Ignite Gets $12.7M Loan From LTC Properties; Catholic Hospital System Sells 237-Bed Skilled Nursing, Senior Housing

LTC Properties (NYSE: LTC) has extended a $12.7 million senior loan to Ignite Medical Resorts, a current LTC operator, for the purchase of a skilled nursing and assisted living campus in Katy, Texas. The investment is termed an unconsolidated joint venture, LTC said in a press release. The California-based real estate investment trust also said […]

Sabra’s Matros Says No ‘False Guardrails’ Around M&A Pipeline, Potential Skilled Nursing Deals

The year ahead for Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA) presents a “terrific” opportunity for improved margins and potential dealmaking, with eyes on multiple asset classes, according to Sabra CEO Rick Matros. While the California-based real estate investment trust (REIT) has focused in the past couple years on diversifying its portfolio – namely adding behavioral […]

Top Trends That Will Shape the Skilled Nursing Sector in 2024

Margins squeezed by interest rates and inflation, staffing shortages amid a draconian staffing mandate proposal, an invasion of Medicare Advantage and mixed efforts at adapting to Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes are among a litany of the challenges facing the skilled nursing sector at the start of 2024. However, all is not doom and gloom […]

The Clinical Dashboard: John McFarlane, Chief Clinical Officer, Ignite Medical Resorts

As a leader in revolutionizing post-acute care with its “medical resort” model for patients in need of care following a hospitalization, Ignite Medical Resorts is on the forefront of using data and technology to manage patient care. John McFarlane, the organization’s chief clinical officer, is deeply involved in managing the available data points and the […]

Ignite CEO Focuses on Solutions, Growth Amid ‘Punitive, Vindictive’ Surveys, Managed Care Pressures

From managed care burdens and “punitive, vindictive surveys,” to threats posed by the potential federal staffing mandate and issues stemming from the “radically broken” Five Star rating system, Ignite Medical Resorts CEO Tim Fields is well aware of the many challenges facing skilled nursing providers. But as Ignite celebrates its fifth year as a company […]

Future Leader: Kandis Poovey, Vice President of Culture & Engagement, Ignite Medical Resorts

The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare (BHB, SHN, SNN) and Homecare Homebase (HHCN, HSPN). The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the future of behavioral health, home health, hospice and palliative care, senior housing and skilled nursing. To see this year’s Future Leaders, […]

While More is Needed, Operators are ‘Generally Pleased’ With 4% Increase in SNF Final Rule

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 – […]

Medicare Rules Create Barrier to SNF Care for Cancer Patients, Burden Facilities with Costs

Concerns about lack of skilled nursing access for cancer patients, as well as oncology-related costs borne by skilled nursing facilities, have prompted operators to call for action from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Several nursing home professionals raised this issue in comments to CMS’ proposed Medicare payment update for 2024. One oncology […]

CMS Releases Optional State Assessment for MDS Switch

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday dropped the eagerly anticipated optional state assessment (OSA) for nursing homes, as a supplement for operators to fill out in states still transitioning to the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM). If a state decides not to transition to a PDPM-based Medicaid case mix with the […]

Nursing Home Providers Enter Staff Training Phase for MDS Switch, Concerned About Agency Workers and State Variation

As the skilled nursing industry steadily moves toward an Oct. 1 deadline for changes to the Minimum Data Set (MDS), operators are stressing the importance of training staff to help accurately code under the new system, a byproduct of the switch to the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM). While details of the most notable shift […]

‘Slightly Better Than Expected’: Skilled Nursing Operators, REIT CEOs Pleased with Medicare Bump — but Inflation Still Battering Sector

The net increase of Medicare Part A payments by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) was generally welcomed by nursing home providers and analysts, who said the federal agency seems to be empathetic in mitigating the impact of inflationary pressures confronting the nursing home industry. On Monday, CMS proposed its payment rate update […]

Sabra, LTC Properties Execs: Skilled Nursing Faces ‘Slog’ in 2023, High-Acuity Care an Opportunity

The coming year will be “a bit of a slog” for skilled nursing, but operating and financial headwinds should ease over the course of 2023. That’s the viewpoint of Rick Matros, CEO of Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA), which owns 270 skilled nursing and transitional care properties, along with senior living, behavioral health and […]

Executive Outlook 2023: A New Playbook for Skilled Nursing

Over the last two years, skilled nursing providers have faced a pandemic and a labor crisis. As 2023 dawns, leaders across the industry are taking stock of their changed organizations and a reshaped business environment, and are preparing to execute strategies formulated in the COVID crucible. As Signature HealthCARE CEO Joe Steier puts it: “Every […]