FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, March 22, 2017
CONTACT: Will Walters, 202-868-4821, wwalters@MessagePartnersPR.com
Annual NIC event demonstrates how innovative partnerships, care coordination, and technology are improving outcomes, adding value to residents, families, care providers and payers
San Diego, Calif.—Recent trends toward integrating seniors housing with healthcare and other supportive services are transforming how America cares for frail seniors, creating new opportunities to improve outcomes and generate value. That’s a theme emerging from the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care’s (NIC) 2017 Spring Investment Forum, being held this week in San Diego.
The forum brings together more than a thousand leaders in seniors housing, home care, healthcare, finance, and other sectors to discuss how the changing demographics of seniors, dramatic shifts in the way healthcare is delivered, and major technology innovations are reshaping the seniors housing and healthcare industries.
“New partnerships taking root between traditional seniors housing and care organizations on the one hand and health and supportive services organizations on the other hand are breaking down traditional siloes between real estate and non-real estate-based providers to better support high-quality, modern and comprehensive care for America’s frail seniors,” said Bob Kramer, CEO of NIC. “This is a time of tremendous excitement and growth in our industry, as we leverage technology and care coordination to unlock value that benefits residents, families, care providers and payers.”
With 11 million seniors currently receiving help with daily activities, the care of frail, elderly adults in America requires new and innovative thinking in the ways real estate-based senior care providers—such as skilled nursing properties and senior living communities—partner with providers of health and wellness services, such as chronic and transitional care management, home care, care management technology services, and enhanced primary care delivery at home.
The forum facilitates insightful conversations on finding value in collaboration, the value-based care revolution, how technology can innovate the connections between senior care and health care, and what the future of senior care holds under the new administration. Speakers include:
- Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle
- Former Senate Majority Leader Dr. Bill Frist
- Melanie Bella—Industry Consultant and Former Director, Medicare-Medicaid Coordination Office, CMS
- Dr. Benjamin Berk—CEO, Attuned Care
- Mike Cheek—Senior Vice President, Reimbursement Policy, American Health Care Association
- Brian Fuller—Vice President, Value-Based Care, naviHealth
- Kurt Hubler—Chief Network Officer, Inland Empire Health Plan
- Will Saunders —CEO, AllyAlign Health
The forum will include discussion of how an integrated seniors housing and care model called Connect4Life, developed by the Bloomfield, N.J.-based Juniper Communities, has significantly reduced residents’ hospital emergency department visits, admissions, and avoidable readmissions. The model achieved highly promising outcomes despite Juniper caring for sicker, older residents than the average Medicare population.
Also to be discussed at the forum is NIC’s recently released fourth quarter 2016 Skilled Nursing Data Report, which indicates that the occupancy rate of America’s skilled nursing properties declined 0.8 percent from 82.6 percent to 81.8 percent, its lowest level since NIC began publicly reporting data in 2011. The new data also showed that Medicaid remained the primary source of patient volume, but also continued to be a growing percentage of the total patient days in the fourth quarter of 2016.
For more information, visit natinvcenterdv.wpengine.com.
###
The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC) is a 501(c)3 organization established in 1991 whose mission is to enable access and choice by providing data, analytics, and connections that bring together investors and providers. For more information, visit natinvcenterdv.wpengine.com, and follow NIC on Twitter.