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US skilled nursing occupancy falls in Q4'17

Occupancy in U.S. skilled nursing properties fell by 159 basis points year over year to 81.9% in the fourth quarter of 2017, continuing a yearslong decline, the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care said.

The occupancy figure, which also represented a 66-basis-point decline from the preceding quarter, was more significant in rural than in urban areas, the industry group said. Rural occupancy declined by 381 basis points year over year, while urban occupancy declined by 148 basis points.

NIC Chief Economist Beth Burnham Mace said in a news release that a variety of factors may affect occupancy in urban and rural areas differently, including demographics, competition from home healthcare and telehealth, and reforms to the healthcare system.

The occupancy decline came in spite of an early and severe flu season in late 2017. Historically, the NIC said in the release, occupancy in nursing facilities tends to rise in the fourth quarter of calendar years when flu seasons are both early and relatively severe.