States are in the midst of considering changes to their Medicaid policies as federal funding gets phased out with the end of the public health emergency, and some states are hoping to rebase Medicaid reimbursement rates for nursing homes to mitigate challenges facing the sector. Montana is one of those states. After a study commissioned […]
Category: Medicaid
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Wednesday outlined the biggest waivers tied to the public health emergency – including those linked to the three-day inpatient stay requirement and temporary nurse aides – would indeed be ending on May 11. Any sort of permanent implementation of these waivers, would need to be carried […]
LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) will see progress from its nursing home operator tenants, as facilities find new ways to drive occupancy, increase revenue and lower costs in the midst of a favorable outlook for Medicaid rates rebasing by states. “While the road has been long over the last few years, we are beginning to see […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Monday a proposed rule to require nursing homes to disclose more information regarding their ownership and management, including information related to assets held by real estate investment trusts (REITs) and private equity firms. Nursing homes will be expected to disclose this information as part of the […]
Following states like Illinois and New York, Connecticut is the latest state to introduce a bill aimed at transforming staffing and requiring transparency changes among area nursing homes. Proposed changes would apply to the more than 200 nursing homes across the state. One change involves boosting minimum staffing hours from 3 to 4.1 per person […]
Medicaid rebasing efforts are driving dealmaking activity for the skilled nursing sector at the moment, as enhanced federal funding dries up and operators scramble to account for rising costs of care and a floundering workforce. That’s according to executives with CareTrust REIT (NYSE: CTRE). James Callister, chief investment officer , said during the company’s latest […]
Preparations for Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes vary from state to state, raising questions about how Medicaid reimbursements will be determined as the clock ticks down to the Oct. 1 start date. The key issue is the removal of Section G, which is used to measure the functional status of residents, from the nursing home […]
The skilled nursing industry is facing a defining moment that could determine the future of Medicaid reimbursement, with a new model emerging that ties increased dollars to facility performance. “I doubt that we’re going to get another chance,” Zimmet Healthcare Services CEO Marc Zimmet said Tuesday at the annual eCap conference in Miami. This as […]
Rising interest rates are inflicting pain on the skilled nursing sector, with tough discussions between capital providers and operators to come in 2023. But with more sophisticated operators serving higher-acuity residents than in the past, and Covid-19 changing perceptions of “stroke of the pen risk,” investors see an industry with attractive long-term prospects. “I’ve been […]
Following the Biden administration’s plans to end the public health emergency (PHE) on May 11, leaders at Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) are bullish that state assistance will create a soft landing. Ensign CEO Barry Port has seen operators in the sector bolstered by enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) funding during the pandemic; this federally […]
Texas and Nebraska led the nation for most nursing home closures in 2022, with industry advocates citing inadequate Medicaid rates that have not kept pace with a tough economic and operating environment. And advocates also caution that the latest numbers are likely understated, with even more facility closures occurring. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid […]
The gap between current skilled nursing occupancy and pre-pandemic occupancy is “99%” due to lack of staff, and addressing the sector’s workforce crisis is clearly the top priority for 2023. That’s according to Phil Fogg Jr., president and CEO of Marquis Companies and chairman of the American Health Care Association. Milwaukie, Oregon-based Marquis owns and […]
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this month signed an omnibus health care bill with some good news for nursing homes in the state, delaying fines tied to the state’s minimum staffing requirement for two-and-a-half more years. Pritzker’s decision gives those in the sector a glimpse into how a federal staffing mandate mightbe received and potentially […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) unanimously voted Thursday to approve its recommendation for a 3% Medicare payment cut for skilled nursing providers in 2024. This move follows the Commission’s draft recommendation discussed during a meeting on Dec. 9. Despite the proposal for a rate cut, MedPAC commissioners have noted that the industry is facing […]
The coming year will be “a bit of a slog” for skilled nursing, but operating and financial headwinds should ease over the course of 2023. That’s the viewpoint of Rick Matros, CEO of Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA), which owns 270 skilled nursing and transitional care properties, along with senior living, behavioral health and […]
A vast majority of nursing homes favor extending the public health emergency designation for Covid, and are concerned that they will be unable to meet a potential federal staffing minimum. These views, expressed in a newly released survey by the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), come in the midst of a […]
Covid-19 mortality rates for younger residents in nursing homes were comparable to those in Medicaid home and community-based services (HCBS) from March 2020 through December 2020 – specifically HCBS recipients and nursing home residents 65 and younger. That’s according to a study published in Health Affairs, among the first to provide multi-state data on mortality […]
“The sector has a tremendous opportunity to reimagine how we deliver care.” These are the words of Nate Schema, president and CEO of The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, one of the largest providers of skilled nursing services in the United States. Good Sam is reimagining care in part through a $350 million virtual care […]
With the potential end of the public health emergency on the horizon, operators are seeing more of a return to normalcy – for better or worse. While labor continues to be a significant challenge, occupancy rates are at their highest since the beginning of the pandemic. NIC MAP Vision on Dec. 29 released new occupancy […]
Economic uncertainty, staffing shortages, looming federal regulations, a new COVID variant and major changes to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) are just a few of the challenges facing the skilled nursing sector at the dawn of 2023. But a new year is also a time for optimism. Favorable Medicaid policies, the growth of strong regional […]
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