


60 Seconds with Swett: DOGE, The Budget and Healthcare Spending
DOGE, or the Department of Government Efficiency, has been making the biggest splash in Washington, D.C. these days in terms of attention-grabbing headlines, and it appears it will try to target waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid spending as part of its efforts. Such a move could have a major impact on thousands of facilities’ bottom lines and could change how SNFs do business if reimbursement rates are affected. That is a major dark cloud hanging over the industry, but there are way too many unknowns to even properly prepare for what’s to come. Because, what is to come? Would DOGE’s efforts go beyond just “waste, fraud and abuse,” which should be rooted out? Will the... Read More »
60ish Seconds with Steve Monroe: The Coming Seniors Housing Shortage?
The Wall Street Journal just came out with a story about the coming seniors housing shortage. Unfortunately, it started with misinformation, when it stated that “seniors housing has been one of the biggest disappointments for commercial real estate investors.” In some periods yes, but in other periods not at all, when it has had outsized returns and beat the other sectors. It is all about context, and the writer should have known better. The story may, however, generate some investment interest. We are glad that occupancy has reached pre-pandemic levels, but we really need to get to 2017 levels to be happy. Remember, back in October 2020 we did the analysis and concluded it would take at... Read More »
60-ish Seconds with Steve Monroe: Becoming a Statistic
I became an industry statistic last week, although not intentionally. While returning from the annual ASHA meeting in Phoenix last Wednesday, I developed a slight cough just before takeoff, which turned into a full-blown cough by landing. The next day I went to my PCP to get some drugs, and tested negative for flu, COVID and RSV. By late Friday afternoon, I was miserable. My daughter happened to be home, and seeing me struggle up the stairs, then fall at the top, unable to get up or even roll over, and then drag me into my bedroom, she made a call to a health care provider. The provider videochatted with me for less than a minute and then told my daughter to call 911 immediately. The... Read More »