Inside Good Samaritan’s Strategy to ‘Reimagine’ Care Through Its Restructuring

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 […]

Nursing Home Giant Good Samaritan Society to Exit 15 States, Focus on Core Markets

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 […]

Executive Outlook 2023: Reimagine How We Deliver Skilled Nursing Care

“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 […]

Nursing Home Industry Recovery Requires More Pain and Innovation

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 […]

Good Samaritan CEO: ‘We’ve Still Got a Long Way to Go’ With Thousands of Open Positions

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 […]

‘A Totally Different Level’: How Covid Changed the Nursing Home Activity Director Role

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 […]

Congresswoman Schakowsky: We Are Setting the Stage for ‘Essential’ Nursing Home Ownership Disclosures

As the Biden administration continues down its path toward comprehensive nursing home reform, owners and investors in the space have kept a close ear to the ground when it comes to federal leaders’ increasingly loud opposition toward certain for-profit models — perhaps for good reason. Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Congressman Mark Takano of […]

Why Immigration Falls Short as a Nursing Home Workforce Solution — And How to Fix It

Current immigration policies are creating unnecessary roadblocks that hinder the recovery and potential growth of the nursing home industry’s workforce by “leaps and bounds.” And the situation has only become increasingly more dire as the sector faces a labor shortage at levels not seen in the last three decades. The ability to bring over international […]

LPNs Are Asking For Leadership Positions and Staff-Strapped Operators Are Happy to Comply

Licensed practical nurses (LPNs) want to take on more leadership responsibilities – and operators want them to be in such positions – as the pandemic, coupled with the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) and staffing crisis, force employers to rethink paths to promotion. The LPN wasn’t always the first choice for leadership positions, according to Catherine […]

PruittHealth CEO: Nursing Home Operators Can’t Break Into Small Markets Without Government Support

PruittHealth continues on its track toward growth, particularly in urban markets, but its CEO Neil Pruitt says the federal government needs to put more resources toward rural markets for operators. The Norcross, Georgia-based operator has set its sights on expanding into contiguous markets while deepening its presence in certain states – Tennessee is next on […]

The Math Doesn’t Work: Nursing Home Staffing Woes Unsolvable Without Immigration Action

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Good Samaritan Names New CEO

The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society on Wednesday announced its new president and CEO: Nathan Schema. Schema will assume the role on Jan. 1, as the non-profit giant enters its 100th year as an organization. Good Sam’s current president and CEO Randy Bury will retire effective Dec. 31, the Sioux Falls, S.D.-based operator said in […]

CMS Working With OSHA to Issue Staff Vaccine Mandate, On Track For Late October

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is in the “rulemaking” stage of its development of a federal vaccine mandate for all health care workers employed by Medicare or Medicaid funded facilities, according to a CMS official. Dr. Lee Fleisher, CMS’ chief medical officer and director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality […]

‘All the Stars Aligned’: Operators Boast 30% Readmission Reductions, Market Gains with I-SNPs

As skilled nursing facilities work to establish their position in an increasingly value-based health landscape, many are looking at the world of Medicare Advantage as more than a pressure point for billing. They see it as an opportunity to take control of the premium dollar, moving into the business of providing insurance for their patients. […]