HealthTech Blog

By Jan Bennet, RN, NHA, C-NE, Director of Clinical Design, American HealthTech

The first step in your roadmap to full paperless EHR is to build a strategy. 

More cuts are coming to hospitals – and they’ll increasingly be depending on post-acute providers to prevent penalties through better care coordination that results in reduced readmissions.  

Last week over 125 healthcare executives gathered from across the nation to network, share emerging best practices, and importantly – discuss ways post-acute providers will be sized up as hospitals and ACOs shop regional markets for partners.  Once again, Health Dimensions Group hosted a fantastic conference. 2012 will be a banner year, with the industry changing forever, as bundled payments for an episode of care move from pilot to reality.  In addition, Medicare reimbursement cuts coming to all hospitals in the bottom quartile for high readmissions - will kick in October 1^st, 2012.  Post-acute providers coming to the table with real solutions were consistently mentioned as attractive partners by hospitals.

Running on paper is no longer a viable alternative – you must have stellar documentation to justify reimbursements, mitigate survey/audit risks, and be ready to report outcomes to hospitals to win census.   Your reputation and revenues depend on it. 

With a mission-driven call, Presbyterian Homes and Services of Kentucky (PHSK) is committed to dignity and independence for residents since 1882.  Four campuses serve communities in KY – including a CCRC, two skilled nursing facilities, and one assisted living facility.  A stellar reputation maximizes census.   

Electronic Medical Record (EMR)

• January 2004. In his state of the union address, President Bush launched an initiative to make electronic health records available to most Americans within the next 10 years. “By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care.” [1]

In an article today “Quality Care at Hand” McKnight’s highlighted the increasing importance of mobile technologies to maximize efficiency, improve care coordination, and most importantly – drive early interventions that prevent readmissions. Highlights:

With the October 1 payment changes behind us, the post-acute industry is waking up to the next hot topic: Outcomes Reporting.  There are a couple of industry business drivers at play: