CMS Study Undercuts Potential Nursing Home Minimum Staffing  Mandate

The White House’s ambitious plans for a federal nursing home staffing mandate might have hit a snag due to the inadvertent online release and subsequent removal of a study commissioned by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). KFF Health News first reported on the study on Tuesday, after which CMS removed the report, […]

Medicare Advantage Grabs Spotlight in CMS, Nursing Home Operator Discussion on MDS Requirements

It appears the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is paying particular attention to managed care payers as the agency re-examines data submission requirements for skilled nursing services through the Minimum Data Set (MDS). Nursing home operators were able to comment on various MDS-related questions posed by CMS officials during a Quality Reporting Program […]

CMS Releases Final RAI Manual, Item Sets as MDS Shift Looms

The skilled nursing industry is one step closer to Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes set to take effect on Oct. 1, with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently finalizing revisions to the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) manual. The final MDS 3.0 RAI User’s manual was made available online Thursday afternoon, following a […]

Professional Liability Reinsurance Costs Up 50% in Some Markets, As Underwriters Hone in on Agency Use, Access

Some operators of nursing homes are paying higher reinsurance costs – a more litigious environment post Covid being among major factors – while grappling with uncertainty on how claims could impact their businesses. And this is especially true for one area of insurance for nursing homes – professional liability insurance. While not required by most […]

Nearly 450K Residents at Risk of Displacement if Mandate is Enacted, As Access Issues Compound

As nursing homes limit admissions due to ongoing labor challenges, residents can expect a mounting access crisis, with some U.S. counties being turned into “nursing home deserts.” This is according to a report released Wednesday by the American Health Care Association (AHCA), which notes that nearly 450,000 residents will be displaced if a potential minimum […]

SNF Outlook: REITs to Play Offense as Private Buyers ‘Partially Sidelined,’ Operating Trends Improve

Skilled nursing operators are sitting on capital reserves and are poised to pursue deals in the sector going forward – after being on the sidelines for much of last year with private equity buyers outbidding them. Now, these same private equity buyers are beginning to fade from the scene, and real estate investment trusts (REITs) […]

Medical Complexity, Documentation Stretches Nursing Home Clinicians Thin

As specialty services and higher acuity cases continue to challenge nursing home clinicians, industry leaders say it takes a special kind of employee to really understand, deal with and plan for the variety of patients seen nowadays. Nicole Croteau, director of clinical services with SALMON Health and Retirement, said there aren’t many nurses who can […]

NYT: Why Nursing Homes Get ‘D’ Grade for Lackluster Covid-19 Performance

Even as 60,000 nursing home and long-term care residents died from Covid in the first five months of the pandemic, antiviral treatments for the virus only reached one in five nursing home residents. These grim statistics plagued the sector despite medical guidelines calling for the prompt administering of antiviral treatments to patients that were at […]

Medicare Advantage Linked to Less Favorable Outcomes, Reduced Post-Acute Care Use 

As managed care plans become more and more relevant to the nursing home industry, it appears Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are experiencing less favorable outcomes, while using less post-acute care services than those on traditional fee-for-service Medicare. A study published in JAMA Health Forum on Friday suggests that MA enrollees reported less functional improvement while using […]

SNF Staffing Agencies Urge DOL to Classify Temp Workers as Employees

Big names in the staffing agency world are urging the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to classify temporary staff in nursing homes, among other health care settings, to be classified as employees rather than independent contractors. The coalition of some 30 health care staffing companies sent a letter earlier this month to the DOL, calling […]

Nursing Home Investors on the Sidelines Amid Higher Interest Rates, Less Stable SNF Assets 

Amid a banking and credit crisis, financial backers of the nursing home industry are seeing less stable assets, a product of volatility in the market. And even as some states are now responding with Medicaid reform and rebasing to mitigate the sector’s losses, many operators were struggling financially prior to the pandemic, and the sector’s […]

Nursing Home Costs Jump 2.4% in July, Increase Not Seen Since 1997 BLS Data

Nursing home costs skyrocketed in July, up 2.4% compared to June, along with adult day services – it’s the biggest monthly increase seen since 1997, while overall consumer prices were up 0.2% month over month. That’s according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The increase may be […]

Nursing Home Survey Trends: Citation Frequency on the Rise, Coupled with Ongoing Regional Subjectivity

Nursing home operators are seeing government oversight surveyors collaborate at the state and federal level to issue more citations at a time when the nursing home industry is already grappling with a very tight regulatory environment. The survey process is fraught with problems – including lacking standardization – resulting in unnecessary citations and distractions, according […]

Sabra CEO: Reimbursement Hikes May Be Even Bigger Next Year to Account for Inflation 

Nursing home occupancy continues to slowly improve, a trend that along with higher reimbursement rates going forward, will improve the bottom line for Sabra Healthcare REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA), according to executives. Rick Matros, CEO of Sabra, said during the company’s second quarter earnings call on Tuesday that he expects a large increase to next year’s […]

The Delicate Dance of Temp Agency Regulation: 1099 Worker Classification, Wage Caps at Issue in Tight Labor Market

As government entities and organizations in the nursing home space are scrambling for policy changes to regulate staffing agencies, they seem to be prioritizing legislation that addresses price gouging while worker classification also remains on the table. The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) introduced in Congress in 2021 and currently being examined […]

Nursing Home Occupancy Creeps Up to Hover at 81%, While Admission Roadblocks Persist

While staffing shortages continue to create admission roadblocks, the demand for skilled nursing care is recovering. From April to May, SNF occupancy decreased 3 basis points to end at 81%, according to the latest skilled nursing monthly report released by NIC MAP Vision. Pre-pandemic occupancy was 88.9%. Still, occupancy is up 97 basis points compared […]

SNF Nurses Say Profession Interferes With Life, Seek Out Side Hustles or Switch Careers to Cope with Low Wages, Burnout

Half of today’s nurses have picked up “side hustles” to make extra income outside of the profession, with nearly half of new nurses planning to switch careers. That’s according to a survey published by ConnectRN this month, which highlighted concerns surrounding the profession as it stands today. ConnectRN surveyed more than 1,300 nurses for its […]