PruittHealth CEO: Nursing Home Operators Can’t Break Into Small Markets Without Government Support

PruittHealth continues on its track toward growth, particularly in urban markets, but its CEO Neil Pruitt says the federal government needs to put more resources toward rural markets for operators. The Norcross, Georgia-based operator has set its sights on expanding into contiguous markets while deepening its presence in certain states – Tennessee is next on […]

The Math Doesn’t Work: Nursing Home Staffing Woes Unsolvable Without Immigration Action

As nursing home operators scramble to recruit direct care workers during a historic staffing shortage, many in the sector believe there is one obvious solution that has yet to gain meaningful traction, in part due to legislative gridlock: immigration. Meanwhile, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has honed in on minimum staffing ratios, […]

What Service Lines 5 Nursing Home Leaders Plan to Invest In For the Future

With data suggesting that more than 400 nursing homes could close in 2022 and pandemic-related federal funding coming to an end, SNFs are increasingly having to find ways to solidify their role in the post-acute care continuum moving forward. For nursing home leaders, this means identifying what types of investments will move the needle forward […]

What Optum’s $5.4B LHC Group Acquisition Says About the Future of Skilled Nursing Care

Optum, the health services arm of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), has agreed to buy home health giant LHC Group (Nasdaq: LHCG) for a reported $5.4 billion.  The blockbuster deal is the latest indication that the nation’s largest health care payers are driving a shift toward value-based care models that prioritize more services delivered in people’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 […]

Nursing Home Staff Vaccine Rates Promising Ahead of CMS Deadline, But Boosters May Be a ‘Step Too Far’

As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate deadline looms this week, nursing homes across the country have stepped up to get their staff vaccinated in time – while still lagging on booster numbers. Nearly 85% of nursing home staff per facility are vaccinated, according to CMS data, and 87.3% of residents […]

Skilled Nursing Occupancy Gains Expected, But Covid Will Cast Long Shadow

Nursing home occupancy recovery rates will be market and operator specific in 2022 and beyond, with COVID-19 still steering industry expectations and resident choices. Still, more than half of nursing home industry leaders believe occupancy levels will improve in the next 12 months for both long-term and short-term care – 53.6% and 52.8%, respectively, according […]

2022 Skilled Nursing Outlook: No Labor Relief In Sight, Providers Eyeing Diversification Strategies

Staffing is unequivocally, and unsurprisingly, the top challenge for the skilled nursing industry in 2022. That’s according to the Skilled Nursing News 2022 outlook survey, conducted online late last year as a way to identify the top sources of concern and opportunities leaders saw in the year ahead. Labor challenges are not only widespread, but […]

‘Hotel-Like’ Accommodations on the Periphery for Nursing Homes As Reimbursement Remains a Sticking Point

With the pandemic imposing the need for skilled nursing facilities to move away from institutional type settings, more SNF operators have taken a page from the hospitality industry — adding concierge-like services and hotel-style accommodations. Generations Healthcare, for instance, recently completed construction on a 116-bed nursing home in Temecula, Calif. – following the opening of […]

Executive Outlook 2022: Nursing Homes Need to Diversify to ‘Not Only Survive, but Thrive’

Nursing homes have long been seen as the place where elderly Medicare and Medicaid patients spend their final years, but as these institutions look to evolve post-COVID, their role in the long-term care continuum continues to expand. Over the course of the year, SNN has seen operators open in-house dialysis units, renovate their facilities for […]

[UPDATED] Nursing Home Staff Must Be Vaccinated, Biden Administration Says

Following the Biden administration’s announcement that all nursing home staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing Medicare and Medicaid funding, operators and senior living organization leaders fear singling out one group of health care workers will only exacerbate a continued staffing crisis. Some state mandates, on the other hand, call on all health […]

PruittHealth Among Latest SNF Operators to Mandate Staff Vaccination

Georgia-based operators PruittHealth, Community Health Services of Georgia (CHSGa) and A.G. Rhodes on Monday announced all employees across the three companies will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine as a term of employment. Low vaccination rates are the “primary reason” behind the continued spread of COVID-19, the companies said in a statement; medical and […]

NHC Dips into Hospice and Palliative Care, Diversifying Across Continuum

National Healthcare Corp. looks to further diversify its service lines within the care continuum, this month acquiring outstanding stakes in hospice and palliative care system Caris Healthcare for $38.95 million. NHC deals primarily in skilled nursing facilities, with its affiliates operating 75 SNFs, followed by 35 home health agencies, 28 hospice agencies, 24 assisted living […]

PruittHealth CEO: Nursing Homes Must Go Beyond ‘Cost-Effective Model of Care’

Nursing home operators have lamented for years how difficult it is to address infrastructure problems in their facilities. In some locations and under some circumstances, they’ve been able to make changes over time. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, means that such changes are not optional if operators want to survive – and they cannot be incremental. […]