As skilled nursing facilities navigate thin margins, payer pressure on patient length of stay and reimbursement shortfalls, the resulting financial headaches can have ripple effects for their partners. Vendors such as food service or pharmacy companies can be particularly vulnerable to a SNF’s financial struggles. But for third-party rehab companies, a tumultuous SNF world – […]
Category: Featured
As providers continue to stare down the October 1 implementation of a new Medicare payment model for nursing homes, specialization remains at the top of many operators’ to-do lists — with respiratory therapy potentially emerging as a key revenue source. Because the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) matches reimbursements with resident acuity, operators have looked to […]
Within each skilled nursing facility, leaders must balance the goal of providing excellent care with the financial constraints of the business, from low Medicaid rates to shifting discharge patterns. By hiring Mark Weiss as its new chief financial officer this month, The New Jewish Home in New York got an executive who can do both. […]
As resident acuities rise and reimbursements more closely link up with resident results, boosting physician services in skilled nursing facilities has emerged as a potential strategy to improve both outcomes and income — whether it’s through in-person visits or telehealth. In the northwest corner of Washington state, Swenson Healthcare has been taking something of a […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has overturned an Obama-era ban on the use of pre-dispute, binding arbitration agreements by skilled nursing facilities. But providers might still think twice about using these agreements, due to certain consumer protection provisions in CMS’ final rule. In fact, the protections for SNF residents and their families […]
With the Medicare Part A reimbursement overhaul taking effect in just a few months, skilled nursing providers across the country are in countdown mode. But the clock is moving at different paces for different providers, several experts said. Some SNFs began their analysis and preparations months ago; others are barely getting started. That’s led to […]
In the current post-acute care landscape, hospitals reign supreme, helping to decide the fates of the players farther down the care continuum. In recent years, skilled nursing facilities have suffered under hospitals’ watch, as the acute providers increasingly shift post-acute residents to the cheaper home health setting. But at least one provider says it’s time […]
As Medicare Advantage continues to gobble up an increasing share of skilled nursing reimbursements, more providers are exploring the idea of launching their own plans — and while the numbers are small, the opportunity can be great. Specifically, SNF providers can launch Institutional Special Needs Plans, or I-SNPs, a specific type of Medicare Advantage plan […]
Skilled nursing facilities could see relief from regulatory burdens if a proposed rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) takes effect, and according to the agency, it could lead to millions in savings. Specifically, the rule would overhaul multiple requirements and delay the implementation of regulations related to the Quality Assurance and […]
The federal government on Tuesday finalized a rule that allows skilled nursing operators to use arbitration agreements with their residents, while also proposing a new rule to reduce paperwork burdens that would delay certain aspects of the Requirements of Participation. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) struck something of a compromise with the […]
The release of a so-called “secret” list of nursing homes considered for inclusion in a program for the nation’s worst properties sent shockwaves through the industry early last month — but the man in charge of the for-profit space’s primary trade group says the sunshine is ultimately a good thing for operators. As the skilled […]
The Elderwood chain has been on an acquisition kick in the upstate New York region over the past year, with purchases ranging from assisted living to skilled nursing — and backing from a corporate parent that took a unique route into the SNF world. Post Acute Partners co-founders and co-CEOs Warren Cole and Dr. Jeffrey […]
When a skilled nursing provider enters receivership or bankruptcy, the safety and wellbeing of the residents is the top priority for all parties involved. The financial struggles raise questions about the continued provision of necessary care, and the safe transfer of operations becomes paramount. But in many recent SNF bankruptcies, or cases where a SNF […]
The federal government on Wednesday unveiled a new proposed payment model for certain kidney-related conditions, and several providers in the space say it could have serious potential for skilled nursing operators. Under the proposed End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices (ETC) model, Medicare would expand coverage of care for kidney diseases and offer financial incentives […]
As the skilled nursing industry continues to move toward higher-acuity residents, many senior living operators have abandoned the space entirely, preferring to leave the increasingly medical business to standalone buildings and rehab partners. But one family-owned operator in Northeast Ohio — which started out in the SNF world five decades ago — believes the future […]
Under the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), reimbursement for Medicare Part A patients in skilled nursing facilities will be driven by patient condition, rather than by therapy minutes provided to that patient. It’s a change that the industry has hailed as an opportunity to receive financial credit for the care that they’re already providing, but they […]
Several states across the U.S. have eyed managed long-term services and supports as a way to reduce their Medicaid spend, but the state of New York — which made the move in the early part of the decade — is now taking a step back. Specifically, the Empire State is looking to move the long-term […]
The state of Oklahoma has had the dubious distinction of ranking near the bottom in both Medicaid reimbursement for skilled nursing facilities and in the quality of care provided at those facilities. But legislation recently enacted by the Sooner State aims to change that, by bolstering reimbursement for SNFs — if they can make improvements […]
Skilled nursing-focused telehealth provider Call9 attracted $34 million in venture capital from sources as diverse as the former chairman of tech incubator Y Combinator to actor Ashton Kutcher. But in the end, that cash and high-profile attention wasn’t enough to carry Call9, which is in the midst of suspending its operations, to success in today’s […]
The federal government’s lending program for nursing homes has come under national scrutiny in the wake of a record-setting default, but financial leaders in the space say the initiative is vital to the overall health of the industry. The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Section 232 program gives skilled nursing operators and investors […]