2015 Post-Acute Care Trends: Healthcare Preparing for Brighter PAC Spotlight
Anticipating closer scrutiny by Medicare of post-acute care (PAC) services, most healthcare organizations have amped up efforts to improve PAC quality and foster 'warm handoffs' of patients, according to new market metrics from the Healthcare Intelligence Network (HIN).
Sea Girt, NJ, August 17, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Care transition management, PAC partnerships and integration of all PAC services are the top tactics deployed to improve the quality and efficiency of post-acute care, according to results from a July 2015 survey on Post-Acute Care Trends sponsored by the Healthcare Intelligence Network.
Nearly all respondents—95 percent—have implemented PAC improvement programs, according to results from the survey, which defined post-acute care as skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), home health agencies (HHAs), inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), and long-term care hospitals (LTCHs).
With patient transitions between care sites a top PAC challenge for 25 percent of respondents, discharge planning, creation of care transition navigator posts and data exchanges facilitate 'warm handoffs'—full-circle coordination and communication between hospital and post-acute care clinicians regarding patient care.
Cognizant of the industry's growing disfavor with volume-based payment, 53 percent said they have incorporated PAC services into value-based reimbursement methodologies such as accountable care organizations (ACO) or shared savings arrangements.
Download more metrics from the complimentary HINtelligence report, 2015 Post-Acute Care Trends: Care Transition Management, PAC Partnerships Foster 'Warm Handoffs,' at http://www.hin.com/library/registerPostAcuteCareTrends.html
News Facts: HIN's white paper, 2015 Post-Acute Care Trends: Care Transition Management, PAC Partnerships Foster 'Warm Handoffs,' summarizes July 2015 responses from 92 hospitals, health plans, physician practices, PAC providers and others on post-acute care improvement and associated strategies, tools, PAC team composition, reimbursement trends, challenges, benefits, and results.
This 2015 snapshot of post-acute care enhancement also identified the following metrics:
- Eighty-five percent of respondents said care coordination improved as a result of these efforts, and 36 percent observed a decline in hospital readmissions from PAC facilities.
- Heart failure and shock are the most challenging conditions to manage in PAC settings, say 49 percent of respondents.
- Forty-two percent of respondents say skilled nursing is the PAC services area most in need of reform.
- Staff toolkits and training are the top PAC improvement tools, say 51 percent of respondents.
- Sixty percent of respondents believe Medicare should adopt a unified cross-setting PAC payment system that would follow the patient across care sites.
Download more metrics from the complimentary HINtelligence report, 2015 Post-Acute Care Trends: Care Transition Management, PAC Partnerships Foster 'Warm Handoffs,' http://www.hin.com/library/registerPostAcuteCareTrends.html
Quote Attributable to Melanie Matthews, HIN Executive VP and COO:
"With Medicare signaling increased focus on post-acute care with its Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative and 2018 SNF readmissions scrutiny, PAC can no longer be regarded as a siloed service but should be seamlessly integrated into the healthcare continuum, and held to the same quality and clinical standards as acute care."
For Melanie Matthews's profile, please visit http://www.hin.com/bios.html#mm
Please contact Patricia Donovan to arrange an interview or to obtain additional quotes.
Related materials:
Chart: Top Strategies to Improve Post-Acute Care Quality and Reduce Costs: http://ow.ly/QRBBa
Follow the Healthcare Intelligence Network on Twitter: https://twitter.com/H_I_N
About the Healthcare Intelligence Network — HIN is the premier advisory service for executives seeking high-quality strategic information on the business of healthcare. For more information, contact the Healthcare Intelligence Network, PO Box 1442, Wall Township, NJ 07719-1442, (888) 446-3530, fax (732) 449-4463, e-mail info@hin.com, or visit http://www.hin.com.
Nearly all respondents—95 percent—have implemented PAC improvement programs, according to results from the survey, which defined post-acute care as skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), home health agencies (HHAs), inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), and long-term care hospitals (LTCHs).
With patient transitions between care sites a top PAC challenge for 25 percent of respondents, discharge planning, creation of care transition navigator posts and data exchanges facilitate 'warm handoffs'—full-circle coordination and communication between hospital and post-acute care clinicians regarding patient care.
Cognizant of the industry's growing disfavor with volume-based payment, 53 percent said they have incorporated PAC services into value-based reimbursement methodologies such as accountable care organizations (ACO) or shared savings arrangements.
Download more metrics from the complimentary HINtelligence report, 2015 Post-Acute Care Trends: Care Transition Management, PAC Partnerships Foster 'Warm Handoffs,' at http://www.hin.com/library/registerPostAcuteCareTrends.html
News Facts: HIN's white paper, 2015 Post-Acute Care Trends: Care Transition Management, PAC Partnerships Foster 'Warm Handoffs,' summarizes July 2015 responses from 92 hospitals, health plans, physician practices, PAC providers and others on post-acute care improvement and associated strategies, tools, PAC team composition, reimbursement trends, challenges, benefits, and results.
This 2015 snapshot of post-acute care enhancement also identified the following metrics:
- Eighty-five percent of respondents said care coordination improved as a result of these efforts, and 36 percent observed a decline in hospital readmissions from PAC facilities.
- Heart failure and shock are the most challenging conditions to manage in PAC settings, say 49 percent of respondents.
- Forty-two percent of respondents say skilled nursing is the PAC services area most in need of reform.
- Staff toolkits and training are the top PAC improvement tools, say 51 percent of respondents.
- Sixty percent of respondents believe Medicare should adopt a unified cross-setting PAC payment system that would follow the patient across care sites.
Download more metrics from the complimentary HINtelligence report, 2015 Post-Acute Care Trends: Care Transition Management, PAC Partnerships Foster 'Warm Handoffs,' http://www.hin.com/library/registerPostAcuteCareTrends.html
Quote Attributable to Melanie Matthews, HIN Executive VP and COO:
"With Medicare signaling increased focus on post-acute care with its Bundled Payments for Care Improvement (BPCI) initiative and 2018 SNF readmissions scrutiny, PAC can no longer be regarded as a siloed service but should be seamlessly integrated into the healthcare continuum, and held to the same quality and clinical standards as acute care."
For Melanie Matthews's profile, please visit http://www.hin.com/bios.html#mm
Please contact Patricia Donovan to arrange an interview or to obtain additional quotes.
Related materials:
Chart: Top Strategies to Improve Post-Acute Care Quality and Reduce Costs: http://ow.ly/QRBBa
Follow the Healthcare Intelligence Network on Twitter: https://twitter.com/H_I_N
About the Healthcare Intelligence Network — HIN is the premier advisory service for executives seeking high-quality strategic information on the business of healthcare. For more information, contact the Healthcare Intelligence Network, PO Box 1442, Wall Township, NJ 07719-1442, (888) 446-3530, fax (732) 449-4463, e-mail info@hin.com, or visit http://www.hin.com.
Contact
Healthcare Intelligence Network
Patricia Donovan
732-449-4468
www.hin.com
https://twitter.com/H_I_N
Patricia Donovan
732-449-4468
www.hin.com
https://twitter.com/H_I_N
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