A Year After SNF Closure, Illinois’s Medicaid Issues Lead to Bankruptcy for Non-Profit Operator

Because of delays by the Illinois government in processing Medicaid coverage applications, the non-profit operator of a skilled nursing facility that closed a year ago is now declaring bankruptcy. The State Journal-Register reported the news August 16th. The state of Illinois made headlines last year for a multi-million Medicaid eligibility backlog, and it already had […]

Inside an Anthem Subsidiary’s Attempt to Reward Skilled Nursing Facilities with Medicare Advantage Bonuses

Managed care and Medicare Advantage companies can be a sore spot in the skilled nursing world, but as the sector evolves, a subsidiary of a major insurer is looking at how to reward facilities for providing quality care — while keeping in mind the financial pressures that providers face. CareMore Health, a subsidiary of Medicare […]

Skilled Nursing Facilities Outpace Hospitals in Data Sharing, Technology

Though data sharing between acute and post-acute care facilities remains a frustration for operators and patients alike, the PAC space may actually be running ahead of their hospital counterparts when it comes to using in technology. That’s according to a new white paper from Toronto-based software provider PointClickCare (PCC) on patient transitions, which examined data […]

Invesque Sees Skilled Nursing Tailwinds in Wake of $25M Magnetar Joint Venture

With the new Medicare overhaul set to take effect on October 1 and the recent finalization of a Medicare rate boost for fiscal 2020, leaders at Invesque Inc. (TSX: IVQ.U) were upbeat about the future of its skilled nursing facilities in its second-quarter earnings call Thursday. In its earnings release, Invesque highlighted the formation of […]

How Three Skilled Nursing Facilities Cut Hospital Admissions by a Third

A new model for reducing unnecessary transfers from skilled nursing facilities to hospital emergency departments (ED) drastically cut hospitalizations and ED use — albeit with a very small sample size. Three SNFs made use of the Reducing Avoidable Facility Transfers (RAFT) model from January 1, 2016 and June 30, 2017, as detailed in a study […]

‘Under Siege’ for Years, SNFs Face Uphill Battle for Respect Under New Payment Models

Though skilled nursing facilities have experienced significant pain under the structures of alternative payment models such as accountable care organizations (ACOs), they still have the opportunity to show value. But it’s something of an uphill road, according to Harvard Medical School professor and Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) member David Grabowski. “I absolutely think that […]

Genesis Targets Increased Real Estate Ownership as CEO Touts Strength of its ACO

Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) reported improvement in its 2019 second-quarter financial results, and CEO George Hager is optimistic about the second half of the year — in part because of the skilled nursing operator’s participation in the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) as an accountable care organization (ACO). The skilled nursing giant, which operates about […]

CareTrust: Lack of Regional Knowledge Undid Trillium’s Skilled Nursing Operation in Ohio

CareTrust REIT (Nasdaq: CTRE) emphasized the importance of local knowledge for skilled nursing operators in its second-quarter earnings call held on Wednesday, both in the case of a planned operator switch in Ohio and in the skilled nursing market more broadly. Specifically, the San Clemente, Calif.-based real estate investment trust (REIT) is looking to sell […]

Creative Solutions Turns to Data Ahead of PDPM with 70-SNF Rollout

In a nod to the importance of data under the Medicare reimbursement overhaul coming October 1, a Texas skilled nursing provider is adding data analytics to all of its facilities — more than 70 throughout the Lone Star State. Creative Solutions in Healthcare, based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Real Time Medical Solutions earlier this […]

Genesis Exec: ACOs May Work Better Than I-SNPs for Skilled Nursing Facilities

Skilled nursing providers, seeking more control over their own destiny and the premium dollar, have been driving the growth of a specific subtype of Medicare Advantage plan designed for the care of patients in the institutional setting. But Jason Feuerman, senior vice president for strategic development and managed care at nationwide operator Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: […]

Medicare Advantage Hasn’t Always Prioritized Skilled Nursing — But That’s Changing

If skilled nursing facilities want to improve their relationship with managed care payers — particularly the ever-expanding Medicare Advantage plans — they have to ensure that they understand the payers’ pain points. And they have to battle the reality that in the Medicare Advantage world, post-acute barely registers on insurers’ radar screens because it’s a […]

$45M ReFi for Three Texas SNFs; Nonprofit Sells Three SNFs in N.C.

KeyBank Real Estate Capital secured $45 million in Federal Housing Authority (FHA) loans for the refinancing of three skilled nursing facilities in the state of Texas. The loans were $16 million for the 120-bed Regency-Windsor Calallen in Corpus Christi, $14.5 million for the 120-bed Regency-Bastrop Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Bastrop and $14 million for […]

OIG: ACOs Use Three-Day Stay Waiver, Preferred Providers to Manage SNF Costs

Preferred provider networks of skilled nursing facilities, embedding staff onsite and conducting so-called “warm handoffs” were among the strategies that top accountable care organizations (ACOs) use to manage costs in the SNF and home health care setting. Because Medicare spending is expected to surpass $1.5 trillion by 2028, more than double the spending of $708 […]