By: Beth Mace | November 04, 2016
In the last major release of economic conditions prior to the presidential election on November 8, the Labor Department reported on Friday that nonfarm payrolls increased by 161,000 positions in October. Hiring has now averaged 181,000 new positions per month over the past 10 months and 176,000 per month over the past 3 months. The year-to-date average was down from average monthly gains of 229,000 in 2015. Nevertheless, since 2010, nearly 15 million jobs have been created. The October gain was less than the consensus projection of 175,000 positions.
Economic Trends | Regulatory Environment | Skilled Nursing | Workforce
By: Liz Liberman | November 02, 2016
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) concluded an investigation into data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on nursing homes, staffing practices, and financial performance by recommending that CMS make such data more easily accessible by the public and ensure the data’s validity. In the course of the investigation, the GAO revealed insights about margins and operations relative to the skilled nursing properties’ organization types. The agency’s report underscores the need for more and better financial skilled nursing data in the industry.
Economic Trends | Regulatory Environment
By: Liz Liberman | October 26, 2016
The push toward value-based purchasing by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) means significant changes for operators, said Ray Thivierge, a well-known and respected skilled nursing industry leader. He moderated “The Ever-Changing World of Skilled Nursing: The Impact of CMS Initiatives,” a session at the 2016 NIC Fall Conference in September. The session’s panelists were: Trissie Copses Farr, senior vice president, Formation Capital Healthcare Group, LLC; Jason Feuerman, SVP, Strategic Development & Managed Care, Genesis HealthCare, Inc.; Dr. David Gifford, Senior Vice President, Quality and Regulatory Affairs, American Health Care Association; and Nanci Wilson, vice president, R&D, Plum HealthCare Group, LLC.
Economic Trends | Senior Housing
By: Bill Kauffman | October 19, 2016
The preliminary 2016 third-quarter data is in, and it shows that transaction volume continues to slow down in 2016. Public buyers, mainly the public REITs, have led the slowdown, as cost of capital increased, and the number of transactions that suit their strategies declined. But on the private side, buyers continued to stay relatively active in the third quarter.
