Maple Knoll Communities incorporates telehealth solution to deliver superior care

Residents first, technology second: Success story for post-acute care

About Maple Knoll Communities

Located in Cincinnati, Ohio, Maple Knoll Communities is a growing provider of senior communities and services that allow those served to thrive in a stimulating and dignified environment.

Although Maple Knoll Communities has been delivering care for over 172 years, the organization is by no means encumbered by processes of the past. Maple Knoll believes in the power of innovation and that technology can, and does, make life easier for residents, staff and families.

Challenge: Multiple systems complicate care

As the pandemic began to disrupt traditional care at the organization, Maple Knoll Communities was faced with the question of how to continue to deliver superior care while limiting interaction.

To this end, Maple Knoll Communities rapidly acquired technology to support video and telehealth visits. After implementing a combination of Skype, WebEx and Doximity, Maple Knoll struggled with the manual processes that accompanied utilizing systems that did not connect with the organization’s electronic health record (EHR).

“Among the many challenges presented by COVID-19, ensuring our residents had timely access to their healthcare providers was our main priority,” said Mark Plunkett, director of information technology at Maple Knoll Communities.

To ensure this priority was met, Maple Knoll Communities replaced existing devices and platforms with the Netsmart Telehealth solution.

This integration improved efficiency and reduced risk for our doctors and staff.

Mark Plunkett, Director of information technology

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Meeting the challenge: One system for one unified view

Netsmart Telehealth is a mobile and web technology platform that supports virtual clinical services, and provides Maple Knoll Communities with a HIPAA-compliant, device-agnostic secure platform used for virtual visits.

With Netsmart Telehealth, Maple Knoll can improve clinical satisfaction, expanded coverage areas, reduce hospitalizations, eliminate transportation barriers for accessing care and provide after-hours access to physicians, all while limiting spread of diseases like COVID-19.

In addition to the use of Netsmart Telehealth, by harnessing the power of the interoperability framework Carequality, as well as Netsmart’s integration engine CareConnect™, Maple Knoll Communities electronically receives Continuity of Care Documents (CCDs) from outside providers directly into the EHR. This connectivity reduces risks during transitions of care and ensures complete visibility to resident records.

By building on this telehealth cornerstone, Maple Knoll plans to begin leveraging medical carts designed specifically for telehealth solutions that integrate seamlessly with a single platform capable of meeting all of the organization’s needs.

Results: Connected systems yield connected care

With Netsmart Telehealth, Maple Knoll Communities experienced improved patient outcomes through increased resident access to physicians. Since implementation of the solution, residents not only have the ability to virtually interact with their primary care physician, but can also involve specialists, other caregivers and family members in their care plan.

“Having the right people in the same room together allows for greater efficiency and resident satisfaction and yields better outcomes,” said Plunkett.

In addition to improved patient outcomes, Maple Knoll Communities increased patient engagement and satisfaction via a more comprehensive experience. With Netsmart Telehealth, doctors can follow up without the need for an in-person visit. Additionally, as a large number of aging seniors having one or more chronic conditions, eliminating the need for frequent office visits greatly improves convenience and satisfaction.

“The telehealth solution allows for us to schedule initial intake or reoccurring appointments with residents who already exist in our EHR system,” said Plunkett. “We gain access to launch telehealth sessions from within our EHR system and streamline billing. Within the system, our clinicians can set their availability, monitor the virtual waiting room and be notified when residents arrive.”

Why Netsmart Telehealth?

With Netsmart Telehealth, you improve staff and resident satisfaction, expand access to specialty and primary care, reduce hospitalizations and eliminate transportation barriers to receiving care. What’s more, you reduce the risk of residents being infected with diseases like COVID-19 by providing care remotely.