Sanford Health announced plans Tuesday to break ground on a $200 million project for a continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in South Dakota through its subsidiary, the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society. The Good Samaritan Society executives told Skilled Nursing News that the funding for the project is an outcome of a strategy to expand […]
Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society
The Covid-19 pandemic’s labor crisis forced some nursing home providers to adapt their business practices in 2023, during a time some leaders termed the “year of recovery.” And, as they look ahead to 2024 amid a looming federal staffing mandate, many nursing home providers look to gain from these efficiencies – but are fearful about […]
As the Covid-19 public health emergency officially ended in 2023, the nursing home sector continued to face lingering troubles across many facets of the business even if spread of disease – and death resulting from it – diminished as a concern. Chief among troubles that continued to plague nursing homes included workforce shortages and expansion […]
Nearly 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives are urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reconsider the proposed federal nursing home staffing mandate. The lawmakers on Friday sent a letter to CMS describing their concerns with the mandate. “Finalizing this proposal would result in limited access to care for seniors, […]
As nursing homes closures continue across the country, “nursing home deserts” are expanding, and the proposed federal staffing mandate is expected to exacerbate the problem. This is despite attempts to make the potential policy change easier for providers in rural markets, which are especially vulnerable to access issues. Operators in these areas point to the […]
The skilled nursing industry is at a crossroads as it grapples with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed federal staffing mandate. A significant point of contention in the proposal is the exclusion of licensed practical nurses (LPNs), which has ignited concerns and garnered strong reactions from industry leaders. “What’s keeping me up […]
General staffing metrics used to assess quality of care hold less weight these days and need to be updated, experts say, because the entire skilled nursing industry is struggling to build and retain its workforce. These quality measures need to be presented through the lens of the pandemic and the staffing crisis, SNF leaders say. […]
The efforts of the federal government and nursing homes to reduce the use of psychotropics have been significant, and seem to have paid off until recently when the numbers painted a more grim picture. Some operators believe that the alarming rise in the prescriptions of psychotropics is partly due to a lack of communication between […]
As the Skilled Nursing News’ CLINICAL event in Washington D.C. came to a close last month, industry experts left with staffing concerns amid labor shortages and pending legislation on minimum staffing standards. However, operators also shared optimism over their innovations in corporate and clinical practices as they continued to confront higher acuity and tighter regulation. […]
President Joe Biden’s executive order that aims to implement minimum staffing standards and tie Medicare payments to staff retention drew frustration from nursing home industry operators and advocates, who said that the well meaning directives would likely compound the staffing crisis and lead to closures unless policies are aimed at resolving its root causes, and […]
California nonprofit Eskaton, in line with other nonprofits and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) in the space, is divesting its skilled nursing facility assets for $35.6 million after inflationary pressures, staffing shortages and wage increases caused overbearing losses. The three facilities – Eskaton Care Center Manzanita, Eskaton Care Center Greenhaven and Eskaton Care Center Fair […]
Last week, Cascadia Healthcare officially took over management of three facilities formerly operated by the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, with the remaining six buildings in the transitioning portfolio scheduled to follow suit in April and May. The transition process is going smoothly, with each building presenting a “microcosm of opportunity,” Cascadia President and CEO […]
Bank of America strategists point to nursing homes, among other riskier sectors, being behind more defaults in the $4 trillion municipal bond market this year. Expectations come after a 122% surge in first-time payment defaults for January 2023 compared to a year ago, according to a report published by Bloomberg on Tuesday. That translates to […]
As the federal staffing minimum mandate proposal and study is due to be revealed in a matter of months, some state leaders are calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to rethink the mandate’s “one-size-fits-all” approach. Thirteen senators across nine rural states last week issued a letter addressed to CMS Administrator Chiquita […]
Exiting 15 states will enable the Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society to invest more resources into creating an integrated model with parent company Sanford Health, with a goal to deliver “cutting-edge care” to older adults regardless of where they reside. That’s according to Good Samaritan CEO Nate Schema, who believes that for Good Sam and […]
The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, one of the largest skilled nursing providers in the United States, plans to consolidate its operations from 22 states to seven. Once the process is complete, the Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based Good Samaritan Society will have operations in South Dakota, North Dakota, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado. About […]
“The sector has a tremendous opportunity to reimagine how we deliver care.” These are the words of Nate Schema, president and CEO of The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, one of the largest providers of skilled nursing services in the United States. Good Sam is reimagining care in part through a $350 million virtual care […]
It’s hard to pin down how nursing home operators should be feeling as the end of the year approaches. The best way I could describe it, one week after attending the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) conference in Nashville, is a combination of optimism and pessimism that fluctuates depending on the […]
With roughly 2,000 job openings to fill, Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society CEO Nate Schema has had to attack the issue from all sides. Most recently Good Samaritan launched a director of nursing (DON) in training program in hopes of developing a “very defined pathway to grow high potential people.” The not-for-profit senior care giant […]
Activity coordinators in the skilled nursing space have had to get infinitely more creative in the face of pandemic precautions – and residents’ resulting depression and anxiety borne from isolation. People who fill the role must be “dynamic” in creating and executing resident programming and have the bandwidth to do more customized programs, according to […]