SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                       ----------------------------------

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934

                Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
                                 March 11, 2003

                                  VENTAS, INC.
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             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)



   Delaware                          1-10989                     61-1055020
 ------------                      -----------                 ------------
(State or other                  (Commission File               (IRS Employer
jurisdiction of                      Number)                 Identification No.)
incorporation)


      4360 Brownsboro Road, Suite 115, Louisville, Kentucky     40207-1642
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             (Address of principal executive offices)           (Zip Code)

                                 (502) 357-9000
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              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)




Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
        ----------------------------------

     (a) Financial statements of businesses acquired.

          Not applicable.

     (b) Pro forma financial information.

          Not applicable.

     (c) Exhibits:

          99.1     Press Release dated March 11, 2003

Item 9. Regulation FD Disclosure
        ------------------------

     On March 11, 2003, Ventas, Inc. (the "Company") announced that its
Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Debra A. Cafaro and its Chief
Investment Officer Raymond J. Lewis will make a presentation regarding the
Company at the Salomon Smith Barney 2003 REIT CEO Conference on Monday, March
17, 2003 at 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time. Those wishing to access the presentation may
dial in to the conference at 630.395.0029. The passcode is REIT 1. The
presentation will be available for replay from March 20 until April 20. The
replay telephone number is 420.220.0737.

     The Company also announced its Chief Financial Officer Richard A.
Schweinhart and its Chief Investment Officer Raymond J. Lewis will make a
presentation regarding the Company at the Banc of America Securities 2003
Healthcare Conference on Wednesday, March 26, 2003 at 1:55 p.m. Eastern Time.
The presentation will be audio web cast and can be accessed at the Company's
website at www.ventasreit.com. The accompanying slides will also be made
available on the Company's website at the time of the presentation. The web cast
and slides will be archived at www.ventasreit.com for 30 days after the event.

     A copy of the press release issued by the Company on March 11, 2003 is
included as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated
in this Item 9 by reference.

     The information of this Item 9 to this Current Report on Form 8-K,
including the exhibit, is furnished pursuant to Item 9 and shall not be deemed
to be "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section.

                           FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     This Current Report on Form 8-K includes forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and
Section 21E of





the Exchange Act. All statements regarding the Company's and its subsidiaries'
expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, funds
from operations, dividends and dividend plans, financing plans, business
strategy, budgets, projected costs, capital expenditures, competitive positions,
growth opportunities, expected lease income, continued qualification as a real
estate investment trust ("REIT"), plans and objectives of management for future
operations and statements that include words such as "anticipate," "if,"
"believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should,"
"will" and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements. Such
forward-looking statements are inherently uncertain, and security holders must
recognize that actual results may differ from the Company's expectations. The
Company does not undertake a duty to update such forward-looking statements.

     Actual future results and trends for the Company may differ materially
depending on a variety of factors discussed in the Company's filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Factors that may affect the plans or results
of the Company include, without limitation, (a) the ability and willingness of
Kindred Healthcare, Inc. ("Kindred") and certain of its affiliates to continue
to meet and/or perform their obligations under their contractual arrangements
with the Company and the Company's subsidiaries, including without limitation
the lease agreements and various agreements entered into by the Company and
Kindred at the time of the Company's spin-off of Kindred on May 1, 1998 (the
"1998 Spin Off"), as such agreements may have been amended and restated in
connection with Kindred's emergence from bankruptcy on April 20, 2001, (b) the
ability and willingness of Kindred to continue to meet and/or perform its
obligation to indemnify and defend the Company for all litigation and other
claims relating to the healthcare operations and other assets and liabilities
transferred to Kindred in the 1998 Spin Off, (c) the ability of Kindred and the
Company's other operators to maintain the financial strength and liquidity
necessary to satisfy their respective obligations and duties under the leases
and other agreements with the Company, and their existing credit agreements, (d)
the Company's success in implementing its business strategy, (e) the nature and
extent of future competition, (f) the extent of future healthcare reform and
regulation, including cost containment measures and changes in reimbursement
policies and procedures, (g) increases in the cost of borrowing for the Company,
(h) a downgrade in the rating of Ventas Realty, Limited Partnership's
outstanding debt securities by one or more rating agencies which could have the
effect of, among other things, an increase in the cost of borrowing for the
Company, (i) the ability of the Company's operators to deliver high quality care
and to attract patients, (j) the results of litigation affecting the Company,
(k) changes in general economic conditions and/or economic conditions in the
markets in which the Company may, from time to time, compete, (l) the ability of
the Company to pay down, refinance, restructure, and/or extend its indebtedness
as it becomes due, (m) the movement of interest rates and the resulting impact
on the value of the Company's interest rate swap agreements and the Company's
net worth, (n) the ability and willingness of the Company to maintain its
qualification as a REIT due to economic, market, legal, tax or other
considerations, including without limitation, the risk that the Company may fail
to qualify as a REIT due to its ownership of common stock in Kindred, (o) the
outcome of the audit being conducted by the Internal Revenue Service for the
Company's tax years ended December 31, 1997 and 1998, (p) final determination of
the Company's taxable net income for the





years ending December 31, 2002 and December 31, 2003, (q) the ability and
willingness of the Company's tenants to renew their leases with the Company upon
expiration of the leases and the Company's ability to relet its properties on
the same or better terms in the event such leases expire and are not renewed by
the existing tenants, (r) the impact on the liquidity, financial condition and
results of operations of Kindred and the Company's other operators resulting
from increased operating costs and uninsured liabilities for professional
liability claims, particularly in the state of Florida, and the ability of
Kindred and the Company's other operators to accurately estimate the magnitude
of such liabilities, and (s) the value of the Company's common stock in Kindred
and the limitations on the ability of the Company to sell, transfer or otherwise
dispose of its common stock in Kindred arising out of the securities laws and
the registration rights agreement the Company entered into with Kindred and
certain of the holders of common stock in Kindred. Many of such factors are
beyond the control of the Company and its management.






                                    SIGNATURE

     Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                                        VENTAS, INC.
                                        (Registrant)
Date: March 12, 2003

                                        By: /s/ T. Richard Riney
                                            ------------------------------
                                            Name:  T. Richard Riney
                                            Title: Executive Vice President and
                                                   General Counsel




                                  EXHIBIT INDEX

         Exhibit           Description
         -------           -----------

         99.1              Press Release dated March 11, 2003