Good Samaritan CEO: Nursing Homes Face Triple Threat on Road to Recovery

The skilled nursing industry is staring down a triple threat. Providers are being challenged operationally, clinically and financially — at least in part due to rising labor and care costs, among other factors. Not-for-profit senior care giant Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society has had to close or sell nine facilities in just the last eight […]

Federal Bill Aims to Free Up Nursing Homes Facing Education ‘Lockouts’ Triggered By CMPs

Federal legislation was reintroduced on Monday to effectively remove a certified nursing assistant (CNA) education barrier for the nursing home sector, at a time when the industry is facing a historic staffing crisis. Under the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act, originally introduced by Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia and Tim Scott of South […]

Devastating and Crippling: CMS Receives Thousands of Comments, Nursing Home Operators Push Back on Medicare Cut

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) needs to seriously consider what a reduction in skilled nursing reimbursement could mean for facilities that are already barely hanging on. At least that’s what providers have indicated in published comments submitted to the agency over the last month and a half. In total, CMS received approximately […]

Federal Bill Seeks to Understand Impact of Staffing Agencies in Health Care

While some see staffing agencies as more than a necessary evil for nursing homes amid industry-wide staffing shortages, lawmakers and industry advocates continue to push for more oversight and regulation over how these companies operate in the space. Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota introduced the Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study […]

Nursing Homes Add 1,300 More Jobs in May as 26% of Operators Fear Closure

While the latest employment numbers show the health care sector grew by 28,000 jobs in May – including 1,300 nursing home jobs – staffing shortages continue to hold operators back, with many still limiting admissions and asking current staff to work overtime as a result. Employment in health care overall is still down 223,000 jobs […]

47% of Nursing Home Residents Now at Risk of Displacement

Finance leaders have updated their outlook on the nursing home sector – with data points worsening as funding cuts and inflation continue to do lasting damage to the industry. About 47% of nursing home residents are now at risk of displacement due to financially imperiled facilities; roughly 417,000 residents may be relocated, according to a […]

‘A Sight for Sore Eyes’: Nursing Home Industry Adds 900 Jobs in April

While the health care industry added an estimated 34,300 jobs in April, only 900 of those jobs were in the skilled nursing sector. The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) called the data from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report “a sight for sore eyes,” however, it’s still a far […]

Closures, Consolidation, Sales: Skilled Nursing Ownership Goes Through Shakeup

For-profit nursing home owners such as private equity firms and real estate investment trusts are under fire from the federal government — but current trends suggest that not-for-profit ownership alone is not a viable alternative to meet the needs of the United States’ aging population. Freestanding senior housing and care not-for-profits (NFPs) are closing altogether, […]

[UPDATED] CMS to Phase Out Nursing Home TNA Program, Other PHE Waivers

In light of steadily increasing vaccination rates for nursing home staff and residents, and overall improvement to outbreaks in the space, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Thursday said it is phasing out some of the temporary waivers linked to COVID-19 and the public health emergency (PHE). Among those is the temporary […]

Proposed Medicare Rate Increases for IRFs, IPFs, Hospice ‘Do Not Bode Well’ for SNFs

As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unveils its proposed payment rules for the coming fiscal year, some in the industry feel that what has already been issued for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), inpatient psychiatric facilities (IPFs) and hospice providers does not “bode well” for the skilled nursing industry. A Mizuho Securities analyst note […]

‘We’ve Got a Real Problem Here’: Parkinson Warns SNF Operators Could Face Medicare Funding Cuts

Skilled nursing operators may soon face disastrous Medicare funding cuts, American Health Care Association President and CEO Mark Parkinson warned on Thursday. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is expected to release its latest proposed payment rule for skilled nursing providers in the coming weeks. While the nursing home sector has successfully fought […]