State of the Nursing Home Workforce (Part 3): To Bolster Frontline Staff, Operators Open Up Their Own CNA Schools, Graduating Thousands

Building the frontline workforce continues to be crucial for the nursing home sector as the industry faces a federal minimum staffing mandate. However, barriers exist in the form of civil monetary penalties (CMPs), which can pause in-house training programs if a facility is cited, and existing staff is stretched so thin that educational demands just […]

‘No Magic Bullet’ But Retention Efforts, Centralized Recruiting Helping Nursing Home Operators

The Centralized recruitment model is gaining momentum across long-term care communities and nursing homes, and more operators amid consolidation in the sector, are attesting to its success. Operators like Covenant Living Communities and Services understand well, however, that success is only as good as the region and setting. “I don’t necessarily think there’s a magic […]

State of the Nursing Home Workforce (Part 2): Inside Efforts to Build the Administrator Pipeline

Strong leadership translates into a stable workforce, which is one reason why executives across the nursing home sector are recognizing the urgent need for support for Administrator-in-Training (AIT) programs. High turnover among leadership is causing massive ripple effects in just about every area of the sector. But bolstering the administrator workforce has tremendous challenges. For […]

State of the Nursing Home Workforce (Part 1): Always Fires to Put Out, But Trends Turn More Positive  in 2024

Staffing is an ongoing concern at nursing homes, but the fires are finally calming down. As Skilled Nursing News continues to monitor shifts in staffing challenges – especially with the federal staffing mandate in place – our focus has become more vigilant. Thus, we wanted to take a step back and provide our readers with […]

‘A Turbulent Time’: Inside Tackling Clinical Risks from Rising Acuity, Tougher Regulation at Nursing Homes

The rising acuity at nursing homes alongside increasingly stringent government regulation, is raising operational risk – and litigation – leaving facilities “overwhelmed” in its wake. As residents increasingly age in place for longer, they are arriving at skilled nursing facilities with more serious health conditions. This trend, combined with regulatory pressures and heightened scrutiny from […]

‘Keeps Us on Our Toes’: Covenant Living’s Approach to Navigating Rise of Managed Care at Nursing Homes Across Diverse Footprint

Growth of managed care has deepened reimbursement challenges for Covenant Living Communities and Services, much like for many providers in the nursing home sector. However, a centralized intake model launched three years ago and certain contract negotiation strategies have enabled efficient revenue cycle management. With an extensive network of communities spread across many states, the […]

CMS Medicare Rate Increase for Nursing Homes Lags Far Behind Actual Costs as Leaders Call for ‘Easy Fix’

When looking at the 4.2% Medicare increase in the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) for 2025, some leaders in the space wonder if the rate calculated has been inadequate considering inflation, labor woes, and funds needed to meet the federal staffing mandate. Some even argue that rate increases are so far behind […]

How Nursing Home Providers Can Optimize Reimbursement Under PDPM-Based Medicaid Models

As the Medicaid payment system transitions across states from RUGS to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), nursing home operators must be wary of misconceptions – including that the transitions will always lead to additional Medicaid funds being available – while putting in place the right practices to ensure appropriate payments. The complexities of Medicaid transitions […]

Labor Woes, Surging Demand Complicate Efforts to Right-Size Skilled Nursing Facilities

Right-sizing is crucial and tricky for nursing home operators, as demographics are driving demand but also contributing to labor shortages. Ultimately, providers must weigh several factors in order to create businesses that are successful today and sustainable for the future. “It’s about the right service offerings, which sometimes means shrinking your physical footprint and asking, […]

Nursing Home Staffing Mandate Lawsuit Could Be Resolved By January as All Parties Seek ‘Efficient’ Resolution

A resolution to the lawsuit challenging the nursing home federal minimum staffing mandate could be reached as early as January, if the court finalizes a proposed schedule put forth by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), LeadingAge and other industry leaders. If this turns out to be the case, the lawsuit would be resolved more […]

‘Tug of War’: Inside Navigating the Pitfalls of Dual Eligible Coverage in Nursing Homes

Delivering care to dual eligible nursing home residents can be complex with so many payers involved in the industry, but aligning incentives, quality measures and tools for providers can help operators serve this demographic. Dual eligible residents, or those that can receive benefits from both Medicare and Medicaid, often find themselves in a “tangled web […]

PACS Execs: Vetting Nursing Home Leadership, Managing Higher Acuity in New Deals Led to Reimbursement and Occupancy Gains in Q2

Quantity, by virtue of an aggressive growth strategy at PACS Group (NYSE: PACS), has not impacted quality at its facilities, executives said. In fact the opposite has been true, and the resulting quality gains are also one of the reasons for the company’s strong second quarter. The company’s model is based on successfully turning around […]

Diversicare, Avamere, Good Sam Execs on Whether CMS’ Nursing Home Facility Assessments Are ‘Holistic’ or ‘Redundant’

The new facility assessments for nursing homes, which went into effect on Thursday, are prompting mixed reviews from nursing home operators regarding their utility. The feedback ranges from assessments being a surprisingly useful tool for enhancing transparency in communication and fine-tuning staffing needs for ever-changing patient acuity, to concerns that they are costly and redundant. […]

Sabra CEO: ‘Outsized Medicaid Rates’ a Positive Sign for Nursing Homes, with Occupancy Up and Investment Pipeline Strong

Reimbursement trends among nursing homes remain positive while investment opportunities are rising, said leaders at Sabra Health Care REIT Inc. (Nasdaq: SBRA), who also noted that the company’s occupancy recovery looks promising. During the second quarter, Sabra reported net income of 10 cents per diluted common share, a slight decrease compared to 9 cents in […]

With $270M in the Pipeline, NHI Leaders Eye New Acquisitions After Posting Strong Q2

Looking ahead, leaders at National Health Investors Inc. (NYSE: NHI) are excited about recent investment activity and a growing pipeline of $270 million. The real estate investment trust (REIT) is pursuing several large portfolio deals, along with fee-simple real estate, loans with purchase options and seniors housing opportunities. The Murfreesboro, Tenn.-based company has spent multiple […]

American Healthcare REIT Sees Seasonal Declines in Skilled Nursing Demand, But Losses Mitigated by Trilogy’s Model

American Healthcare REIT’s (NYSE: AHR) skilled nursing occupancy levels were down due to seasonality although executives remained optimistic and revised guidance for fiscal 2024 upwards, saying that demand across all its four segments was expected to remain strong. “As we enter the latter half of 2024 demand and growth for health care real estate remains […]

CMS Entrenching ‘Old Covid Scars’ With Expansion of Civil Monetary Penalties, Starving Nursing Homes of Much-Needed Resources

Nursing home operators say the civil monetary penalty (CMP) expansion is proving to be one of the most problematic features of the 2025 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System (SNF PPS) final rule. Initially, there was excitement for the Medicare payment increase, but this has turned to dread for operators who are already dealing with […]

‘We Do Not Live for the Quarter’: CareTrust Queues up Avalanche of Skilled Nursing Investments

CareTrust REIT (NYSE: CTRE) has been busy with its investment pipeline this week, announcing $378 million in new investments after June 30, and on top of $268 million in investments during the second quarter. Chief Investment Officer James Callister said competition for skilled nursing acquisitions is high as oncoming improvement and post-COVID performance has resulted […]

Chevron Fallout Could Create ‘Regulatory Flux’ for Nursing Home Sector

While hopeful that the Supreme Court’s recent Chevron decision will undermine the federal staffing mandate and lead to a more rational regulatory environment, leaders in the nursing home sector also are warning that the ruling could create a period of uncertainty and tumult. Steve LaForte, director of corporate affairs and general counsel for Idaho-based Cascadia […]

LTC Properties: Q2 Plagued By Occupancy Declines, Rent Deferrals, But Medicaid Rate Increases Helped Nursing Homes

Leaders with LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) said Medicaid rate increases were one positive aspect from the second financial quarter, even as some of its assets were seeing occupancy issues and ongoing deferrals in rent. Occupancy “disappointingly deteriorated” among certain assets, including LTC’s skilled nursing facilities, analysts with BMO Capital Markets reported. While overall SNF occupancy […]