Confederate forces may have surrendered to the Union more than 150 years ago, but there’s still one living American who’s receiving veterans’ benefits stemming from Civil War service. That would be Irene Triplett, a North Carolina skilled nursing resident who gets a monthly check from the Department of Veterans Affairs for her father’s service in […]
Category: Long-Term Care
While some of the nation’s ongoing long-term care issues have flown under the radar, the opioid epidemic has garnered significant media attention, particularly during the last presidential campaign. In this article from Kaiser Health News, reporter Melissa Bailey explores the intersection between these two ongoing American health care storylines, detailing how hospice providers struggle to determine whether […]
The United Kingdom has a new largest care home operator, and a former U.S. senior housing heavyweight will soon be at its helm. But the company’s chairman still sees dark clouds on the horizon for the industry as a whole. HC-One on Wednesday announced its intention to acquire 122 care homes from Bupa, a London-based […]
Amid the nagging uncertainty in the skilled nursing marketplace, some senior housing operators have moved away from SNFs entirely. Others, meanwhile, have said that if they could go back in time, they might reconsider their SNF strategy within continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). But one provider believes the future of CCRCs includes SNFs as a […]
The largest Catholic health system in Illinois has signed a deal to merge with a joint venture of the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. Presence Health will become part of Amita Health, a joint venture between Alexian Brothers Health System and Adventist Midwest Health. The Chicago-based Amita is part of Ascension, encompassing nine […]
The skilled nursing industry cheered earlier this year when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that it would reverse course on a plan to ban arbitration agreements between SNF operators and residents. But as the public learns more about the issue, the backlash has been harsh — and national publications are taking […]
The last five days were dominated by a pair of major real estate investment trust (REIT) dramas — Sabra Healthcare REIT, Inc.’s (NASDAQ: SBRA) successful shareholder vote to acquire Care Capital Properties (NYSE: CCP), and Quality Care Properties’ (NYSE: QCP) decision to seek receivership for the struggling HCR ManorCare’s facilities. But much more happened in […]
It’s no secret that the number of skilled nursing beds is declining across the nation. A situation currently playing out in Chicago illustrates some of the reasons for this trend, including a push for more care to be delivered in people’s homes. Northwestern Medicine, a major Windy City integrated health care system, is shutting down […]
Last year, a federal judge ordered the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to clear a growing Medicare appeals backlog by 2021. But an appellate judge last week overturned the order, claiming that the lower court didn’t fully consider whether such a project would even be possible under current law. The U.S. Court of […]
The state of New Jersey took an added step to regulate elder care provided in institutional settings, recently implementing a new law that holds care providers to stricter reporting guidelines. Sponsored by Republican State Sen. James Holzapfel, “Peggy’s Law” requires any caretaker, social worker, physician, registered or licensed practical nurse, or other professional to immediately report suspected […]
As the deadline for public comment approached, politicians and advocacy groups lodged strong objections to the Trump administration’s proposal to overturn Obama-era regulations that protect residents’ ability to sue skilled nursing facilities. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a rule in 2016 that prevents SNFs that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds from including “no sue” clauses in […]
A new bill that would curtail immigration could cut off a key solution to the growing skilled nursing workforce crisis. The Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act, co-authored by Republican Sens. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and David Perdue of Louisiana and supported by President Trump, could result in a 50% reduction in […]
Long-term care (LTC) deals played a key role in an overall increase in “megadeals” in the health services industry, according to a new analysis from Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC). Overall, 219 deals occurred throughout the health services industry, totaling to $49.6 billion, signifying a year-over-year increase of more than 201%, and a 514% jump from the first quarter of […]
Activity directors and non-certified nurse aides enjoyed the largest pay raises — on a percentage basis — of all skilled nursing employees between 2016 and 2017, according to the latest data set from the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service. Among salaried employees, activity directors took the crown with a bump of 3.44%, or a rise […]
First things first: We here at Skilled Nursing News won’t say that Trumpcare has officially died — it’s been revived multiple times so far— but after months of hand-wringing and dire projections about Obamacare repeal’s effect on the skilled nursing industry, it finally looks as though the former president’s cornerstone legislative victory is here to […]
Skilled nursing operators know the cold facts: Finding and retaining quality employees has gotten a lot harder as the improving economy created a job-seeker’s market, especially among more specialized practitioners such as nurses. And that’s before considering SNFs’ reputation as a “farm system” where nurses go to pick up a year or two of experience […]
A bill recently reintroduced in the U.S. Senate aims to make skilled nursing services more readily available for veterans of the military. Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) on July 20 reintroduced the Veterans Access to Long Term Care and Health Services Act (S. 1611). The legislation would allow the Department of Veterans Affairs to […]
The total dollar value of nursing care properties that changed hands in the second quarter of 2017 fell slightly from previous quarters, according to preliminary data from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). In total, $1.4 billion worth of senior care mergers and acquisitions occurred in the second quarter — with senior […]
Long-term care is getting a facelift in the Beaver State. Specifically, the Oregon state legislature recently passed House Bill 3359 (HB 3359), which is meant to improve the quality and safety of long-term care settings statewide. The bill, for instance, mandates that all administrators of residential care facilities, including assisted living and memory care communities, receive […]
Construction: Planned Trilogy Plans to Build SNF on Property Owned by Monastery in Indiana Trilogy Health Services is looking to open a skilled nursing facility on a plot of land owned by the Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Ind. The proposal calls for senior housing that would include skilled nursing, assisted living, and rehabilitation services, according to […]