10-K: Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)
Published on February 14, 2023
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
For the fiscal year ended
For the transition period from to
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
(Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc.) |
(Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc.) |
(Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc.) |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
(Commission file number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
(Address of principal executive offices)
(
(Telephone number, including area code)
Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Registrant |
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Title of Each Class |
Trading Symbol (s) |
Name of Exchange on |
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Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.
Yes ◻ |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding twelve months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports) and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one:)
Accelerated filer ◻ |
Non-accelerated filer ◻ |
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Smaller reporting company |
Emerging growth company ◻ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.
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Yes
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report.
Yes
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ◻
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ◻
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).
Yes |
The aggregate market value of the common stock Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. held by non-affiliates was $
As of February 8, 2023, there were
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Proxy Statement for the registrant’s 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission no later than 120 days after December 31, 2022, is incorporated by reference in Part III herein.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Forward-Looking Statements
Unless otherwise indicated or except where the context otherwise requires, the terms “we,” “us” and “our” and other similar terms in this Annual Report on Form 10-K refer to Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.
The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this document. This document contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements relate to our expectations, beliefs, intentions, plans, objectives, goals, strategies, future events, performance and underlying assumptions and other statements other than statements of historical facts. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of forward-looking terminology including, but not limited to, terms such as “may,” “will,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “should” or comparable terms or the negative thereof. These statements are based on information available on the date of this filing and only speak as to the date hereof and no obligation to update such forward-looking statements should be assumed.
Our actual results may differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements contained herein as a result of a variety of factors, including, among other things:
| (1) | those items discussed under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A to this Annual Report on Form 10-K; |
| (2) | uncertainties relating to the business operations of the operators of our assets, including those relating to reimbursement by third-party payors, regulatory matters and occupancy levels; |
| (3) | the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business and the business of our operators, including without limitation, the announced termination of the federally declared public health emergency and related government and regulatory support scheduled for May 11, 2023, the levels of staffing shortages, increased costs and decreased occupancy experienced by operators of skilled nursing facilities (“SNFs”) and assisted living facilities (“ALFs”) in connection with the pandemic, the ability of our operators to comply with infection control and vaccine protocols and to manage facility infection rates, and the sufficiency of government support and reimbursement rates to offset such costs and the conditions related thereto; |
| (4) | the ability of our operators in bankruptcy to reject unexpired lease obligations, modify the terms of our mortgages and impede our ability to collect unpaid rent or interest during the pendency of a bankruptcy proceeding and retain security deposits for the debtor’s obligations, and other costs and uncertainties associated with operator bankruptcies; |
| (5) | our ability to re-lease, otherwise transition, or sell underperforming assets or assets held for sale on a timely basis and on terms that allow us to realize the carrying value of these assets; |
| (6) | the availability and cost of capital to us; |
| (7) | changes in our credit ratings and the ratings of our debt securities; |
| (8) | competition in the financing of healthcare facilities; |
| (9) | competition in the long-term healthcare industry and shifts in the perception of various types of long-term care facilities, including SNFs and ALFs; |
| (10) | additional regulatory and other changes in the healthcare sector; |
| (11) | changes in the financial position of our operators; |
| (12) | the effect of economic and market conditions generally and, particularly, in the healthcare industry; |
| (13) | changes in interest rates and the impact of inflation; |
| (14) | the timing, amount and yield of any additional investments; |
| (15) | changes in tax laws and regulations affecting real estate investment trusts (“REITs”); |
| (16) | the potential impact of changes in the SNF and ALF markets or local real estate conditions on our ability to dispose of assets held for sale for the anticipated proceeds or on a timely basis, or to redeploy the proceeds therefrom on favorable terms; |
| (17) | our ability to maintain our status as a REIT; and |
| (18) | the effect of other factors affecting our business or the businesses of our operators that are beyond our or their control, including natural disasters, other health crises or pandemics and governmental action; particularly in the healthcare industry. |
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PART I
Item 1 – Business
Overview
Omega Healthcare Investors, Inc. (“Parent”) is a Maryland corporation that, together with its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively, “Omega” or “Company”) has elected to be taxed as a REIT for federal income tax purposes. Omega is structured as an umbrella partnership REIT (“UPREIT”) under which all of Omega's assets are owned directly or indirectly by, and all of Omega's operations are conducted directly or indirectly through, its operating partnership subsidiary, OHI Healthcare Properties Limited Partnership (collectively with subsidiaries, “Omega OP”). As of December 31, 2022, Parent owned approximately 97% of the issued and outstanding units of partnership interest in Omega OP (“Omega OP Units”), and other investors owned approximately 3% of the outstanding Omega OP Units. Omega became a publicly traded company listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1992.
Omega has one reportable segment consisting of investments in healthcare-related real estate properties located in the United States (“U.S.”) and the United Kingdom (“U.K.”). Our goal is to provide strong returns to our investors, while serving as the preferred capital partner to our healthcare operating companies and affiliates (collectively, our “operators”) so they can concentrate on providing a high level of care for their resident-patients.
Property Types
Our core business is to provide financing and capital to the long-term healthcare industry with a particular focus on skilled nursing facilities (“SNFs”), assisted living facilities (“ALFs”), and to a lesser extent, independent living facilities (“ILFs”), rehabilitation and acute care facilities (“specialty facilities”) and medical office buildings (“MOBs”). The following is a summary of our various property types.
| ● | Skilled nursing facilities - SNFs provide services that include daily nursing, therapeutic rehabilitation, social services, activities, housekeeping, nutrition, medication management and administrative services for individuals requiring certain assistance for activities in daily living. |
| ● | Assisted living facilities - ALFs provide services that include assistance for activities in daily living and permit residents to maintain some of their privacy and independence as they do not require constant supervision and assistance. Services usually include daily housekeeping, laundry, medical reminders and assistance with the activities of daily living, such as eating, dressing and bathing. |
| ● | Independent living facilities - ILFs are age-restricted multi-family properties with central dining facilities that provide services that include security, housekeeping, activities, nutrition and limited laundry services. |
| ● | Specialty facilities – Specialty facilities consist of specialty hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities, behavioral health substance facilities, behavioral health psychiatric facility and traumatic brain injury facilities. |
| ● | Medical office buildings – MOBs are facilities designed specifically for healthcare providers such as physicians, dentists and other clinicians. |
Investment Strategy & Types
We maintain a portfolio of long-term healthcare facilities, mortgages and other real estate loans on healthcare facilities located in the U.S. and the U.K. Our investments are generally geographically diverse and operated by a diverse group of established, middle-market healthcare operators that we believe meet our standards for quality and experience of management and creditworthiness. Our criteria for evaluating potential investments includes but is not limited to:
· |
the quality and experience of management and the creditworthiness of the operator of the facility; |
· |
the facility’s historical and forecasted cash flow and its ability to meet operational needs, capital expenditure requirements and lease or debt service obligations; |
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the construction quality, condition and design of the facility and its environmental impact; |
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the location of the facility; |
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the tax, growth, regulatory and reimbursement environment of the applicable jurisdiction; |
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the occupancy rate for the facility and demand for similar healthcare facilities in the same or nearby communities; and |
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the payor mix of private, Medicare and Medicaid patients at the facility. |
As healthcare delivery continues to evolve, we continuously evaluate potential investments, as well as our assets, operators and markets to position our portfolio for long-term success. Our strategy includes applying data analytics to our investment underwriting and asset management, as well as selling or transitioning assets that do not meet our portfolio criteria.
We prefer to invest in fee simple ownership of properties. Due to regulatory, tax or other considerations, we may pursue alternative investment structures, such as mortgages and investments in joint ventures. While the market for long-term care real estate acquisitions in the U.S. remained competitive in 2022, we continued to seek and identify selective investments that are accretive to our portfolio. In addition to our U.S.-based investments, we expect to continue to pursue investments in alternative jurisdictions such as the U.K. As part of our continuous evaluation of our portfolio and in connection with certain operator workout transactions, we expect to continue to opportunistically sell assets, or portfolios of assets, from time to time. In addition, as the long-term care industry evolves and adapts to new protocols, we have made and may continue to make select ancillary investments in companies that enhance the technology and infrastructure of long-term care providers and our operators.
We typically seek substantial liquidity deposits, covenants regarding minimum working capital and net worth, liens on accounts receivable and other operating assets, and various provisions for cross-default, cross-collateralization and corporate and/or personal guarantees for our investments when appropriate.
The following summarizes our primary investment structures. The average annualized yields described below reflect obligations under existing contractual arrangements. However, due to the nature of the long-term care industry, we cannot assure that the operators of our facilities will meet their payment obligations in full or when due. Therefore, the annualized yields as of December 31, 2022, set forth below, are not necessarily indicative of future yields, which may be lower.
Real Estate Assets & Leases
Our real estate assets are primarily comprised of land, buildings and improvements and any furniture and equipment contained within our facilities. Substantially all of our leases are triple-net operating leases and require the operator to pay rent and all additional charges incurred in the operation of the leased facility. At December 31, 2022, we had one direct financing lease. Our triple-net operating leases typically range from 5 to 15 years, plus renewal options. Our leases generally provide for minimum annual rents that are subject to annual escalators. Leases with fixed annual rental escalators are generally recognized on a straight-line basis over the initial lease period, subject to a collectibility assessment. At December 31, 2022, our average annualized yield from operating leases was approximately 9.0%. At December 31, 2022, approximately 78% of our operating leases have initial lease terms expiring after 2027. The majority of our leased real estate properties are leased under provisions of master lease agreements that govern more than one facility, and to a lesser extent, we lease facilities under single facility leases. Under our master leases, our operators are required to make one monthly payment that represents rent on all the properties that are subject to the master lease. Certain of our leases also contain operator purchase options or landlord put options.
Some of our leases provide our operators with advances for the construction of facilities or capital expenditures for strategic facility enhancements. Typically, these advances require the operator to pay a fixed percentage of the advances funded as capital expenditure rent under the lease. Construction and upgrades made under these lease clauses are capitalized within our real estate assets. We direct a significant amount of our capital back into existing assets, which we believe sets the stage for our long-term strategic success.
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Real Estate Loans
Real estate loans consist of mortgage loans and other real estate loans which are primarily collateralized by a first, second or third mortgage lien or a leasehold mortgage on, or an assignment of the partnership interest in, the related properties. Our real estate loans typically have a fixed interest rate for the loan term. We enter into real estate loans for existing facilities and for the construction of facilities. At December 31, 2022, our average annualized yield on these investments was approximately 10.1%. At December 31, 2022, approximately 76% of our real estate loans have primary terms that expire after 2027.
Investments in Unconsolidated Joint Ventures
From time to time, we also acquire equity interests in joint ventures or entities that support the long-term healthcare industry and our operators. These are investments in entities that we do not consolidate but for which we can exercise significant influence over operating and financial policies and are reported under the equity method of accounting. Our investments in unconsolidated entities generally represent interests ranging from 9% to 51%. Under the equity method of accounting, our share of the investee’s earnings or losses is included in our consolidated results of operations. The initial carrying value of investments in unconsolidated entities is based on the amount paid to purchase the entity interest inclusive of transaction costs.
Non-Real Estate Loans
Non-real estate loans are loans to our operators and/or their principals that may be either unsecured or secured by the collateral of the borrower and are typically short-term in nature. Collateral under secured non-real estate loans typically consists of the working capital of operator entities. At December 31, 2022, our average annualized yield on these investments was approximately 8.7%. At December 31, 2022, approximately 12% of our non-real estate loans have primary terms that expire after 2027.
Portfolio and Investment Summary
As of December 31, 2022, our portfolio of real estate investments included 926 healthcare facilities located in 42 states and the U.K. operated by 67 third-party operators and was made up of the following:
| ● | Real estate assets, subject to operating leases, that include 664 SNFs, 169 ALFs, 20 ILFs, 16 specialty facilities and two MOBs; |
| ● | investment in a direct financing lease on one SNF; |
| ● | real estate loans, including first lien mortgages, on 48 SNFs, two ALFs and two specialty facilities; |
| ● | investments in unconsolidated joint ventures that hold 63 ALFs and two specialty facilities; and |
| ● | 2 facilities held for sale. |
Included below is a summary of our total investment assets, excluding accumulated depreciation, as of December 31, 2022 and 2021 (dollars in thousands):
As of December 31, |
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2022 |
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2021 |
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Real estate assets: |
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Real estate assets |
$ |
8,860,264 |
$ |
9,028,745 |
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Investments in direct financing leases – net |
|
8,503 |
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10,873 |
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Real estate loans receivable – net |
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1,042,731 |
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1,180,786 |
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Investments in unconsolidated joint ventures |
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178,920 |
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194,687 |
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Assets held for sale |
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9,456 |
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203,025 |
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Total real estate investments |
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10,099,874 |
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10,618,116 |
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Non-real estate loans receivable – net |
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225,281 |
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124,184 |
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Total investments |
$ |
10,325,155 |
$ |
10,742,300 |
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Revenues
The following table summarizes our revenues by investment category for 2022, 2021 and 2020 (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31, |
|||||||||
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2022 |
|
2021 |
|
2020 |
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Real estate related income: |
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Rental income |
$ |
750,208 |
$ |
923,677 |
$ |
753,427 |
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Income from direct financing leases |
|
1,023 |
|
1,029 |
|
1,033 |
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Real estate loans interest income |
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110,322 |
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123,649 |
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117,289 |
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Total real estate related revenues |
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861,553 |
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1,048,355 |
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871,749 |
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Non-real estate loans interest income |
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13,597 |
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12,733 |
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16,997 |
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Miscellaneous income |
|
3,094 |
|
1,721 |
|
3,635 |
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Total revenues |
$ |
878,244 |
$ |
1,062,809 |
$ |
892,381 |
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The table set forth in Item 2 – Properties contains additional information regarding the geographic concentration of our facilities and investments as of December 31, 2022.
Borrowing Policies
We generally attempt to match the maturity of our indebtedness with the maturity of our investment assets and employ long-term, fixed-rate debt to the extent practicable in view of market conditions in existence from time to time.
We may use the proceeds of new indebtedness to finance our investments in additional healthcare facilities. In addition, we may invest in properties subject to existing loans, secured by mortgages, deeds of trust or similar liens on properties.
Policies With Respect To Certain Activities
With respect to our capital requirements, we typically rely on equity offerings, debt financing and retention of cash flow (subject to provisions in the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”) concerning taxability of undistributed REIT taxable income), or a combination of these methods. Our financing alternatives include bank borrowings, publicly or privately placed debt instruments, purchase money obligations to the sellers of assets or securitizations, any of which may be issued as secured or unsecured indebtedness. We have the authority to issue our common stock or other equity or debt securities in exchange for property and to repurchase or otherwise reacquire our securities. Subject to the percentage of ownership limitations and gross income and asset tests necessary for REIT qualification, we may invest in securities of other REITs, other entities engaged in real estate activities or securities of other issuers, including for the purpose of exercising control over such entities. We may engage in the purchase and sale of investments. We do not underwrite the securities of other issuers. Our officers and directors may change any of these policies without a vote of our stockholders. In the opinion of our management, our properties are adequately covered by insurance.
Competition
The healthcare industry is highly competitive and will likely become more competitive in the future. We face competition in making and pricing new investments from other public and private REITs, investment companies, private equity and hedge fund investors, healthcare operators, lenders, developers and other institutional investors, some of whom may have greater resources and lower costs of capital than us. In addition, a significant amount of our rental and loan interest income is generally derived from facilities in states that require state approval for development and expansion of healthcare facilities. We believe that such state approvals may reduce competition for our operators and enhance the value of our properties. Our operators compete on a local and regional basis with operators of facilities that provide comparable services and, in certain cases, home and community health solutions. The basis of competition for our operators includes, amongst other factors, the quality of care provided, reputation, the physical appearance of a facility, price, the range of services offered, family preference, alternatives for healthcare delivery, the supply of competing properties, physicians, staff, referral sources, location and the size and demographics of the population and surrounding areas.
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Increased competition makes it more challenging for us to identify and successfully capitalize on opportunities that meet our objectives. Our ability to compete is also impacted by national and local economic trends, availability of investment alternatives, availability and cost of capital, our financial condition, construction and renovation costs, existing laws and regulations, new legislation and population trends.
Taxation of Omega
Omega elected to be taxed as a REIT, under Sections 856 through 860 of the Code, beginning with our taxable year ended December 31, 1992. To continue to qualify as a REIT, we must continue to meet certain tests that, among other things, generally require that our assets consist primarily of real estate assets, our income be derived primarily from real estate assets, and that we distribute at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (other than net capital gains) to our stockholders annually. Provided we maintain our qualification as a REIT, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxes at the corporate level on our net income to the extent such net income is distributed to our stockholders annually. Even if we continue to qualify as a REIT, we will continue to be subject to certain federal, state and local taxes on our income and property. We believe that we were organized and have operated in such a manner as to qualify for taxation as a REIT. We intend to continue to operate in a manner that will allow us to maintain our qualification as a REIT, but no assurance can be given that we have operated or will be able to continue to operate in a manner so as to qualify or remain qualified as a REIT.
We have utilized, and may continue to utilize, one or more taxable REIT subsidiaries (“TRS”) to engage in activities that REITs may be prohibited from performing, including the provision of management and other services to third parties and the conduct of certain nonqualifying real estate transactions. Our TRSs generally are taxable as regular corporations, and therefore, subject to federal, foreign, state and local income taxes.
To the extent that we do not distribute all of our net capital gain or distribute at least 90%, but less than 100% of our “REIT taxable income,” as adjusted, we will be subject to tax thereon at regular corporate rates. If we were to fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, as a result of a determination that we failed to meet the annual distribution requirement or otherwise, we would be subject to federal and state income tax, and any applicable alternative minimum tax on our taxable income at regular corporate rates with respect to each such taxable year for which the statute of limitations remains open. In addition, even if we continue to qualify as a REIT, we could become subject to certain excise taxes. Moreover, unless entitled to relief under certain statutory provisions, we also would be disqualified from treatment as a REIT for the four taxable years following the year during which qualification is lost. This treatment would significantly reduce our net earnings and cash flow because of our additional tax liability for the years involved, which could significantly impact our financial condition.
All of our investments are held directly or through entities owned by Omega OP. Omega OP is a pass through entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and therefore we are required to take into account our allocable share of each item of Omega OP’s income, gain, loss, deduction, and credit for any taxable year of Omega OP ending within or with our taxable year, without regard to whether we have received or will receive any distribution from Omega OP. Although a partnership agreement for pass through entities generally will determine the allocation of income and losses among partners, such allocations will be disregarded for tax purposes if they do not comply with the provisions of the Code and Treasury Regulations governing partnership allocations. If an allocation is not recognized for federal income tax purposes, the item subject to the allocation will be reallocated in accordance with the partners’ interests in the partnership, which will be determined by considering all the facts and circumstances relating to the economic arrangement of the partners with respect to such item. While Omega OP should generally not be a taxable entity for federal income tax purposes, any state or local revenue, excise or franchise taxes that result from the operating activities of the Omega OP may be incurred at the entity level.
Investors are strongly urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the potential tax consequences of an investment in us based on such investor’s particular circumstances.
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Government Regulation and Reimbursement
The healthcare industry is heavily regulated. Our operators, which are primarily based in the U.S., are subject to extensive and complex federal, state and local healthcare laws and regulations; we also have several U.K.-based operators which are subject to a variety of laws and regulations in their jurisdiction. These laws and regulations are subject to frequent and substantial changes resulting from the adoption of new legislation, rules and regulations, and administrative and judicial interpretations of existing law. The ultimate timing or effect of these changes, which may be applied retroactively, cannot be predicted. Changes in laws and regulations impacting our operators, in addition to regulatory non-compliance by our operators, can have a significant effect on the operations and financial condition of our operators, which in turn may adversely impact us. There is the potential that we may be subject directly to healthcare laws and regulations because of the broad nature of some of these regulations, such as the Anti-kickback Statute and False Claims Act, among others.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”) declared a public health emergency on January 31, 2020 following the World Health Organization's decision to declare COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern. This declaration, which has been extended through its scheduled expiration date of May 11, 2023, allows HHS to provide temporary regulatory waivers and new reimbursement rules, such as a temporary increase in the Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage and other rules designed to equip providers with flexibility to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by suspending various Medicare patient coverage criteria and documentation and care requirements, including, for example, suspension of the three-day prior hospital stay coverage requirement and expanding the list of approved services which may be provided via telehealth. The three-day prior hospital stay waiver was a significant benefit to the skilled nursing industry during the height of the pandemic, as the reimbursement associated with the ability to skill in place helped to offset some of the increased costs connected with managing the pandemic. These regulatory actions have contributed, and may continue to contribute, to a change in census volumes and skilled nursing mix that may not otherwise have occurred. The public health emergency declaration is scheduled to terminate on May 11, 2023; however, it remains uncertain whether and/or when federal and state regulators will resume enforcement of those regulations which have waived or otherwise not been enforced during the public health emergency due to the exercise of enforcement discretion.
These temporary changes to regulations and reimbursement, as well as emergency legislation, including the CARES Act enacted on March 27, 2020 and discussed below, have had a significant impact on the operations and financial condition of our operators. The extent of the COVID-19 pandemic’s continued effect, including through prolonged labor shortages, slow occupancy recovery, and expense increases, on the Company’s and our operators’ operational and financial performance will depend on future developments, including the recovery in occupancy and availability of labor, the ability of our operators to manage the impact of the termination of public health emergency and temporary relief thereunder, the sufficiency and timeliness of additional governmental relief and reimbursement rate setting in offsetting cost increases, and the continued efficacy of vaccination, treatment and infection control programs relating to COVID-19, all of which developments and impacts are uncertain and difficult to predict and may continue to adversely impact our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
A significant portion of our operators’ revenue is derived from government-funded reimbursement programs, consisting primarily of Medicare and Medicaid. As federal and state governments continue to focus on healthcare reform initiatives, efforts to reduce costs by government payors will likely continue. Significant limits on the scope of services reimbursed and/or reductions of reimbursement rates could therefore have a material adverse effect on our operators’ results of operations and financial condition. Additionally, new and evolving payor and provider programs that are tied to quality and efficiency could adversely impact our tenants’ and operators’ liquidity, financial condition or results of operations, and there can be no assurance that payments under any of these government healthcare programs are currently, or will be in the future, sufficient to fully reimburse the property operators for their operating and capital expenses. In addition to quality and value-based reimbursement reforms, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”) has implemented a number of initiatives focused on the reporting of certain facility specific quality of care indicators that could affect our operators, including publicly released quality ratings for all of the nursing homes that participate in Medicare or Medicaid under the CMS “Five Star Quality Rating System.” Facility rankings, ranging from five stars (“much above average”) to one star (“much below average”) are updated on a monthly basis. SNFs are required to provide information for the CMS Nursing Home Compare website regarding staffing and quality measures. These rating changes have impacted referrals to SNFs, and it is possible that changes to this system or other ranking systems could lead to future reimbursement policies that reward or penalize facilities on the basis of the reported quality of care parameters.
The following is a discussion of certain U.S. laws and regulations generally applicable to our operators, and in certain cases, to us.
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Reimbursement Changes Related to COVID-19:
U.S. Federal Stimulus Funds and Financial Assistance for Healthcare Providers. In response to the pandemic, Congress has enacted a series of economic stimulus and relief measures. On March 18, 2020, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“FFCRA”) was enacted in the U.S., providing a temporary 6.2% increase to each qualifying state and territory’s Medicaid Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (“FMAP”) effective January 1, 2020. The temporary FMAP increase was set to extend through the last day of the calendar quarter in which the public health emergency terminates. In exchange for receiving the enhanced federal funding, the FFCRA included a requirement that Medicaid programs keep beneficiaries enrolled through the end of the month in which the public health emergency terminates. However, as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023 signed into law on December 29, 2022, Congress decoupled the Medicaid continuous enrollment from the public health emergency and terminates this provision effective March 31, 2023. Additionally, starting April 1, 2023, states that comply with federal rules regarding conducting renewals may begin the phase-down of the enhanced federal funding according to the following schedule: 6.2 percentage points through March 2023; 5 percentage points through June 2023; 2.5 percentage points through September 2023 and 1.5 percentage points through December 2023. States cannot restrict eligibility standards, methodologies, and procedures and states cannot increase premiums as required in FFCRA. Primarily due to the continuous enrollment provision, Medicaid enrollment has grown substantially compared to before the pandemic and the uninsured rate has dropped. The extent to which this increase in Medicaid enrollment is sustained following the discontinuation of the continuous enrollment provision is uncertain.
In further response to the pandemic, the CARES Act authorized approximately $178 billion to be distributed through the Provider Relief Fund to reimburse eligible healthcare providers for healthcare related expenses or lost revenues that were attributable to coronavirus. Funds have been allocated since 2020 in targeted and general distributions, the latter over four phases. In September 2021, HHS announced the release of $25.5 billion in phase four provider funding, including $17 billion of the $178 billion previously authorized through the CARES Act and $8.5 billion for rural providers, including those with Medicaid and Medicare patients, through the American Rescue Plan Act, with payments that began in December 2021. The Provider Relief Fund is administered under the broad authority and discretion of HHS and recipients are not required to repay distributions received to the extent they are used in compliance with applicable requirements. HHS continues to evaluate and provide allocations of, and issue regulation and guidance regarding, grants made under the CARES Act. We do not expect our operators will receive additional funding from HHS.
The CARES Act and related legislation also made other forms of financial assistance available to healthcare providers, which have the potential to impact our operators to varying degrees. This assistance includes Medicare and Medicaid payment adjustments and an expansion of the Medicare Accelerated and Advance Payment Program, which made available accelerated payments of Medicare funds in order to increase cash flow to providers. These payments are loans that providers were scheduled to repay beginning one year from the issuance date of each provider’s or supplier’s accelerated or advance payment, with repayment made through automatic recoupment of 25% of Medicare payments otherwise owed to the provider or supplier for eleven months, followed by an increase to 50% for another six months, after which any outstanding balance would be repaid subject to an interest rate of 4%. We believe these repayments commenced for many of our operators in April 2021 and have adversely impacted operating cash flows of these operators. While not limited to healthcare providers, the CARES Act additionally provided payroll tax relief for employers, allowing them to defer payment of employer Social Security taxes that are otherwise owed for wage payments made after March 27, 2020 through December 31, 2020 to December 31, 2021 with respect to 50% of the payroll taxes owed, with the remaining 50% deferred until December 31, 2022.
The Budget Control Act of 2011 established a Medicare Sequestration of 2%, which is an automatic reduction of certain federal spending as a budget enforcement tool. Originally, the sequester was supposed to be in effect from FY 2013 to FY 2021. However, most recently, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act extended the sequester through FY 2031. Additional legislation, including the CARES Act and the Protecting Medicare and American Farmers Act, suspended the application of the sequester to Medicare from May 1, 2020 through March 30, 2022. It also limited Medicare reductions to 1% from April 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022. The full 2% Medicare sequestration went into effect as of July 1, 2022. The sequestration is currently extended through fiscal year 2031, and gradually increases to 4% from 2030 through 2031.
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Quality of Care Initiatives and Additional Requirements Related to COVID-19. In addition to COVID-19 reimbursement changes, several regulatory initiatives announced from 2020 to 2022 focused on addressing quality of care in long-term care facilities, including those related to COVID-19 testing and infection control protocols, vaccine protocols, staffing levels, reporting requirements, and visitation policies, as well as increased inspection of nursing homes. In August 2021, CMS announced it was developing an emergency regulation requiring staff vaccinations within the nation’s more than 15,000 Medicare and Medicaid-participating nursing homes, and in September 2021, CMS further announced that the scope of the regulation would be expanded to include workers in hospitals, dialysis facilities, ambulatory surgical settings, and home health agencies. In addition, recent updates to the Nursing Home Care website and the Five Star Quality Rating System include revisions to the inspection process, adjustment of staffing rating thresholds, the implementation of new quality measures and the inclusion of a staff turnover percentage (over a 12-month period). Although the American Rescue Plan Act did not allocate specific funds directly to SNF or ALF providers, certain funds were allocated to states who then distributed a portion of these funds to SNF and ALF providers. In addition, the American Rescue Plan Act allocated funds to quality improvement organizations to provide infection control and vaccination uptake support to SNFs and to the CDC for staffing, training and deployment of state-based nursing home and long-term care “strike teams” to assist facilities with known or suspected COVID-19 outbreaks. Additionally, the Biden Administration announced a focus on implementing minimum staffing requirements and increased inspections as part of the nursing home reforms announced in the 2022 State of the Union Address, and in July 2022, CMS announced it was evaluating a proposed federal staffing mandate for SNFs. It is uncertain whether such a mandate will be implemented and, if it is, whether it will be accompanied by additional funding to offset any increased staffing requirements for our operators; an unfunded mandate to increase staff in SNFs may have a material and adverse impact on the financial condition of our operators.
On June 16, 2020, the U.S. House of Representatives Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis announced the launch of an investigation into the COVID-19 response of nursing homes and the use of federal funds by nursing homes during the pandemic. The Select Subcommittee continued to be active throughout the remainder of 2020, 2021 and 2022. In March 2021, the Oversight Subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on examining the impact of private equity in the U.S. healthcare system, including the impact on quality of care provided within the skilled nursing industry. The Biden Administration additionally announced in March 2022 a focus on reviewing private equity investment specifically in the skilled nursing sector. These initiatives, as well as additional calls for government review of the role of private equity in the U.S. healthcare industry, could result in additional requirements on our operators.
Reimbursement Generally:
Medicaid. Most of our SNF operators derive a substantial portion of their revenue from state Medicaid programs. Whether and to what extent the level of Medicaid reimbursement covers the actual cost to care for a Medicaid eligible resident varies by state. While periodic rate setting occurs and, in most cases, has an inflationary component, the state rate setting process not always keep pace with inflation or, even if it does, there is a risk that is may still not be sufficient to cover all or a substantial portion of the cost to care for Medicaid eligible residents. Additionally, rate setting is also subject to changes based on state budgetary constraints and political factors, both of which could result in decreased or insufficient reimbursement to the industry even in an environment where costs are rising. Since our operators’ profit margins on Medicaid patients are generally relatively low, more than modest reductions in Medicaid reimbursement or an increase in the percentage of Medicaid patients has in the past, and may in the future, adversely affect our operators’ results of operations and financial condition, which in turn could adversely impact us.
The CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act contained several provisions designed to increase coverage, expand benefits, and adjust federal financing for state Medicaid programs. While the CARES Act provided for a 6.2% FMAP add-on to the Medicaid program during the PHE, only certain states passed any of that specifically on to SNF operators either via an enhanced rate or lump sum payments. Additionally, the American Rescue Plan Act provided for a 10% FMAP add-on for state home and community-based service expenditures from April 1, 2021 through March 30, 2022 in an effort to assist seniors and people with disabilities to receive services safely in the community rather than in nursing homes and other congregate care settings. Both of these programs came with conditions that states had to meet to eligible for the FMAP add-on. There may be future initiatives proposed to allocate funding available for reimbursement away from SNFs in favor of home health agencies and community-based care.
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The risks of insufficient Medicaid reimbursement rates along with possible initiatives to push residents historically cared for in SNFs to alternative settings may impact us more acutely in states where we have a larger presence, including Florida and Texas, our states with the largest concentration of investments. In Texas several of our operators have historically experienced lower operating margins on their SNFs, as compared to other states, as a result of lower Medicaid reimbursement rates and higher labor costs. The state did provide for a sizeable increase in rate during the PHE based on the FMAP add-on; however, there is a risk that this increase won’t be captured in normal rate setting when the FMAP add-on expires. In Florida, added support to our operators during the pandemic has generally been limited, with approximately $100 million in additional FMAP funds announced in November 2021, payable over a three-month period through increased Medicaid rates. In March 2022, a revised state budget for 2022-23, which took effect October 1, 2022, increased Medicaid reimbursement rates by 7.8% to fund, in part, increased wages for certain nursing home staff. In addition, on April 6, 2022, the State of Florida enacted staffing reforms for SNFs that may provide additional flexibility to our operators in meeting minimum staffing requirements by using supplemental staff. We continue to monitor rate adjustment activity in other states in which we have a meaningful presence, and it is too early to assess whether rates will generally keep pace with increased operator costs.
Medicare. On July 29, 2022, CMS issued a final rule regarding the government fiscal year 2023 Medicare payment rates and quality payment programs for SNFs, with aggregate Medicare Part A payments projected to increase by $904 million, or 2.7%, for fiscal year 2023 compared to fiscal year 2022. This estimated reimbursement increase is attributable to a 3.9% market basket increase factor plus a 1.5 percentage point market basket forecast error adjustment and less a 0.3 percentage point productivity adjustment, as well as a $780 million decrease in the SNF prospective payment system rates as a result of the recalibrated parity adjustment described below, which is being phased in over two years. The annual update is reduced by two percentage points for SNFs that fail to submit required quality data to CMS under the SNF Quality Reporting Program. CMS has indicated that these impact figures did not incorporate the SNF Value-Based Program reductions that are estimated to be $186 million in fiscal year 2023. While Medicare reimbursement rate setting, which takes effect annually each October, has historically included forecasted inflationary adjustments, the degree to which those forecasts accurately reflect current inflation rates remains uncertain. Additionally, it remains uncertain whether these adjustments will ultimately be offset by non-inflationary factors, including any adjustments related to the impact of various payment models, such as those described below.
Payments to providers continue to be increasingly tied to quality and efficiency. The Patient Driven Payment Model (“PDPM”), which was designed by CMS to improve the incentives to treat the needs of the whole patient, became effective October 1, 2019. CMS has stated that it intended PDPM to be revenue-neutral to operators, with future Medicare reimbursement reductions possible if that was not the case. In April 2022, CMS issued a proposal for comment, which included an adjustment to obtain that revenue neutrality as early as the 2023 rate setting period. After considering the feedback received in the rulemaking cycle, CMS finalized recalibration of the PDPM parity adjustment factor of 4.6% with a two-year phase-in period that would reduce SNF spending by 2.3%, or approximately $780 million, in each of fiscal years 2023 and 2024. Prior to COVID-19, we believed that certain of our operators could realize efficiencies and cost savings from increased concurrent and group therapy under PDPM and some had reported early positive results. Given the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, many operators are and may continue to be restricted from pursuing concurrent and group therapy and unable to realize these benefits. Additionally, our operators continue to adapt to the reimbursement changes and other payment reforms resulting from the value-based purchasing programs applicable to SNFs under the 2014 Protecting Access to Medicare Act. These reimbursement changes have had and may, together with any further reimbursement changes to PDPM or value-based purchasing models, in the future have an adverse effect on the operations and financial condition of some operators and could adversely impact the ability of operators to meet their obligations to us.
On May 27, 2020, CMS added physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology to the list of approved telehealth Providers for the Medicare Part B programs provided by a SNF as a part of the COVID-19 1135 waiver provisions. The COVID-19 1135 waiver provisions also allow for the facility to bill an originating site fee to CMS for telehealth services provided to Medicare Part B beneficiary residents of the facility when the services are provided by a physician from an alternate location, effective March 6, 2020 through May 11, 2023, the scheduled end of the public health emergency.
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Other Regulation:
Office of the Inspector General Activities. The Office of Inspector General (“OIG”) of HHS has provided long-standing guidance for SNFs regarding compliance with federal fraud and abuse laws. More recently, the OIG has conducted increased oversight activities and issued additional guidance regarding its findings related to identified problems with the quality of care and the reporting and investigation of potential abuse or neglect at group homes, nursing homes and SNFs. The OIG has additionally reviewed the staffing levels reported by SNFs as part of its August 2018 and February 2019 Work Plan updates, and included a review of involuntary transfers and discharges from nursing homes in the June 2019 Work Plan updates. In August 2020, the OIG released its findings regarding its review of staffing levels in SNFs from 2018. The OIG recommended that CMS enhance efforts to ensure nursing homes meet daily staffing requirements and explore ways to provide consumers with additional information on nursing homes’ daily staffing levels and variability. The OIG indicated that while the review was initiated before the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, the pandemic reinforces the importance of sufficient staffing for nursing homes, as inadequate staffing can make it more difficult for nursing homes to respond to infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19. It is unknown what impact, if any, enhanced scrutiny of staffing levels by OIG and CMS will have on our operators.
Department of Justice and Other Enforcement Actions. SNFs are under intense scrutiny for ensuring the quality of care being rendered to residents and appropriate billing practices conducted by the facility. The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) has historically used the False Claims Act to civilly pursue nursing homes that bill the federal government for services not rendered or care that is grossly substandard. For example, California prosecutors announced in March 2021 an investigation into a skilled nursing provider that is affiliated with one of our operators, alleging the chain manipulated the submission of staffing level data in order to improve its Five Star rating. In 2020, the DOJ launched a National Nursing Home Initiative to coordinate and enhance civil and criminal enforcement actions against nursing homes with grossly substandard deficiencies. Such enforcement activities are unpredictable and may develop over lengthy periods of time. An adverse resolution of any of these enforcement activities or investigations incurred by our operators may involve injunctive relief and/or substantial monetary penalties, either or both of which could have a material adverse effect on their reputation, business, results of operations and cash flows.
Medicare and Medicaid Program Audits. Governmental agencies and their agents, such as the Medicare Administrative Contractors, fiscal intermediaries and carriers, as well as the OIG, CMS and state Medicaid programs, conduct audits of our operators’ billing practices from time to time. CMS contracts with Recovery Audit Contractors on a contingency basis to conduct post-payment reviews to detect and correct improper payments in the fee-for-service Medicare program, to managed Medicare plans and in the Medicaid program. Regional Recovery Audit Contractor program auditors along with the OIG and DOJ are expected to continue their efforts to evaluate SNF Medicare claims for any excessive therapy charges. CMS also employs Medicaid Integrity Contractors to perform post-payment audits of Medicaid claims and identify overpayments. In addition, the state Medicaid agencies and other contractors have increased their review activities. To the extent any of our operators are found out of compliance with any of these laws, regulations or programs, their financial position and results of operations can be adversely impacted, which in turn could adversely impact us.
Fraud and Abuse. There are various federal and state civil and criminal laws and regulations governing a wide array of healthcare provider referrals, relationships and arrangements, including laws and regulations prohibiting fraud by healthcare providers. Many of these complex laws raise issues that have not been clearly interpreted by the relevant governmental authorities and courts.
These laws include: (i) federal and state false claims acts, which, among other things, prohibit providers from filing false claims or making false statements to receive payment from Medicare, Medicaid or other federal or state healthcare programs; (ii) federal and state anti-kickback and fee-splitting statutes, including the Medicare and Medicaid Anti-kickback statute, which prohibit the payment or receipt of remuneration to induce referrals or recommendations of healthcare items or services, such as services provided in a SNF; (iii) federal and state physician self-referral laws (commonly referred to as the Stark Law), which generally prohibit referrals by physicians to entities for designated health services (some of which are provided in SNFs) with which the physician or an immediate family member has a financial relationship; (iv) the federal Civil Monetary Penalties Law, which prohibits, among other things, the knowing presentation of a false or fraudulent claim for certain healthcare services and (v) federal and state privacy laws, including the privacy and security rules contained in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, which provide for the privacy and security of personal health information.
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Violations of healthcare fraud and abuse laws carry civil, criminal and administrative sanctions, including punitive sanctions, monetary penalties, imprisonment, denial of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement and potential exclusion from Medicare, Medicaid or other federal or state healthcare programs. Additionally, there are criminal provisions that prohibit filing false claims or making false statements to receive payment or certification under Medicare and Medicaid, as well as failing to refund overpayments or improper payments. Violation of the Anti-kickback statute or Stark Law may form the basis for a federal False Claims Act violation. These laws are enforced by a variety of federal, state and local agencies and can also be enforced by private litigants through, among other things, federal and state false claims acts, which allow private litigants to bring qui tam or whistleblower actions, which have become more frequent in recent years.
Several of our operators have responded to subpoenas and other requests for information regarding their operations in connection with inquiries by the DOJ or other regulatory agencies. In addition, MedEquities Realty Trust, Inc., which we acquired in May 2019, received a Civil Investigative Demand from the DOJ in connection with Lakeway Regional Medical Center, and in November 2022, the Company and several of its affiliates entered into a settlement agreement relating to such demand.
Privacy. Our operators are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations designed to protect the confidentiality and security of patient health information, including the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (“HITECH”), and the corresponding regulations promulgated thereunder (collectively referred to herein as “HIPAA”). The HITECH Act expanded the scope of these provisions by mandating individual notification in instances of breaches of protected health information, providing enhanced penalties for HIPAA violations, and granting enforcement authority to states’ Attorneys General in addition to the HHS Office for Civil Rights (“OCR”). Additionally, in a final rule issued in January 2013, HHS modified the standard for determining whether a breach has occurred by creating a presumption that any non-permitted acquisition, access, use or disclosure of protected health information is a breach unless the covered entity or business associate can demonstrate through a risk assessment that there is a low probability that the information has been compromised.
Various states have similar laws and regulations that govern the maintenance and safeguarding of patient records, charts and other information generated in connection with the provision of professional medical services. These laws and regulations require our operators to expend the requisite resources to secure protected health information, including the funding of costs associated with technology upgrades. Operators found in violation of HIPAA or any other privacy law or regulation may face significant monetary penalties. In addition, compliance with an operator’s notification requirements in the event of a breach of unsecured protected health information could cause reputational harm to an operator’s business.
Licensing and Certification. Our operators and facilities are subject to various federal, state and local licensing and certification laws and regulations, including laws and regulations under Medicare and Medicaid requiring operators of SNFs and ALFs to comply with extensive standards governing operations. Governmental agencies administering these laws and regulations regularly inspect our operators’ facilities and investigate complaints. Our operators and their managers receive notices of observed violations and deficiencies from time to time, and sanctions have been imposed from time to time on facilities operated by them. In addition, many states require certain healthcare providers to obtain a certificate of need, which requires prior approval for the construction, expansion or closure of certain healthcare facilities, which has the potential to impact some of our operators’ abilities to expand or change their businesses.
Other Laws and Regulations. Additional federal, state and local laws and regulations affect how our operators conduct their operations, including laws and regulations protecting consumers against deceptive practices and otherwise generally affecting our operators’ management of their property and equipment and the conduct of their operations (including laws and regulations involving fire, health and safety; the Americans with Disabilities Act (the “ADA”), which imposes certain requirements to make facilities accessible to persons with disabilities, the costs for which we may be directly or indirectly responsible; the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively referred to as the “Healthcare Reform Law”), which amended requirements for staff training, discharge planning, infection prevention and control programs, and pharmacy services, among others; staffing; quality of services, including care and food service; residents’ rights, including abuse and neglect laws; and health standards, including those set by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (in the U.S.). It is anticipated that our operators will continue to face additional federal and state regulatory requirements related to the operation of their facilities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. These requirements may continue to evolve and develop over lengthy periods of time.
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General and Professional Liability. Although arbitration agreements have been effective in limiting general and professional liabilities for SNF and long-term care providers, there have been numerous lawsuits in recent years challenging the validity of arbitration agreements in long-term care settings. On July 16, 2019, CMS issued a final rule lifting the prohibition on pre-dispute arbitration agreements offered to residents at the time of admission provided that certain requirements are met. The rule prohibits providers from requiring residents to sign binding arbitration agreements as a condition for receiving care and requires that the agreements specifically grant residents the explicit right to rescind the agreement within thirty calendar days of signing. A number of professional liability and employment related claims have been filed or are threatened to be filed against long-term care providers related to COVID-19. While such claims may be subject to liability protection provisions within various state executive orders or legislation and/or federal legislation, an adverse resolution of any of legal proceeding or investigations against our operators may involve injunctive relief and/or substantial monetary penalties, either or both of which could have a material adverse effect on our operators’ reputation, business, results of operations and cash flows.
U.K. Regulations. The U.K. also imposes very high levels of regulation on our U.K.-based operators. In England, where all of our operators are based, the Care Quality Commission has regulatory oversight authority over the health and social care sectors and is responsible for approving, registering and inspecting our operators and the properties where they provide services. There is also a detailed legislative and regulatory framework in the U.K. designed to protect the vulnerable (whether by virtue of age or physical and/or mental impairment) and to prevent abuse. Each of these regulatory regimes carries significant enforcement powers, including the ability to criminally prosecute offending operators and facilities, impose fines or revoke registrations. Additionally, under the purview of the Competition and Markets Authority, local authorities are tasked with providing and funding the care needs of eligible residents within the applicable local authority area. There is ongoing debate and uncertainty within the U.K. as to how growing care needs will be met and funded in the future, and it is not clear at this stage what, if any, or the extent of such, impact will be on our U.K-based operators.
Additionally, there has been significant legislation passed and guidance issued in the U.K. in respect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Much of the legislation or guidance set out the additional precautions, measures or restrictions which were required in the care sector, including infection control measures and vaccination requirements for care sector workers. As the U.K. transitions to a post-COVID-19 pandemic position with lessened regulation across the U.K as a whole, the care sector remains subject to specific COVID-19 guidance and requirements issued by the Care Quality Commission and the U.K. government’s Department for Health and Social Care, including in relation to infection control measures, the use of personal protective equipment and testing. As a result, our U.K. operators still face significantly increased regulatory burdens under which they must deliver services and continue to experience significant impacts on their operations and financial condition, which has been somewhat offset by the level of stimulus provided.
Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”)
We prioritize environmental, social and governance initiatives that matter most to our business and shareholders. Our Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of our Board of Directors has been charged with primary oversight of our sustainability efforts. The Company has established an ESG Steering Committee, with senior representation from all divisions of the company, that is responsible for advancing the Company’s governance, sustainability, and social programs, including diversity and inclusion. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee exercises oversight of the ESG Steering Committee.
As a triple-net landlord, our third-party operators maintain operational control and responsibility for our real estate on a day-to-day basis. While our ability to mandate environmental changes to their operations is limited, our tenants are contractually bound to preserve and maintain our properties in good working order and condition. In connection with this, they are required to meet or exceed annual expenditure thresholds on capital improvements and enhancements of our properties, which in some cases may facilitate improvements in the environmental performance of our properties and reduces energy usage, water usage, and direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions. Beginning in 2021, we have also implemented a capital expenditure sustainability initiative to encourage operators to invest in financially beneficial and environmentally enhancing investment projects. The goal is to incentivize operators to invest in sustainable capital projects that provide a favorable return on investment while reducing the environmental footprint of these operations. Our due diligence on real estate acquisitions generally includes environmental assessments as part of our analysis to understand the environmental condition of the property, and to determine whether the property meets certain environmental standards. Similarly, during the due diligence process, we seek to evaluate the risk of physical, natural disaster or extreme weather patterns on the properties we are looking to acquire and to assess their compliance with building codes, which often results in remediations that incorporate sustainable improvements into our properties.
We are committed to providing a positive and engaging work environment for our employees and taking an active role in the betterment of the communities in which our employees live and work. See also “Human Capital Management” immediately below.
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Additional information regarding our ESG programs and initiatives is available in the ESG section of our website at www.omegahealthcare.com. Information on our website, including our Corporate ESG Report or sections thereof, is not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report.
Human Capital Management
Our success is based on the focused passion and dedication of our people. We believe our employees’ commitment to Omega provides better service to our tenants and stakeholders, supports an inclusive and collegial working environment and generates long-term value for our shareholders and the communities which we serve. As of February 1, 2023, we had 52 employees including the executive officers listed below, none of whom is subject to a collective bargaining agreement. Due to the size and nature of our business, our future performance depends to a significant degree upon the continued contributions of our executive management team and other key employees. As such, the ability to attract, develop and retain qualified personnel will continue to be important to the Company’s long-term success.
We have a long-standing commitment to being an equal opportunity employer. Additionally, in 2021, we reinforced our diversity and inclusion commitment by signing the CEO Action for Diversity and Inclusion Pledge, one of the largest CEO-driven business commitments to act on and advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace. The Company has expanded its recruitment practices to reach more diverse candidates for employment and Board positions and has developed an internship program with a focus on increasing diversity in the pipeline of eligible employees. The Company requires employees and Board members to certify its Code of Business Conduct & Ethics periodically, and from time to time, conducts compliance training for all employees and Directors, including diversity and inclusion training. As of February 1, 2023, at the executive level, one of the Company’s four executive officers is a woman and brings ethnic diversity to the team, and on the senior management team, 25% are women and 25% bring ethnic diversity to the team. We regularly conduct pay equity reviews as we seek for women and men, on average, at various roles and levels of the Company, to be paid equitably for their roles and contributions to our success.
We are committed to providing a positive and engaging work environment for our employees and taking an active role in the betterment of the communities in which our employees live and work. Our full-time employees are provided a competitive benefits program, including comprehensive healthcare benefits and a 401(k) plan with a matching contribution from the Company, the opportunity to participate in our employee stock purchase program, bonus and incentive pay opportunities, competitive paid time-off benefits and paid parental leave, wellness programs, continuing education and development opportunities, and periodic engagement surveys. In addition, we believe that giving back to our community is an extension of our mission to improve the lives of our stockholders, our employees, and their families. The Company has implemented a matching program for charitable contributions of employees, provides annual charitable donations to our local Baltimore community and has implemented a scholarship, mentorship and internship program with a local, historically Black university.
Information about our Executive Officers
Biographical information regarding our executive officers and their ages as of February 1, 2023 are set forth below:
C. Taylor Pickett (61) is our Chief Executive Officer and has served in this capacity since June 2001. Mr. Pickett has also served as Director of the Company since May 30, 2002. Mr. Pickett has also been a member of the board of trustees of Corporate Office Properties Trust, an office REIT focusing on U.S. government agencies and defense contractors, since November 2013. From January 1993 to June 2001, Mr. Pickett served as a member of the senior management team of Integrated Health Services, Inc., most recently as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Integrated Health Services, Inc. Mr. Pickett held various positions at PHH Corporation and KPMG Peat Marwick.
Daniel J. Booth (59) is our Chief Operating Officer and has served in this capacity since October 2001. From 1993 to October 2001, Mr. Booth served as a member of the management team of Integrated Health Services, Inc., most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Finance. Prior to joining Integrated Health Services, Inc., Mr. Booth served as a Vice President in the Healthcare Lending Division of Maryland National Bank (now Bank of America).
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Robert O. Stephenson (59) is our Chief Financial Officer and has served in this capacity since August 2001. From 1996 to July 2001, Mr. Stephenson served as the Senior Vice President and Treasurer of Integrated Health Services, Inc. Prior to joining Integrated Health Services, Inc., Mr. Stephenson held various positions at CSX Intermodal, Inc., Martin Marietta Corporation and Electronic Data Systems.
Gail D. Makode (47) is our Chief Legal Officer, General Counsel and has served in this capacity since September 2019. Previously, she served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of IES Holdings, Inc., from October 2012 to September 2019. Prior to IES, she served in various legal capacities at MBIA Inc., including as General Counsel and Member of the Board at MBIA Insurance Corporation and Chief Compliance Officer of MBIA Inc., from 2006 to 2012. Earlier in her career, she served as Vice President and Counsel for Deutsche Bank AG, and as an associate at Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen, & Hamilton, where she specialized in public and private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions.
Available Information
Our website address is www.omegahealthcare.com. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) are available on our website, free of charge, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such materials with, or furnish them to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Additionally, the SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC, including us, at www.sec.gov.
Item 1A – Risk Factors
This section discusses material risk factors that may affect our business, operations and financial condition. It does not describe all risks and uncertainties applicable to us, our industry or ownership of our securities. If any of the following risks, or any other risks and uncertainties that are not addressed below or that we have not yet identified, actually occur, we could be materially adversely affected and the value of our securities could decline.
Risks Related to the Operators of Our Facilities
Our financial position could be weakened and our ability to make distributions and fulfill our obligations with respect to our indebtedness could be limited if our operators, or a portion thereof, become unable to meet their obligations to us or fail to renew or extend their relationship with us as their lease terms expire or their mortgages mature, or if we become unable to lease or re-lease our facilities or make mortgage loans on economically favorable terms. We have no operational control over our operators.
The bankruptcy or insolvency of our operators could limit or delay our ability to recover on our investments.
We are exposed to the risk that a distressed or insolvent operator may not be able to meet its lease, loan, mortgage or other obligations to us or other third parties. This risk is heightened during a period of economic or political instability. Although each of our lease and loan agreements typically provides us with the right to terminate, evict an operator, foreclose on our collateral, demand immediate payment and exercise other remedies upon the bankruptcy or insolvency of an operator, title 11 of the U.S. Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”) would limit or, at a minimum, delay our ability to collect unpaid pre-bankruptcy rents and mortgage payments and to pursue other remedies against a bankrupt operator. While we sometimes have third-party guarantees of an operator’s lease or loan obligations, such guarantees can be expensive to enforce, and have their own risks of collection as against the guarantors.
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Leases. A bankruptcy filing by one of our lessee operators would typically prevent us from collecting unpaid pre-bankruptcy rents or evicting the operator, absent approval of the bankruptcy court. The Bankruptcy Code provides a lessee with the option to assume or reject an unexpired lease within certain specified periods of time. Generally, a lessee is required to pay all rent that becomes payable between the date of its bankruptcy filing and the date of the assumption or rejection of the lease (although such payments will likely be delayed as a result of the bankruptcy filing). If one of our lessee operators chooses to assume its lease with us, the operator must promptly cure all monetary defaults existing under the lease (including payment of unpaid pre-bankruptcy rents) and provide adequate assurance of its ability to perform its future lease obligations. Even where a lessee operator assumes its lease with us, it will first often threaten to reject that lease to obtain better lease terms from us, and we sometimes have to consider making, or we do make, such economic concessions to avoid rejection of the lease and our taking a closed facility back. If one of our lessee operators opts to reject its lease with us, we would have a claim against such operator for unpaid and future rents payable under the lease, but such claim would be subject to a statutory “cap” under the Bankruptcy Code, and would likely result in a recovery substantially less than the face value of such claim. Although the operator’s rejection of the lease would permit us to recover possession of the leased facility, we would likely face losses, costs and delays associated with repairs and/or maintenance of the facility and then re-leasing the facility to a new operator, or costs associated with selling the facility. In any event, re-leasing a facility or selling it could take a material amount of time, and the pool of interested and qualified tenants or buyers will be limited due to the unique nature of our properties, which may depress values and our eventual recovery. Finally, whether a lease operator in bankruptcy ends up assuming or rejecting our lease, we will incur legal and collection costs, which can be difficult or impossible to recover.
Several other factors could impact our rights under leases with bankrupt operators. First, the operator could seek to assign its lease with us to a third party. The Bankruptcy Code disregards anti-assignment provisions in leases to permit the assignment of unexpired leases to third parties (provided all monetary defaults under the lease are promptly cured and the assignee can demonstrate its ability to perform its obligations under the lease). Second, in instances in which we have entered into a master lease agreement with an operator that operates more than one facility, the bankruptcy court could determine that the master lease was comprised of separate, divisible leases (each of which could be separately assumed or rejected), rather than a single, integrated lease (which would have to be assumed or rejected in its entirety). Finally, the bankruptcy court could re-characterize our lease agreement as a disguised financing arrangement, which could require us to receive bankruptcy court approval to foreclose or pursue other remedies with respect to the facility.
Mortgages. A bankruptcy filing by an operator to which we have made a loan secured by a mortgage would typically prevent us from collecting unpaid pre-bankruptcy mortgage payments and foreclosing on our collateral, absent approval of the bankruptcy court. As an initial matter, we could ask the bankruptcy court to order the operator to make periodic payments or provide other financial assurances to us during the bankruptcy case (known as “adequate protection”), but the ultimate decision regarding “adequate protection” (including the timing and amount of any “adequate protection” payments) rests with the bankruptcy court. In addition, we would need bankruptcy court approval before commencing or continuing any foreclosure action against the operator’s collateral (including a facility). The bankruptcy court could withhold such approval, especially if the operator can demonstrate that the facility or other collateral is necessary for an effective reorganization and that we have a sufficient “equity cushion” in the facility or that we are otherwise protected from any diminution in value of the collateral. If the bankruptcy court does not either grant us “adequate protection” or permit us to foreclose on our collateral, we may not receive any loan payments until after the bankruptcy court confirms a plan of reorganization for the operator. In addition, in any bankruptcy case of an operator to which we have made a loan, the operator may seek bankruptcy court approval to pay us (i) over a longer period of time than the terms of our loan, (ii) at a different interest rate, and/or (iii) for only the value of the collateral, instead of the full amount of the loan. Finally, even if the bankruptcy court permits us to foreclose on the facility, we would still be subject to the losses, costs and other risks associated with a foreclosure sale, including possible successor liability under government programs, indemnification obligations and suspension or delay of third-party payments. Should such events occur, our income and cash flow from operations would be adversely affected.
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Failure by our operators to comply with government regulations may adversely impact their ability to make debt or lease payments to us.
Our operators are subject to numerous federal, state and local laws and regulations in the U.S. and, for certain operators, in the U.K., including those described in Item 1. Business – Government Regulation and Reimbursement. Laws and regulations impacting our operators include, without limitation, those relating to reimbursement (including Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement programs in the U.S.), quality of care initiatives, licensing and certification of our operators, fraud and abuse laws and regulations, privacy and security laws. Other federal, state and local laws and regulations also affect how our operators conduct their operations. We cannot predict the effect that the costs of complying with these laws may have on the revenues of our operators, and thus their ability to meet their obligations to us. In addition, requirements applicable to our operators are subject to frequent and substantial changes (sometimes applied retroactively) resulting from new legislation, adoption of rules and regulations, and administrative and judicial interpretations of existing law, and any changes in the regulatory framework could have a material adverse effect on our tenants, operators, guarantors and managers. Any of these changes may be more pronounced following federal and state leadership changes and particularly following a change in presidential administrations. The ultimate timing or effect of these changes cannot be predicted. These changes may have a dramatic effect on our operators’ costs of doing business and on the amount of reimbursement by both government and other third-party payors. The failure of any of our operators to comply with these laws, requirements and regulations could adversely affect their ability to meet their obligations to us. If we fail to effectively implement or appropriately adjust our operational and strategic initiatives with respect to the implementation of new laws and regulations, or do not do so as effectively as our competitors, our results of operations may be materially adversely affected.
Our U.S. operators depend on reimbursement from governmental and other third-party payors, and reimbursement rates from such payors may be reduced or modified, including through reductions to the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Changes in the reimbursement rate or methods of payment from governmental and other third-party payors, including the Medicare and Medicaid programs, or the implementation of other measures to reduce reimbursements for services provided by our operators has in the past, and could in the future, result in a substantial reduction in our operators’ revenues and operating margins. Reimbursement from governmental and other third-party payors could be reduced as part of spending cuts and tax reform initiatives that impact Medicare, Medicaid or Medicare Advantage Plans, or as part of retroactive adjustments during claims settlement processes or as a result of post-payment audits. Further, alternative payment models, as well as other regulatory initiatives, have the potential to affect Medicare payments to SNFs, including, but not limited to, provisions changing the payment methodology, setting reimbursement caps, implementing value-based purchasing and payment bundling, and studying the appropriateness of restrictions on payments for healthcare acquired conditions. In some cases, states have enacted or are considering enacting measures designed to reduce Medicaid expenditures or freeze Medicaid rates, to allocate funding available for reimbursement away from SNFs in favor of home health agencies and community-based care, and to make changes to private healthcare insurance. Several commercial payors have expressed an intent to pursue certain value-based purchasing models and initiatives. Since our operators’ profit margins on Medicaid patients are generally relatively low, more than modest reductions in Medicaid reimbursement to our SNF operators and an increase in the number of Medicaid patients could place some operators in financial distress, which in turn could adversely affect us. If funding for Medicare and/or Medicaid is reduced, it could have a material adverse effect on our operators’ results of operations and financial condition, which could adversely affect our operators’ ability to meet their obligations to us. Significant limits on the scope of services reimbursed and on reimbursement rates, as well as changes in reimbursement policies or other measures altering payment methodologies for services provided by our operators, could have a material adverse effect on our operators’ results of operations and financial condition, which could cause the revenues of our operators to decline and negatively impact their ability to meet their obligations to us.
We may be unable to find a replacement operator for one or more of our leased properties.
From time to time, we need to find a replacement operator for one or more of our leased properties for a variety of reasons, including upon the expiration of the lease term or the occurrence of an operator default. While we are attempting to locate one or more replacement operators, we sometimes experience and may in the future experience a decrease or cessation of rental payments on the applicable property or properties. We cannot assure you that any of our current or future operators will elect to renew their respective leases with us upon expiration of the terms thereof. Similarly, we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a suitable replacement operator or, if we are successful in locating a replacement operator, that the rental payments from the new operator would not be significantly less than the existing rental payments. Our ability to locate a suitable replacement operator may be significantly delayed or limited by various state licensing, receivership, certificate of need or other laws, as well as by Medicare and Medicaid change-of-ownership rules. We also may incur substantial additional expenses in connection with any such licensing, receivership or change-of-ownership proceedings. Any such delays, limitations and expenses could materially delay or impact our ability to collect rent, obtain possession of leased properties or otherwise exercise remedies for default.
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Our operators may be subject to significant legal actions that could result in their increased operating costs and substantial uninsured liabilities, which may affect their ability to meet their obligations to us; and we may become party to such legal actions.
Our operators may be subject to claims for damages relating to the services that they provide. While we are unable to predict the scope of future federal, state and local regulations and legislation, including the Medicare and Medicaid statutes and regulations, we believe that long-term care providers will continue to be the focus of governmental investigations, particularly in the area of Medicare/Medicaid false claims and in the use of COVID-19 related funds and compliance with infection control and quality standards. We can give no assurance that the insurance coverage maintained by our operators will cover all claims made against them or continue to be available at a reasonable cost, if at all. In some states, insurance coverage for the risk of punitive damages arising from professional and general liability claims and/or litigation may not, in certain cases, be available to operators due to state law prohibitions or limitations of availability. As a result, our operators operating in these states may be liable for punitive damage awards that are either not covered or are in excess of their insurance policy limits.
Any adverse determination in a legal proceeding or governmental investigation, whether currently asserted or arising in the future, could have a material adverse effect on an operator’s financial condition and its ability to meet its obligations to us, which, in turn, could have a