State of the Nursing Home Workforce (Part 4): Dwyer Workforce Development’s CEO on ‘Secret Sauce’ Behind Growth

At the heart of many successful workforce initiatives that nursing homes are pursuing to increase the number of workers is the push for employee well-being and a recognition that many frontline workers face fundamental and systemic barriers to entering the workforce. To that end, an organization that is enabling skilled nursing providers to grow their […]

New Nursing Home Operator Journey Adds 4 Properties, Names COO and Chief Nursing Officer

Recently established Journey Healthcare, led by industry veteran and former CEO of Majestic Care Bernie McGuinness, announced the acquisition of four skilled nursing facilities, representing a significant milestone in the company’s growth. Three of the properties are located in West Virginia, and the fourth is in Maryland, bringing Journey’s footprint to 11 communities across four […]

‘Classic Zero-Sum Game’: Nursing Homes Sue State over Staffing Mandate

Half a dozen nursing homes in New Jersey have filed a lawsuit against the state’s minimum staffing mandate, challenging its constitutionality. They are joined by the Health Care Association of New Jersey, according to a complaint, filed last week. The nursing homes argue that the 2020 law setting minimum staffing requirements is unachievable due to […]

Nursing Home Data Sharing Standards Are Expected, Needed to Reduce Staff Burnout, Improve Care

Challenges stemming from gaps in medical data along the health care continuum and a lack of seamless sharing of crucial information between nursing homes and other entities have grave consequences, especially given the more serious patient acuity levels being discharged to post-acute care facilities. And yet, this is an issue that has failed to garner […]

State of the Nursing Home Workforce (Part 3): To Bolster Frontline Staff, Operators Open Up Their Own CNA Schools, Graduating Thousands

Building the frontline workforce continues to be crucial for the nursing home sector as the industry faces a federal minimum staffing mandate. However, barriers exist in the form of civil monetary penalties (CMPs), which can pause in-house training programs if a facility is cited, and existing staff is stretched so thin that educational demands just […]

Nursing Homes Post Job Growth, Higher Wages Amid Expanding Health Sector

Nursing homes posted job growth and wage increases, reflecting broader trends in the health care sector. That’s according to the latest Altarum Health Sector Economic Indicators (HSEI) briefs for August 2024. Nursing and residential care facilities added 9,200 jobs in July 2024. Much of the job growth was fueled by a strong increase in jobs […]

‘No Magic Bullet’ But Retention Efforts, Centralized Recruiting Helping Nursing Home Operators

The Centralized recruitment model is gaining momentum across long-term care communities and nursing homes, and more operators amid consolidation in the sector, are attesting to its success. Operators like Covenant Living Communities and Services understand well, however, that success is only as good as the region and setting. “I don’t necessarily think there’s a magic […]

State of the Nursing Home Workforce (Part 2): Inside Efforts to Build the Administrator Pipeline

Strong leadership translates into a stable workforce, which is one reason why executives across the nursing home sector are recognizing the urgent need for support for Administrator-in-Training (AIT) programs. High turnover among leadership is causing massive ripple effects in just about every area of the sector. But bolstering the administrator workforce has tremendous challenges. For […]

State of the Nursing Home Workforce (Part 1): Always Fires to Put Out, But Trends Turn More Positive  in 2024

Staffing is an ongoing concern at nursing homes, but the fires are finally calming down. As Skilled Nursing News continues to monitor shifts in staffing challenges – especially with the federal staffing mandate in place – our focus has become more vigilant. Thus, we wanted to take a step back and provide our readers with […]

OIG: 1 in 4 Non-Profit Nursing Homes Failed to Meet Infection Prevention Regulations

About one in four for-profit nursing homes may not have complied with federal requirements regarding infection preventionists, according to an audit from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). The federal watchdog agency found that, out of a 100 for-profit facility sample size, 17 potentially didn’t comply with the requirement that the infection preventionist complete […]

Five-Property Portfolio Based in Southwest Sells; Marquis Expands With Orthopedic Program

Evans Senior Investments (ESI) arranged the sale of a five-property portfolio in the Southwest, comprising skilled nursing beds and senior housing units. The transaction was carried out on behalf of an unnamed regional owner-operator for an undisclosed amount. Real estate brokerage firm ESI ran a confidential marketing process, engaging with a select group of buyers, […]

Allowing Nursing Home Staff with Mild Covid to Work Could Reduce Medical Harm, Costs

Allowing nursing home staff experiencing mild Covid symptoms to work, masked, appears to be better for resident welfare than furloughing infected workers. Missing tasks outweighed increased harm from Covid transmission in a simulated scenario, according to a study published Monday morning in JAMA Network Open. Understaffing was associated with missed tasks, resident hospitalizations and deaths, […]

Labor Woes, Surging Demand Complicate Efforts to Right-Size Skilled Nursing Facilities

Right-sizing is crucial and tricky for nursing home operators, as demographics are driving demand but also contributing to labor shortages. Ultimately, providers must weigh several factors in order to create businesses that are successful today and sustainable for the future. “It’s about the right service offerings, which sometimes means shrinking your physical footprint and asking, […]

Nursing Home Staffing Mandate Lawsuit Could Be Resolved By January as All Parties Seek ‘Efficient’ Resolution

A resolution to the lawsuit challenging the nursing home federal minimum staffing mandate could be reached as early as January, if the court finalizes a proposed schedule put forth by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), LeadingAge and other industry leaders. If this turns out to be the case, the lawsuit would be resolved more […]

$29M Medicaid Rate Increase in State Heavily Focused on Direct Care

Oklahoma on Monday approved a nearly $29 million Medicaid funding increase for nursing homes attracting additional federal dollars to improve provider rates. It’s unclear if the rate increase would be enough to meet the upcoming federal minimum staffing standard. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority Board (OHCA) approved the increase after the 2024 legislature called on […]

State’s $258M Funding Boost for Long-Term Care Sparks Legislative Clash 

A battle is underway in Wisconsin over whether pandemic relief funds can be diverted to increase Medicaid reimbursements to long-term care providers. Gov. Tony Evers recently proposed using $258 million in pandemic relief to increase Medicaid reimbursements for long-term care providers, a move previously blocked by a Republican budget-writing committee, according to Wisconsin Public Radio. […]

Democratic Vice Presidential Pick Tim Walz’s Support for Nursing Homes Draws Attention

As the newly announced Democratic vice-presidential pick, Tim Walz brings a record of supporting nursing homes from his tenure as Minnesota’s governor. As governor since 2019, Walz demonstrated a strong commitment to the sector by securing $173 million in funding to nursing homes and long-term care facilities in August 2023. This financial support was directed […]

State’s Reduction of Nursing Home Inspection Backlogs Can be Model for Others 

In the past year, Missouri has made significant strides in reducing its backlog of overdue nursing home inspections, providing a potentially instructive model for other states grappling with similar challenges. According to recent data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the percentage of nursing homes in Missouri that had not been inspected […]