LeadingAge Illinois and LeadingAge Iowa announced plans to merge this week. Meanwhile, Forest Healthcare Properties closed four separate transactions in September across Massachusetts, New York, and Florida, with the sale of a portfolio of seven facilities in the latter state. Two LeadingAge affiliates merge Effective November 1, 2024, LeadingAge Illinois and LeadingAge Iowa announced plans […]
LeadingAge Illinois
Growth of managed care has deepened reimbursement challenges for Covenant Living Communities and Services, much like for many providers in the nursing home sector. However, a centralized intake model launched three years ago and certain contract negotiation strategies have enabled efficient revenue cycle management. With an extensive network of communities spread across many states, the […]
Right-sizing is crucial and tricky for nursing home operators, as demographics are driving demand but also contributing to labor shortages. Ultimately, providers must weigh several factors in order to create businesses that are successful today and sustainable for the future. “It’s about the right service offerings, which sometimes means shrinking your physical footprint and asking, […]
The skilled nursing sector is in the midst of upheaval, and providers must create and execute on strategies that involve difficult choices and significant financial investments if they hope to thrive in the future. “We are in a period of disruption,” Dana Wollschlager, partner and industry practice leader of senior living development and advisory services […]
Preparations for Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes vary from state to state, raising questions about how Medicaid reimbursements will be determined as the clock ticks down to the Oct. 1 start date. The key issue is the removal of Section G, which is used to measure the functional status of residents, from the nursing home […]
Running in tandem with federal efforts to provide adequate staffing levels and better pay to certified nursing assistants (CNAs), some state officials have undergone efforts looking to achieve similar results. Illinois House Bill (HB) 246 is making its way to Gov. JB Pritzker after state legislators on Thursday unanimously approved a $700 million increase to […]
The nursing home industry has long been governed under a carrot and stick system, but some worry the Biden administration may be too focused on the latter in its recently unveiled reform proposals. While the reform’s staffing standards have been called “out of touch” and its emphasis on policing private equity is seen by some […]
While industry leaders have bashed many of the proposals laid out in the Biden administration’s nursing home reform package, improving public transparency of SNF ownership may be the White House’s best plan to curb who they see as “bad actors.” However, the details will be important to get right, with concerns about the impact that […]
The value-based purchasing program (VBP) available to skilled nursing facilities, while garnering the attention of the Biden administration in its sweeping reform initiatives, was already under the microscope with federal agencies. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) already has been authorized to apply nine measures to the program in adherence with the Consolidated […]
Federal data shows that staffing levels dropped 7.8% since the first quarter of 2021, and both Illinois and Missouri fell below 3 nursing staff hours per resident day. That’s according to a report from the Long-Term Care Community Coalition (LTCCC) using data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services provided by nursing homes. National […]
Despite improvements to the Medicaid rate in recent years, the state of Illinois’ reimbursement hasn’t kept up with rising costs for skilled nursing facilities — especially at a time when operators need to keep upping their wages to compete with other industries. While the next wave of the Provider Relief Funds is expected to infuse […]
Skilled nursing providers are adding value for managed care payors, and they need to be willing to tout it in contract negotiations, according to one executive. “[Managed care] is coming your way,” Anthony Laflen, director of data analytics at Consonus Healthcare, told a room full of nursing home operators at LeadingAge Illinois’ annual conference in Schaumburg, Ill. […]
In the face of the changing payment landscape, skilled nursing providers can’t afford to put off data collection. In fact, there’s a lot of information gathering they must be doing now to adapt to value-based payments, Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI), the rise of Medicare Advantage (MA), and a host of other changes, Leah […]