Increased Skilled Nursing Facility Spending Tied to Health Systems’ Higher Telemedicine Use 

Hospital systems that had high telemedicine usage during the Covid-19 pandemic also had higher skilled nursing facility spending, compared to health systems with lower telemedicine usage in that time period. That’s according to research findings published April 17 in Health Affairs. Specifically, compared with health systems defined as having low telemedicine use, high-telemedicine health systems […]

Heritage Operations COO: New Chapter Starting After Cutting Nursing Home Footprint in Half

About a year ago, Illinois-based Heritage Operations Group significantly reduced its skilled nursing footprint, divesting almost half of its 44 skilled nursing facilities and an assisted living facility. At the time, the company cited added challenges posed by staffing shortages and increased staffing costs amid a challenging economic climate. But a year makes a difference. […]

Paul Ryan: Even Obama Did Not Pursue Staffing Mandate – But Nursing Home Workforce Crisis Can Be Solved

Past White House administrations – including those headed by Democratic presidents – have not tried to enact a federal nursing home staffing mandate, former Speaker of the House Paul Ryan observed on Tuesday. “Even the Obama administration didn’t do that,” Ryan commented, during a discussion with Direct Supply Founder and CEO Bob Hillis at the […]

CarDon CEO: Automation Has Saved Us $2M, Leadership Hire from Outside Industry Key to Staffing Success

Kent Rodgers, president and CEO for CarDon & Associates, has seen some great challenges in his 17-year career at one of Indiana’s largest nursing home providers, but he’s also excited about being at the forefront of many transformations, some spurred by the Covid-19 pandemic. In fact, the pandemic was raging when he became the company’s […]

ChatGPT and Beyond: How Artificial Intelligence is Shaping the Future of Nursing Home Operations

Use of artificial intelligence (AI) has been steadily increasing at nursing homes, as the technology begins to deliver on its promises to improve efficiencies in a wide variety of areas, from clinical outcomes to back-office work. And while ChatGPT is the attention-grabber these days, natural language processing is but one of the ways AI is […]

Shortage of Skilled Nursing Beds, Best Buy Effect, Managed Care Growth Accelerate SNF-at-Home

Like many markets across the country, the Twin Cities in Minnesota are confronting a reduction in skilled nursing beds, which is forcing patients to remain in hospitals for longer periods of time — with skilled nursing-at-home gaining momentum as a solution to these discharge pressures. “The average length-of-stay on the hospital side is eight days […]

Principle LTC CFO: Facing Immense Financial Pressures, Skilled Nursing Operators Must Know ‘Why’ Behind Key Metrics

Chief financial officers of skilled nursing facilities are increasingly collaborating with the front line while paying close attention to key operational metrics. Such evolutions in the role are crucial, given immense financial pressures caused by the skyrocketing cost of care and low Medicaid reimbursement rates. CFOs in the space would do well to collect real-time […]

‘We Need to Start Today’: Nursing Home Providers Strive to Implement Workforce Tech Amid Challenges

As staffing remains one of the leading areas of trouble for nursing homes, operators have turned to technology tools that have improved both retention and recruitment of workers in the last year. But while operators, advocates and even insurance providers associated with the skilled nursing sector applaud the implementation of staffing-related technology, doing so is […]

Nursing Home Operators Expect Rising Occupancy and Single-Room Initiatives to Clash, M&A to Flourish

Despite ongoing staffing challenges and inflationary fallout from the pandemic, skilled nursing operators are optimistic about this year – many expect occupancy rates to increase in the years ahead, along with general growth in the sector. That’s according to a Skilled Nursing News survey conducted at the end of last year, in partnership with EHR […]

ShiftKey Raises $300M to Grow Staffing Platform for Skilled Nursing, Health Care

ShiftKey, which connects senior care and other health care professionals with work opportunities, has a new $300 million cash infusion that will move the firm forward towards its next phase of growth.   Dallas-based ShiftKey offers a platform where licensed health care staff including registered nurses, certified medical assistants and clinicians can search for and […]

How Skilled Nursing Providers are Dealing with ‘Very Heavy Burden’ of Rising Patient Acuity

Operators in the nursing home space are dealing with a crippling workforce shortage and rising costs of care – all while seeing continued higher acuity among residents. Providers and vendors in the space agree they’re seeing a larger proportion of patients with higher acuity, but the definition of acuity varies along with methods to measure […]

The Quotes That Defined Skilled Nursing in 2022 — and Hint at What’s Ahead

The top quotes of 2022 memorably captured some of the biggest skilled nursing issues of the year, from “shocking” payment policies to “colossal” regulatory issues to “transformative” changes. The quotes below not only serve as reminders about what transpired over the last 12 months, but touch on many issues that are still pressing as 2023 […]

Skilled Nursing Game Changer: Calls for Innovation in HUD Financing Gain Momentum

Lenders, operators, industry lobbying organizations and consumer advocates all agree that an expansion of skilled nursing financing programs through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) could be a game-changer in driving much-needed innovation. Building on suggestions from the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), the authors of a recent Health Affairs […]

Post-Acute, Senior Care Providers Must ‘Be the Answer’ for More Integrated Continuum

Skilled nursing and post-acute companies — and other providers serving older adults — must raise their games to deliver services within a new health care paradigm, as payers and consumers alike demand a more integrated continuum. In particular, post-acute and senior care companies must “be the answer” as large insurance companies seek ways to more […]