Technical School Fastracks, AI, Community Relationships Top 2024 Workforce Initiatives

Nursing home operators, states and federal agencies continue to shift their strategy to meet the demands of the future work environment, as nursing shortages persist and nursing homes face possible upcoming staffing regulations. Some of these efforts have centered on easing education, training and credentialing. To that end, operators have bolstered relationships with local universities […]

Why the Medicaid Battle is Leading to More Quality-Based Nursing Home Payments

In the midst of lagging Medicaid reimbursements, more nursing providers are pushing states to launch quality incentive programs that are designed to enhance care and reward high-performing long-term care providers. Twenty-four states already have them in place, and the latest to join this trend is Pennsylvania. And to that end, nursing home providers in Pennsylvania […]

The Quotes That Defined 2023 in Skilled Nursing — and Hint at What’s Ahead

As the Covid-19 public health emergency officially ended in 2023, the nursing home sector continued to face lingering troubles across many facets of the business even if spread of disease – and death resulting from it – diminished as a concern. Chief among troubles that continued to plague nursing homes included workforce shortages and expansion […]

CMS Flooded With Staggering 40K-Plus Comments on Nursing Home Staffing Mandate

More than two months after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its minimum staffing proposal for the skilled nursing industry, commentary from stakeholders came to a close Monday with a staggering 40,000-plus comments received. Reviewing the hefty load of comments on the proposal may take as long as a year, according to […]

LPN Exclusion in CMS Staffing Mandate a ‘Convoluted Mess’ for Nursing Homes

The skilled nursing industry is at a crossroads as it grapples with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) proposed federal staffing mandate. A significant point of contention in the proposal is the exclusion of licensed practical nurses (LPNs), which has ignited concerns and garnered strong reactions from industry leaders. “What’s keeping me up […]

Industry Critics Blast ‘Tremendously Unfunded’ CMS Nursing Home Staffing Mandate, Warn of Severe Access Issues

As the nursing home industry finally gets a first look at the long-awaited proposed minimum staffing mandate released early Friday, leaders across the sector say that its most critical aspects deal with implementation timing, a “good faith” provision, and requirements for registered nurses (RNs). As it stands, the proposed rule has major implications for access […]

CMS Study Undercuts Potential Nursing Home Minimum Staffing  Mandate

The White House’s ambitious plans for a federal nursing home staffing mandate might have hit a snag due to the inadvertent online release and subsequent removal of a study commissioned by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). KFF Health News first reported on the study on Tuesday, after which CMS removed the report, […]

The Delicate Dance of Temp Agency Regulation: 1099 Worker Classification, Wage Caps at Issue in Tight Labor Market

As government entities and organizations in the nursing home space are scrambling for policy changes to regulate staffing agencies, they seem to be prioritizing legislation that addresses price gouging while worker classification also remains on the table. The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) introduced in Congress in 2021 and currently being examined […]

‘A Microcosm’: States Push Minimum Staffing Mandates on Nursing Homes in Pennsylvania, NY as Providers Notified of Violations

As the nursing home sector nervously awaits a potential federal minimum staffing mandate, several states are implementing similar mandates of their own, with New York issuing initial letters of violation of state policy this week. According to nursing home advocates, New York’s Department of Health sent out its first set of letters to nursing home […]

Why CMS Staffing Mandate Could Jumpstart Union Efforts in Nursing Homes

Nursing home and labor leaders believe more labor organizing will happen in conjunction with the forthcoming federal staffing minimum mandate, as the sector has historically seen a low proportion of workers covered by union contracts. Having a federal standard in place could begin collective bargaining efforts, or maybe remove this sticking point in labor negotiations, […]

‘We’re at a Crossroads’: Nursing Homes See Union-Provider Collaboration Driven by Problems of Access, Acuity and Labor

Frequent nursing home closures and an access crisis across the country mean skilled nursing providers and unions must put aside their differences to find common ground in the post-pandemic age. However, achieving that alignment in the midst of seismic regulatory changes and legal challenges is another story. “We’re at a crossroads,” said Zach Shamberg, president […]

Skilled Nursing Sector Faces Defining Moment to Shape New Medicaid Models

The skilled nursing industry is facing a defining moment that could determine the future of Medicaid reimbursement, with a new model emerging that ties increased dollars to facility performance. “I doubt that we’re going to get another chance,” Zimmet Healthcare Services CEO Marc Zimmet said Tuesday at the annual eCap conference in Miami. This as […]

Pennsylvania SNF Operators to See New Staffing Agency Regulations After Bill Becomes Law

Pennsylvania nursing home owners will soon see oversight and accountability for agencies operating in the state’s long-term care facilities after a bill was signed by the governor this week. House Bill 2293, which was introduced in January of this year, sought to implement new regulations for staffing agencies. Gov. Tom Wolf gave the bill the […]

ESI Closes California SNF Deal for $25M; Blueprint Advises Sale of Pennsylvania Nursing Home to Tryko Partners

Evans Senior Investments (ESI) arranged the sale of a 138-bed skilled nursing facility in Anaheim, Calif. for $25 million or $181,159 per bed. The buyer, an East Coast real estate holding company, structured the lease with a local owner/operator in the state, according to the real estate brokerage firm. Operating long-term care assets in today’s […]

Nursing Home Staffing Regulations, Proposals Clash With Financial, Operational Realities

As the White House considers stricter federal staffing minimum requirements, regulations in some parts of the country are bowing to the realities of the skilled nursing industry’s workforce crisis. Providers in states from Virginia to New York are pushing back on the requirements they say threaten their ability to provide the best care for residents. […]

Nursing Homes Score Win With 17.5% Medicaid Increase in Pennsylvania for 2023

Some lawmakers are listening to calls for help from the nursing home industry, at least at the state level. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf recently approved a Medicaid reimbursement increase of 17.5% for the state’s nursing homes for next year, translating to an increase of around $35 per resident per day. The increase to the state’s […]

Completely Out of Touch: Biden’s Minimum Staffing Proposal Comes as Skilled Nursing Reels From Labor Crisis

As state and federal policymakers clamor to set nursing home minimum staffing standards – most recently in the Biden administration’s expansive reform proposals – leaders in the space are asking a pointed question: Why now? The industry has already lost nearly 238,000 caregivers in the last two years – an issue that has only been […]

Solutions Forged in Crisis Provide Glimpse of Future SNF, Hospital Alignment

If the latest COVID-19 variant has revealed anything about the care continuum, it’s that temporary solutions to solve the capacity crisis could have long-term implications on the way SNFs and hospitals can better align moving forward. In Pennsylvania, Gov. Tom Wolf set up long-term care regional support sites to help decompress the health care system […]