Medicare skilled nursing facilities' occupancy and payer source: The moderating role of financial performance.

Skilled nursing facilities with stronger financial performance generally have higher occupancy rates, particularly notable in relation to an upswing in payer sources such as traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage, when compared to skilled nursing facilities with weaker profitability. Given the increasingly larger role of Medicare in long-term care funding, policymakers and nursing home managers may find it useful to consider our findings when evaluating opportunities to enhance managerial performance of skilled nursing facilities.