long-term care

Supply of Nursing Home Beds Declining

The number of nursing home beds in the U.S. is fast declining, according to a new analysis commissioned by the American Health Care Association, a nursing home trade group. According to the study, 21 percent of nursing home operators have downsized – dropped beds or units. 55 percent have turned away people seeking nursing home beds. 48 percent have waiting lists. 579 facilities have closed since 2020, and along with them, the supply of nursing home beds fell by more than 45,000. Nursing home operators cite a number of reasons for the decline, including current reimbursement practices – especially for [...]

admin2023-08-28T06:00:39+00:00August 28, 2023|hospitals, Medicaid, post-acute care|

Some Patients May Safely Leave Nursing Homes Faster, Study Finds

Some patients can be safely discharged from skilled nursing facilities faster than they currently are, a new study has found. And not just a day or two, either: as much as a week or more. The study focused on patients who had been in SNFs for about 20 days – the point at which Medicare beneficiaries begin shouldering a portion of the cost of their nursing care. Discharging some of these patients a week early, the study found, did not affect rehospitalization by day 28 for 98 percent of the patients discharged around day 20. The study, its authors assert, [...]

admin2021-05-05T06:00:18+00:00May 5, 2021|Medicare post-acute care|

PACE Regulation Updated

PACE programs will have new flexibility under a recent update of regulations governing Programs of All-Inclusive Care. As described by the National Association of Medicaid Directors, the new regulation Allows PACE team members to fulfill multiple roles on the care team; Allows certain non-physician providers to serve in the place of primary care physicians on the care team; Clarifies that PACE programs offering prescription drug benefits are subject to Medicare Part D regulations; Eliminates requirements for PACE organizations to seek waivers for several of the most commonly waived aspects of PACE regulation; and Updates CMS's enforcement actions to promote accountability [...]

admin2019-06-11T06:00:59+00:00June 11, 2019|Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Medicaid regulations, Medicare regulations|

Rural Nursing Homes Struggle With Challenges

Across rural parts of the country skilled nursing facilities are struggling, and growing numbers are faltering in the face of many problems. Among the challenges they face are: difficulty passing health and safety standards evolving health care policies that encourage people to remain in their homes instead of choosing to enter nursing homes growing proportions of patients covered by Medicaid the failure of Medicaid payments in many states to cover the cost of nursing home care These challenges are especially acute in rural areas. Today, many regions have enough skilled nursing beds, at least on paper, but they are not [...]

admin2019-03-06T06:00:27+00:00March 6, 2019|Medicaid, post-acute care|

Nursing Home Study: More Medicaid Patients=Worse Care

Nursing homes that serve larger proportions of Medicaid patients have lower quality ratings, according to a new study from the American Health Care Association, a long-term-care provider trade group. The study also found that: For-profit nursing homes care for more Medicaid patients than non-profits. Rural nursing homes care for more Medicaid patients than urban facilities. Large facilities care for a higher proportion of Medicaid patients than smaller facilities. Learn more about the study and the theories behind some of these findings in the McKnight’s Long-Term Care News article “AHCA study: Facilities with higher Medicaid populations have poorer quality outcomes.” [...]

admin2019-02-28T13:00:01+00:00February 28, 2019|Medicaid, post-acute care|

Nursing Home Occupancy Down

Nursing home occupancy fell from 83.07 percent in 2013 to 80.24 percent at the end of 2017, according to a new report. The amount of time patients spend in nursing homes is falling as well. Declining occupancy and length of stay and shrinking reimbursement have led to nursing home closings and a six percent decline in cash on hand between 2013 to 2017. Learn more about some of the challenges facing skilled nursing facilities in the McKnight’s Long-Term Care News report “Dwindling reimbursement, occupancy numbers chipping away at skilled nursing margins, new analysis finds.”

admin2019-02-27T13:00:08+00:00February 27, 2019|post-acute care|