A new survey of long-term care leaders finds that experts have a negative outlook for the skilled nursing side of the equation in 2019.
Lancaster Pollard polled about 250 leaders in both senior housing and skilled care in December. Overall, the mortgage company found that respondents had a poor outlook for standalone SNFs when compared to assisted living facilities or continuing care retirement communities, the survey found.
All told, about 36% of respondents had a poor outlook for the economic viability of standalone skilled nursing facilities over the next three years, while 33% rated their outlook as “fair.” The other 28%, meanwhile, had a positive outlook, with the other 3% marking “not applicable.”
The majority of respondents to the survey (75%) said that they own or manage fewer than 250 skilled beds, or do not own any at all.
In an accompanying analysis, Lancaster Pollard labeled “optimism” and “uncertainty” as the big themes for skilled nursing and post-acute care in 2019. While several high-profile players in the field filed for bankruptcy last year, steadying occupancy rates and a new payment model have operators enthusiastic about the future, the firm wrote.
“The skilled nursing/post-acute sector saw its share of headline news in 2018. Looking past the headlines, however, fundamentals within the sector appear to be stabilizing, and it appears there is a general sense of optimism amongst stakeholders in the sector” experts wrote.
