Category Archives: Long Term Care

PDPM Driving Efficient Use of Data in Skilled Nursing

In July 2018, CMS finalized a new case-mix classification model, the Patient Driven Payment Model (PDPM), that, effective beginning October 1, 2019, will be used under the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for classifying SNF patients in a covered Part A stay. This new reimbursement model is requiring coding changes and education […]

The Ensign Group Restructures

The Ensign Group, Inc. (Ensign), the parent company of the Ensign™ group of skilled nursing, rehabilitative care services, home health care, hospice care and senior living companies, recently announced a plan to separate its home health and hospice agencies and substantially all of its senior living businesses into a separate publicly-traded company. Upon consummation of […]

Wellfount Pharmacy Closure An Opportunity For Other LTC Pharmacies

Founded in 2006 Wellfount Pharmacy believed healthcare can be offered with higher quality and at lower cost, without compromise. Wellfount offeed a full range of medications and consulting services, directed toward a residents’ specific needs. Wellfount’s pharmacy team was focused on helping clients achieve improved resident outcomes, reduced re-hospitalizations, lower medication waste, and reduced overall costs, allowing […]

Amazon Alexa Capable of Transmitting HIPAA Information

Amazon Alexa announced that it now is capable of transmitting and receiving protected health information. Its new HIPAA-compliant status means that operators and residents alike may find more reasons to use the device. The company has been working with six organizations to develop “skills” to manage a variety of healthcare needs at home simply using […]

ProMedica HCR ManorCare Integration Off to a Rough Start

ProMedica finalized the transaction in 2018 that added HCR ManorCare operations to the ProMedica organization. HCR ManorCare, the nation’s second largest post-acute and long-term care provider, has enabled this partnership with ProMedica to significantly scale its system. The combined organization provides a wide breadth of services and capabilities, including: a hospital system, a physician group, […]

Does CVS Health Have the Right Strategy for Omnicare?

CVS Health executives, after poor fourth quarter and full year 2018 financial results as a result of its long-term care business, reaffirmed that the growth opportunity with Omnicare was always focused on the independent and assisted living spaces. CVS Health believes those opportunities still exist and are consistent with the company’s strategy of putting the […]

Telehealth Use by Skilled Nursing Growth Continues

The use of telehealth, or telemedicine, continues to grow across the skilled nursing market

The Ensign Group Acquisition Strategy Paying Dividends

The Ensign Group (Ensign), a leader in the long-term care market, reported an adjusted net income of $102.1 million for 2018, a 38.3% increase over the previous year. Ensign reported almost $191 million in revenue from its transitional and skilled services segments, a 36% increase over the previous year. Ensign is a holding company with […]