Already struggling to overcome staffing shortages, a steady decline in reimbursements, and national concern over quality of care, the nursing home industry’s outlook also depends on it’s ability to navigate an increased need for home-based care. As the nation shifts to an emphasis on home-based care due to the ongoing COVID-19...National News
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated a chronic understaffing issue for nursing home and long-term care facilities that existed long before the public health crisis. Now, facilities are not only struggling to hire and keep their staff, but concerns over quality of care, adequate pay, and the safety of the staff have put continuous...Arizona News
The company which invests in and provides skilled nursing and senior living and rehabilitation services purchased the 179-bed facility. Bandera Healthcare in Phoenix is an affiliate of Ensign Group.
The Ensign Group now operates 245 healthcare operations, 22 include senior living operations, across 13 states.
Other properties...Arizona News
While telehealth increased access to care and reduced stress for some skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, others faced unexpected challenges, such as lack of adequate training for staff and increased social isolation for residents.
According to mHealth Intelligence, a recent study from the University of Missouri found,...National News
Prescription drug price negotiations have been a major policy proposal for Congressional Democrats looking to improve the outcome of negotiations surrounding President Joe Biden's Build Back Better agenda in the form of the Reconciliation Bill. Initially, the president and Democratic leadership aimed to expand the ability for the...Arizona News
The pandemic is not over for skilled nursing facilities, where continued outbreaks, staffing shortages, and limited treatment options are ongoing challenges. However, despite struggles related to COVID-19, a new report suggests skilled nursing facility revenues will grow 3% per year in nominal dollars through 2025.
According to...National News
Insurance premium increases, steadily declining occupancy rates, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic have ravaged nursing homes across the country, leading to an estimated $94 billion shortfall by the end of 2021. A September AHCA member survey also reported that 71% of Arizona LTC facilities say their workforce situation has grown much...Open
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United States as a whole is currently at a community transmission level of “high”. 71.3% of adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The seven-day moving average deaths from COVID-19 is currently 452 per day with 664 deaths reported to the...National News
This week, industry stakeholders discussed value-based care as it pertains to their business and said in no uncertain terms that the path forward for healthcare is through value-based care, with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) alternative payment models (APMs) leading the way. Skilled nursing facilities and...National News
COVID-19 is on the upswing again due to the Delta variant's dominance nationwide. But skilled nursing facilities' vaccination rates among staff and healthcare professionals has plateaued. Organizations are taking action to encourage stronger vaccination policies. Additionally, insurance companies are now calling foul on CARES Act...
On Wednesday, Arizona reported 433 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 885,042 since recording cases began. There were two new deaths, creating a pandemic total to date of 17,715. Nearly half (47.5%) of eligible Arizonans are now fully vaccinated and 42.8% of Americans nationwide. Intensive care unit beds in Arizona are 9%...
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a nightmare for nursing homes and skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). And while it has improved things dramatically, the vaccine has been far from a panacea for these facilities—and their employees, occupants, and occupants' family members.
COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes have slowed...
Thanks to the vaccine, COVID-19 cases in nursing homes have plummeted by 90%. Now, long-term and post-acute care providers are grappling with how to roll back visitor restrictions and recover from the financial devastation of the pandemic.
Last week, CMS updated its guidance for nursing homes, encouraging them to allow indoor,...
Since COVID-19 reached the United States in early 2020, nursing homes have been at the center of the story. As the vaccine alleviates the threat of the virus, skilled nursing facilities and nursing homes are looking for ways to fix the problems the pandemic exposed.
According to the latest data reported by Kaiser Family...
Arizona is hitting roughly 100,000 vaccinations every three days. According to the Bloomberg COVID-19 vaccination tracker, 7 out of every 100 Arizonans has now been vaccinated with 53% of the doses delivered to the state used or 518,000 of 990,000 total doses.
The Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS) sent out a press release...Arizona News
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced over $500 million in performance-based stimulus payments targeted to nursing homes. This second round of distribution helps a smaller pool of nursing facilities - those reaching benchmarks in COVID-19 infection and death reduction between September and October 2020.
Over...National News
Providers may use the authority of special needs plans within the MA program to focus on increasing enrollment for their specific types of patients and residents.
Long-term care (LTC) provider-led special needs plans (SNPs) increased from 76 plans in 2020 to 98 plans in 2021. According to ATI Advisory,which released the data on...National News
A myriad of fiscal and monetary stimulus has come out of Washington in recent months with the government and the Federal Reserve working jointly to provide financial aid and inject liquidity into industries struck by an unprecedented supply and demand shock. The government has provided $175 billion in relief funds to hospitals and other...Arizona News
President Trump announced the formation of an independent commission last week to address the troubling number of coronavirus cases in nursing homes across the country. The Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes will conduct a comprehensive assessment of the nursing home response to the pandemic.
The...
