Articles By

Amy Stulick

A Buffalo transplant living in LA, Amy has worked as a business journalist for more than two years and has been in the profession for seven-plus. She is an avid (sometimes poolside) science fiction reader, nature lover and roller derby novice.

Contact: [email protected], 312-967-0762

Featured

Inside Specialized Clinical Programs at Nursing Homes: Training and Monitoring for Complex Residents

By Amy Stulick |

More robust staff training, certifications and standardized clinical practices are major levers clinical leaders are employing to meet continued rising acuity, coupled with increased comorbidities and behavioral challenges. Specialized clinical programs involving wound care, infection prevention, antipsychotic reduction, behavioral health and IV medications, among others, are being standardized and monitored with dashboards while operators invest […]

Featured

Fall Detection, Audits: How AI Helps Trilogy, Signature Improve Nursing Home Operations 

By Amy Stulick |

AI and predictive analytic tools can help operators improve clinical care, reduce staff workloads, and identify future health issues earlier. But operators must support staff without adding complexity to their operations to make them work. Tech partners and in-house platforms can help nursing home operators avoid unapproved technologies that could expose a facility to HIPAA […]

Compliance

Buying Spree by Out-of-State Nursing Home Chains a Rising Trend Linked to Declining Quality in Massachusetts 

By Amy Stulick |

A wave of nursing home acquisitions by out-of-state chains has coincided with declining care quality in Massachusetts. The state’s post-pandemic nursing home market has allowed aggressive new owners like RegalCare to acquire facilities, reduce costs and redirect substantial sums to affiliated businesses while star ratings declined, according to the Boston Globe’s Spotlight nursing home investigation. […]

Featured

‘Prolific’ Win for Nursing Homes on Latest MDS Coding, But Discharge Clarity Still Needed 

By Amy Stulick |

The latest update to the Minimum Data Set addresses a major concern for providers facing state case-mid audits and medical reviews, which often demand additional or conflicting documentation. But these updates by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to the MDS 3.0 Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) manual, which are due to be implemented […]

Staffing

Nursing Home Operators in State Say Immigration Policy Changes Upended Years of Workforce Planning 

By Amy Stulick |

Nursing homes and home health agencies in Wisconsin have had to scrap plans years in the making to hire workers from overseas, after the Trump administration suspended almost all refugee programs. One nursing home operator in Sparta invested more than $100,000 in building apartments to house overseas workers – when policy changed, the housing was […]

Featured

Scaling the CNA Apprenticeship Program for Nursing Homes and the New ‘Geriatric Specialist’ Role 

By Amy Stulick |

A new kind of role is emerging in nursing homes: the geriatric specialist, a certified nurse aide (CNA) who has completed an apprenticeship designed to deepen clinical knowledge, build specialized skills and take on greater responsibility in caring for older adults. These CNA apprenticeships, which come with a pay increase, are seen to strengthen retention […]

Podcast

Tech, Finance Exec Ezzie Goldish on Lionstone’s Footprint Expansion, In-House Therapy and AI Acceleration in Nursing Homes

By Amy Stulick |

Lionstone Care, which has nearly doubled its footprint by adding 25 facilities since 2023, has grown through HUD financing and strategic acquisitions, taking on both distressed properties ripe for turnaround as well as high-performing facilities. In addition to expanding its footprint, the Cleveland-based provider also added an in-house therapy company. Ezzie Goldish, Lionstone’s former CFO, […]

Featured

Inside the Trilogy Playbook: AHR Execs Showcase Operating Partner’s Revenue Management, Development Expertise, Staffing Strategies 

By Amy Stulick |

American Healthcare REIT (NYSE: AHR) sees regional nursing home operator Trilogy Health Services as a gold standard for operational lessons to apply across its portfolio and across care settings, and an “operational laboratory” to test out best practices. That’s according to AHR Chairman and CEO Jeff Hanson, who spoke at the Bank of America Securities […]

Featured

How Inconsistent Reimbursement for Special Needs Plans at Nursing Homes Is Driving Poorer Outcomes and Higher Hospitalization Rates 

By Amy Stulick |

A lack of consistency in how the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) reimburses programs serving special needs plan (SNP) populations is getting in the way of improving outcomes and reducing hospitalizations, according to providers, payers and consultants in the nursing home sector. Today’s institutional beneficiary is usually eligible for models with similar clinical […]

Finance

Skilled Nursing Dealbook: Norbert Health Raises $14M to Scale Robotic Care; Black Pearl Completes Tender Offer for Selectis 

By Amy Stulick |

Investment group Black Pearl completed a tender offer for Selectis Health. Meanwhile, Norbert Health raised $14M in Series A funding to expand robotic nursing assistants and clinical capabilities. Black Pearl Completes Tender Offer of Selectis Health Stock New York-based investment group Black Pearl Equities has completed its tender offer, via a wholly owned subsidiary, to purchase all […]

Featured

Nursing Home Workforce Remains Sector’s Biggest Challenge and Opportunity, With AI and Value-Based Care Seen as Key Levers 

By Amy Stulick |

While AI adoption is emerging as the more immediate priority for nursing home providers, workforce challenges are expected to persist over the long term, according to providers surveyed about the sector outlook. Nursing home providers said in a survey conducted by Skilled Nursing News in late August ahead of the RETHINK conference that the biggest […]

Compliance

Nursing Home Surveys Falling ‘Significantly Short’ in NJ, As Hiring Freezes and Loss of Staff Plague State Agencies 

By Amy Stulick |

Nursing home surveys in New Jersey have fallen behind state and federal regulatory requirements, with inspections frequently delayed. State officials say the delays are due to Covid backlogs, hiring freezes and loss of staff. Federal policy requires each of the state’s 350 nursing homes to be inspected at least every 15 months, while statewide average […]

Featured

‘Tsunami’ of Behavioral Health Challenges Amid OIG’s Antipsychotics Work Plan Seen Impacting QMs and Reimbursement in Nursing Homes 

By Amy Stulick |

Nursing homes have only reached the tip of the iceberg when it comes to mental health challenges in the sector, with such challenges affecting quality metrics (QMs) and reimbursement amid renewed monitoring of antipsychotics use in facilities.  Operators must start preparing now for behavioral health needs in residents, equipping themselves to handle multiple patient populations. […]

Featured

As Special Needs Plans Surge, CMS Weighs Consolidating Plan Types Against Specialized Care in Nursing Homes 

By Amy Stulick |

Special needs plans (SNPs) may be overhauled through streamlining or potentially by combining the various plans types. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) appears to be in an info-gathering stage when it comes to the future of SNPs, using requests for information (RFI), discussions with experts and other avenues to inform the agency’s […]

Featured

Inside the 31-Nursing-Home Pilot Program: Resident Councils’ Impact on Image and Care Quality 

By Amy Stulick |

While the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) bid to make resident satisfaction a mandatory part of federal regulation was shelved, a pilot program across skilled nursing facilities is demonstrating the power of resident councils to improve both care quality and the nursing home industry’s tarnished reputation. An 18-month resident council pilot program in […]

Finance

PACS to Acquire 32 Nursing Homes in Florida, Announces Update on Eduro Deal 

By Amy Stulick |

PACS Group (NYSE: PACS) on Tuesday announced the acquisition of operations at 32 skilled nursing facilities across Florida, which will be leased from subsidiaries of Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI). The 32 properties have a combined 4,049 licensed skilled nursing beds throughout the state, significantly expanding PACS’ reach in the South and complementing 71 existing […]

Staffing

Staffing Hours, Overtime and Agency Use Shape Nursing Home Quality 

By Amy Stulick |

Nursing homes that can successfully balance their nurse hours per patient day (HPRD), overtime and agency use consistently see stronger quality outcomes and lower labor costs. Anywhere between 3.75 to 4.5 nursing HPRD is the range for consistent quality outcomes, according to a report from Covr, a workforce scheduling and data analytics platform, while high-performing […]

Medicaid

Nursing Home Medicaid Rates Rise Modestly as Operators Consolidate 

By Amy Stulick |

Nursing home operators are getting a clearer picture of the Medicaid-rate environment – modest increases for most, while other states are seeing no change. Eleven states have reported their Medicaid rate cycle turnover since July 1, with West Virginia seeing the highest median rate increase of 3.3%, followed by Indiana with a 2.5% increase and […]