Is Ageism Dead?
Young people flock to see septuagenarians perform because they are rock stars. But aren’t all 70-somethings rock stars in some one’s mind? Asking if Ageism is dead might seem like a funny question. We see ageism every day. But last week I was fortunate enough to go to a sold-out Billy Joel concert at Madison Square Garden. I was expecting to see an average age close to 60, since most of Billy Joel’s hits were from the 1970s, back when I was a teenager. And I remember them well. But I was shocked to see so many people in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. For one 20-something I met, it was his fifth time seeing Billy Joel. He played all his hits, from the 1970s, and when they finally... Read More »
Seniors Housing Rates: Actual vs. Asking
For years, NIC MAP has been presenting quarterly changes in seniors housing asking rates, but it is now trying to get beyond that and get the actual rental rates. That will add a lot more needed transparency. As many of you know, NIC is working hard to develop its database of actual rents in seniors housing as opposed to the “asking” rents that have been used in their NIC Map numbers for years. This is very important because not until the market sees the actual rents communities are getting will we have a better understanding of the extent of price discounting in various markets. We have been a little vocal about the asking rent number because when times are tough, like they... Read More »
Negative Operating Margins for SNFs?
Always be careful about terminology in health care, and make sure you understand what things mean, like operating margin. It is always important to understand the definitions of certain terms, especially when it comes to health care. There has been a lot of news lately about how the median “operating margin” for skilled nursing facilities nationally has now sunk below zero. I have to admit, this drives me crazy. The implication is that for the median nursing facility, it is operating at a breakeven level….from operations. Operations are usually defined as labor, food, maintenance, utilities, basically everything that is needed to “operate” the facility. As I said last week, if half... Read More »
Cornerstone Healthcare Files For Bankruptcy Protection
Cornerstone Healthcare, an operator of skilled nursing facilities in the Pacific Northwest, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The CEO, Will Masterson, announced the reorganization in a statement filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court Western District of Washington that listed lender and lessor issues as the reason for it. Operations across the portfolio weren’t great leading up to the bankruptcy, but they certainly could have been worse. The portfolio includes 14 SNFs and one assisted living community in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, with total capacity of 1,508 beds. Occupancy was 78% based on that capacity. In the year to date through September 2019, the company generated more... Read More »
Required Staffing Increases, Now?
This is no time for Congress to start penalizing skilled nursing facilities and raising staffing minimums. Are people in our nation’s capital really that out of touch with reality on the ground? Yes. Finding quality staff is hard enough in skilled nursing facilities, but then getting reimbursed to pay for them is even harder. So, my senator from Connecticut is a co-sponsor of the Quality Care for Nursing Home Residents Act. Now, who doesn’t want quality care for nursing home residents? I assume everyone, except those who would like to put the sector out of business. For your standard 120-bed nursing facility, the bill proposes having three RNs om duty at night, four during the... Read More »Schedule a demo
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