River Bluff administrator reports lower contract staffing costs, higher revenues and modest census gains

River Bluff Administrator Laura Schaeffer told the Winnebago County Board on Jan. 23 that the county-owned nursing home reduced temporary clinical staffing costs by more than $2,000,000 in 2024 while increasing revenues and the facility’s average daily census.

The update came during the board’s regular meeting at the county administration building, where River Bluff board chairman Frank Perricone introduced Schaeffer and praised the board of directors’ oversight since its formation in 2023.

Schaeffer said River Bluff cut agency clinical staffing expenses — which exceeded $5,000,000 in 2023 — by more than $2,000,000 in 2024, in part by increasing the on‑site workforce by about 30 percent and improving recruiting and onboarding. “We were able to reduce those expenses by more than $2,000,000,” she said.

Nut graf: The changes reflect a multi-pronged effort by River Bluff’s new leadership to stabilize finances and clinical staffing after several difficult years. County officials and the River Bluff board described the steps as part of a plan to make the facility fiscally sustainable and improve care continuity for a largely Medicaid population.

Schaeffer outlined several operational moves. Revenue rose by nearly $2,600,000 from 2023 to 2024, she said, citing higher private‑pay room rates, improved billing and collections, new insurance contracts and changes to payer-mix goals. She told the board that River Bluff raised its case‑mix index — a measure used to adjust Medicaid reimbursement based on resident acuity — from 0.99 in 2023 to 1.31 in 2024. Schaeffer noted that “every 0.1 increase in the case mix index is about $10 per day per resident,” and estimated that the change equates to roughly $1,300,000 annually with the current census.

On census, Schaeffer said River Bluff is licensed for 304 beds and reported an average daily census around 148 in late 2024, a 12 percent increase from the prior year. The board has set a target average daily census of 170. Tactics to grow admissions included streamlining the intake process, hosting job fairs and strengthening referral relationships.

Board members and River Bluff directors credited the county board’s decision to create an independent board of directors in 2023 and cited specific hires at the facility. Schaeffer said two recent leadership additions are Laura Deweese, named assistant administrator, and Tracy Klein, hired in December as director of nursing. Perricone, chairman of the River Bluff board of directors, told the county board the directors meet monthly and are focused on oversight and operational improvement.

Several county board members praised the progress. “I think it was probably one of the best things that this county board did in the last two and a half years was the creation of the board of directors for River Bluff,” County Board Member John Butida said. Board Member Booker called the county-owned nursing home “a gem for Winnebago County.”

Ending: Schaeffer invited board members to visit the facility and said board materials provided to county members include further details. No formal county board action was taken; the item was a presentation and update.