Healthcare, Senior Living, Economics
With reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics out this past week, the job market remains relatively strong and healthcare within the market, similarly strong. Unemployment remained at 3.6% and labor participation remained at 62.6% (same for last four months) and the percent of the population employed remained at 60%. For the month of June, … Read more
Organizational expansion is truly a tale of two options (primarily): add capacity organically (build or start from scratch) or acquire an existing business. Both have pluses and minuses, but when it comes to scale on a more rapid basis and movement into a new market area, acquisition tends to make more sense versus an organic … Read more
In December of 2022, Fitch (credit rating agency) issued their outlook for the non-profit, Life Plan (CCRC) sector within the senior housing industry. Fitch outlooks are a primer for creditors seeking to determine lending scales for the upcoming year (bullish v. bearish). The Fitch outlook for the sector was “deteriorating”. The basis for this negative … Read more
This past Monday, I played golf in a charity event, the proceeds of which, went to Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. The event, however, wasn’t sponsored or produced by Children’s Hospital. The event, now twenty-three years (next year, twenty-four), is the creation of a good friend of mine and ongoing business colleague, Jim Lombardo. Jim is … Read more
Golf outing today for Children’s Hospital of WI so a bit of recycling…I wrote this a number of years ago (April 2016) and it was very popular and resonates well today. Enjoy! The original post is here: https://wp.me/ptUlY-kf The bulk of my work centers around gathering data, analyzing trends and working with the leadership of … Read more
One of the largest complaints about senior care and housing is cost. It is or can be, darn expensive. The best, most amenitized Life Plan projects can run hundreds of thousands of dollars to enter and tens of thousands more in monthly fees. Rates inflate typically, more than CPI each year. Lately, rate inflation has … Read more
There is an old saying that goes like this: “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” That is a succinct definition for relentless incrementalism. Doing the hard stuff in life is rarely a quick accomplishment. I’ve never run a marathon, but I know people who have, and I know they don’t … Read more
In the midst of a BBQ, fireworks show, or picnic today, take a moment to remember that freedom is not free. Freedom is earned and liberty protected and secured by those who believe deeply and are willing to sacrifice personally. God Bless America and Happy 247th! May there be many more…
Soon the target customer for most senior housing options, primarily independent living and CCRC/Life Plan will be folks born in the “baby boomer” generation. Boomers are folk born between 1946 and 1964, placing them today, between 76/77 and 58/59 years of age. They were born right after WW II and right at the beginning of … Read more
In its latest update, the Altarum Health Sector Economic Indicators, provided some interesting information on health care spending, job growth, and pricing. The data was released yesterday and is accessible here: https://altarum.org/publications/june-2023-health-sector-economic-indicators-briefs Some key data points from the report are as follows. The data is useful in forecasting, budgeting, and planning, especially in terms of … Read more