Nursing home operators had a mixed reaction to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final payment rule for 2024. While some operators said that they were generally appreciative of the 4% increase in Medicare reimbursement, they are also calling for more help and understanding from federal agencies in tackling the workforce crisis – […]
As the public health emergency (PHE) comes to an end on May 11, industry leaders point out that nursing home operators are still in pandemic recovery mode, and that adjusting to the old way of doing business will not be easy. The PHE was declared in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and accompanied a wide […]
As Medicare Advantage continues to penetrate the nursing home market, leaders say that MA plans are depressing margins amid higher costs to run operations. This might lead some operators to contemplate closing, while others will be wiser to hire staff in designated roles to help them negotiate better rates – and exclusions – for managed […]
After years in which Medicare policy and Covid-19 drove more hospital referrals to home health, skilled nursing facilities recently have seen referrals surge, thanks to a variety of factors. Referral trends through January 2023 showed a jump in patients sent to the nursing home while at the same time rejection rates for home health agency […]
A Congressional advisory body on Wednesday put forth recommendations for closer assessment of nursing facility Medicaid payments, including whether they are sufficient to cover costs of care. The proposals could allow for a finer tuning of Medicaid rates and therefore could benefit the sector, as long as they do not put greater administrative costs and […]
As nursing home advocates continue to push for ending the 3-day hospital stay requirement, a recently released federal agency report on the use of these waivers by accountable care organizations (ACOs) showcases some of the benefits that they have brought to patients and providers. Use of waivers by ACOs for a 3-day stay did not […]
As the federal government pushes to get more beneficiaries on managed care, nursing home providers say the administrative burden associated with such clients is “extraordinary.” That’s according to Kim Majick, chief development officer at Carespring Health Care Management. A heavier administrative lift is set against a backdrop of dire staffing shortages, along with staffing minimum […]
Skilled nursing facilities consistently received a higher share of hospital discharges compared to home health care agencies towards the last quarter of 2021 and beginning of the first quarter of 2022, a shift from the home health trend in the early days of the pandemic. “There was a preference amongst just about everybody to send […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has decided to take action on transitions in care – specifically Medicare Advantage (MA) plans diverting care to home health instead of skilled nursing – after years of skilled nursing industry and consumer feedback. CMS last month took steps to address the trend with a proposed rule […]
Loans and other types of financing through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) may be key to incentivizing operators to seek innovation, such as scaling the small home model in a meaningful way – but the program isn’t quite at that point yet. The National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) report […]
While so many nursing home trends have been altered by the pandemic, one has interestingly stayed in line with pre-pandemic statistics: Medicare Advantage’s (MA) growth trajectory. MA is still expected to cover 52.9% of all Medicare beneficiaries by 2031, according to Fred Bentley, managing director at ATI Advisory. Bentley spoke about Medicare’s evolution and its […]
Skilled nursing operators shouldn’t be scared of losing market share to the shift to home trend, including SNF-at-home – at least not in the near-term. Instead, operators need to look at shifts to home-based care as an opportunity to diversify business lines in the future, as patient preference, Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and technology advancements […]
As the Biden administration continues to set its sights on nursing home ownership transparency, most recently through the unveiling of a new database, two members of Congress are trying to take it one step further. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Rep. Mark Takano of California last week introduced the Linking Investors and Nursing […]
As nursing home operators scramble to recruit direct care workers during a historic staffing shortage, many in the sector believe there is one obvious solution that has yet to gain meaningful traction, in part due to legislative gridlock: immigration. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has honed in on minimum staffing ratios, […]
As the CEO of ATI Advisory, Anne Tumlinson continues to set the course for aging policy on the national stage. She founded ATI Advisory to drive reform of health care, long-term care delivery and financing for the nation’s vulnerable aging population. Tumlinson also founded Daughterhood to connect family caregivers, providing them with a platform to […]
While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposes to make some of the most significant changes to its accountable care organization (ACO) model since it was finalized in 2011, it doesn’t appear that such updates will have a lasting impact on the broader skilled nursing industry. If anything, only operators with their own […]
If there’s one financial backing source that’s become a favorite among nursing home owners it’s U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding. Even still, it may come with some limitations. HUD loans can be used to purchase, build, refinance or remodel nursing homes, among other health care facilities, and their utilization in the […]
It costs nursing home residents on average about $39 more per day to stay in a private room compared to a semi-private room, or $315 compared to $276. While some might consider the difference to be relatively slim, it really all depends on average income per resident. Medicaid recipients generally must make no more than […]
Policymakers would better serve the nursing home industry if they understood where, and how, capital markets can most effectively support the sector – namely how private funding plays a role in helping support a challenging operating environment. A deeper understanding of the SNF capital market structure will help legislators develop policies that better align with […]
Accurately completing assessments and charting patient care should be more of a priority for skilled nursing facilities moving forward. Not only because operators are facing more MDS coordinator shortages and are outsourcing the process as a result, but also reducing hospital stays could be one way SNFs capitalize on value-based care. At least that’s the […]
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