Why the Five-Star Rating System Needs an Overhaul — And How to Fix It

The five-star quality rating system has been a thorny issue for a lot of operators in the skilled nursing space, with many calling for a significant overhaul to quality metrics as facilities drown in seemingly endless federal benchmark adjustments. Even academics and consultants monitoring the sector believe the ratings system needs to be updated – […]

Why The Caregiver Definition Must Be Expanded For Nursing Homes to Overcome Labor Crunch

As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) works to establish federal minimum staffing levels, industry leaders are calling on the government agency to broaden the caregiver definition. The current federal requirement does not provide a specific daily minimum standard, rather, it states that nursing homes must provide “…sufficient nursing staff to attain or […]

The Devil’s in the Data: Why SNFs May Be Facing an Information Crisis

The nursing home sector may be facing even bigger, more longstanding obstacles than current staffing woes and increased costs due to rising inflation. According to one industry leader, the crisis facing long-term care is the data itself. “We have this one-size-fits-all regulation, we have irrational payment systems where reporting is fragmented, redundant and inconsistent and […]

Eduro Acquires 7 Texas SNFs; White Oak Structures Financing for 5 Nursing Homes

Utah-based skilled nursing company Eduro Healthcare recently acquired seven facilities in the San Antonio, Texas area, bringing the total count in the state to 15. Eduro first entered the Texas market in April 2021, and has seen success as operational and delivery of care changes are implemented, according to a news release. “Having worked in […]

The Case For And Against a Nursing Home Industry Crisis

Whether it’s uttered during an interview, highlighted during an industry conference or referenced in a news release, I’ve heard and seen the word “crisis” quite often during my time reporting on the skilled nursing industry. And it’s not surprising the word has been used so frequently. Covid-19 was a global crisis that hit the nursing […]

PBJ Data Use in Surveys Serves as ‘Breadcrumbs’ to Looming Federal Staffing Mandate

The Biden administration, and its federal agencies, appear to be in lockstep in how they have been thinking and talking about nursing homes, industry leaders say, further evidenced by the latest release on the rules of participation for Medicare and Medicaid. Specifically concerning the administration’s efforts to establish a minimum staffing ratio among facilities, the […]

‘Counterintuitive to the Goal:’ Impending Five-Star Staffing Measures Don’t Address Ongoing Labor Challenges

Operators and nursing home industry leaders wait with bated breath for the implementation of new staffing measures in its five-star rating system starting in July, a move seen by some as insensitive in light of a historic staffing shortage and soaring agency use. While facilities have been reporting staffing turnover and weekend staffing data since […]

Staffing Shortages Lead Nursing Homes to Rethink MDS Coordinator Role

Persistent staffing shortages combined with regulatory headwinds have put even more pressure on nursing home MDS coordinators, a specialty position that itself has not been immune to the job turnover felt across the sector. And their role to ensure that facilities get the reimbursement they earn and the right care is provided may be more […]

Why Nursing Homes Shouldn’t Expect Delayed or Phased-In CMS Medicare Cuts

After delaying cuts last year due to Covid, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced last week that it is moving forward with proposed cuts to Medicare funding for nursing homes. The CMS proposal includes a 3.9% Medicare rate increase for skilled nursing facilities, but the agency announced cutbacks to PDPM payments by […]

Staffing Measures, Touted in Biden Reforms, ‘Encroaching Significantly’ on State Value-Based Purchasing Programs

The Biden administration is working toward pushing its value-based care agenda on nursing homes by way of state Medicaid programs, a daunting task with no two programs the same, and reimbursement rates varying widely based on state. As evidenced in reforms announced in February, federal agencies are also focused on tying staffing-related measures to value-based […]

Know Your Markets: ‘Next Generation’ of Operators are Data-Driven and Regional

Lenders and operators agree the skilled nursing market continues to largely be a regional affair when it comes to prospective transactions – buildings are often considered within the context of others in a 15- to 20-mile radius, with national statistics oftentimes secondary. State or regional specific operators understand what’s happening with labor in those markets, […]

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 […]

Nursing Facilities Need to Weather the ‘Reimbursement Storm’ of Medicare Advantage

With Medicare Advantage revenue “significantly lower” than fee-for-service reimbursement, a new Zimmet Healthcare Services Group analysis says, skilled nursing facilities need to weather today’s “reimbursement storm” in order to make it to the incoming wave of baby boomers that will need facility services. In the meantime, Zimmet suggests operators utilize facility data to improve MA […]

Zimmet President: Delaying PDPM Adjustments Could Make Problem Worse

When the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it would delay adjustments to the Payment-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) until next year, some in the skilled nursing industry felt they were getting some breathing room. But Marc Zimmet, president of consulting firm Zimmet Healthcare Services Group, said he believes that delaying the inevitable […]