Skilled Nursing Providers Have Mixed Feelings on Bundled Payments

Less than two-thirds of acute and long-term care providers have found that bundled payments both lower costs and improve care, according to a new survey, though the company behind the numbers says it’s a little more complicated than that. Archway Health, a Watertown, Mass.-based firm that advises health providers on bundled payment models, asked 70 […]

Four U.S. Senators Issue Bipartisan Call for Nursing Home Oversight

As the state still reels from the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, Florida’s two senators took steps to establish a national oversight committee for nursing home disaster preparedness. Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson this week filed legislation that would create a National Advisory Committee on Seniors and Disasters, a 15-member board that would help states implement emergency […]

Quick Handoff Brings 7 Former Kindred SNFs to Cascadia, CareTrust

By October 1, Cascadia Healthcare will operate all seven of the skilled nursing facilities previously run by Kindred Healthcare (NYSE: KND) in Idaho — but its new landlord isn’t the company that agreed to buy Kindred’s entire SNF portfolio at the end of June. The Eagle, Idaho-based Cascadia will lease the seven former Kindred SNFs […]

Skilled Nursing REIT Sabra Makes $371M Senior Housing Play

Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA) took a major step toward reducing its skilled nursing concentration on Tuesday, announcing the acquisition of a minority stake in a $1.6 billion assisted living portfolio. Sabra’s 49% stake in the deal, which includes 183 senior housing communities operated by the Chicago-based Enlivant, works out to about $371 million. […]

How to Bolster a Skilled Nursing Disaster Plan Today

With Hurricane Maria bearing down on Puerto Rico and Hurricane Jose perhaps set for a glancing blow of New England, skilled nursing operators in various parts of the country are facing more potential tests of their emergency plans. Plus, with new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rules about disaster prep set to take […]

Florida Issues Emergency Update to Disaster Prep Rules for SNFs

The state of Florida this week announced new emergency preparedness rules for skilled nursing facilities, as officials continue to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Irma. SNFs in the Sunshine State will now need to prove that they have enough fuel to power a backup generator for 96 hours, keeping ambient temperatures below 80 degrees for […]

Florida Tragedy Ratchets Up Pressure on SNF Emergency Compliance

Skilled nursing operators were already focused on emergency preparations before the recent hurricanes, but following the deaths of eight SNF residents in the wake of Hurricane Irma, providers can expect harsh consequences if their plans don’t meet requirements. Local authorities are still sorting out what exactly went wrong at the 152-bed Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills […]

Skilled Nursing Occupancy Drops to Five-Year Low

Skilled nursing occupancy rates have dropped to their lowest levels in the last five years, and the bottom still may not be in sight. SNFs were 81.7% occupied in the second quarter of 2017, according to the most recent data from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). That’s a drop from 82.7% in […]

Antibiotics Can Increase ‘Superbug’ Infection Risk in SNFs

Skilled nursing facilities provide a welcome home for a complex, interactive network of infectious “superbugs,” with antibiotics only fueling the fire, according to a new study from the University of Michigan. Of 234 nursing home residents who participated in the study, 40% had more than one multi-drug-resisant organisms (MDROs) on their bodies, the result of […]

Kansas Failed to Follow Up on Half of Skilled Nursing Deficiencies

Officials in the state of Kansas frequently took skilled nursing facilities at their word when following up on plans to fix certain deficiencies — a violation of federal requirements for SNFs that participate in Medicare and Medicaid. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services only verified SNFs’ strategies to correct deficiencies 52% of the […]

Despite Signature Troubles, Sabra Sees Bright Post-Merger Future

Fresh off the approval of its blockbuster merger with Care Capital Properties, Sabra Healthcare REIT, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBRA) on Friday trumpeted the better-than-estimated value of the deal — and predicted an orderly solution to one of its continuing problems. The company had been conservative in its pre-merger projections, CEO Rick Matros said on a conference […]

Nursing Assistants in SNFs Struggle With Low Wages, Poverty

Nursing assistants who work in institutional care settings haven’t gotten a material raise over the last 10 years and largely work part-time — two statistics that may be contributing to an overall workforce shortage, according to a new report. More than half of nursing assistants in nursing homes work part time and take home one […]

Omega Acquires 15 Skilled Nursing Facilities for $200 Million

Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (NYSE: OHI) on Tuesday announced the purchase of 15 skilled nursing facilities in Indiana, adding 2,074 SNF beds to the real estate investment trust’s (REIT) portfolio. The Hunt Valley, Md.-based Omega paid $190 million for the facilities from a pair of unrelated sellers, then leased the properties to a single existing […]

Must-Reads: High Skilled Nursing Demand, Harvey’s Aftermath

The past week has brought countless stories of devastation and survival at nursing homes in Texas and Louisiana in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, including dramatic footage of the Louisiana National Guard evacuating a nursing home in Orange, Texas and the widely-shared image of residents awaiting aid at a flooded assisted living facility in Dickinson, […]

Kindred Completes First Round of Skilled Nursing Sell-Off

Kindred Healthcare, Inc. (NYSE: KND) on Thursday took the first step toward its planned exit from the skilled nursing space, announcing the sale of 54 SNFs in 10 states. The $519 million transaction involves the majority of the 89 total SNFs and seven assisted living facilities that Kindred will sell to BM Eagle Holdings — a joint […]

CMS Suspends Skilled Nursing Reporting Rules in Harvey’s Wake

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Thursday announced an emergency suspension of Medicare quality reporting requirements for skilled nursing and other health care facilities affected by Hurricane Harvey. Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) located in 32 Texas counties and five Louisiana parishes will be automatically granted exceptions for submitting Quality Reporting Program data […]

New Jersey’s Care Cams Come to Skilled Nursing, With Restrictions

Last December, the state of New Jersey made waves in the elder care industry by announcing its “Safe Care Cam” program, allowing relatives to rent surveillance cameras from the state. Initially intended for use in private houses to monitor home health and care aides, the program abruptly expanded this spring to include skilled nursing facilities, […]

VA Proposes Incentives for Nursing Home Construction

The Department of Veterans Affairs took a step toward improving access to skilled nursing care in rural areas, announcing the development of new rules that would encourage the construction of State Veterans Homes in underserved regions. Under updated grant regulations, the VA would incorporate demand for long-term care in rural areas as part of its […]