A new “little red pill” with possible negative side effects is gaining steam in long-term care facilities that treat dementia patients, a CNN investigation has found. The pill, Nuedexta, is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a disorder referred to as Pseudobulbar affect (PBA), which is known to cause fits of laughter or crying. Just […]
High-quality nursing homes and a healthy senior population have made Colorado, Maine and Hawaii the best states in the U.S. for growing old, according to new rankings from U.S. News & World Report. To come up with its rankings, U.S. News examined the 50 states across 12 metrics using data from sources such as the Kaiser […]
Skilled nursing providers that want to improve communication between nurses and certified nursing assistants (CNAs) should study the four themes of the “rules of performance,” according to a University of Utah study scheduled to be published in the Sept.-Oct. edition of Geriatric Nursing. For the study, researchers observed, shadowed and interviewed seven nurses and 10 CNAs who worked […]
Texas state regulators are scrutinizing the state’s largest skilled nursing facility (SNF) operator after one of its administrators reportedly refused to allow an evacuation during Hurricane Harvey. An investigation is underway to determine why Lake Arthur Place in Port Arthur, Texas, initially stopped volunteers from taking its 70 residents away in boats even though the […]
A case in front of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court about a skilled nursing provider’s marketing materials could have implications for how SNFs advertise their services nationwide. Back in 2015, the state’s Office of Attorney General (OAG) argued that skilled nursing provider Golden Gate National Senior Care ran afoul of consumer protection laws by misrepresenting some of […]
Wages are slowly climbing for rehab directors and therapists in the long-term care sector, according to the latest report from the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service (HCS), a national health care and salary and benefits research firm. The report, Rehabilitation Salary & Benefits Report 2017-2018, tracked responses from 2,485 providers of long-term care, which includes skilled nursing and […]
The rehab-focused subsidiary of Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) is making an effort to study and pilot new technology—including futuristic innovations like an exoskeleton for rehab patients. The Kennett Square, Pennsylvania-based Genesis Rehab Services (GRS), which provides rehabilitation services at more than 1,700 locations across the U.S., is linking up with some forward-thinking startups to foster new […]
An influx of millennials is energizing the nursing workforce during a crucial period of demand growth—but that may be offset by a wave of baby boomers retiring en masse. An average millennial is now 186% more likely to become a registered nurse (RN) than an average baby boomer, according to a new study published in the October edition of Health […]
Construction: Planned Skilled Nursing Facility Planned in Central Florida Orlando Health is planning to open $37 million, 110-bed skilled nursing facility (SNF) in Ocoee, Fla. Work on the Orlando Health Center for Rehabilitation is slated to begin later this year, reports the Orlando Business Journal. The facility will provide short-term rehab services and long-term care. The SNF could […]
Some long-term care and senior living industry leaders are feeling good buying properties heading into the fourth quarter of 2017—though some of that optimism may rest with senior housing. More than 150 senior housing and health care company executives weighed in on the 12-month outlook for the industries as part of a new survey from Capital […]
The cost of nursing home stays has ticked up a notch thanks in part to ongoing labor issues, according to the latest Cost of Care Survey from insurer Genworth Financial (NYSE: GNW). National median rates for semi-private room nursing home care increased 4.44% and hit $7,148 per month; private-room nursing home care, meanwhile, reached $8,121 per month, a 5.50% […]
Construction: Planned Genesis to Open $21 Million SNF in Maine Genesis Healthcare is planning to open a 90-bed, $21 million nursing home at a health care campus in Sanford, Maine. The new skilled nursing facility will be built and owned by the Sandy River Company, and operated by Genesis Healthcare, according to Bangor Daily News. […]
A recommendation from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to overhaul the payment system for post-acute care has drawn criticism from the world’s largest hospital association. Last June, MedPAC recommended a new prospective payment system (PPS) prototype that would move away from the current fee-for-service (FFS) system. Adopting a unified PPS and redistributing payments across post-acute […]
As skilled nursing operators go big on design features and restaurant-style dining, one Midwestern medical transport startup has also placed its bets on upscale services. Operators and regulators alike often overlook non-emergency transport, according to Brian Fleming, director of sales and marketing at Kansas City, Mo.-based Secure Medical Transport. “There’s really no regulation over this industry,” he […]
A large skilled nursing and senior living provider in Indiana is taking several of its former executives to court amid federal charges stemming from their alleged involvement in a $16 million fraud, kickback, and money laundering scheme. Former American Senior Communities (ASC) CEO James Burkhart and COO Daniel Benson were among a group that “systematically looted” the Indianapolis-based company’s coffers between […]
Construction: Planned Ciena Healthcare Plots SNF in Michigan Local officials recently gave the go-ahead to a planned skilled nursing facility in Grand Haven Township, Mich. Ciena Healthcare in 2019 will break ground on the Regency at Grand Haven, a 120-bed SNF, reports the Grand Haven Tribune. Diversicare Community in Missouri Seeks to Add Rehab Units A […]
President Donald Trump’s plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration program may trim the number of workers available to the skilled nursing industry and worsen the industry’s ongoing labor difficulties. U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced on September 5 that the administration will end the Obama-era program that protects about 800,000 adults—usually […]
As the floodwaters left by two major hurricanes recede in Texas and Florida, skilled nursing operators across the U.S. are battening down the hatches before the emergency preparedness rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) hits in November. And although the end goal is clear, the total costs aren’t always so easy […]
Despite huge growth across the board, nursing homes are adding jobs more slowly than any other major health care segment in the U.S. That’s according to a new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR). The report, which was funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Nathan Cummings Foundation, tracks the changing patterns of […]
Large regional care provider CommuniCare has announced it will take over 16 of Kindred Healthcare’s (NYSE: KND) former skilled nursing facilities in Indiana. The SNFs will provide rehab and holistic healing services, according to a press release. Current staffers are expected to remain in place during the transition. With the latest acquisition, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based provider now operates […]