Ensign Group Adds Two Texas SNFs; Berkadia $2B First Half

The Ensign Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ENSG) acquired Sedona Trace Health and Wellness, a 119-bed skilled nursing facility in Austin, Texas, and Cedar Pointe Health and Wellness Center, a 122-bed SNF in Cedar Park, Texas, earlier this month. Real estate for both facilities was purchased by CareTrust REIT, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTRE) in the deal as an […]

Why Skilled Nursing Operators Can’t Bank on ‘Silver Tsunami’ — or One Good Month Under PDPM — for Relief

As the post-acute and long-term health care industry struggles through shortened lengths of stay and compressed reimbursements, an oasis has lingered just beyond the horizon: the so-called silver tsunami. If operators can wait out the current downturn, the thinking goes, the glut of baby boomers turning 80 and older over the coming years will be […]

Ensign Adds Arizona SNF; County Nursing Home Finally Sold in Illinois

The Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) acquired the real estate and operations of the 130-bed Phoenix Mountain Post Acute skilled nursing facility, effective April 1. The community had an average occupancy rate of about 80% at the time of the acquisition, according to Jim Guschl, president of Bandera Healthcare, Inc., Ensign’s Arizona-based subsidiary. “We have admired […]

NHI CEO: Investor Sentiment in Skilled Nursing Has Improved

National Health Investors (NYSE: NHI) executives said this week that oversupply is putting pressure on private-pay senior living operators, but the health care real estate investment trust (REIT) continues to see additional opportunity in skilled nursing. The Murfreesboro, Tenn.-based REIT reported second-quarter 2018 revenues of $72.96 million, which missed analysts’ expectations by $0.74 million. Its second-quarter […]

CEOs Upbeat About New CMS Skilled Nursing Payment Rules

Industry experts are still sorting out the long-term effects of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) new payment system for skilled nursing facilities, but early reviews from the CEOs of some top providers have been positive. “I would say the rule that was just published is a positive for the industry,” Genesis Healthcare […]

Ensign Looks to Apply Skilled Nursing Strategy to Assisted Living, Home Health

Major skilled nursing provider The Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG) has its sights set on assisted living and home health expansion, citing the potential for higher stockholder value and less competition for their target properties. The company has applied the strategy that executive vice president Chad Keetch said has brought skilled nursing success: vesting significant power […]

Ensign Banks on Skilled Nursing Momentum to Grow Other Business Lines

Skilled nursing operator Ensign Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENSG) is experiencing a “positive shift in momentum” in its core skilled nursing business, and is hoping to capitalize on this energy in its other business lines. The Mission Viejo, Calif.-based company also provides assisted living, rehabilitative care, home health and hospice services. In the third quarter. the […]