In the months leading up to the implementation of the Patient-Driven Payment Model, the overhaul of Medicare reimbursement for skilled nursing facilities that was implemented last year, several factors emerged as crucial areas for thriving under the new system. The Medicare rate of each facility is determined by a formula that draws from five care […]
One day after the federal government announced an ambitious plan to send point-of-care testing units for COVID-19 to all of the nation’s more than 15,000 nursing homes, leaders in the space expressed cautious optimism — while often emphasizing that they have more questions than firm answers. Starting next week, the Department of Health and Human […]
The deadline for nursing home industry stakeholders to apply for a spot on the federal government’s special commission on safety and quality passed last weekend, but not everyone who threw their hats into the ring will win a seat — and the problems facing the industry run deeper than any one group could solve in […]
As hospitals try to cope with a surge of COVID-19 patients in need of acute care, skilled nursing facilities have moved to make preparations to take in overflow capacity from the health systems and acute care facilities. In addition, states have begun calling on nursing home companies to create dedicated buildings exclusively for residents with […]
Concerns for the frailest nursing home patients are on the rise after the coronavirus has taken the lives of four nursing home residents in Washington state. But despite confusion and anxiety related to fears of a potential pandemic in the U.S., some long-term care communities are banding together to update health policies and offer support […]
North Shore Healthcare officially completed its acquisition of 21 skilled nursing and assisted living facilities formerly operated by Atrium Health & Senior Living. The Glendale, Wis.-based North Shore now has 71 SNFs and assisted living communities in Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and North Dakota, according to the operator’s December 1 announcement. Atrium had 33 SNFs and […]
Robert Specht had spent years at the financial helm of companies in a variety of spaces, but he was a post-acute and long-term care newcomer when he accepted a crash course in the business: a consulting position for a 33-building senior housing and care chain in receivership. Working with Health Dimensions Group, the provider and […]
A pair of companies with presences in the skilled nursing space on Tuesday announced new chief financial officers — with a promotion at a real estate investment trust (REIT) and a retail-industry veteran for a Midwest operator. The board of National Health Investors (NYSE: NHI) promoted John Spaid to the CFO spot effective this past […]
The court-appointed receiver for the former Atrium Health & Senior Living portfolio in Wisconsin and Michigan on Thursday announced that a new owner and operator has been found for the remaining seven centers in receivership. Last year, the Circuit Court of Wood County appointed attorney Michael Polsky as the receiver for 33 Atrium Health and […]
More than a year after falling into a court-mandated receivership, 22 senior housing and care facilities previously run by Atrium Health & Senior Living are tentatively set to change hands in a few weeks. North Shore Healthcare on Friday announced that it had reached an agreement to buy the portfolio, which consists of 16 post-acute […]
Most Medicare Advantage (MA) plans that used the old Medicare system for calculating reimbursement for skilled nursing facilities are moving to the new system along with the federal government — at least if the early weeks of the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) are anything to go by. That said, details on contracts and changes are […]
The first week of the new Medicare payment model for nursing homes has brought stories of rapidly shifting therapy patterns among some providers, and voices from the consulting and advocacy worlds are warning that any sudden movements could cause adverse effects — both immediately and down the road. The advent of the Patient-Driven Payment Model […]
Skilled nursing and senior living can seem worlds apart, with the former associated with health care and the latter with hotel-style touches like bistro dining and concierge serves. But one operator of skilled nursing facilities sees moving into assisted living as the best way to prepare for the future of both models. The Minneapolis-based Health […]
Risk-sharing has loomed large in health care reform efforts over the last decade, and the new Medicare payment model for skilled nursing facilities could open up additional avenues for operators to take control — along with pointed questions from partners along the spectrum. The Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) marks a step toward a long-teased site-neutral […]
The market will still need to determine whether the new Medicare reimbursement structure for nursing homes will be a net positive or negative for the industry, but at least one insider says buyers and sellers in the space aren’t optimistic enough. Current prices for skilled nursing facilities don’t typically account for the potential of cost […]
Ever since the government came out with its most recent model for bundled payments, acute care has been in the driver’s seat. Under the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement Advanced (BPCI Advanced) program, hospital providers and physician leaders are the only ones who can initiate episodes of care. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) last week made a small policy change that could have a major beneficial impact for skilled nursing providers that rely on Medicaid. CMS updated its guidance for the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), indefinitely extending a key workaround for states that base Medicaid rates on the existing Medicare […]
As the implementation date draws nearer for the overhaul of the Medicare reimbursement system, some providers have found comfort in government projections about their revenue under the new model. But that comfort might be misplaced, according to a webinar held Wednesday by Minneapolis.-based consulting and management firm Health Dimensions Group. The Centers for Medicare & […]
Four skilled nursing facilities formerly operated by Atrium Health and Senior Living have closed. The four properties have been under the receivership of Michael Polsky since September, when a court approved the transfer of 33 SNFs and assisted living properties amid financial issues. “Our main focus at this time is to stabilize the company and […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provided details this week on what accountable care organizations (ACOs) have to do to receive waivers of the three-day inpatient stay requirement for skilled nursing care in updated guidance. ACOs consist of hospitals, physicians, and other health care providers that band together to provide care to Medicare […]