As Hospitals Struggle to Free Up Beds — and Nursing Homes Lock Down — In-House Dialysis Provides Relief

By waiving the three-day stay requirement for post-acute skilled nursing coverage under Medicare, the federal government has clearly indicated a desire to free up hospital beds by relying more heavily on nursing homes to provide higher-acuity services. Residents who require routine dialysis treatments are some of the most at-risk patients — and although this population […]

What Nursing Homes Need to Know as CMS Cracks Down on Infection Control

With the federal government cracking down on nursing home infection control policies based on the initial coronavirus outbreak at a Washington state facility, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) rolled out a self-assessment tool for nursing home leadership to proactively monitor safety in place. “Nursing home residents and their families who want to […]

CMS Cracks Window for Virtual Therapy Visits in Nursing Homes Amid COVID-19, But Barriers Remain

Therapy providers were partially included in the federal government’s attempts to waive restrictions on various health providers amid the coronavirus, but some experts say this recent round won’t enable sufficient virtual care for nursing home residents — and also doesn’t decrease the risks therapists are experiencing on the ground amid the pandemic. An expanded telehealth […]

Therapy Continues During Crisis, But Worries Over Protective Supplies and Employment Loom

Many therapy teams consider their services essential to nursing home residents — even after the federal government guided the sector to prohibit unnecessary visits to facilities amid the spread of the novel coronavirus. Even with the push to reduce “unessential” services, the government opened the floodgates for nursing facilities to serve overflow patients from hospitals […]

Therapists Generally Considered Essential Amid Nursing Home Visit Ban — But Some Told to Stay Away

When the federal government prohibited all non-essential visits to nursing homes on Friday, in-house therapy teams and third-party companies were left wondering exactly who counted as “essential” — and whether they were part of the exempted health care workers that can continue to enter facilities. In general, SNN found that therapy services are continuing throughout […]

Skilled Nursing Telehealth Bill Gets New Life Amid Coronavirus [Updated]

Telemedicine is drawing national attention from lawmakers as officials look to safeguard health care workers and patients — while nursing homes anxiously monitor infection-control policies to protect vulnerable residents from the global pandemic of the coronavirus. Expanded Medicare coverage of telehealth services was included in the recent $8.3 billion emergency bill, offering national aid in […]

CMS: No Timeline for Resuming Non-Emergency Surveys for Nursing Homes Amid Coronavirus

After the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced an immediate crackdown on nursing home compliance in the wake of the coronavirus, the agency laid out new expectations for updated inspections and surveys — with no exact timeline for resuming non-emergency surveys in sight. Although containing and preventing the coronavirus is the agency’s current […]

As Coronavirus Concerns Grow, Skilled Nursing Facilities Find Relief in Telehealth — But Gaps Remain

With concerns around staffing and supply shortages in nursing homes amid the coronavirus, telemedicine has emerged as a key potential weapon, receiving the first-ever major green light for reimbursement on the national level — as part of an $8.3 billion bill allowing the federal government to cover remote care for Medicare recipients passed last Wednesday. […]

Life Care’s Response to Coronavirus: Visitor Screenings, Resident Testing, Self-Quarantines

Life Care Centers of America is tightening coronavirus prevention protocols with a heightened focus on visitor screenings, increased communication, and self-quarantines — as officials report that that 14 of the 17 COVID-19 deaths in Washington were related to its nursing facility in Kirkland, Wash. In the wake of the increased spread of the virus, the […]

Amid CMS’s Infection-Control Crackdown, Study Finds Widespread Citations at Nursing Homes

As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) promises a crackdown on infection control inspections amid the coronavirus crisis, a new analysis finds that citations for infection-related violations are widespread in the industry. While officials and the media are taking a closer look at nursing homes’ compliance histories and amping up regulatory scrutiny, one […]

No Exodus of Nursing Home Staff, Residents Amid Coronavirus Spread — But Supply Crunch May Be Coming

Concerns for the frailest nursing home patients are on the rise after the coronavirus has taken the lives of four nursing home residents in Washington state. But despite confusion and anxiety related to fears of a potential pandemic in the U.S., some long-term care communities are banding together to update health policies and offer support […]

‘SNFs Get Overwhelmed’: Amid First Cases, Nursing Home Operators Look to Prepare for Coronavirus

Concerns over the coronavirus are creeping into the nursing home sector, and industry experts are alerting operators and clinicians to take extra care, especially with the steady influx of frailer residents who are most susceptible. And while it may be too early to determine the eventual clinical and financial effects on the nursing home space, […]

Based on Early Readmission Success, Excelsior Plots Skilled Nursing Telemedicine Expansion

Since the latter half of 2019, an East Coast health care group has used a telemedicine partnership to intervene in 100 potential hospitalizations, and within that grouping, definitively stopped 30 hospital admissions — in a collaboration with a medical device company that provides real-time heart monitoring and remote care.  In an effort to reduce unnecessary […]

550 Nursing Homes Closed from 2015-2019 — With Trend Accelerating Toward End of Decade

Nursing home closures are on the rise, regardless of geography and quality ratings, according to a recent report authored by industry trade group LeadingAge — raising the possibility of market-specific supply shortages in the near future. In fact, more than 550 facilities have closed between June 2015 and June 2019, with a steady increase in […]

Senior Housing Could Serve as Medicaid Nursing Home Alternative, Welltower CEO Argues

Welltower Inc. (NYSE: WELL) chairman and CEO Tom DeRosa touted the real estate investment trust’s new senior housing play as a possible alternative to Medicaid-reimbursed nursing homes in a Monday talk at the Chief Executives for Corporate Purpose CEO Investor Forum in Manhattan. On February 18, the Toledo, Ohio-based REIT announced welltowerLIVING, an initiative focused on […]

CareTrust Pulls Off $36M Metron Sale, Doesn’t See PDPM Upheaval Ahead

CareTrust REIT (Nasdaq: CTRE) on Friday announced the successful sale of six skilled nursing facilities operated by Metron Integrated Health for $36 million, observed a slight uptick in skilled nursing pipeline M&A after a slowdown in the wake of the Patient Driven Payment model (PDPM), and pointed to reducing worry about a controversial plan to […]

‘It’s Hard to Be Small’: Fresh Off Skilled Nursing Bankruptcy Auction, SC&H Sees Success in Distress

In a sector roiled by low Medicaid reimbursements and a new Medicare payment system, nursing facilities could change hands more frequently in the coming year — and one firm specifically sees opportunity in targeting distressed properties. With many industry-watchers predicting an uptick in M&A activity in the wake of the new Patient-Driven Payment Model, and […]

Diversicare Formally Ends Eight-Year DOJ Investigation with $9.5 Million Settlement Deal

Diversicare Healthcare Services (OTC: DVCR) on Wednesday announced that it has formally closed the book on a Department of Justice investigation that has stretched for nearly eight years. The Brentwood, Tenn.-based skilled nursing provider will pay out the $9.5 million throughout the next five years to resolve a False Claims Act case regarding its therapy […]