How Therapy Providers Can Drive SNF Upside and Optimize Reimbursement

Therapy providers in the nursing home space believe their role in increasing mobility will contribute to upside in the sector – especially within the context of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), pandemic recovery and staffing challenges. It’s a draw for prospective residents and their families, both on the short-term and long-term side, as clinical improvements […]

LTC CEO: PruittHealth JV Fits Strategic Vision for Skilled Nursing, Portfolio Performing Well in ‘Less than Stellar’ Conditions 

Leaders with LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) on Friday expanded more on the company’s joint venture with Georgia-based nursing home operator PruittHealth, while putting recent acquisitions in context of Medicaid rate increases – potential and finalized – across multiple states. The $62 million JV with PruittHealth to purchase three nursing homes in Florida is the real […]

Ensign COO: No Slowing Down on Deals as 3Q Marks Busiest Acquisition Quarter in Years

The Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) kept busy during the third financial quarter, signing off on a whopping 17 new skilled nursing deals. Ensign COO Chad Keetch told listeners during the company’s latest earnings call on Thursday that it was “one of the biggest” acquisition quarters in several years. The San Juan Capistrano, Calif.-based operator is […]

‘It’s Demoralizing’: Health Management CEO on Misunderstandings that Shape Nursing Home Policy

With major pressure coming down from government entities, further shaped by public perception as the nursing home industry faces a crushing staffing crisis, shared accountability among operators, their lobbying representatives and resident advocates has become even more important. Health Management CEO Debbie Meade has a seat at the table, with roles at the American Health […]

The Future of Labor Activism in Nursing Homes

Despite the nursing home industry being in the grips of a staffing crisis – with more leverage in the hands of direct care workers – unionization in the space hasn’t taken off across the country like many were expecting. Instead, national unionization in the sector slowly increased from just under 10% in 2010 to 16.8% […]

ESI Closes California SNF Deal for $25M; Blueprint Advises Sale of Pennsylvania Nursing Home to Tryko Partners

Evans Senior Investments (ESI) arranged the sale of a 138-bed skilled nursing facility in Anaheim, Calif. for $25 million or $181,159 per bed. The buyer, an East Coast real estate holding company, structured the lease with a local owner/operator in the state, according to the real estate brokerage firm. Operating long-term care assets in today’s […]

[UPDATED] CMS to ‘Crack Down’ on Troubled Nursing Homes Through Special Focus Facility Program Changes

In its latest move to increase scrutiny of the skilled nursing industry, the Biden administration is toughening requirements for nursing homes that fall into its Special Focus Facilities (SFF) program. Specifically, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is making completion requirements more challenging and increasing enforcement actions if SNFs fail to show improvement, […]

Optalis Healthcare Acquires Vrable Healthcare in Latest Regional Growth Move

Optalis Healthcare has extended its reach across the state of Ohio over the course of the last year, most recently with a deal announced this week to acquire family-owned and operated Vrable Healthcare. This acquisition comes on the heels of the Michigan-based skilled nursing operator’s purchase of seven properties within The Macintosh Company portfolio earlier […]

What Nursing Homes Should Consider As CMS’s Requirements of Participation Deadline Nears

As nursing homes make final preparations for Phase 3 updates to the requirements of participation set to take effect in the coming days, providers and legal experts expect infection prevention and behavioral health to be where surveyors focus first. Readiness for the “low hanging fruit” is a good place for providers to start given the sheer amount […]

Connecticut SNF Provides Behavioral Health Blueprint as CMS Places Emphasis on Service Line

As more nursing homes seek to add behavioral health services to their continuum of care, providers that have been specializing in these areas for decades can be used as a blueprint to achieving similar results. Covid-induced isolation, coupled with initiatives outlined by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), make existing programs – like […]

Why A.G. Rhodes is in a ‘Uniquely Competitive Position’ Amid Industry Ownership Upheaval, Obstacles

In spite of current trends suggesting a skilled nursing ownership shakeup, particularly an uptick in nonprofit operators either closing completely or selling to for-profit operators, one leader in the space has a differing view on their role in the sector. Georgia-based nonprofit A.G. Rhodes CEO Deke Cateau thinks that amid all of this change coming […]

California SNF Rebuffs Closure After City Officials, CMS Reach Deal

After facing closure and revoked federal dollars, one of the largest nursing homes in the country this week had a change in fortune. Officials agreed to grant San Francisco-based Laguna Honda Hospital & Rehabilitation an extended reprieve to keep its doors open and funding flowing. Updates follow negotiations between the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid […]

CMS Protests QHC Bankruptcy Plan Will Not Cover $1M Owed to Agency

The sale of bankrupt Iowa-based QHC facilities may be blocked — again — this time by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The federal agency is concerned the deal will not cover $1 million owed to it. Blue Diamond Equities, a New Jersey-based privately owned real estate holdings and management company, proposed to […]

Nursing Home Workforce, Medicare Advantage, Therapy Pay in Focus on Capitol Hill

While the spotlight on skilled nursing continues to shine bright, an election year has advocacy groups certain that legislative efforts will be pared down to just a couple key pieces Congress aims to tackle this fall. Policy dedicated to boosting a floundering workforce, expanding telehealth beyond public health emergency (PHE) waivers, and streamlining authorization processes […]

More Nursing Homes Look for Upside by Plugging Into Medicare Advantage

As Medicare Advantage (MA) plans continue to expand in benefits and number of beneficiaries, nursing home operators are weighing their options on how to adapt. “If you start to think about positioning with your relationships, with these types of organizations, be it a provider network, a member that has an Institutional Special Needs Plan (I-SNP) […]

Medicare Advantage’s Steady Growth Has Nursing Home Operators Moving in ‘Radically Different Directions’

While so many nursing home trends have been altered by the pandemic, one has interestingly stayed in line with pre-pandemic statistics: Medicare Advantage’s (MA) growth trajectory. MA is still expected to cover 52.9% of all Medicare beneficiaries by 2031, according to Fred Bentley, managing director at ATI Advisory. Bentley spoke about Medicare’s evolution and its […]

Future Leader: Development Officer for Healthcare Management Partners

The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of senior housing, skilled nursing, home health and hospice care. To see this year’s future leaders, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/. Shawn O’Conner, chief business development officer for Healthcare Management […]