CMS Launches Database Revealing Who Owns Nursing Homes
Ownership data is being made public for the 15,000 skilled nursing homes that receive Medicare reimbursements. The release aims to increase industry transparency for government agencies and researchers. It will also be added to the Care Compare website this week for consumer access.
Modern Healthcare:
Nursing Home Ownership Data Now Available From HHS
The Health and Human Services Department has unveiled a public database that provides unprecedented access to information about who owns nursing homes. The database, which debuted Monday, contains information about who owns the 15,000 skilled nursing facilities that Medicare reimburses and could offer regulators and the public with insights into the often opaque nature of nursing home company structures. (Berryman, 9/26)
USA Today:
Nursing Homes Data Released By Biden Administration Shows Ownership
Officials said the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data is part of the Biden administration's effort to shine a light on an industry that receives substantial federal funding. The new ownership information follows a data release in April on more than 3,000 nursing homes that changed ownership through mergers or purchases since 2016. (Alltucker, 9/26)
McKnights Long-Term Care News:
Federal Regulators Intensify Spotlight On Nursing Homes; Providers Ask For More Attention
CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure called it a “major step forward in improving transparency in healthcare." (Berklan, 9/27)
In Supreme Court news —
Reuters:
Supreme Court Urged To Preserve Private Suits Against Public Nursing Homes
National medical groups, Democratic lawmakers and others have urged the U.S. Supreme Court to preserve the ability of residents of publicly owned nursing homes to sue for violations of their rights under a federal law regulating nursing homes that receive Medicaid funds. (Pierson, 9/26)
Axios:
The Supreme Court's Latest Health Care Tempest
A Supreme Court case that takes up Medicaid recipients’ ability to sue providers is providing a new battleground over patients’ rights and could potentially open the door to erosion of the program's benefits. (Bettelheim and Owens, 9/27)
In other nursing home news —
Tampa Bay Times:
As Ian Targets Tampa Bay, Hospitals, Nursing Homes Evacuate Patients
Several Tampa Bay area hospitals were evacuated while others across the region on Monday canceled noncritical surgeries and appointments ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Ian. (O'Donnell and Critchfield, 9/26)
AP:
Nursing Home Complaints Rise In Wisconsin, Staffing Is Cited
Complaints against Wisconsin nursing homes continue to pile up and could surpass a record number filed last year as the state struggles to find enough nurses and nursing home inspectors. State officials have contracted with two private companies — Healthcare Management Solutions and Long Term Care Institute, Inc. — to help inspect nursing homes that have complaints against them. (9/26)
WTAE Pittsburgh:
Turtle Creek Nursing Home Shuts Down Suddenly
Firefighters, paramedics and a port authority bus were seen outside of a Turtle Creek nursing home after the home had to be shut down suddenly. That’s according to the mayor of Turtle Creek Borough. Forty-seven residents were evacuated from Hillside Manor around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Mayor Adam Forgie said the closing was caused by a number of issues, including a lack of staff, leaking pipes, an inoperative sprinkler system and detached smoke alarms. (9/26)
KHN:
Britain’s Hard Lessons From Handing Elder Care Over To Private Equity
A little over a decade ago, Four Seasons Health Care was among the largest long-term care home companies in Britain, operating 500 sites with 20,000 residents and more than 60 specialist centers. Domestic and global private equity investors had supercharged the company’s growth, betting that the rising needs of aging Britons would yield big returns. Within weeks, the Four Seasons brand may be finished. Christie & Co., a commercial real estate broker, splashed a summer sale across its website that signaled the demise: The last 111 Four Seasons facilities in England, Scotland, and Jersey were on the market. Already sold were its 29 homes in Northern Ireland. (Spolar, 9/27)
