Skilled Nursing News

As the chief medical officer for skilled nursing giant Genesis HealthCare, Dr. Richard Feifer has a direct view into hundreds of individual nursing homes as they deal with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Dr. Feifer joined "Rethink" to make a direct appeal to leaders about the dire need for personal protective equipment (PPE) and access to COVID-19 testing, two vital weapons against the disease that have been far too hard to come by across the country. He also shared tips gleaned from his work on the front lines, while praising the tireless efforts of staffers on the ground. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. The top lessons Genesis and Feifer have learned throughout the crisis so far 2. How nursing homes can safely separate COVID-19 cases from those without the disease 3. Why operators shouldn't fear overreacting when it comes to infection-control protocols 4. And more!

As both the chief medical officer for Signature HealthCARE and president of AMDA, the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine, Dr. Arif Nazir has a micro- and macro-level view on how skilled nursing facilities are fighting the novel coronavirus. Dr. Nazir sat down with SNN to talk about what he's seeing on the front lines, as well as the viability of some of the sweeping proposals that governments have floated to help beat back the COVID-19 tide. Listen to this episode of "Rethink" to learn: -- Why the COVID-19 pandemic will permanently change the post-acute and long-term care landscape — potentially for the better -- The roles geriatricians, nursing home operators, and other elder care experts need to play in the coronavirus response -- How frontline caregivers are weathering the storm -- And more!

The novel coronavirus outbreak has put skilled nursing facilities on lockdown and disrupted daily life around the world. But health care needs continue apace, and the junction between SNF and hospital is crucial. Angie Roberson, the president of the American Case Management Association and the director of case management at the Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, joins Rethink to talk about the importance of communication in the face of COVID-19 and the steps hospitals are taking as they work with SNFs. Listen to this episode to learn: -More about how hospitals are looking at the outbreak and what they're hearing from SNFs -Why the flu season has lessons for dealing with the new virus -What hospitals are assessing as they get patients ready for discharge

In the senior housing and care spectrum, nursing homes typically have the worst reputation among the general public and the press — a negative image that can only worsen in cases of abuse, neglect, or high-profile accidents. As the managing partner and co-founder of Trifecta Public Strategies, Kelli Luneborg-Stern has guided skilled nursing operators through a variety of difficult times, and despite the challenges, she has nothing but praise for the industry. "They simply do not get the credit that they deserve for what they deal with on a day-to-day basis," Luneborg-Stern says. Listen to this episode to learn: -- How operators can more effectively communicate with the public and press -- The ways misconceptions about the industry have changed over time — and what remains the same -- Top challenges for operators in the year ahead -- ...and more!

As the CEO of JMD Healthcare Solutions, John Delossantos has had a front-row seat to the Medicare payment model change still roiling the skilled nursing space. So far, Delossantos is upbeat about PDPM's potential to improve the health of both residents and the industry as a whole, but he's also identified some key areas where operators are still making mistakes that could lead to costly reimbursement losses — or, worse, scrutiny from the federal government. Listen to this episode of Rethink to learn: 1. The most common PDPM errors operators are making — and how to fix them 2. The top regulatory red flags that could lead to payment clawbacks 3. The biggest PDPM surprises so far 4. ...and more

The Patient-Driven Payment Model – and all the changes that came with it – arrived officially for skilled nursing providers in October 2019. The new Medicare reimbursement system for SNFs was top of mind throughout the year, but 2020 will bring a variety of new challenges, ranging from the entrenchment of accountable care organizations (ACOs) to the rise of managed care in the Medicaid program. Fred Bentley, managing director at the consulting firm Avalere Health, joined Rethink to talk about what SNFs should think about going into 2020 and how they can position themselves for viability and success. Listen to this episode to learn about: -The need to examine therapy and documentation as PDPM takes hold -Why some larger SNF chains are considering joining the ranks of ACOs -Why managed long-term supports and services in Medicaid is 'an existential challenge' for SNFs

The opioid crisis has hit every part of the U.S. health care system – skilled nursing facilities included. But the state and federal regulations haven’t moved as fast as the crisis, even though more and more providers are seeing these patients come through their doors. For the Communicare Family of Companies, which is based in Ohio and has 87 SNFs in some of the most opioid-affected states, there are ways that providers can help address the needs of patients struggling with addiction and other disorders. Fred Stratmann, Communicare’s general counsel, joined Rethink to talk about how SNFs could help and why the problem of caring for these patients goes back even further than the opioid epidemic. Listen to this episode to learn about: - Why nursing homes are filling the gaps in community resources - The regulatory hurdles to changing paradigms of care - The ways empty SNF beds could be repurposed for behavioral and substance use disorder treatment

For the first time in 34 years, an annual report on nursing home finances found that the median operating margin for operators fell below zero. For CLA managing principal Cory Rutledge, a co-author of the report, the result wasn't exactly surprising, given the headwinds battering the skilled nursing space over the past decade. But while he acknowledges that the number doesn't look great, Rutledge sees sunnier times ahead for operators in the space — specifically those that take bold action to adapt to a changing world. Listen to this episode of "Rethink" to learn: - Why the median margin fell below zero - How operators with positive margins pulled off their success - What operators should do to turn their fortunes around - ...and more!

With 140 facilities, Consulate Health Care is something of an outlier in the skilled nursing world, and has seen its share of ups and downs related to its size. But after a strategic shrinking – and an overhaul to improve quality and care at the bedside – the operator is ready to grow again. CEO Chris Bryson has led the work in turning the company around. He joined Rethink to talk about how Consulate “doubled in size overnight” in 2012 and had to streamline in subsequent years, the work of improving care and retention, and why the operator is looking to the future. Listen to this episode to learn more about: -Why scale can still benefit skilled nursing facilities -The importance of maintaining local autonomy -Why regulators and providers need to collaborate for better care

Over the last few years, there's probably been no hotter topic in the skilled nursing space than I-SNPs — special Medicare Advantage plans that cover long-term residents of nursing homes and other institutional sites of care. As CEO of Longevity Health Plan, René Lerer has had a front-row seat to the expansion of these plans, which the company currently offers in Illinois and New York. Lerer joined "Rethink" to discuss trends in this specialized space, as well as how providers can launch their own plans — either on their own, or with strategic partners. Listen to this episode to learn: - How Longevity built its network, and how it plans to expand - The different ways providers can create or join an I-SNP - Why I-SNPs can open other opportunities beyond reimbursement control

It's never been a more important time for skilled nursing facilities to get to know their hospital partners, especially as SNFs face penalties for patient readmissions and a constant battle to maintain census and provide the best quality of care. That makes open lines of communication and strong relationships essential for acute and post-acute care —and Sue Craft, the vice president of inpatient case management and post-acute care services at Henry Ford Health System is at the forefront of that work. She oversees the Detroit-based hospital system's preferred SNF network, as well as the team that makes decisions about patient discharges. Skilled Nursing News sat down with her to discuss the financial pressure that hospitals are facing, and how Henry Ford has changed its approach to post-acute partnerships over the years. Listen to this episode to learn: -Why Henry Ford focused on developing a preferred network to combat readmission struggles -The metrics SNFs should bring to hospitals in partnership discussions -What hospitals want from their post-acute partners

As the Medicare program's top clinical official, Dr. Kate Goodrich has played a major role in the wave of nursing home regulatory scrutiny coming from Washington and Baltimore over the last few years. Goodrich and CMS administrator Seema Verma have placed skilled nursing facility compliance and oversight at the top of their to-do lists, with a litany of accomplishments already under their belts — from an overhaul of the five-star rating system to the public identification of properties under consideration for the Special Focus Facility program. SNN sat down with Goodrich to learn more about what's been driving this enforcement push, as well as what additional moves the federal government may have in store for the future. Listen to this episode to learn: -The inner workings of CMS's enforcement strategies for nursing homes -Why the agency is focusing on beefing up state-level survey efforts -Goodrich's vision for the long-term future of value-based care

Skilled nursing providers can get chills at the thought of alternative payment models, which include Medicare arrangements such as bundled payments — one reimbursement shared by a range of providers for a single episode of care. After all, many bundled payment programs achieve their savings by cutting down on post-acute spending, adding pressure to already-squeezed skilled nursing facilities. But Brian Fuller, the CEO of Integrated Care Solutions, thinks SNFs shouldn't despair. ICS is a care coordination company and bundled payments convener under the Bundled Payments for Care Improvement — Advanced program, and Fuller sees both sides of the acute and post-acute world. He joined Rethink to talk about how SNFs need to change their mindset and get creative to thrive in a value-based world. Listen to this episode to learn: - The disconnects between acute and post-acute care, and what they need to learn to come together - Why post-acute is a savings target in alternative payment models, and how SNFs can take control of their own destiny within their market - The tenets SNFs need to adopt as their "true north" for success in the evolving world of value-focused health care

Publicly traded health care REITs have been blamed for some of the skilled nursing industry's woes in recent years — after all, how can a provider keep up with annual escalators as it navigates an uncertain reimbursement landscape and ever-rising staffing costs? But Wendy Simpson, president and CEO of LTC Properties, Inc., says REITs aren't the ones to blame — and that operators should instead make sure that any lease arrangement leaves enough money to put back into their operations before signing on the dotted line. Listen to this episode of Rethink to learn: - Why Simpson remains frustrated with the ongoing bankruptcy of tenant Senior Care Centers - How a dearth of younger, newer operating teams could cause trouble for the industry down the road - Why REITs still make sense for operators looking to unlock the equity in their assets - ...and more!

Between the release of a "secret" list of underperforming nursing homes and multiple hearings on Capitol Hill, the skilled nursing industry has found itself under the regulatory and media microscope for most of 2019. And for the most part, Mark Parkinson thinks that's a good thing. The president and CEO of the American Health Care Association sat down with Skilled Nursing News to discuss why transparency could ultimately help operators by raising awareness of other issues in the space — along with his vision of what the industry will look like a decade from now. Listen to this episode to learn: - Why operators should see opportunity in recent media attention on the industry - What he thinks is the bigger challenge for the space: PDPM or Medicaid - How SNFs can avoid becoming a mere commodity in the overall care landscape - ...and more!