Rethink - Skilled Nursing News

Latest Episodes:

Kent Rodgers, president and CEO of CarDon & Associates Nov 14, 2023

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In this episode, Skilled Nursing News speaks with Kent Rodgers, president and CEO of CarDon & Associates. Kent discusses CarDon’s 90% occupancy on average across its 19 buildings, all while acquiring a pharmacy and diving into the I-SNP world with Optum, and reaching an “equilibrium” between its labor retention and agency use.

Lynn M. Hood, CEO, Principle LTC Oct 30, 2023

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Lynn M. Hood, CEO, Principle LTC by Skilled Nursing News

Leslie Campbell, COO of Touchstone Communities Sep 25, 2023

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Leslie Campbell, COO of Touchstone Communities by Skilled Nursing News

Tom Coble, President & CEO, Elmbrook Management Company May 12, 2023

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Tom Coble, President & CEO, Elmbrook Management Company by Skilled Nursing News

Stuart Lindeman, President and CEO, Mission Health Communities Feb 27, 2023

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Stuart Lindeman, President and CEO, Mission Health Communities by Skilled Nursing News

Joel VanEaton, EVP, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, Broad River Rehab Jan 30, 2023

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Joel VanEaton, EVP, Compliance and Regulatory Affairs, Broad River Rehab by Skilled Nursing News

Jason Murray, CEO, Providence Group Nov 22, 2022

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The 52nd episode of our podcast, Rethink, is now available. Operating 152 facilities across seven states, the Providence Group strongly believes the best decisions are made at the local level. Each of Providence Group’s facilities have their own unique needs, along with the other health care providers across the care continuum in each respective market. That means being deeply integrated into each individual community is crucial, according to CEO Jason Murray. It’s a model that has been replicated by operators across the country, and one that he sees as the best model for success in the skilled nursing industry. Skilled Nursing News spoke with Murray more on Providence’s decentralized, market model type of structure, what factors he considers when looking to grow and more. In this episode of Rethink, learn: • What Murray sees as the biggest regulatory challenge or threat to the nursing home industry • Providence Group's staffing wins and ongoing challenges • What Murray sees as the skilled nursing facility of the future

Mark McKenzie, CEO, Focused Post Acute Care Partners Nov 09, 2022

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The 51st episode of our podcast, Rethink, is now available. The skilled nursing industry won’t likely see material, system-wide change until the sector’s stakeholders including CMS, operators, payors, as well as residents and their respective advocacy groups, can get on the same page. That’s according to Focused Post Acute Care Partners CEO Mark McKenzie. The industry is ever evolving, he said, and while subtle improvements and strides will likely occur — like the move to private rooms — big changes will take big conversations. McKenzie has tried to make his voice, and the voices of his Texas-based team, heard at both the state and federal levels — especially as the state legislature will convene next year and discuss, among other things, potentially increasing nursing home Medicaid rates. He remains hopeful and believes state officials are more aware and have a much deeper knowledge of the challenges the nursing home industry faces than they did before. Operators in the state receive 154.98 per patient day even though the methodology says they should be making about $275 per patient day. I spoke with McKenzie on what adequate reimbursement looks like in the Lone Star state, the place in skilled nursing for heavily rural operators like Focused Post Acute Care partners, the need to staff up for higher acuity residents and more. In this episode of Rethink, learn: • The importance McKenzie places, and thinks others should also, on heavily rural operators in the skilled nursing sector • Whether CMS's changes to the special focus facility (SFF) program will make operators like Focused Post Acute Care Partners think twice about taking on such buildings in the future • The wins and ongoing challenges McKenzie's executive team faces with staffing

Deke Cateau, CEO, A.G. Rhodes Oct 14, 2022

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The 50th episode of our podcast, Rethink, is now available. In an industry fraught with headline risk – and still in the national spotlight – the future of skilled nursing will be wrapped up in words. Namely, the term “nursing home.” Deke Cateau, CEO of Georgia nonprofit operator A.G. Rhodes, says the term will become obsolete, but populations will still need to have communities where individuals can no longer be taken care of at home, or in an assisted living setting. It’s all part of redefining the sector at a crucial point in time, as leaders also take a hard look at the future business model of skilled nursing facilities. Some operators have already started specializing in higher acuity, short-term care while others wonder what parts of the care continuum will pick up long-term nursing home residents. Skilled Nursing News spoke with Deke more on this separation, catalysts for change and how nonprofits like A.G. Rhodes will fit into the skilled nursing sector in the years ahead. In this episode of Rethink, learn: • Why Cateau is hopeful for the future • How A.G. Rhodes is creating private rooms for its mostly Medicaid population • What the evolution of the sector will look like, from terminology to acuity

Eitan Zeffren, Founder and CEO, Pearl Healthcare Sep 28, 2022

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The 49th episode of our podcast, Rethink, is now available. Providing a family oriented company culture where the benefits of a corporate system and organization still exist has been a differentiator for Pearl Healthcare, as the nursing home operator continues to grow throughout its regional footprint. Starting in 2018, Pearl Healthcare acquired a majority of its six facilities in the last year. Pearl doesn’t take a cookie cutter approach to operations as every facility and market has different needs and functions differently, even when currently only operating in one state, according to CEO Eitan Zeffren. Most of the operator’s corporate and regional teams also work out of facilities each day, instead of sticking to one corporate office. It’s another way Zeffren has looked to build strong relationships with leaders from the top down, in hopes of boosting morale and retention. In this episode of Rethink, learn: • Why it's important to think local when operating skilled nursing facilities • How Pearl has worked to build trust as a newer operator • What Zeffren's vision for what the nursing home of the future will look like