Facing unprecedented financial and labor challenges and regulators proposing unrealistic standards, skilled nursing providers have no choice but to change how they operate — or they risk failure. “I use this analogy of Wayne Gretzky – you’ve gotta skate to where the puck is going. That’s what I see us needing to do now. If […]
Following this month’s announcement to sunset certain waivers associated with the public health emergency (PHE) during the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said it’s time to restore “minimum protections” to the nursing home setting, and “get back to normal operations.” Evan Shulman, director for the division of nursing homes under CMS […]
The intersection of nursing home staffing and immigration has long been a conversation among operators before and during the pandemic, becoming even more pressing as industry leaders clamor to provide solutions to a historic workforce shortage. Incentivizing U.S. workers to take long-term care jobs won’t “come anywhere close” to filling the need the industry is […]
Aging service organizations, their members and Congress have sounded the alarm on opportunistic staffing agencies during the pandemic, opening the way for possible regulation surrounding the bustling industry. Other leaders in the space believe such legislation is an overreaction and unnecessary for one small segment of the health care staffing system. Marquette University’s College of […]
The nursing home industry has lost 2,500 jobs in March alone, further deepening the labor crisis for the sector to a level not seen since 2007 – other health care settings, meanwhile, are faring better than they did pre-pandemic. That’s according to a March report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and highlighted […]
Capital providers dealing in the skilled nursing space are pushing back on the White House’s position on institutional capital, stressing the need for it in the sector. While institutional capital is critical to many of the key players in the space, some capital providers say newer owner-operators will have a hard time getting the necessary […]
Nursing homes and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) will ultimately experience an increase in expenditures from $174.2 billion in 2019 to $273 billion in 2030 – a fluctuation along that timeline reflects a drop in federal financial support and eventual moderation compared to what the industry received during the height of the pandemic in 2020. […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is in a “full court sprint” toward fulfilling the Biden administration’s proposed nursing home reforms first announced last week, CMS Principal Deputy Administrator Jonathan Blum said during a stakeholder call on Thursday. Twenty-one initiatives across five strategic goals will have short-, mid- and long-term timelines for implementation, […]
The American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) has asked for meetings with members of the Biden administration one week after the White House unveiled its sweeping nursing home reform proposal. The reforms, developed by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through its Centers for Medicare & Medicaid […]
As the nursing home industry tried to digest a sweeping set of industry reforms proposed by the Biden administration on Monday, a Capitol Hill lawmaker got in on the action by proposing a bill to force private equity firms to disclose their ownership in facilities. Amid all these developments, one thing has become evident: the […]
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to put pressure on an already strained skilled nursing industry in 2021. The next 12 months will be yet another test of resilience. Looking ahead to 2022, SNFs must stay nimble and inventive to not only survive but thrive. Private equity will continue to lead the nursing home transaction market pack, […]
This year was another rollercoaster for the skilled nursing industry as operators – and truthfully the nation alike – went from the tail end of another covid surge, to the widespread availability of vaccines, then considerable optimism and a possible light at the end of the tunnel, back to another COVID-19 surge and as I’m […]
While nursing home operators have largely relied on help from the federal government by way of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) and other mechanisms to get through the COVID-19 pandemic, some leaders have found more success refocusing advocacy efforts to state legislatures for future funding. “When the stimulus bill came out and passed with trillions […]
While the long-term care industry continues to see labor shortage pressures impact day-to-day operations and, at times, hinder the ability to improve occupancy levels, the impending decline in the availability of family caregivers could present future growth for congregate care settings. “On the one hand it’s challenging to find that staff, but on the other […]
About $7.1 billion of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) — which has totaled $178 billion over the past 18 months — has not been allocated, an October analysis from Washington, D.C.–based think tank Urban Institute determined. Skilled nursing facilities received $5 billion of allocated funds, the analysis found, and another $5 billion was devoted to […]
Staffing demands from COVID-19 spurred a national 7.13% increase in hourly wages for certified nursing aides (CNAs) this year according to a report published by the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service (HCS). The spike outpaced a 2020 increase of 4.76%. Non-certified nurse aides saw the highest raise at 7.98%, up from 4.24% in 2020. Despite […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) late Thursday issued a final rule updating Medicare payment policies — namely a delay to Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) pay rate changes until next year and adjustment of provider pay by 1.2%. This was a decrease for fiscal 2022 compared to the agency’s proposed 1.3% boost in […]
Nursing home operators across multiple states have raised wages for certified nursing assistants and licensed practical nurses, thanks to a combination of union actions, post-pandemic market dynamics and public policy shifts. But with operators still facing acute financial pressures, raising wages is not a simple matter. Larger structural changes are needed to support higher wages […]
Life Care Centers of America is tightening coronavirus prevention protocols with a heightened focus on visitor screenings, increased communication, and self-quarantines — as officials report that that 14 of the 17 COVID-19 deaths in Washington were related to its nursing facility in Kirkland, Wash. In the wake of the increased spread of the virus, the […]
Concerns for the frailest nursing home patients are on the rise after the coronavirus has taken the lives of four nursing home residents in Washington state. But despite confusion and anxiety related to fears of a potential pandemic in the U.S., some long-term care communities are banding together to update health policies and offer support […]
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