Seniors Housing

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Occupancy for skilled nursing facilities throughout the United States hit a five year low in the third quarter of 2017, falling to 81.6 percent, according to data released today by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC). NIC is a nonprofit data analytics organization exclusively serving the seniors housing sector. NIC collects the data using a sample population collected each month from more than 1,400 skilled nursing properties throughout the country. The occupancy numbers mark a 29 basis point decrease from the previous quarter and 167 basis point decrease from the same time last year. “Historically, there has been some variability in the occupancy trend in the third quarter in any given year, so it is difficult to gauge the impact of seasonality,” says Bill Kauffman, senior principal at NIC. “Occupancy did set a new low within this time series in the third quarter as pressure continues on the Medicare mix. However, it did decline at a slower pace from the prior quarter.” Medicare patient day mix declined 58 basis points from the second quarter and 84 basis points from year-earlier levels, coming in at a new low of 12.2 percent in the third …