National Health Investors (NYSE: NHI) has made multiple pushes into skilled nursing as the calendar shifted from 2018 to 2019, with a specific eye toward higher-end rehab — and new construction. Before announcing its $50.3 million pickup of a Massachusetts senior housing complex with 164 skilled nursing beds this week, the real estate investment trust […]
Leaders from multiple segments of the post-acute and long-term care industry have expressed optimism about increased reimbursements under the new Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), but a survey of Skilled Nursing News readers revealed a much murkier picture. In the month of December, SNN asked our readership — which includes executives and other leaders at operators, […]
Greystone & Co. on Wednesday announced the origination of $78.5 million in financing for a 585-bed skilled nursing facility in the New York City suburb of Woodbury, N.Y. The firm originated the loan for the Cold Spring Hills Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) health care lending […]
A plan to fundamentally change the way the federal government funds Medicaid — which could lead to hundreds of billions in cuts — may be back on the table after seemingly dying two years ago. The Trump administration is currently mulling ways to convert Medicaid to a block-grant system, Politico reported late last week, reviving […]
Speech therapy has taken center stage in discussions about the new Medicare payment system for skilled nursing facilities, but therapists and operators say providers can’t ignore physical and occupational therapy services as they adapt. In the months after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the new Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), speech therapy […]
A small group of nursing home residents in New York City has seen concrete improvements in pain management and other medical issues through the use of medical marijuana — and as the drug becomes legal in more jurisdictions, the SNF residents of the future may come to expect it as part of their care plans. […]
The partial government shutdown has brought a multi-billion-dollar program for skilled nursing facility acquisitions and refinances to a halt, and the backlog could complicate deals long after the impasse eventually ends. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has stopped endorsing loans, the final step toward closing deals through the Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) […]
While remaining relatively mum on the status of his company’s major skilled nursing play, Welltower Inc. (NYSE: WELL) CEO Tom DeRosa this week presented a vision of the future in which health care assets replace retail as the cornerstone of real estate development. “For generations, we thought of anchors as retail — it’s retail that […]
The staff members tasked with guiding residents from hospitals to post-acute care options frequently feel restricted during the process — and often don’t even know why certain SNFs are classified as preferred partners. Anti-steering rules, or regulations that prevent hospitals from recommending specific skilled nursing facilities, can sometimes serve as a general gag for discharge […]
Skilled nursing rents must decline by about 10% across the board in order to ensure the facilities’ long-term stability, a Wednesday report from Green Street Advisors has concluded. Real estate investment trusts (REITs) must achieve rent coverage of around 1.9 times to achieve stability for their tenants, the real estate research firm’s analysts Lukas Hartwich […]
As Medicare Advantage plans continue to pressure skilled nursing operators, one prominent leader in the space predicts that innovative providers can survive by leaning into the changes. By transforming their facilities into standalone medical-surgical facilities that can replace similar units in hospitals, SNFs can evolve into purely short-stay health care providers that thrive in the […]
Few voices in the skilled nursing world have been as outspoken as Rick Matros, CEO of Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA). That’s why we thought he’d make the perfect subject for our inaugural episode of “Rethink: The Future of Skilled Nursing,” a new podcast from Skilled Nursing News. During our 30-minute conversation, Matros offered […]
A key mandatory bundled payment program saved the government money almost entirely through the reduction of skilled nursing facility reimbursements, a new study from researchers at Harvard University concluded. Between 2016 and 2017, the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR) bundled payment model resulted in spending reductions of $1,084 per episode, the team concluded; after […]
A subsidiary of Bain Capital made a major move into the skilled nursing world this week, acquiring a provider of specialty medical services to heavy hitters like Genesis Healthcare (NYSE: GEN) and HCR ManorCare. Bain Capital Double Impact on Thursday announced the acquisition of HealthDrive, a Wellesley, Mass.-based firm that offers dentistry, optometry, podiatry, and […]
The Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) on Thursday announced the acquisition of Bella Terra Cedar City, a 120-bed skilled nursing facility in Cedar City, Utah. The transfer, which includes both the real estate and operations, became effective January 1, and the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Milestone Healthcare, Ensign’s Utah-based portfolio subsidiary, will operate […]
Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI) kicked off 2019 by announcing the $600 million acquisition of MedEquities Realty Trust (NYSE: MRT), marking the ownership shift of 34 skilled nursing and other health care properties. The boards of both real estate investment trusts (REITs) approved the deal unanimously, Omega announced early Wednesday morning, with a final transaction […]
In the lead-up to Christmas and New Year’s, the Skilled Nursing News team took a shot at predicting what 2019 will have in store for the industry over the coming 12 months. Now that the ball has dropped and we’re all back at our desks, we thought it was the perfect time to ask a […]
The Nasdaq stock exchange in late December issued a delisting warning for Diversicare Healthcare Services, Inc. (Nasdaq: DVCR) after the skilled nursing provider’s total market cap fell below the required threshold. For 30 consecutive trading days ending December 19, Diversicare’s market value of listed securities (MVLS) was lower than Nasdaq’s mandatory $35 million total, the […]
Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA) this week filed a lawsuit seeking control over 38 properties operated by Senior Care Centers, which entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month. In a filing submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, lawyers for the real estate investment trust (REIT) accused Senior […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Friday finalized its new set of rules for accountable care organizations (ACOs), removing the no-risk tracks that represented financial drains on Medicare and expanding three-day stay waivers for nursing homes. Under the new “Pathways to Success” model, most new ACOs will only have two years to […]