Skilled nursing providers should be especially on alert for F-tags related to chemical restraints, and should also be prepared to have some difficult conversations to ensure survey success in the current environment. These were a few takeaways that leaders with Brickyard Healthcare and Majestic Care shared this week at the Skilled Nursing News RETHINK Conference […]
The proposed Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) recently released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) appears to be a recognition of the need for care for chronic conditions – but that doesn’t mean that the proposal also supports therapy to achieve that goal. Potential measures on nutrition and chronic disease are promising, but […]
To meet some of the most daunting challenges facing nursing home providers today – including in the realms of workforce and regulations – leaders must shift their mindsets. This was one major takeaway from a recent webinar that Skilled Nursing News hosted, featuring a panel of nursing home executives. With regard to public policy and […]
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 […]
While the 900-plus pages of updates to surveyor guidelines is still daunting for the industry, operators have had a couple months of experience, making adjustments to the day-to-day while planning ahead. An easy first step toward preparation since guidance changes has been to identify when a facility’s next survey is due, then prioritize areas of […]
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 […]
Senators are pressing UnitedHealth Group (Nasdaq: UNH) over concerns that the company inappropriately encourages nursing homes to limit hospitalizations for residents enrolled in some of the company’s Medicare Advantage health plans. The probe was launched by Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) following a May report in The Guardian alleging that UnitedHealth is […]
A regulatory hat will be the latest of many worn by medical directors at nursing homes. They are expected to play an integral role in surveys moving forward, and will be on the hook if documentation is missing or a situation wasn’t handled with new survey requirements in mind. Medical directors already have significant administrative […]
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) has been a “non-issue” for Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA) when it comes to dealmaking conversations. The sector also appears to be in a different place now, given the continued decline in supply relative to occupancy, Sabra CEO Rick Matros said Tuesday. The skilled nursing sector’s lobbying […]
Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI) raised its earnings guidance despite the bankruptcy filing of its nursing home tenant, Genesis Healthcare, with executives on Friday citing confidence in the company’s reorganization plans and ability to meet rent obligations. “With our strong acquisition pipeline, a favorable operating environment and over $2 billion in liquidity with very low […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized its 2026 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) rule, approving a net increase of 3.2%, or approximately $1.16 billion in Medicare Part A payments for next year. It’s a jump compared to the proposed 2.8% increase released by CMS in April. For fiscal 2026, […]
There’s a large turnover of leaders and nurses in long-term care, a trend that operators know well threatens not only the care of residents but also destabilizes a fragile workforce. Directors of nursing (DONs) carry the burden of leading, educating, and advocating for residents and staff, yet many struggle with leadership transitions, regulations, and nursing […]
Launching a brand new nursing home business right now is not for the faint of heart. But for those with deep clinical and operational expertise – and a mission to help the industry evolve – it’s worth the struggle. Kimberly Green, founder of Sage Integrated Health, aims to do just that, drawing from more than […]
Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have said they would seek to support changes at the state level to strengthen competition, including addressing uncompetitive certificate of need (CON) laws. While CMS didn’t elaborate at the time, nursing home leaders said incentives to do away with such laws may be likely, despite […]
The Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) expressed gratitude that the skilled nursing industry was largely protected from direct cuts to Medicaid in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Mission Viejo, California-based Ensign plans to use its good working relationships with state legislators and governors’ offices to remind those in power of how important funding for […]
In the midst of what some nursing home operators are calling the “Amazon Effect” on consumers, providers are facing an important choice when it comes to future builds: design for the expanding middle market or cater to the high-end, private-pay segment. Consumer expectations guided in part by a higher level of instant gratification in the […]
Commercial insurance costs for nursing homes have been unpredictable and in some cases spiking as high as 40% regardless of loss history or risk profile, but stability is on the horizon. Still, nursing homes face high deductibles and fewer available carriers, while also being required to provide more information in order to be insured. Cybersecurity […]
Implementation of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) significantly increased coding intensity among skilled nursing facilities, while Medicare expenditures grew by $665 per beneficiary on average, despite the model’s intended budget neutrality. Increased spending was observed especiallyamong patients with medically complex health care needs, according to a study published on Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine. Meanwhile, […]
The recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) could have a disproportionate impact on nursing home residents eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid, often referred to as “dual eligibles.” These residents often face fragmented care, higher costs and poor outcomes as a result of misaligned systems. While the OBBBA doesn’t target this population directly, […]
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