Provider, union creatively team to offset workforce shortages
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Nov 15, 2023
Long-term care’s worker shortages are leading to creative solutions and new partnerships in western New York, where a skilled nursing company is working with its local union and an education cooperative...
CMS imposes hiring freeze, warns of nursing home survey reductions without budget increase
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Nov 13, 2023
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services instituted a partial hiring freeze in July, and a top official said state survey agencies could take a hit if Congress can’t reach a federal budget deal.
Whistleblower loses appeal to pocket more of $45M nursing home settlement
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Nov 09, 2023
A nursing home whistleblower who prevailed in a $45 million case against the facilities’ owners lost his appeal when the government rejected his argument that the judgment wasn’t big enough.
Nursing home job losses happened three times as fast as in other sectors: JAMA
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Nov 08, 2023
Nursing homes job losses have mounted at more than triple the rate of loss in hospitals and physicians’ offices, according to new research that looked at labor rates from 2016 to 2022.
Head of collapsed Skyline empire gets another reprieve in federal court
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Nov 07, 2023
The owner of a fast-rising and even faster-falling nursing home empire has been granted a temporary reprieve in federal court.
‘Killer nurse’ fallout: Nursing homes likely to take the blame even if they did ‘everything right’
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Nov 06, 2023
An “angel of mercy” nurse who saw herself as putting patients out of their misery by hastening their deaths further damages the already fragile reputation of nursing homes, a long-time nursing director...
Providers hail immigration bill that seeks to reissue visas to healthcare pros
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Nov 06, 2023
Providers are praising federal lawmakers who are trying again to push through immigration reform that would allow officials to recapture unused visas and reprocess them for nurses and other healthcare...
‘A lot of barriers’ hitting LTC communities in search of COVID vaccines
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Nov 02, 2023
Despite a major push from the Biden administration to get the COVID vaccine used far and wide, at least one long-term care infection prevention expert said her community barely got enough to cover skilled...
Employees were promised raises if they stayed through a sale. Here’s what happened when the deal collapsed
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Oct 31, 2023
Often, when a deal to sell a healthcare facility collapses at the 11th hour, employees pay the price. In Illinois this month, the employees are getting paid extra.
LTC Properties upbeat as occupancy levels nudge back up, environment ‘favors’ REITs
By
Jessica R. Towhey
Oct 30, 2023
LTC Properties’ conservative investment approach paid off in the third quarter as the company’s top executive said the real estate investment trust’s skilled nursing occupancy resumed its upward...