OnPointe CEO: Skilled Nursing Providers That ‘Run to Risk’ Will Win

As both government and private payers increasingly move toward value-based reimbursements, skilled nursing providers in particular have struggled to keep up — and shift decades-old operational patterns to suit the new reality. For OnPointe CEO Eric Tanner, the only way forward is by running headlong into risk, primarily by showing payers and hospitals how his […]

Cheat Sheets and Timely Visits: How SNFs Can Support Doctors’ Larger PDPM Role

Timely physician visits will play a central role in effectively capturing resident conditions — and reimbursements — under the new Medicare payment model. But with doctors seeing relatively few incentive changes amid the shift to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), skilled nursing operators must find ways to make physician collaboration as easy as possible. Medical […]

Bridgemoor Opens $20M Rehab Facility; Centre Care Breaks Ground on $45.3M SNF

Bridgemoor Transitional Care opened to the public a newly built short-term rehabilitation facility in Webster, Texas, with a final price tag of $20 million. Specifically targeting post-acute residents, the new Webster facility features 70 private suites equipped with bathrooms, an in-house pharmacy, and dialysis coordination, along with high-end food options and a salon. “Our Webster […]

ManorCare Sees Occupancy Boost as Welltower Plots 45-Building Capital Improvement Plan

Executives from Welltower Inc. (NYSE: WELL) have been largely mum about the company’s ongoing integration of HCR ManorCare’s skilled nursing facilities into its overall portfolio, but when pressed Tuesday, leaders hinted that the metrics are moving in the right direction. Occupancy at ManorCare SNFs has increased by more than 100 basis points, Welltower chief investment […]

Sitting Out Bundled Payments Could Leave Skilled Nursing Providers Far Behind

For many skilled nursing providers, the launch last week of the 2020 application period for the government’s flagship bundled-payment program was low on the list of priorities. After all, under the new Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) model, nursing homes can’t be episode initiators, meaning hospitals and other acute-care providers are the […]

Rise of Managed Medicaid Could Deepen Skilled Nursing Financial Woes

Increasing numbers of states have begun exploring managed Medicaid programs as a means of achieving savings as their populations age. But unless officials provide crucial oversight, skilled nursing facilities could find themselves under even worse financial pressures. It’s something that states and their legislators need to keep in mind as they weigh options for managing […]

Ventas Inks Five-Year Extension on Genesis Lease

Ventas Inc. (NYSE: VTR) on Friday announced an extension of its lease arrangement with Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) — a move that intrigued analysts given other landlords’ moves away from the operator. The real estate investment trust (REIT) granted Genesis five more years under its existing rent and escalator terms, with a few landlord-friendly twists: […]

GAO: CMS Must Strengthen State-Level Oversight of Skilled Nursing Facilities

For at least 15 years, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) failed to deal with gaps in the federal oversight of nursing home abuse investigations in Oregon, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) determined in a management report released on Monday — and officials want a review of state-level rules nationwide. CMS oversees […]

Dedicated Hospice News Site Launches — Subscribe Today

Aging Media Network launched its fifth digital publication, Hospice News, covering the $28 billion business of hospice and palliative care. As demand for hospice continues to grow, Hospice News will provide industry insights, information, and analysis that leaders, investors, and policymakers need to navigate this evolving business and regulatory landscape. Visit www.hospicenews.com for the latest […]

Pharmacy Company Wellfount Shuts Down Abruptly, Leaving SNFs Scrambling

A pharmacy company that helped lead the charge to automate medicine dispensing collapsed at the end of last month, leaving some nursing homes with less than a month to find a replacement, the Indianapolis Business Journal reported on Friday. Wellfount Corp., based in Indianapolis, put “Redbox-style vending machines” in SNFs that dispensed medicines, with an […]

Sabra Sues for Control of Senior Care Centers Properties Amid $385M Sale

Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA) this week filed a lawsuit seeking control over 38 properties operated by Senior Care Centers, which entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier this month. In a filing submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas, lawyers for the real estate investment trust (REIT) accused Senior […]

CMS Looks to Expand 3-Day SNF Waivers, Encourage Risk with New ACO Models

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Friday finalized its new set of rules for accountable care organizations (ACOs), removing the no-risk tracks that represented financial drains on Medicare and expanding three-day stay waivers for nursing homes. Under the new “Pathways to Success” model, most new ACOs will only have two years to […]

Three-SNF Sale in Tennessee; Athena Health Care Systems Buys Connecticut SNF

Benedictine Health System Buys Nursing Home It Operates in Minnesota The ownership transfer of Benedictine Living Community, a nursing home in St. Peter, Minn., to Benedictine Health System was finalized by the City Council last week, The Mankato Free Press reported Tuesday. The move also terminated the old lease for the property. Benedictine Health System […]

Happy Holidays from Skilled Nursing News

From all of us here at Skilled Nursing News and the other publications of Aging Media Network, we’d like to wish our readers a happy and bright holiday season — no matter what celebrations the next few weeks might have in store. In observance of Christmas and New Year’s Day, SNN will not publish from […]

CareTrust Buys Colorado SNF for $19.6M, Marking Another Expansion with Eduro

CareTrust REIT, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTRE) on Thursday announced the acquisition of a 154-bed skilled nursing facility in Parker, Colo., which will be operated by the Salt Lake City-based Eduro Healthcare, LLC — the latest step in a growing partnership between the operator and the real estate investment trust (REIT). The SNF, which was built in […]

Last Chance — 2019 Outlook Survey

The team at Skilled Nursing News (SNN) is looking ahead to 2019 and would like to get your input with our 2019 Outlook Survey. Complete this brief, 10-question survey by December 24th and you will be entered into a drawing to win a $100 eGift card. All responses gathered shall remain confidential and your information will not be used […]

Sabra’s ‘Genesis Exodus’ Nears Completion with $75.7M Sale of 13 SNFs

Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA) on Wednesday announced the sale of 13 more skilled nursing facilities operated by Genesis Healthcare (NYSE: GEN), leaving just three more to sell before the real estate investment trust (REIT) completes its long-planned divestiture of Genesis assets. Four of the Genesis-leased facilities sold last week for $38.6 million, with […]