5 Ways VIUM Advocates for Skilled Nursing Facilities During Staffing Crisis

VIUM Capital, a national financial services firm located in Columbus, OH, is dedicated to the healthcare and seniors housing industry, making intentional and consistent strides to shape the future of long-term care and improve the quality of care for aging seniors.

Here are just a few of the ways VIUM is advocating for the skilled nursing sector during the current staffing crisis that is impacting operations, occupancy, and the workforce.

Podcast‍

On VIUM’s VERSED Podcast, Managing Director and Head of Government Relations, Scott Tittle, interviews industry thought leaders on topics ranging from the current skilled nursing staffing crisis to census and workforce challenges in a post-COVID world. Tittle has spoken with industry veterans including Heath Boddy of Vetter Senior Living, Zach Shamberg of the Pennsylvania Health Care Association, Bernie McGuinness of Majestic Care, Derek Prince of HMG Healthcare, Seema Verma, former CMS Administrator, and Mark Parkinson, President/CEO of AHCA/NCAL.

Staffing and retention has been a topic of discussion in the long-term care sector for a long time. Bernie McGuinness, CEO of Majestic Care, discusses his team’s innovative, data-driven approach to recruiting. McGuinness and his team use applicant tracking software (ATS) to pull data on hires, including how long employees have been with the company, to help management identify trends in recruiting and retention.

Former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Seema Verma, discusses her team’s oversight and leadership during the pandemic, plus her trailblazing efforts to put patients first and modernize the survey and certification system.

Another renowned industry expert that VIUM was honored to have on the show was Mark Parkinson, former Governor of Kansas and current President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. The discussion highlighted value-based opportunities for the skilled nursing industry and regulatory agenda items currently facing the sector, as well as census and workforce challenges. Be sure to also tune in to hear why Mark is so supportive of HUD as a financing vehicle for long-term care owners.

The VIUM VOICE

‍The VIUM VOICE is one of our latest advocacy resources. This newly launched resource aims to provide advocacy and regulatory updates on the skilled nursing and assisted living sectors, including proposals from elected officials and key policy leaders.

In our initial VIUM VOICE outreach, we highlighted a call to action regarding President Biden’s recent proposed staffing mandate that will likely set unrealistic staffing ratios in skilled nursing facilities. While the purported intention of this proposal is to improve the quality of care residents receive in nursing facilities, the reality of the current workforce shortage and staffing challenges may have the opposite effect to skilled nursing care for our country’s most vulnerable.

Read part one of the VIUM VOICE here.

‍Two Minutes with Tittle‍

Hear from Scott Tittle from a variety of conference, association and regulatory meeting destinations where he shares real-time highlights from various panel discussions, legislative updates, and other policy changes.

In one episode, Tittle notes the shocking statistics regarding the labor crisis and current census numbers for the skilled nursing sector. While the numbers are intimidating, he shares an underlying theme of unity and optimism for the future from the front lines of the 2022 AHCA/NCAL Convention in Nashville, Tenn. in an effort to work through these next few years together as the industry recovers from the pandemic.

At the American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA) Annual Meeting, Tittle shares some of the key points from keynote speaker and world-renowned economist, Marci Rossell. She discussed the labor crisis and components to look for in a full recession. In this episode, Tittle provides a recap on other advocacy updates, as well.

‍AHCA/NCAL Annual Member Fly-In

‍Annually, Scott Tittle, VIUM’s Managing Director and Head of Government Relations, joins hundreds of industry leaders and advocates each year at the AHCA/NCAL Annual Member Fly-In in Washington D.C. At these conferences, leaders and policy makers meet to talk about the challenges happening on the frontlines of long-term care.
‍

AHCA/NCAL is at the forefront of the sector and aims to shape the future of care for America’s aging population and individuals with disabilities. Tittle, the former Executive Director of NCAL, and other members seek to keep public officials informed on matters that impact the long-term care sector.

MBA National Advocacy Day

VIUM Co-Founder and Executive Managing Director Steve Kennedy will be joining VIUM Chief Underwriter Alison Lemle in mid-April for the Mortgage Bankers Association’s National Advocacy Day in Washington D.C. Similar to the AHCA/NCAL Member Fly-In, this event provides an opportunity for leading lenders to advocate for important issues related to the skilled nursing sector, including workforce, reimbursement, and the importance of the FHA/HUD mortgage insurance program to skilled nursing sponsors and operators. Kennedy and Lemle will join other industry participants and personally meet with members of Congress and their legislative staff.

VIUM is a financial services firm focused exclusively on providing capital solutions to the seniors housing and healthcare sectors, and we are committed to advocating for skilled nursing facilities and its operators who continue to provide care for the aging population. Each of the partners at VIUM have focused on this sector for over a decade, and have built a company focused exclusively on meeting the constantly evolving demands of our healthcare and seniors housing clients.