Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are supposed to represent an innovative way to cut costs and improve care. But a new study found that on at least one of those counts, ACOs may be doing more harm than good. The Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) increased federal spending by $384 million between 2013 and 2016, according […]
When asked which types of properties they were most interested in pursuing in 2018, a diverse group of investors ranked skilled nursing facilities near the bottom. Just 14% of respondents in the CBRE (NYSE: CBRE) U.S. Healthcare Capital Markets Group’s annual Investor & Developer Survey said skilled nursing facilities met their acquisition requirements for 2018. […]
Ask any forward-looking senior care expert about what the industry will look like in 30 years, and robots will likely emerge as an answer. Once artificial intelligence (AI) technology advances far enough, the logic goes, the skilled nursing industry could hypothetically solve its persistent staffing problems with cyborg assistants — a solution that’s already gained […]
Faced with a demographic situation even more dire than the one in the United States, firms in Japan are leading the way in developing robotic solutions to a caregiver shortage — with an eye on cornering the market in the years to come. The overall worldwide market for robotic assistants used in nursing homes and […]
More than 60% of outpatient therapy claims filed over a six-month period didn’t meet Medicare’s requirements — a figure that has a key government watchdog agency concerned. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) looked at a representative sample of 300 Medicare therapy claims filed in the final […]
By at least one analyst’s assessment, Sabra Health Care REIT’s (Nasdaq: SBRA) decision to diversify away from skilled nursing facilities has boosted its fortunes. Bank of America Merrill Lynch upgraded the real estate investment trust’s (REIT) stock from “underperform” to “neutral,” with research analyst Juan C. Sanabria pointing to Sabra’s ongoing divestment from properties operated […]
After months of legal wrangling and strong feelings on both sides, the state of Florida has finally enshrined its emergency power rules for skilled nursing facilities into law. Gov. Rick Scott on Monday signed a pair of bills that will require SNFs and assisted living facilities to have generators capable of maintaining a temperature of […]
Start your week with a look at some of the most interesting skilled nursing stories from around the web, including a SNF with a unique clientele in Connecticut. SNF that serves parolees wins case A skilled nursing facility that serves prison parolees in the suburbs of Hartford, Conn. won a court ruling this week against […]
The Cleveland Clinic followed a familiar path to boost its care coordination efforts, building partnerships with trusted skilled nursing facilities and relying on its own staff to ensure quality. And the Ohio-based health care provider has the results to prove that the model can work. “What our data has told us, and has been consistent […]
With managed plans gobbling up an increasing share of Medicare enrollees, skilled nursing executives need to gain fluency in the language of insurance providers — or risk being left behind. That was the message from a recent panel discussion at the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) Spring Investment Forum in Dallas, […]
Major skilled nursing provider The Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) has its sights set on assisted living and home health expansion, citing the potential for higher stockholder value and less competition for their target properties. The company has applied the strategy that executive vice president Chad Keetch said has brought skilled nursing success: vesting significant power […]
A pair of United States senators asked new Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to focus on developing alternative payment models for Medicare — while moving away from traditional fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare. “As the largest purchaser of health care in the United States, the federal government needs to send a strong signal that paying […]
In the past, nailing down a partnership with a local hospital or home health agency might have simply been a matter of providing the right free breakfast to the right group of hungry administrators. But in a world with shifting payment models and increasing emphasis on outcomes, skilled nursing providers must step up their game with […]
Lost in a flurry of news from the National Investment Centers for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) Spring Investment Forum and harsh funding recommendations from MedPAC, here are some of the stories we couldn’t cover earlier in the week to help get you ready for the one ahead. Mainstreet hits another snag A week after […]
Genesis HealthCare, Inc. (NYSE: GEN) lost $89.2 million in the final quarter of 2017 and $579.0 million over the course of last year — numbers that the company continues to blame on the overall skilled nursing landscape. “As health care reform continues to transform the delivery of health care by changing reimbursements and holding providers […]
The number of skilled nursing stays among Medicare recipients dropped 15% over the last several years — but not necessarily for the reason many in the industry might believe. Instead of lower-cost options like home health cutting into demand for nursing home services, the post-acute sector in general is seeing declines amid an overall drop in […]
Citing high Medicare margins and concerns over therapy services, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has asked Congress to cut reimbursement rates for skilled nursing facilities. The non-partisan agency called on Congress to scrap the Medicare market basket rate increases for fiscal years 2019 and 2020 — which would amount to 2% and 2.1%, respectively […]
Skilled nursing executives and managers worried about a persistent workforce shortage now have another number to keep them up at night: 44%. That’s the gulf between open positions and available health care practitioners, the most severe supply-demand mismatch identified in a new study prepared for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. The health care workforce […]
Skilled nursing occupancy rates, already sitting at record lows, will continue to plummet in 2018 according to the most recent projections from Marcus & Millichap. The commercial real estate brokerage predicts that skilled nursing occupancy will fall to 85.3%, a dip of 80 basis points and a new low for the decade. “The skilled nursing […]
In an era of record-low skilled nursing occupancy and rapidly shifting payment models, some operators have found a single solution to both problems: an in-house insurance plan. Skilled nursing providers can create their own institutional special needs plans (I-SNPs), a type of Medicare Advantage program specifically designed to cover beneficiaries who are confined to an institution […]
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