CMS Proposes Rule Requiring More Nursing Home Ownership Transparency, Including REIT and Private Equity Disclosures

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Monday a proposed rule to require nursing homes to disclose more information regarding their ownership and management, including information related to assets held by real estate investment trusts (REITs) and private equity firms. Nursing homes will be expected to disclose this information as part of the […]

American Hospital Association Throws Weight Behind Nursing Home TNA Legislation

As the nursing home workforce crisis continues to have far-reaching consequences for settings along the care continuum, associations outside of long-term care are adding their support for more permanent solutions. The American Hospital Association (AHA), for one, is the latest to throw its weight behind the Building America’s Health Care Workforce Act, a bill that […]

Nursing Homes Add 1,600 Jobs in February as Occupancy Recovery Crawls

Nursing homes gained 1,600 jobs in February, a modest increase compared to home health and physician offices at 20,000 and 15,000, respectively, according to data compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The sector added 3,800 hires from December 2021 to January 2022, BLS data found. To put this data in perspective, nursing […]

SNF Lending Competition Heats Up as ‘Core Group’ Returns After a Year on the Sidelines

While types of financing available to nursing homes have remained relatively consistent throughout the pandemic, the number of lenders has fluctuated, capital providers have said. In recent months more competition has come back into the skilled nursing marketplace, VIUM Capital Senior Managing Director Tony Ruberg told Skilled Nursing News, with larger players ready to be […]

LTC Sector in ‘Grave Danger’ Due to Price Gouging Staffing says Collaborative

As more operators report admission holds and occupancy recovery delays due to rising labor costs, health care groups continue to target direct care staffing agencies as part of the problem as legislation is already being worked on in states like Pennsylvania, and nationally, to end the practice of gouging the Medicaid program and taxpayers. With […]

Nursing Homes See Solutions Overseas to Continued Workforce Woes

As nursing homes continue to see a high turnover rate among registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and certified nursing assistants, operators continue to do anything they can to keep staff, including offering pay increases, incentives and educational benefits.  Some leaders in the industry see the international staff pool as the sector’s best chance to get […]

Priorities, Plans and Perspectives: Mark Parkinson, President and CEO, The American Health Care Association

In this Priorities, Plans & Perspectives interview, Skilled Nursing News sits down with Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of The American Health Care Association, to learn how he has optimized his organization’s effectiveness while maintaining focus on quality of care and resident experience. Read on to discover how Parkinson identifies opportunity amidst chaos, and what […]

58% of Nursing Homes Are Limiting New Admissions Due to Staffing Shortages

Of 1,183 nursing home and assisted living providers surveyed by the American Health Care Association and National Center of Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), nearly every nursing home is currently asking staff to work overtime or extra shifts and more than half are limiting new admissions due to staffing shortages. While the long-term ramifications of the current […]

Federal Bill Could Beef Up State Funding for LTC Workforce

Four members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill this week which aims to provide a financial boost to wages and benefits for long-term care workers. The Nursing Home Workforce Support and Expansion Act — which was introduced Tuesday by Reps. Steven Horsford of Nevada, Barbara Lee of California, Steve Cohen of Tennessee […]

CMS: Staff Vaccine Mandate ‘Levels the Playing Field’, Coming Late September

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ regulation requiring staff vaccination for Medicare and Medicaid participating long-term care facilities is expected in late September, and officials say it is aimed at leveling the playing field. “We know that there have been concerns about staff leaving based on the vaccine requirement, and we believe that this […]

Vaccine Mandate Reignites Call for Federal Funding for Nursing Homes

While the Biden administration’s decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations at nursing homes across the country received immediate criticism from lobbying groups and operators that already face worsening staff shortage challenges, others say it could put more pressure on the federal government to better support nursing homes. “If anything positive came out of this it [will […]

Staff Agency Use Up as Staff Burnout Spreads

The vast majority of skilled nursing and senior living operators, 84%, are currently tapping agency and temp staff to help with staffing shortages, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care’s (NIC) most recent executive survey.  Now in its 31st iteration since the COVID-19 pandemic began, responses were collected from 70 small, […]

Massachusetts Mandates Vaccines for Nursing Home Workers

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ordered on Wednesday that all long-term care staff in the state must be vaccinated by Oct. 10. Massachusetts appears to be the first state to issue a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for nursing facility workers, according to the state’s long-term care association. The order received immediate praise from the state’s health care […]

SNF-at-Home Model Becoming ‘Critical Player’ For Success

Several factors continue to push patient care inside the home including health care waivers, patient preference, proposed legislation and an incentive to keep patients out of hospitals during the pandemic, as 32 states now offer hospital care at-home services as of July 27. While the clinical capabilities of in-home care remain limited, some operators are […]

Genesis HealthCare Mandates Company-Wide COVID-19 Vaccinations

Genesis HealthCare has implemented a “universal” COVID-19 vaccination requirement for its employees, care partners and onsite vendors, the post-acute care provider announced Tuesday. The policy requires that individuals have a single dose of the Janssen vaccine or the first dose of a two-dose mRNA vaccine by Aug. 23. The second dose, if applicable, would be […]