Congressmen Ask CMS to Ease Red Tape for Skilled Nursing Facilities

Two leaders of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee this week asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to ease regulatory burdens on skilled nursing facilities. In multiple letters to CMS administrator Seema Verma, Rep. Kevin Brady and Rep. Peter Roskam called for reduced compliance burdens for post-acute care providers, hospitals, and […]

15% of Skilled Nursing Assistants Live in Poverty Amid Stagnant Wages

Skilled nursing and seniors housing executives have blamed wage pressures in part for their struggles in recent years, but a new analysis finds that nursing assistants haven’t seen their wages increase in a decade. The median nursing assistant brought in $12.78 per hour in 2007, compared to an inflation-adjusted $12.84 a full 10 years later, […]

Has the Skilled Nursing Industry Finally Hit Bottom?

As summer ends, it’s tempting to start looking ahead to what 2019 will hold for the skilled nursing industry. While the widely praised new payment model will likely grab the most attention, next year could also signal an upward climb out of an industry valley, or more troubled times ahead — depending on who you […]

Eduro Healthcare Eyes Skilled Nursing Expansion with CareTrust

As the skilled nursing industry moves away from large national operators, smaller regional providers are stepping up to fill the void — often in markets that fly under the radar of other investors. One of those players in recent years has been Eduro Healthcare, a Salt Lake City-based operator that launched in 2008 with a […]

OIG to Investigate CMS Oversight of Skilled Nursing Staffing Measures

In the wake of controversy over nationwide skilled nursing staffing levels, the health care industry’s top government watchdog has stepped in to investigate. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) announced that it will launch a probe into the way skilled nursing facilities maintain their staffing records — […]

Sanford, Fresh Off Good Samaritan Merger, Eyes $1B Chicago Health System

Non-profit hospital system Sanford Health is on track to complete a merger with a skilled nursing provider by fall, and a recent report hints that the operator isn’t done expanding. The Sioux Falls, S.D.-based Sanford could soon announce a merger with a $1 billion health system based in Chicago, CEO Kelby Krabbenhoft teased to SiouxFalls.Business. […]

OIG Wants to Revise Anti-Kickback Rules to Ease Care Coordination

As the federal government increasingly emphasizes care coordination among players across the health care continuum, the industry’s top watchdog signaled that it could soon overhaul its anti-kickback regulations to help providers avoid pitfalls. The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General (OIG) this week published a call to providers, asking for […]

Arkansas Vets Home Gets $1.8M Boost; New Beds Gain Approval in Florida

Arkansas Veterans Home Receives $1.8M Subsidy After operating at a deficit for more than a year and a half, an Arkansas skilled nursing facility for veterans finally received a $1.8 million boost. Legislators last week approved a call from the governor to send the funds to the Arkansas State Veterans Home in North Little Rock, […]

ProMedica Lays Off 100, Cuts 60 More Jobs One Month After ManorCare Acquisition

Less than a month after completing its acquisition of skilled nursing giant HCR ManorCare, ProMedica Health System this week laid off 100 employees and cut 60 unfilled positions. The Toledo Blade first reported the news. The majority of the layoffs consisted of employees “in leadership roles and corporate functions,” according to a statement provided to […]

Editor’s Take: Multiple CEOs (Probably) Can’t Be Wrong on PDPM

When covering any industry that operates under heavy government scrutiny, hearing one CEO praise a new set of regulations is a surprise. Hearing near-unanimous support is frankly shocking. But that’s where the skilled nursing industry finds itself with the Patient-Driven Payment Model, the latest overhaul of the way SNFs receive reimbursements from Medicare. On its […]

Providers Struggle to Add New Tech as Payment Models Can’t Keep Up

Go to any skilled nursing or senior living conference, and you’ll be greeted with a wide array of exciting new technologies with the potential for making residents’ and workers’ lives better. On the flashier end, there’s full-size exoskeletons that can help seniors walk again, or virtual-reality games that help users re-learn how to swallow and […]

Inside the Key Metrics Skilled Nursing Buyers Should Track Before Investing

Big-picture concerns about the skilled nursing industry haven’t slowed down transaction volume in the space, with nursing homes accounting for 55% of all deals in a second quarter that saw $6.3 billion in senior housing and care investments. The major real estate investment trusts (REITs) certainly played a role in that strong quarter, with multiple […]

China Beckons to US Skilled Nursing, Long-Term Care Operators

Amid difficult trends at home, a handful of U.S. long-term care operators have looked to Asia as their next potential frontier – and while their strategies differ, they all believe in the region’s potential. “We really like the demographic trends for senior living in Asia,” Nate McLemore, managing director for international health care at developer […]

PDPM Success Rests on Taking Credit for Existing Skilled Nursing Services

As skilled nursing operators scramble to adapt to a new Medicare reimbursement model ahead of its implementation next fall, the secret to success could lie in taking credit for the services most SNFs already provide. At Zimmet Healthcare Services Group’s annual conference in Atlantic City, N.J. last week, multiple speakers emphasized the importance of identifying […]

OIG Targets Hospice Services in Skilled Nursing Facilities, Recommends Cuts

When the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) top watchdog arm issued an overall warning about the state of hospice care earlier this summer, skilled nursing facilities were specifically singled out as areas for improvement. The HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) accused hospices of using residents in nursing homes to artificially inflate […]

Turnaround Properties Draw Interest in Midwest; $4.7M Skilled Nursing Sale in NC

Blueprint Turns Two in Ohio, Wisconsin Blueprint Healthcare Real Estate Advisors recently announced a pair of deals in the Midwest on behalf of major publicly traded real estate investment trusts (REITs). The 96-bed Pine Valley Care Center in Richfield, Ohio has a new owner-operator, according to the Chicago-based brokerage. Once a recipient of the coveted […]

S&P Downgrades ProMedica in Wake of ManorCare-Welltower Deal

After warning last month that a credit downgrade was likely, Standard & Poor’s this week lowered its long-term credit rating for non-profit health care provider ProMedica by multiple levels. The Toledo, Ohio-based hospital and skilled nursing chain now sits at BBB, down from the A+ rating ProMedica had maintained ahead of its blockbuster deal to […]

Record-Setting $1 Billion Skilled Nursing Fraud Case Hits Snag

The case against a former Miami-area skilled nursing operator accused of pulling off the largest Medicare fraud on record hit a snag this week as a judge tossed crucial pieces of evidence. Defense lawyers for Philip Esformes scored a major victory when a judge found that federal investigators improperly seized evidence that was protected under […]