Dehydration is one of the most preventable problems in nursing home care. But a new study suggests that preventing it is anything but simple — and that the real barriers lie deep inside the facilities themselves. Researchers in Spain convened focus groups with nurses, care assistants, and managers at a nursing home in Lleida to understand how staff perceive, detect, and respond to dehydration among residents. What they found, published in the journal Nutrients, paints a picture of systemic gaps that go well beyond individual training. Nurses Are Carrying the Load Alone Nursing staff were consistently identified as the primary…
Author: Mordy Y
Washington, D.C. — The nation’s largest nursing home trade group is pushing the federal government to create a dedicated accountable care organization model for long-term care — one it says could save Medicare more than $2 billion a year and finally bring skilled nursing into the value-based care mainstream. The American Health Care Association released an updated whitepaper this week outlining recommendations for how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services should redesign ACO participation rules that, as currently written, largely leave nursing homes on the outside looking in. Right now, fewer than 10% of skilled nursing facilities participate in…
Washington, D.C. — For the first time, a panel of international experts has reached formal consensus on how and when psychiatric medications should be discontinued in clinical care — a topic that carries particular weight in nursing homes, where psychotropic drugs are widely used and often overprescribed. The guidance, published in JAMA Network Open, was developed by 45 psychopharmacology specialists from around the world. The group completed a multi-round Delphi survey and a focused literature review spanning January through May of 2025, ultimately reaching agreement on 44 of 50 proposed statements — an 88% consensus rate. Five Core Takeaways The…
New York, N.Y. — Running a skilled nursing facility has never been easy, but keeping leaders from burning out has become one of the industry’s most stubborn problems. One New York-based rehab and skilled nursing chain thinks the answer isn’t another HR training program — it’s psychology. The McGuire Group, which operates 18 facilities across New York under the Absolut Care, Taconic Health Care, and VestraCare brands, has rolled out a Psychologically Informed Leadership Development Program that uses one-on-one coaching and group sessions rooted in behavioral psychology. The goal: help managers understand themselves better so they can lead more effectively…
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — LTC Properties is halfway through a self-described transformation, and skilled nursing is getting left behind. The California-based real estate investment trust sold seven skilled nursing centers for $123 million in the fourth quarter of 2025, booking a $78 million gain in the process. On Wednesday’s earnings call, co-CEOs Pam Kessler and Clint Malin told analysts the company expects to pull another $266 million in proceeds from SNF dispositions and loan prepayments throughout 2026 — and that’s by design. Two years ago, SNFs represented nearly half of LTC’s gross investments. As of Tuesday’s report, that figure has…
Wilmington, Del. — Genesis HealthCare has won court approval to borrow an additional $80 million in debtor-in-possession financing, a move aimed at keeping the struggling skilled nursing chain operational as it works toward finalizing the sale of its assets. U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Stacey Jernigan signed off on the deal Wednesday, allowing Genesis to pay off an earlier $30 million bankruptcy loan and cover upcoming payroll obligations. The company told the court it needed the funds by early March to continue covering operations and rent payments. Genesis, which is in the process of selling roughly 300 subsidiaries to 101 West…
Historic reductions to Medicaid funding are set to take effect this fall, raising concerns about how states will absorb billions in lost federal support. A new study suggests nursing homes may feel the strain most acutely — and residents could see the consequences. Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Boston found a direct link between higher Medicaid reimbursement rates and stronger nursing home performance. Facilities in states with more generous Medicaid payments were more likely to earn four- or five-star ratings on Care Compare, the federal government’s online rating system managed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The…
A recent clarification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) could make it easier for nursing homes to fall short of federal quality reporting requirements — and face financial penalties as a result. Under updated guidance for the Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Quality Reporting Program (QRP), the Prospective Payment System (PPS) 5-day and PPS End-of-Stay assessments will now be counted as two separate submissions. Previously, they were treated as a single assessment for compliance purposes. That seemingly small change carries significant consequences. If part of one assessment is incomplete, facilities could lose credit for one or both submissions.…
Columbia, SC — A 41-year-old Irmo man is facing serious felony charges after state investigators say he stole nearly $15,000 from a vulnerable nursing home resident. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced Friday that Demetrias Antonio Roberts was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of exploitation of a vulnerable adult and one count of breach of trust with fraudulent intent involving more than $10,000. According to investigators, Roberts allegedly accessed the victim’s bank account without authorization and used the funds for his own benefit. Authorities say the transactions — which included multiple purchases and withdrawals — totaled $14,862.90.…
A pair of recent headlines underscored a growing disconnect in long-term care policy. On one hand, seven Democratic senators have introduced legislation to revive a federal nursing home staffing mandate. On the other, a front-page report in Ohio revealed the state owes nursing homes $572 million after failing to follow its own reimbursement formula for two years. The contrast highlights a central tension in the debate: how to require more staffing while public funding remains strained. Mandate Faces Legal and Financial Hurdles The new Senate proposal follows controversy over a Biden-era staffing rule that was overturned in court. Although critics…
