In the midst of the nursing home sector staging a legal fight against the federal government’s staffing mandate, an important consideration at play is the backlog of survey inspections that could significantly impact the attainment of exemptions from the minimum staffing requirements. It has been well documented that a shortage of surveyors has led to […]
Operators have been opting for different payer sources other than Medicare Advantage plans given its persistent challenges. Medicare Advantage’s lower reimbursement rates compared to traditional Medicare and higher administrative burdens tied to prior authorizations and payment denials, have caused operators to seek even Medicaid as an alternative payer, emboldening efforts by advocacy groups to push […]
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) on Thursday announced that a draft bill is underway that, if enacted, would bring unprecedented reforms for hospice payment and oversight. The draft bill comes as more skilled nursing operators expand their hospice offerings, including by launching their own hospice businesses or more closely partnering with existing hospice providers. Blumenauer announced […]
The federal government’s new staffing requirements for nursing homes present a formidable challenge – even impossible some say – for facilities nationwide, and operators must focus now on creating workers that don’t exist. The current reality is stark: if the requirements were enforced today, a vast majority of nursing homes in the U.S. would fall […]
Renovating nursing homes to uplift the resident experience can improve not only property value and overall quality of care, but also regulatory compliance. Staffing and retention are ever-present roadblocks at nursing facilities, and upgrading the overall atmosphere can actually help alleviate some of these roadblocks, with caregivers wanting to be in a building that’s easier […]
In recent years, nursing homes have faced increased scrutiny and litigation, often driven by data that can be misunderstood or misrepresented. To secure themselves, nursing homes must leverage a data strategy, ensuring accurate documentation and clear communication of their data story to legal experts and stakeholders. This approach can mitigate risks, clarify misunderstandings, and showcase […]
As nursing homes take up artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology advances as part of operations, it’s crucial to not only involve nurses in its implementation, but to bring to their attention AI’s limitations. Besides the fact that minimizing nurse involvement in such decisions can give rise to general distrust among clinical staff as well […]
Managed care’s growth across all health care settings, including nursing homes, has pushed reimbursement rates lower, and operators are implementing strategies to counter the situation. For starters, operators expressed the need to be well equipped for negotiating better rates with managed care organizations (MAOs). And, coming armed with cost of care data to the negotiating […]
Nursing home leaders convened in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to present a unified stance against the federal staffing mandate, which they argue could exacerbate existing challenges in long-term care facilities. The gathering follows a Congressional Briefing by American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) at the week’s start, and saw key figures from […]
LaVie Care Centers, operator of 43 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Sunday. Intending to facilitate an efficient financial restructuring plan with minimal disruption to its operations, LaVie filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Georgia. Despite the […]
While it’s widely understood that the 5-Star ratings for nursing homes don’t always accurately reflect the true performance of a facility in real time, or even in a timely manner, less attention has been given to the financial and legal headaches the rating system has created for both providers and consumers alike. The complexities that […]
The newly finalized minimum staffing standards by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have ignited a significant debate among nursing home leaders regarding the inclusion and role of licensed practical nurses (LPNs). The mandate, announced on April 22, 2024, establishes new comprehensive minimum nurse staffing requirements, aiming to enhance the quality of care […]
Lawyers and other leaders in the nursing home sector believe the American Health Care Association’s (AHCA) lawsuit is strong, framed well and likely to succeed, with a decision possible by early 2025. An injunction from the plaintiffs – all 5-Star facilities located in Texas along with AHCA – regarding staffing rule’s implementation should follow in […]
The American Health Care Association (AHCA) filed a lawsuit late Thursday against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for exceeding their statutory authority and “arbitrarily and capriciously issuing” a final minimum staffing rule. The lawsuit asks the court to issue an order and […]
PACS Group (NYSE: PACS) plans to acquire the operations of 53 skilled nursing facilities as well as assisted and independent living facilities located across eight states, including five new markets for the company. The facilities in the pending deal are currently operated by family-owned Prestige and comprise 2,511 skilled nursing beds and 1,334 assisted living […]
The staffing mandate will cost the industry $5.8 billion over ten years, creating the need for an additional 101,500 FTEs nationwide, with significant costs attributed to hiring nurse aides and registered nurses (RNs), according to analysis by CliftonLarsonAllen. In a recent webinar hosted by CliftonLarsonAllen, Deb Emerson, Principal at CLA, and Jennifer Boese, Director of […]
The “super SNF,” an insider term used for nursing homes that serve mostly high acuity patients, is evolving to enhance its specialized function, and leaders in the space believe it will be a replacement – or at least a supplement – for long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs). The latest changes […]
Scaling up by empowering regional operators has long been a successful strategy for nursing home giant PACS Group (NYSE: PACS), but this growth hasn’t come at the expense of losing its identity nor by over-leveraging itself using high-interest debt, according to CEO Jason Murray. For PACS, which debuted on Wall Street in April, its steady […]
Hundreds of nursing homes continue to maintain or display high star ratings despite Immediate Jeopardy incidents in the previous three years, and this can create headaches for both nursing homes and consumers alike. According to a Scripps News analysis released Wednesday, which takes in to account government data from February 2024 of more than 14,000 […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) in April released a bundled payment model that is the culmination of the best aspects from such past models, all to align with the agency’s efforts to get all Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries involved in value-based care by 2030. The Transforming Episode Accountability Model, or TEAM, is considered […]
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