Healthcare, Senior Living, Economics
In this year’s final rule (PPS) for SNFs, CMS indicated that it would delineate proposals for final rule making this spring regarding mandated staffing levels. In the 2023 Final Rule, CMS solicited comment regarding staffing level mandates. In yesterday’s post on labor and job data, I covered how incomplete the staffing picture remained for senior … Read more
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
As I close the week, I’ve been following a lot of legal news, specifically court cases involving health care and in one case, a decision from the Supreme Court. Legal news can be rather arcane and boring but, in some cases, the implications of decisions can be rather profound. Such is the case (no pun … Read more
In a series of news stories starting with a piece in the New Yorker published last November, hospices, particularly for-profit hospices in certain states, are being called-out for fraudulent activity. The New Yorker article headline begins, “It began as a visionary notion—that patients could die with dignity at home. Now it’s a twenty-two-billion-dollar industry plagued … Read more
There are nearly 300 articles/posts on this site and from time to time, I’m going to repost an “oldie but a goodie” that is as applicable now as it was when I originally wrote it. This is from July of 2009. This follows well with Tuesday’s piece on OIG initiatives and SNFs…https://wp.me/ptUlY-BJ This seemed to … Read more
On the heels of a report released in January of this year, the Office of Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services has created a series of regulatory reviews/quality initiatives for SNFs. The report focuses on the SNF experience during COVID and what, in the opinion of the OIG analysts, regulatory interventions … Read more
A recent federal funds rate cut by the Federal Reserve of 50 bps has created a bit of optimism in the M&A and capital development arena for senior living and senior housing. The expectation of more Fed rate cuts going forward undergirds the optimism BUT…Overall economic conditions remain sketchy including inflation which, ticked a notch higher … Read more
Recently, CMS announced that its Medicare Audit Contractors (MACS) would soon commence (June 5) a five-claim audit process for every nursing home in the nation participating in the Medicare program. The reviews are set to occur on a rolling basis whereby each MAC in its region, will begin by pulling five Medicare claims from each … Read more
A growth, if you will, opportunity for many Assisted Living facilities is caring for a more clinically complex resident or resident group. The clinical complexity is very much tied to additional medical and physical frailty, necessitating access at times to skilled nursing and therapies. Most Assisted Living facilities, especially those not affiliated with a national … Read more
With so much going on in the industry post-COVID, challenging labor markets, rising interest rate costs, high inflation, and supply chain issues still somewhat bothersome, insurers are rightfully skittish about senior housing and the post-acute environment. Of course, good provides with solid track records, high quality records, low to no recent claims, and evidence of … Read more