While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes to make some of the most significant changes to its accountable care organization (ACO) model since it was finalized in 2011, it doesn’t appear that such updates will have a lasting impact on the broader skilled nursing industry. If anything, only operators with their own […]
Home health agencies surpassed skilled nursing facilities as the most sought after post-acute care setting – SNF care went from most common to second-most used among Medicare beneficiaries, crossing paths with home health in February 2020 as the pandemic ramped up. By March 2020, the number of hospital discharges referred to SNFs dropped to 16.6% […]
It costs nursing home residents on average about $39 more per day to stay in a private room compared to a semi-private room, or $315 compared to $276. While some might consider the difference to be relatively slim, it really all depends on average income per resident. Medicaid recipients generally must make no more than […]
The nurse practitioner (NP) role has evolved to be much more involved in the day-to-day operations of a nursing home, especially given the higher acuity that the care setting has adopted. Institutional special needs plans (I-SNPs), which are designed to care for residents that need a higher level of clinical care, has led to more […]
As many in the nursing home sector pursue opportunities to add additional service lines to diversify their offerings, and potentially build new revenue streams, Ignite Medical Resorts has stuck to doing one thing well — and so far it’s paid off. The short-term rehabilitation and nursing care provider has turned the traditional post-acute experience on […]
Nursing home executives are increasingly exploring what it would take to start a SNF-at-home program, at a time when it has become apparent after the height of a global pandemic that patients would rather be cared for in the home when at all possible. For many skilled nursing providers it becomes part of a bigger […]
As patients continue to seek out ways to be cared for in the home over more institutional settings like nursing homes, an impending nationwide rollout of the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model may dwindle managed care relationships and drive care further away from SNFs. Results from a nine-state, five-year demo of HHVBP showed a […]
While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been winding down certain waivers tied to the public health emergency (PHE), the agency has been noticeably silent about what could be the most impactful of the pandemic-related waivers – suspension of the three-day stay requirement. Industry leaders aren’t holding out much hope that the […]
ProMedica Senior Care, which houses the nonprofit health system’s skilled nursing operations, has lost $124.3 million during the first quarter of 2022 as both the operator and the industry continue to face lagging occupancy recovery coupled with high labor costs. The financial figure compares to $72.5 million in operating losses for Q1 of 2021. On […]
Skilled nursing has seen its highest occupancy level since April 2020, increasing 94 basis points to end February at 76.7%. That’s according to NIC MAP Data Service, powered by NIC MAP Vision. Authors of the monthly report suggest the demand for skilled nursing properties is recovering despite challenges encountered by staffing shortages and the delta […]
In another attestation to the health care industry’s expanding interest in value-based care models, AllyAlign Health has teamed up with two other health care organizations to form Curana Health — with a goal of being in skilled nursing and senior living communities across the country. AllyAlign Health, Elite Patient Care and Provider Health Services are […]
The Department of Health and Human Services’ top watchdog arm has raised concerns over some Medicare Advantage plans that have denied certain services requested by patients, including those trying to get skilled nursing care. MA plans issue millions of denials each year and the HHS Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found widespread and persistent […]
Skilled nursing providers are looking for ways to get ahead as the long-term care industry increasingly moves toward a value-based payment world. Operators who have taken the leap to create their own in-house insurance plans are starting to see the move pay off in a big way, both on the clinical and financial side of […]
Skilled nursing admissions continue to stumble toward recovery “with no clear end in sight” as others along the care continuum – like home health – are starting to steady. That’s according to the 2021 post-acute industry trends report from Atlanta-based health analytics company Trella Health. The report spans topics including admissions and utilization data in […]
Nursing home operators have for so long relied on Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) to get reimbursed, that it might take a rewiring of workplace culture to better receive value-based insurance models. This is especially true after the beating such models took during the pandemic, Cheryl Phillips, president and CEO of the Special Needs Plan Alliance, said […]
The value-based purchasing program (VBP) available to skilled nursing facilities, while garnering the attention of the Biden administration in its sweeping reform initiatives, was already under the microscope with federal agencies. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) already has been authorized to apply nine measures to the program in adherence with the Consolidated […]
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC)’s value incentive program (VIP) seeks to standardize the many value-based purchasing programs that are available to different care settings, including skilled nursing. In its most recent report on Medicare payment policy, MedPAC devoted a chapter to the design of a VIP for post-acute care (PAC) in order to highlight […]
Skilled nursing operators will have until April 22 to decide whether they want to apply to become a part of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ new direct contracting model. The Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (REACH) Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Model was announced by CMS last week. And while SNF participation in […]
As the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) continues to evaluate the “true” budget neutrality of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), it’s clear COVID-19 has impacted usage of the new payment model. A report from professional services firm CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) found the median Medicare revenue per patient day (RPPD) increased 7% in 2020 under […]
With more long-term care provider organizations embracing Medicare Advantage institutional special needs plans (I-SNPs), the time might be right for skilled nursing operators to explore the potential benefits of expanding D-SNPs, or dual-eligible special needs plans. Special needs plans provide services to “special needs individuals” such as institutionalized individuals and people with severe or disabling […]
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