Genesis HealthCare this week agreed to a settlement surrounding denied admissions for prospective residents prescribed medication to treat opioid use disorder (OUD). Nine Genesis skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) across Rhode Island and Massachusetts were accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Rehabilitation Act and Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act when they allegedly […]
Pennsylvania’s Department of Health announced Thursday that it expected all of the state’s nursing homes to have at least 80% of its staff vaccinated by Oct. 1. Though not presented as a mandate, the state’s public health agency stated that SNFs who do not meet the expectation will be subject to more frequent testing for […]
Diversified health care company Assisted 4 Living (OTC: ASSF) on Tuesday announced it acquired Trillium Healthcare Group assets for an undisclosed sum. Trillium, a post-acute health care company with operational insight into the skilled nursing industry for more than 10 years, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Assisted 4 Living. This isn’t the first time Braedenton, […]
More than half of Diversicare Healthcare Services (OTC: DVCR) facilities are seeing spikes in COVID-19 cases, which CEO Jay McKnight attributed to the delta variant during the company’s second quarter earnings call. The Brentwood, Tenn.-based nursing home operator had “virtually no” cases as of its first financial quarter earnings call in May, McKnight said. “We […]
Six U.S. senators have introduced the Nursing Home Improvement and Accountability Act of 2021, which would require federal health agencies to closely examine the skilled nursing industry’s staffing requirements, along with bolstered funding to Medicaid. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) […]
National Health Investors’ (NYSE: NHI) skilled nursing assets are outperforming assisted and independent living properties at this stage of the pandemic. Memory care is also on the company’s list of underperforming assets. These three types of properties experienced more significant occupancy and margin pressure, driven by staffing shortages and in turn increased hourly rates and […]
Georgia-based operators PruittHealth, Community Health Services of Georgia (CHSGa) and A.G. Rhodes on Monday announced all employees across the three companies will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine as a term of employment. Low vaccination rates are the “primary reason” behind the continued spread of COVID-19, the companies said in a statement; medical and […]
Occupancy is still increasing month to month, but at a slower pace compared to earlier this year, according to a new data analysis from the data service affiliated with the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). From April to May the NIC MAP Vision report found occupancy rose 23 basis points to […]
Although accountable care organizations (ACOs) have never been particularly popular among skilled nursing facilities, timing may be ripe to take on more risk to stay competitive in the market. ACO participation may help operators maintain referrals when so many potential residents are being diverted to home health care, hospice and other tracks along the continuum […]
Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA) during its second quarter earnings call reported a steady increase in occupancy since December of its top eight skilled nursing operators, which make up 71% of the company’s SNF rent. The Irvine, Calif.-based real estate investment trust (REIT) noted an average occupancy gain of 601 basis points from the […]
Sicker patients, after less time spent in a hospital, are being diverted from a skilled nursing facility in favor of home care and hospice, according to recent analysis by care coordination software provider CarePort. Discharge trends have resulted in a struggling occupancy rebound for SNFs, Martin said, with referred patients reportedly between 60 and 75% […]
Reimbursement for Medicare Part B therapy services continues to dry up despite government cash infusions, a concerning trend for rehabilitation providers, operators and the associations that represent them. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has suggested about 2% in cuts to Part B physical and occupational therapy rates as part of its 2022 […]
California’s skilled nursing facilities will face surging fines if they don’t comply with transfer discharge hearing decisions, thanks to a bill passed last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom (D). Assembly Bill 133 increases fines from $50 to $750 per day if facilities “improperly transferred, discharged or refused to readmit a resident.” That’s a 1400% increase. […]
Skilled nursing operators, much like the rest of the aging care continuum, are concerned that the COVID-19 delta variant will stall progress made on occupancy gains — but regulatory changes are due to be regional; facilities will need to look out for country or state-wide mandates based on local outbreaks. Just last week, the Centers […]
Leaders with LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) are encouraged by skilled nursing occupancy trends, but the real estate investment trust (REIT) is still awaiting resolution on the bankruptcy of SNF operator Abri Health Care, formerly Senior Care Centers, and its Q2 2021 earnings took a hit from rent deferrals and abatements. Portfolio properties are no longer […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) late Thursday issued a final rule updating Medicare payment policies — namely a delay to Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) pay rate changes until next year and adjustment of provider pay by 1.2%. This was a decrease for fiscal 2022 compared to the agency’s proposed 1.3% boost in […]
Skilled nursing giant The Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) continues to see patient flows revert back to normal trends, as momentum from its bolstered first quarter occupancies continues into the second quarter. The San Juan Capistrano, Calif.-based provider on Wednesday reported ‘record’ operating results for the second financial quarter ending June 30 — with adjusted earnings […]
Senior care advocacy group LeadingAge on Monday became the latest organization to call for vaccine mandates among long-term care providers, encouraging its members to make the shots a condition of employment. The push comes as COVID-19 cases rise, linked to the delta variant and lagging vaccination rates among nursing home workers. Roughly 83% of new […]
Respiratory service vendors have seen a boom in business due to the pandemic, with respiratory therapists sometimes filling in when COVID unit staff on a nursing home campus became scarce. RTs became indispensable when facilities were experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases, and continue to be needed to treat virus “long-haulers,” administering high-flow oxygen without […]
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives this week introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen Medicare’s value-based care models and accountable care organizations (ACOs), among other alternative payment models (APMs). Doctors, hospitals and other providers make up an ACO — the group coordinates care for Medicare patients while limiting extraneous services and preventing medical errors. The […]
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