Avantara nursing homes across the United States are owned by various entities, ranging from private investment firms to non-profit organizations.
With over 95 locations in 19 states, determining the ownership of any particular Avantara facility requires some digging into business registrations and nursing home license holders.
This article will break down the major owners of Avantara branded nursing homes and provide tips on how to find out who owns your local Avantara.
Key Owners of Avantara Nursing Homes
One of the largest owners of Avantara facilities is Omega Healthcare Investors, a Maryland-based real estate investment trust (REIT) that focuses on skilled nursing properties.
As of 2022, Omega owned the real estate for 35 Avantara skilled nursing homes which are operated by 12 different regional providers.
Another significant owner is The Ensign Group, a healthcare services company based in California that operates over 200 skilled nursing facilities across the country.
Ensign owns the real estate for 6 Avantara locations in Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska through its subsidiaries.
In South Dakota and Minnesota, most Avantara homes are leased from investors and operated by regional providers like St. Croix Health Care and Benedictine Health System under a management agreement.
These faith-based non-profits manage the nursing homes but do not actually have an ownership stake.
There are also a handful of privately owned Avantara facilities, like Avantara of Elgin in Illinois.
This location is owned by Elgin Skilled Nursing Facility LLC, with minority stakes held by investment entities like Doros Generation Trust and Oakway Operations LLC.
Finding the Owner of Your Local Avantara
Since ownership structures can be complex, here are some tips for finding who specifically owns an Avantara nursing home near you:
- Check the state provider license or registration. Most states make nursing home licenses searchable online through the health department website. The license holder’s name is typically the owner or operating entity.
- Search the nursing home name in corporation registrations. The Secretary of State website for each state allows you to find business registration records, which list directors and owners.
- Call the nursing home directly and ask who owns the facility. The administrative staff should be able to provide details on the ownership and management structure.
- Look up the property owner records via the county assessor. This can uncover who owns the real estate if different from the licensee.
- Search news articles about facility transfers. When nursing homes change hands, it’s often reported by local news and industry publications.
While Avantara presents their facilities as one unified brand, there are actually dozens of unique owners and operators running Avantara buildings across different states.
The ownership diversity stems from Avantara’s business model of partnering with regional providers under franchise agreements.
Breakdown of Major Avantara Owners
Now let’s take a deeper look at a few of the biggest owners within the Avantara nursing home system:
Omega Healthcare Investors
As mentioned earlier, REIT Omega Healthcare holds the real estate for over 35 Avantara locations.
While Omega owns the properties, the nursing home business is run by operating partners like Life Care Services, Preferred Care, and Nexion Health.
Omega’s large and growing Avantara portfolio demonstrates its business strategy of acquiring skilled nursing assets and leasing them to experienced local operators under triple-net leases.
As the landlord, Omega maintains the properties while the tenants handle nursing home operations.
Ensign Group
Through its subsidiaries, Ensign Group owns the real estate and operates 6 Avantara skilled nursing facilities in the Midwest. These homes are located in:
- Atlantic, IA
- Seward, NE
- Winfield, KS
- Oskaloosa, KS
- Kingman, KS
- Larned, KS
For these locations, Ensign Group subsidiary companies like Ankeny Health Services and Kinsley Healthcare both own and manage the Avantara-branded nursing homes.
This integrated ownership model gives Ensign full control over the assets and business operations.
Avantara of Elgin, LLC
The Avantara skilled nursing facility in Elgin, Illinois exemplifies a privately held ownership arrangement. Elgin Skilled Nursing Facility, LLC own this 102-bed home.
State corporation records show the minority member stakeholders as Doros Generation Trust (43%), Oakway Operations LLC (15%), and GPN Family Trust (42%). Doros and Oakway are linked to Chicago real estate investors and developers.
So in this case, Avantara of Elgin is owned independently from the national brand, while utilizing the Avantara name and services through a franchise-type agreement.
Non-Profit Operators
Another category of Avantara owners are large non-profit health systems and faith-based chains that lease or manage the nursing homes:
- Benedictine Health System – Runs 8 Avantara facilities in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including Avantara of Fridley, MN.
- St. Croix Health Care – Operates 4 Avantara homes in South Dakota as the appointed receiver during the 2019 receivership transition.
- Siena Health Services – Manages 3 Avantara properties in South Dakota.
Though Siena and Benedictine manage the day-to-day business operations, they do not hold ownership in these strategic leased facilities.
Uncovering the Ownership Details
Even within the major Avantara owner groups outlined above, there is diversity in ownership structures ranging from third-party real estate to wholly-owned subsidiaries.
To find out who specifically holds the license and property ownership for an Avantara location, the best approach is following the research tips suggested earlier:
- Check state provider licenses and corporation registrations
- Search county assessor records for the property owner
- Contact the nursing home directly
- Review news about recent facility transfers
While Avantara presents a uniform brand and management platform, the ownership situation behind the scenes is nuanced.
Local communities and prospective residents are encouraged to fully research who owns and operates their neighborhood Avantara to understand how decisions are made that affect nursing home staffing, culture, and care.
The Takeaway
In the complex world of skilled nursing ownership, Avantara nursing homes are controlled by an array of different investors, health systems, and community operators across 19 states.
There is no single owner of all Avantara branded buildings.
Families exploring Avantara facilities for their loved ones should confirm the specific owner and organizational structure behind the local nursing home.
While branding carries consistency, the actual property owners, stakeholders, and lease agreements vary significantly across individual locations.
Knowing who holds the reins of ownership ultimately provides insights into what’s driving decision-making and how your loved one may experience life within a particular Avantara nursing community.