Legislation to block the federal minimum staffing proposal for nursing homes reached a milestone today, passing in the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee. The Protecting America’s Seniors’ Access to Care Act (H.R. 7513) was first introduced by Rep. Michelle Fischbach (R-MN) and would prevent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from finalizing […]
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
As the skilled nursing industry continues to evolve, efforts towards collaboration, innovation and advocacy will be paramount in addressing the challenges and opportunities ahead – along with making the industry “sexier” to potential nurses and healthcare professionals. This is according to Lana Blagg, Senior VP of Clinical Services at Touchstone Communities, who spoke at Skilled […]
Even as the Biden administration strives to crack down on confusing ownership structures in the nursing home industry, it appears there are gaps in federal data collection and limited visibility into ownership. Only one-third of private equity (PE) and fewer than one-fifth of real estate investment trust (REIT) investments in the nursing home space are […]
More than 1,000 nursing home leaders, along with associations like LeadingAge and the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), sent a joint letter to House Ways and Means Committee leaders to reject the federal minimum staffing proposal. The letter, spearheaded by AHCA/NCAL, was sent late Thursday and signed by state […]
The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) is recommending that the federal government bolster its support to nursing homes – including through policies that help strengthen the workforce – in order to improve quality of care. In its latest report, which draws upon lessons learned during the pandemic, OIG lays forth a set of five […]
Flaws with the Medicaid redetermination process are leading to an increasing number of existing nursing home residents being found ineligible for Medicaid coverage — creating headaches for nursing homes. This view is held by officials at several state health care associations, who spoke to Skilled Nursing News. Montana, for one, has Medicaid redetermination information being […]
The year ahead for Sabra Health Care REIT (Nasdaq: SBRA) presents a “terrific” opportunity for improved margins and potential dealmaking, with eyes on multiple asset classes, according to Sabra CEO Rick Matros. While the California-based real estate investment trust (REIT) has focused in the past couple years on diversifying its portfolio – namely adding behavioral […]
Health care settings, including the nursing home sector, performed worse than expected for about half of the federal government’s quality measures during the Covid-19 pandemic, although key measures such as rehospitalization rates for short-stay residents did surprisingly better, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reported Wednesday. Overall, the pandemic had major impacts on […]
As nursing homes and hospitals confront lingering concerns with inpatient backlogs, lengths of hospital stay, and tighter operating margins, the growth of Medicare Advantage plans – and now greater scrutiny over their prior authorization protocols by the federal government – will only serve to squeeze profits margins. “So those are additional headwinds that will benefit […]
States are seeing in real time what a federal minimum staffing mandate may cost them, as a disagreement between Connecticut and its nursing homes has come to a head. The state owes its nursing homes $55 million for staffing requirements imposed between March 2023 and this past January when an enhanced version of the directive […]
The nursing home sector’s minimal participation in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) – largely because they have not found it lucrative to be in ACOs or have been sidelined within ACOs by other provider types – has resulted in a push for change. In a joint effort aimed at enhancing the integration of long-term and post-acute […]
In a move to enhance the quality of care in Iowa’s nursing homes, Iowa lawmakers advanced a new bill that proposes joint training for nursing home staff and inspectors in order to better address complaints. Recent data shows complaints and citations have drastically increased over the last year. The Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing […]
In Center Point and Jonesville, Louisiana, two properties comprising 244 licensed skilled nursing beds, operated by CommCare, have been successfully sold to Omega Healthcare REIT and their operator, Venza Care. According to Blueprint, who facilitated the sales, the facilities have stable performance levels, and experienced a significant financial boost following Louisiana’s Medicaid rate adjustment effective […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is placing limits on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in denials of claims related to Medicare Advantage plans, and adding more guidance to health care providers on post-acute care admissions. The agency issued an FAQ Tuesday to address concerns related to coverage criteria and utilization […]
The year 2024 will pose a challenging landscape for skilled nursing professionals, with staffing problems still creating headaches. And yet, optimism is increasing and providers seem eager to drive expansion amid overall positive expectations for occupancy growth. The Skilled Nursing Outlook 2024 survey, which SNN conducted in partnership with Net Health, points to leaders perceiving […]
Generative AI may become a more prominent part of caregiving for skilled nursing operators who need to save time due to staffing shortages. WellSky, a software analytics company that services healthcare providers, unveiled a collaboration with Google Cloud late last week to develop advanced data analytics tools, machine learning capabilities, and artificial intelligence in healthcare […]
The landscape of healthcare financing, especially for skilled nursing facilities, has been undergoing significant shifts in recent times, but the growth outlook has improved and approval of government-backed loans is expected to rise in the coming months. The Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) lending in the skilled nursing space for less risky loans […]
As wildfires continue to plague the western U.S. and Canada, the repercussions of the resulting smoke infiltrating long-term care facilities have become a significant concern for nursing home residents across many parts of the country. Luke Montrose, an environmental toxicologist at Colorado State University, conducted a study in 2020, which found that one facility allowed […]
Joseph Schwartz, the owner of Skyline Management Group LLC, has admitted his involvement in a massive $38 million employment tax fraud scheme. The scheme targeted nursing homes owned by Schwartz across the country. Skyline, headquartered in Wood Ridge, N.J., once operated over more than 100 skilled nursing facilities across 11 states, providing care for over […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) COVID-19 reporting system has improved, but more still needs to be done to ensure safety protocols are promptly in place at nursing homes, a report from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released Friday states. The report delved into the intricacies of CDC’s reporting process, specifically focusing […]
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