Health Systems, Hospitals and Post-Acute Providers: Making Integration Work

Early into the Trump presidency and health care/health policy is front and center.  The first “Obamacare repeal and replace” attempt crashed and burned.  The upcoming roll-out of the next round of bundled payments (cardiac and femur fracture) is delayed to October from the end-of-March target date.  Logically, one can question is a landscape shift forming? Doubtful.  … Read more

Seniors Housing/CCRC Outlook plus Lessons from Brookdale

Now that the real estate dynamics have shifted on-balance to par or better (majority of markets can liquidate inventory at stable or rising prices with constant or modestly increasing demand), the outlook for Seniors Housing (IL, AL and CCRC) is less murky. The recessionary of the last 7 to 8 years has lifted.  What is visible, while still … Read more

Post Acute Resolutions for 2017

With a new year upon us and (perhaps) the most amount of free-flowing health policy changes happening or about to happen in decades, it seems appropriate to create some simple resolutions for the year ahead.  Similar to the personal resolutions most people make (get healthy, lose weight, clean closets, etc.), the following are about “improvements” … Read more

Post-Acute Providers and Narrow Networks: Join, Form or Wait

As alternative payment models expand and the options clarify, the post-acute segment of the health care spectrum faces a series of strategic questions, primarily; Join a network that exists or is forming be it part of an ACO, a SNP, a preferred provider organization in a Managed Medicaid state, or part of a bundled payment initiative … Read more

Getting CCRC Feasibility Studies Correct … and Other Studies as Well

In my consulting career, I’ve done a fair amount of feasibility work (market, economic, etc.).  Similarly, I’ve done a fair amount of similar analyses, primarily related to M&A activity and/or where financing is involved (debt covenant reviews, etc.). Heck, I’ve even done some bankruptcy related work!  I’m also queried fairly often about feasibility, demand, market … Read more

Modern Health Care Risk Management

The second most important function an executive and/or a governance board conducts (second only to planning) is risk management.  This key leadership function is evolving rapidly primarily due to the evolutionary movement around compliance (ACA, CMS, etc.) and the payer focal shift from episodic, procedural care to outcome or evidenced based care, pay-for-performance, etc.  Similarly, as government policy … Read more

SNFs: Five Competitive Strategies Worthy of Investment

One of the top questions I’m asked by clients, readers, students, and interested parties everywhere is how can my organization excel in a competitive environment.  In other words, how can I build my organization’s value proposition such that the organization becomes the provider of choice in the market?  My answer is always thematically the same: … Read more

CCRC Update 2014

Earlier this spring (a couple, three moths ago), I spoke at a marketing/P.R. conference and when my session was over, I sat and visited with a number of the attendees.  My presentation was about value propositions and marketing; how to align your organization’s core economic value components within a marketplace, within a customer segment.  Within … Read more

Analysis: Kindred Pursuit of Gentiva

In news just released, Kindred (the post-acute, skilled, rehab and LTAcH behemoth) has made two separate offers to purchase control of Gentiva, the latest a $14 per share offer consisting of half cash, half stock ($7 and $7). An earlier offer of $13 per share was rejected and it appears the $14 offer will see … Read more

CCRC/Seniors Housing Outlook 2014

Using characterizations, 2013 was a year of gradual ascent for the industry but not necessarily, uniformly so.  After a series of years preceding classified as industry malaise, occupancy began to trend forward and absorption rates stabilize.  Industry wide, overall occupancy is hovering around 90% for CCRCs though again, this number is broadly misleading.  Non-profit CCRCs, the … Read more