Driven by its cluster model, The Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) has pursued a deliberate and consistent acquisition strategy – focusing on markets where it already has a footprint. “Our goal isn’t necessarily to be in all 50 states,” Chairman and CEO Barry Port told the Orange County Business Journal, emphasizing that the company prefers expanding […]
As of October 2025, CMS has officially removed Section R from the Minimum Data Set (MDS), eliminating four items related to social determinants of health (SDOH), including questions on food security, housing, and utilities. The finalized change, initially unexpected, is influencing how skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) approach discharge planning and resident care coordination, and it […]
Technology is shaping operations, care delivery, staffing, and regulatory risk management in nursing homes, and its deployment, long thought to be behind the times, is finally catching up to other sectors within the health care continuum. From a regulatory and risk management perspective, Brickyard Healthcare’s chief clinical officer, Lisa Chubb, said that the use of […]
Principle LTC sold a seven-facility portfolio in Kentucky, totaling 818 beds, to a New Jersey-based owner-operator. Meanwhile, United Church Homes (UCH) announced the sale of The Harmar Place Community to Foundations Health Solutions, an Ohio-based for-profit health care organization. Largest SNF portfolio sale in Kentucky North Carolina-based Principle LTC, a privately held owner-operator, engaged Blueprint […]
Legislators in New York state are hoping to get the Governor’s stamp of approval on a bill to facilitate better funding for skilled nursing care provided by nonprofits. If signed into law, the bill would establish a statewide program allowing nonprofit nursing homes to pool resources and qualify for higher Medicaid reimbursement rates when meeting […]
The small size and high year-to-year variability of the financial rewards and penalties offered by value-based purchasing programs for nursing homes likely undermined the program’s effectiveness. These are the findings of a JAMA study released Wednesday, which measured the performance of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) VBP program for skilled nursing facilities […]
In the latest Minimum Data Set (MDS), effective on Oct. 1, providers will need to pay close attention to definition changes, including the term used to define gender, as well as to the sections on Falls and Therapy Services, which have become known as major sources of compliance errors and revenue loss. Sector experts advise […]
Starting in January, falling prices for costly drugs may strain long-term care pharmacies, but proposed legislation backed by advocacy groups aims to subsidize some of this loss. And nursing home advocacy groups are among those urging Congress to pass the Preserving Patient Access to Long-Term Care Pharmacies Act. The solution the bill proposes is a […]
CareTrust REIT (NYSE: CTRE) announced Derek Bunker as its CFO and Treasurer on Tuesday. Bunker currently serves as CareTrust’s SVP of Strategy and Investor Relations, a position he has held since June 2025 following a consulting role with the company during its acquisition of Care REIT. He is expected to step into the CFO role […]
While census remains strong at nursing homes, certain factors – such as insufficient hiring of skilled clinical workers and limited use of technology and AI tools to align with referral partners and hospitals – could negatively impact census. Andy Frasure, COO of Larry H. Miller Senior Health, and Steve Hart, COO of Heritage Operations Group, […]
Despite macroeconomic and regulatory uncertainties, the investment outlook for skilled nursing and assisted living is robust. That’s according to panelists at Skilled Nursing News’ recent RETHINK conference, who highlighted that conditions are finally normalizing in the skilled nursing space, five years after the COVID-19 pandemic struck. “The COVID hangover is over,” said Sam Bechthold, chief […]
In the aftermath of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), hospital funding cuts could disrupt care coordination, delay discharges, and heighten competition with nursing homes for Medicaid resources. But nursing home providers also could have new opportunities to strengthen their relationships with hospitals and achieve some long-sought policy wins. One major shift that nursing […]
The Trump administration’s approach to regulation is creating long-sought opportunities for nursing home providers to have more say in shaping policies, but providers must do a better job of promoting the areas in which they excel. Steve LaForte, CFO and principal at Cascadia Healthcare, describes the new administration’s approach as “rational regulation” – a way […]
In addressing challenges that lead to costly coding mistakes in the Minimum Data Set (MDS), nursing home providers are not only amping up their use of technology but finding unique ways to boost cross-team collaboration as well as reduce burnout among MDS coordinators. Many providers are still struggling with documentation errors, undercoding, and operational challenges […]
Even though the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officially ended its 5-Claim Probe process for nursing homes as of June, many providers still find themselves in limbo with audits. While no new claim requests will be issued – the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) 5-Claim Probe process ended on June 30 – some facilities […]
Amid economic uncertainty and a phased rollout of significant federal funding cuts over the next three to five years, future reimbursement projections appear grim, and nursing homes shouldn’t delay dealmaking, especially if operators are planning to sell. This view is held by financial experts who note that while the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act […]
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order on Monday introducing initiatives aimed at enhancing oversight of nursing homes across the state, including provisions to ramp up the number of inspectors and make inspection information such as citations and performance metrics publicly accessible. The Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Licensure and Certification (OLC) will […]
With the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updating surveyor guidance and Care Compare metrics, compliance teams at nursing homes are adapting their internal audit response processes. However, operators say the task has caused hurdles for their clinical teams, with some even creating a dedicated role specifically to manage such audits. A major source […]
Strong revenue management and favorable payor mix at Trilogy assets helped drive a solid second-quarter performance for American Healthcare REIT (NYSE: AHR). And the outlook is only expected to get rosier in the months ahead for the Irvine, California-based real estate investment trust (REIT), executives said Friday. “As we move into the second half of […]
A bill in Pennsylvania that would increase oversight of nursing home acquisitions by private equity is now stalled in a Senate committee. The bill, which passed the state House in June and applies to all health care acquisitions, was prompted by recent hospital closures and the bankruptcy of Genesis HealthCare, whose private equity ties drew […]
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