60 Seconds with Swett: Best Senior Living List Is Revealed
U.S. News & World Report came out with its first ever “Best Senior Living” list on Tuesday, creating new designations of Best Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care and CCRCs. U.S. News and its survey provider, Dr. Jacquelyn Kung’s Activated Insights, administered satisfaction surveys at 3,045 communities throughout the country between March 2021 and February 2022, evaluating four basic categories: community & activity, food & dining, caregiving, and management & staff. Also, family responses were taken into account for assisted living scores, and memory care community scores were derived solely from family surveys. Residents tended to respond more positively than... Read More »
60 Seconds with Swett: OHI Soars After Q1 Earnings
Omega Healthcare Investors came out with its first quarter earnings on Monday May 2nd, and its share price soared throughout Tuesday, peaking at 28.89 per share (as of this filming), or up 14.8% from its previous close at $25.13. Granted, that is still not far off of its 52-week low of $24.81, but good news is good news. First off, the company announced that it successfully sold 22 of its struggling Gulf Coast Health Care skilled nursing facilities, representing the majority of that portfolio for $318 million in cash. Gulf Coast had stopped paying contractual rent in the second quarter of 2021 as it was in the process of filing for chapter 11, so getting these facilities off its plate... Read More »
60 Seconds with Swett: REITs and the Post-Pandemic M&A Strategy
Coming out of the pandemic, the senior care REITs have had their difficulties dealing with low occupancy, operator/tenant problems and staffing shortages, like most in the industry. Rent collection rates and lease coverages have been less than ideal in more than a few cases, a couple of high-profile disputes played out, and REITs even were the target (albeit misguided) of the Biden Administration’s critique of the skilled nursing industry. However, after the major balance sheet decisions they made early in the pandemic and some strategic divestments, many REITs are still poised to grow on a massive scale, if the right deals come along. What properties are they targeting, and... Read More »
60 Seconds with Steve Monroe: Uncontrolled Spread: Why Covid-19 Crushed Us
If there is one book you should read to really understand what happened with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s excellent book on this topic, called Uncontrolled Spread. I just finished it, and while dense in some parts on the scientific aspects, it does a lot to explain, and expose, why so much went wrong in our healthcare system, and why nursing homes should not necessarily get the blame that has been heaped on them. This is important because the lawsuits are starting to pile up, and the blame game is going to get intense, with the federal government not helping matters. The reality is that no on really knew anything about this new coronavirus,... Read More »