SNF census increased from 112 to 224 in one year
despite reputation issues, poor location, and dated facility

The Challenge

Sometimes in business, you have to roll the dice.


That's exactly what a remote management company did when they poured resources into this skilled nursing facility in hopes that it could recover.  At the time, the facility maintained a census of roughly 100 residents.  This is less than half of their available occupancy.


Thanks to an incredible team, the results were amazing in the end.  Not only was the facility transformed, the hearts and minds of an entire community were changed to trust and value this brand again.


Facility Details:  Licensed - 227.  Capacity - 224.  4 Levels.  Mostly semi-private rooms with some three party rooms.

Challenge #1: 
Poor Reputation Due To Bad Press In A Small Community

In the years prior, this facility had been plagued by bad press related to the in-hospital passing of a resident.  The family felt there was a lack of care from the facility.  The hospital asserted blame to the nursing home. Unfortunately, the release of records was mismanaged by the leadership and led to further issues in the media and ultimately - an arrest.


While the nursing home was not at fault and eventually was found to have no liability, the destruction that stemmed from the family's outraged was unstoppable.  To make matters worse, it was a slow news cycle so the nursing home was crucified in the media on multiple occasions.


Along with a rapidly declining census, this led to a complete lack of trust in the general community and in the healthcare community.

Challenge #2: 
Dated Facility With Cosmetic & Mechanical Issues In A Challenging Location

Once a stunning and beautiful facility, the 30+ years of use and neglect had taken their toll.  Plagued with mold, mechanical issues, and an ever-growing list of repairs - the maintenance crews worked full time to keep the facility running.  With competitors having sparkling new remodels freshly completed, many potential residents were shocked at the decor and issues.


The mechanical issues inside weren't the first challenge you'd see upon your visit however.  To arrive at the facility, you'd have to drive through a neighborhood in "transition."  While this neighborhood had been at it's peak when the facility was built, it was then riddled with crime, drugs, and decaying homes in need of repair.


The location of the facility itself lead to people strolling through the property as a cut-through to the main road.  This on top of limited parking made the facility building itself a considerable challenge.

Challenge #3: 
Oversaturated Nursing Facility Market

Within a 25 mile radius of the home, there were 27 skilled nursing facilities.  


Average occupancy for nursing homes at the time was just 70%.  


With competition steep, the local facilities had invested resources to remodel, upgrade rooms, add additional staff, and ultimately create beautiful, homelike environments that a person of any age would be comfortable in.

the transformation strategy

With time of the essence and cash flow being key, we quickly set out with a complete brand overhaul and aggressive sales campaign.  Becoming the go-to resource in critical patients, we earned back the trust of the medical community case by case - with focused intention to share our results and outcomes with all referral sources. We hired and trained a new marketing staff that was clinically equipped, as well as publicity for key leaders in the community.  

Setting ourselves apart as the only facility with a two hour response time and same day transfer helped us to solidify relationships with key hospital staff.  We made changes internally to support this rapid turn around and tracked numbers weekly to ensure we were not faltering in any area.  

While the list of changes that we made throughout that time is extensive and cannot be listed here in it's entirety, the main change that we made to transform the facility was to become the best.  

If you're not ready to be the best, you're not ready to grow and you're certainly not ready for me.

The results

In the span of a year, the team admitted nearly 400 residents to achieve a total occupancy of 224, became known as the go-to facility in the area, and earned back the trust of the entire community.



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