nursing homes

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|

Future Financial Prospects Mixed for Post-Acute Providers, Analysis Suggests

Assisted living facilities, hospice, and home health providers should see their profitability rise over the next three years, according to a new analysis by McKinsey & Company. Nursing homes and inpatient rehabilitation facilities, on the other hand, may see their profitability decline as they continue to struggle with the current shortage of qualified nurses. Learn more about the near-term prospects for post-acute-care providers from the McKnight’s Long-Term Living article “Skilled nursing profits will shrink through 2026, even as other post-acute lines gain: analysis.”

admin2023-01-25T06:00:33+00:00January 25, 2023|post-acute care|

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|

Nursing Homes Turning Away Addicted Patients

Nursing homes frequently refuse to serve patients being treated with medication to serve opioid addictions. They do so even though opioid addiction is considered a chronic disease and recognized as such under the Americans With Disabilities Act. While some nursing homes claim not to be aware of the obligation to serve such patients, others choose not to do so, with some claiming they lack the resources or expertise to serve such patients or that abstinence from opioid use is superior to medication as a treatment for opioid addiction. As a result, many acute-care hospitals have difficulty finding skilled nursing placements [...]

admin2018-05-02T06:00:40+00:00May 2, 2018|post-acute care|

Socio-Economic Factors’ Role in Skilled Nursing Facility Finances

Skilled nursing facilities located in communities with higher-than-typical numbers of low-income and minority patients are under greater financial stress than comparable facilities located in other communities. Nursing homes that serve higher proportions of Medicaid patients the same challenge. And both of these conditions detract from the quality of care such facilities provide. These are the findings of a new study published in the journal Health Services Research. According to the study, Medicaid-dependent nursing homes have a 3.5 percentage point lower operating ratio. Those serving primarily racial minorities have a 2.64-point lower quality rating. A 1 percent increase in the neighborhood [...]

admin2017-11-21T06:00:22+00:00November 21, 2017|post-acute care|