for virtual nursing education and certifications. These programs not only positively impact residents but provide career path opportunities for staff as we work our way through staffing shortages.

I believe in never losing sight of the experience of those served — it is what sets Mission Health apart – “what we do and how we do it” is the inspiration and motivation of each day, and the Mission Health CARES values (Character, Attitude, Respect, Excellent, Service) are what support and propel the Mission Experience forward in new and exciting ways. The workplace environment is one of collaboration – whether through strategic partnership, assisting properties in crisis, or embracing technology. I believe these initiatives will serve Mission Health well in the coming year.

– Stuart Lindeman, CEO, Mission Health Communities

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