Former Kindred Executive Named COO of Wingate Healthcare

Wingate | CC BY-SA 2.0 Jill Bosa has been named chief operating officer (COO) at Wingate Healthcare, a senior living and health care services provider in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. Bosa previously served as COO of the Nursing Center Division at Kindred Healthcare (NYSE: KND), where she oversaw more than 100 skilled nursing facilities, assisted living […]

Indiana Providers Adopt ‘Creative Scheduling’ Amid Workforce Pinch

Almost 100% of long-term care (LTC) providers in Indiana are asking staff to pick up additional hours, and more than 70% are asking employees to work double shifts or overtime, according to the preliminary findings from a survey from the Indiana Health Care Association/Indiana Center for Assisted Living (IHCA/INCAL) and other industry groups. They’re also […]

Using Community Colleges to Fight the Nursing Shortage

A shortage of well-qualified nurses and other frontline staff remains one of the major headaches for nursing home operators and investors around the country. Earlier this month, one state came up with a solution that’s getting bipartisan support: allowing community colleges to offer bachelor’s of science in nursing degrees (BSN). “There’s such a severe shortage […]

Skilled Nursing Must-Reads: Immigration Worries, Fire in Japan

As we enter another week, take a minute to catch up with some of the biggest skilled nursing stories from around the internet and the world. Immigration pressures  The New York Times explored the effects of the Trump administration’s immigration policies on the long-term care industry, in particular shining a light on the so-called “gray […]

Nursing Home Wages Trend Lower Than in Senior Living

Hourly wages for nursing home employees who provide direct care and services tend to be lower than wages for the same job titles in assisted living facilities and continuing care retirement communities, recent survey findings show. But salaries for leadership titles and director positions did not follow the same trend. A staff nurse (RN) in […]

Could Trump’s Religious Objection Guidance Create SNF Turmoil?

On first glance, the Department of Health and Human Services’ new guidance on personal religious beliefs might not appear to affect the long-term care industry. Years from now, however, it could play an integral role in the way SNFs operate and staff facilities. When the government rolled out its two-pronged approach last week — establishing […]

Immigration Battle Could Squeeze Nursing Home Finances

The long-term care industry dodged a bullet this week with a short government shutdown, but the fate of a federal budget still hinges on Congress reaching consensus over immigration — another issue that could have an outsized impact on the skilled nursing space. Should Congressional Republicans attempt to clamp down on legal immigration and the so-called […]

Ziegler CEO Paprocki to Retire, Hermann to Take His Place

A major player in the skilled nursing and senior housing finance world will have a new CEO by spring. Ziegler’s board of directors announced that CEO Tom Paprocki will retire, effective March 31. Dan Hermann, who has been at Ziegler for 30 years and serves as head of investment banking, will assume the role of president […]

How Skilled Nursing Can Ride Out a Wave of Bad Press

For some, any press is good press. But this phrase isn’t true for the skilled nursing and senior care space, which is facing a wave of negative media attention — including a damning article in Time Magazine that brought to light major concerns of abusive behavior toward residents and binding arbitration contracts that left some […]

How a Bad Flu Season Can Affect Skilled Nursing Admissions, Staffing

For the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is reporting widespread cases of the flu in 49 states — and the historic bug could have an effect on nursing providers’ bottom lines. In fact, in the 13 years that the CDC has been conducting surveillance […]

Industry Insider Leads ‘Best Workplaces in Aging Services’ Project

When Fortune magazine publishes the inaugural “Best Workplaces in Aging Services” list in September 2018, it could provide a much-needed boost to skilled nursing providers facing a workforce crisis. That’s certainly the hope of Jacquelyn Kung, a senior care industry insider who is spearheading the effort to compile the new list. It will be a […]

Movers & Shakers: LeadingAge, Allied Skilled Nursing

Fleming Steps Up to Chairman Role at LeadingAge Washington, D.C.-based LeadingAge has appointed Stephen P. Fleming as chairman of the board. LeadingAge is a national senior care industry association, which represents more than 6,000 non-profit senior care providers. As board chairman, Fleming — president and CEO of Greensboro, N.C.-based The Well•Spring Group — will oversee […]

Why Paid Family Leave Laws Could Hurt SNF Census

Research shows that statewide paid family leave laws have a slew of benefits for both employees and employers across industries, from higher worker morale to health improvements among children. But for skilled nursing operators, this type of legislation could have an unintended negative consequence: a decline in census. The implementation of generous paid family leave (PFL) […]

Up-and-Coming Genesis Administrator Optimistic About SNF Workforce

With a staffing crisis looming over the senior care sector, industry surveys and news reports routinely trumpet the steep challenges in skilled nursing facility recruitment and retention. Success stories are harder to come by, but they are out there, providing examples of how SNFs can successfully attract top talent and develop the next generation of […]

Bomb Cyclone Tests SNF Emergency Preparedness in Northeast

Long before a major winter storm hit the East Coast early Thursday, skilled nursing providers across the region had a plan — with an assist from solid teamwork. The so-called “bomb cyclone” hit close to home for Dan Reingold, president and CEO of New York City-based skilled nursing and rehabilitation provider RiverSpring Health, who spent […]

Nursing Homes Can Set Themselves Apart from Competitors on Flu Vaccines

Average isn’t good enough when it comes to influenza vaccination rates among staffers at nursing homes, a new poll suggests. The survey, from the National Poll on Healthy Aging and conducted by the University of Michigan Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, found significant support among people over age 50 for a flu vaccine requirement for […]

Movers & Shakers: Life Care Center of Columbia, Wingate Healthcare

King Appointed Executive Director at Life Care Center of Columbia Life Care Center of Columbia, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility based in Columbia, Tenn., has welcomed Mark King as its new executive director. King brings more than 23 years of experience in senior health care, including roughly five years at a skilled nursing and […]

Top Skilled Nursing Trends of 2018

Now that we’ve broken down the top 10 stories of the last year, it’s time for us to dive into our predictions for the top skilled nursing trends of the coming 12 months. Some key headwinds, such as questions over Medicaid reimbursements, declining occupancy, and new regulations — including the final round of the requirements […]

New Year’s Catch-Up: ManorCare’s Rent Cut, Regulatory Rollbacks

In case you’ve been blissfully away from your e-mail since before Christmas, here’s a quick rundown of the skilled nursing headlines you missed. QCP Cuts ManorCare a Break Quality Care Properties, Inc. (NYSE: QCP) gave its troubled tenant HCR ManorCare a generous Boxing Day present, announcing a one-year rent cut in a December 26 filing […]

Geriatrician Numbers Slump in SNFs as Advanced Practitioners Take Over

As advanced practitioners become more prominent in the skilled nursing setting and elsewhere, geriatricians are on the decline, according to a new report from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). But what that means for the geriatrician role isn’t immediately clear. “Basically, there’s a growing shortage of geriatricians, and they’ve tried many things to […]