Cain Brothers Newsletters: Industry Insights

<p>Cain Brothers Newsletters: Industry Insights</p>

“Industry Insights” is a bi-weekly email newsletter published by Cain Brothers, a division of KeyBanc Capital Markets. The newsletter features innovative and original perspectives about healthcare services, healthcare IT, and life sciences from our team of experienced investment bankers. Read the latest newsletter content below, and subscribe to start receiving the newsletter in your inbox.

No One-Size-Fits-All Skilled Nursing Solution for Health Systems

Dominic Porretta

December 18, 2025 – Banker Commentary by Dominic Porretta

There is no one-size-fits-all skilled nursing solution for health systems – it is system and market specific. However, with the “silver wave” cresting, the role of skilled nursing in the healthcare ecosystem will only increase, making the case for more meaningful and larger scale strategies between skilled nursing providers and health systems.

 

The Trend of Divestitures

Since the onset of the COVID pandemic, there has been a growing trend of health systems divesting legacy skilled nursing and senior living facilities as they focus on core acute care operations and take advantage of increasing valuations paid by private owner-operators. Case in point: Cain Brothers recently advised on three M&A transactions where health systems of varying sizes elected to divest their only owned and operated skilled nursing and/or senior housing communities.

  • Bristol Health sold Ingraham Manor, its standalone 128-bed skilled nursing facility in Bristol, Connecticut.
  • Prime Healthcare sold four skilled nursing and senior housing facilities in the greater Chicagoland area that it had acquired in a larger transaction with Ascension earlier in the year.
  • CHRISTUS Health sold St. Joseph Village, a 192-unit senior housing community in Coppell, Texas, to Forefront Living.

Additionally, Providence St. Joseph Health, UPMC, Ballad Health, AdventHealth, and Piedmont Healthcare are other notable health systems that have publicly announced divestitures of similar skilled facilities in recent years.

 

A Case Study in Skilled Nursing-Health System Partnership

The traditionally implemented collaborative relationships between skilled nursing providers and health systems (besides preferred provider networks) have typically been bed lease or bed reservation agreements, and not comprehensive joint venture arrangements often utilized for home health and hospice service lines. However, the situation in the Rochester, New York market required a more unique approach, and last year, Cain Brothers advised on a strategic partnership between St. John’s Home (SJH) and University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC). 

By the summer of 2024, the Finger Lakes region had lost an estimated 1,000 staffed skilled nursing beds since 2020 and had fewer hospital beds per capita than any other part of New York State. URMC reportedly had between 100-110 patients waiting for nursing home placements between its two flagship hospitals in Rochester, and as a result, patients who had received care in its emergency department were often waiting in hallways and other crowded areas. At the same time, SJH, a 455-bed nonprofit skilled nursing facility located near both hospitals, was only operating 300 of its beds due to ongoing staffing and reimbursement challenges.

Ultimately, SJH issued a membership interest to URMC. In return, URMC provided additional financial and clinical resources to SJH, while collaborating to reopen offline beds, establish workforce development programs, and initiate specialty clinical programs, such as a chronic dialysis unit and pediatric skilled care, which were underserved in the local community. The partnership was categorized as a win-win for each organization.

This case study illustrates there are markets where avoidable hospital days are mounting, hospital average lengths of stay are increasing, and patients ready for discharge but with “difficult to place” characteristics are causing backlogs that ripple through the hospital’s continuum. While all health system executives understandably have competing priorities for both financial and management resources, the economic case in these markets makes a compelling thesis to consider more creative skilled nursing solutions that are not necessarily the status quo.

 

Recent Deals

December 2025

sevita

a portfolio company of

centerbridge

mdp

vistria

$1.564 Billion

Senior Secured Credit Facilities

$1.275 Billion

Senior Secured Notes

Joint Lead Arranger
Joint Bookrunner

sevita
November 2025

bcdsk

agreed to an affiliation agreement with

highmark

Financial Advisor

blue-cross-blue-shield-kansas-city
November 2025

retina vit

affiliated with

retina consultants

Sell-Side Advisor

la-retina-affiliated-with-rca
October 2025

tenor

agreed to acquire

commonwealth health

a subsidiary of

community health

Buy-Side Advisor

tenor-health-to-acquire-commonwealth-health
October 2025

commonspirit

to sell

trinity

to

UPMC

Sell-Side Advisor

commonspirit-letter-of-intent-to-sell-ths
August 2025

honorhealth

to acquire

evernorth care group

Buy-Side Advisor

honorhealth-to-acquire-ecg
August 2025

mdvip

a portfolio company of

gsam

and

charlesbank

$980 Million

Senior Secured Credit Facilities

Joint Lead Arranger
Joint Bookrunner

mdvip-completes-senior-debt-refinancing
August 2025

christiancare

has acquired

crozer

ASCs and Outpatient Centers

assets owned by

prospect

Buy-Side Advisor

christianacare-crozer-healths
August 2025

streamline

acquired by

mdaudit

Sell-Side Advisor

streamline-health-solutions-mdaudit
July 2025

Audax

parthenon

acquired

Elevate

$565 Million

Senior Secured Credit Facilities

Joint Lead Arranger
Joint Bookrunner

audax-private-equity-and-parthenon-capital
July 2025

beacon

acquired

ascension borgess

from

ascension

Financial Advisor

beacon-health
July 2025

radiology partners

a portfolio company of 

nea

and

whistler capital

$1.815 Billion

Senior Secured Credit Facilities

$900 Million

8.50% First Lien Secured Notes due 2032

Joint Lead Arranger
Joint Bookrunner

radiology-partners

Cain Brothers, a division of KeyBanc Capital Markets is a trade name of KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC.

KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. and KeyBank National Association (“KeyBank N.A.”) are separate, but affiliated companies. Securities products and services are offered by KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc. and its licensed securities representatives. Banking products and services are offered by KeyBank N.A.

Securities products and services: Not FDIC Insured • No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value

Please read our complete KeyBanc Capital Markets disclosure statement.

Connect With Us

Find an Expert