By: Beth Mace | September 01, 2017
Analysts, operators and capital providers often pay close attention to the employment data release issued by the Labor Department on the first Friday of the month. This report provides near-real time information about the state of the economy and the U.S. labor market. And with labor representing up to 60% of a typical operator’s expense load, indicators regarding labor availability and its cost are critically important. Additionally, the Federal Reserve pays close attention to the jobs report since it provides clues about the state of the economy as well as wage and inflation pressures. And in today’s economic environment, these data points in turn will help the Fed decide whether it will continue to normalize interest rates and nudge rates higher.
By: NIC | August 30, 2017
The NIC Map Data Service recently released national benchmark data through mid-year 2017 for actual rates and leasing velocity. Key takeaways include:
By: NIC | August 23, 2017
New technologies have the power to link housing and health care to improve the lives of seniors, according to a panel of experts who spoke at the 2017 NIC Spring Investment Forum. The panelists presented cutting edge case studies of how technology is being leveraged to improve and coordinate care during a session titled, “Using Innovative Technology to Connect Senior Care and Healthcare.” The session was part of the series of Forum presentations focused on how operators can capture value in a quickly changing business environment.
By: Liz Liberman | August 18, 2017
On Tuesday, August 15, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) published a proposed rule to reverse many of the policies surrounding bundled payments that had been initiated under the Obama administration. The Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Tom Price had voiced his opposition to bundled payments before assuming his current role in the Trump administration, and therefore this move does not come as a great surprise. In fact, you may recall we discussed the potential for a policy reversal on bundled payments in a blog post in January, predicting that the Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement program (CJR) would shift from a mandatory program to a voluntary one. While the new proposal from CMS does not eliminate mandatory bundles outright, the fact that Secretary Price is directing CMS to draft regulations that reflect his view of bundled payments was not unexpected.