Creating a Preferred Post-Acute Partner Network

It takes a village to care for an individual with health needs. From primary to acute to post-acute care and beyond, managed care organizations and health systems across the country are looking to create valuable strategic partnerships to achieve the best possible outcomes for all individuals. These systems look to their preferred provider network to improve quality of experience and cost of care and collaborate to make it happen. A critical decision for these organizations to make is to determine the right players from all care settings to partner with to reach those goals.

The need for networks to meet care needs and reduce the cost of care is critical. So, as a provider in the post-acute space, what are the things your organization should consider to be a top candidate to attract managed care partnerships?

Reduce readmissions – Every acute care organization is likely being held accountable to reduce readmissions, which is why it is key for them to find post-acute partners that can provide stellar care to keep those numbers down. Preferred post-acute partners can provide focused care and support for individuals at risk for high-acuity needs and have a protocol structure in place to manage those individuals to keep them in the lowest care setting possible.

Reduce length of stay – The shorter an individual’s stay in acute or post-acute settings, the lower the cost of care. How can providers reduce the length of stay while attempting to achieve the best outcomes? Take advantage of the data you have at hand through your electronic health record (EHR) and use it to your benefit. Minimize admission and intake time by avoiding unnecessary duplication of tasks such as patient history or tests and allow your technology to share and exchange medical history to save time. It’s equally as important to use that history to assist in making the best clinical decisions possible.

Improve care transitions – This is essential for all care providers referring to any setting of care. It’s important that transitions are smooth, coordinated and patient-centric. Creating an expedited and seamless transition includes considering the timeliness of the transition, which can be accelerated through the on-demand access of a patient’s care record made easily accessible through your EHR. The handiness of information can also help quickly determine the right level of care and case management required.

Improve advanced care planning – Post-acute partners for managed care organizations must also be proficient in being able to deliver advanced services and care beyond traditional expectations. They must be willing to meet and abide by any decisions or wishes made by a patient as well as keep everyone informed and educated on the plan of care for the patient, including the patient along with their loved ones and the facility staff so everyone is on the same page.

Having the right technology can support the efforts to be a preferred post-acute partner. What are the technologies, strategies and solutions to make a post-acute provider survive and thrive in new models of care? Start with an EHR that can:

• Automate and streamline the referral and admission process.
• Manage data coming through a managed health system that can smoothly and seamlessly exchange data between care settings.
• Insightfully leverage the use and sharing of data and analytics to minimize risk and improve care.
• Uncover gaps in care, allowing providers to address issues before an escalation to a higher acuity level.
• Support complex billing models as it applies to value-based contracting.
• Provide robust reporting and analytics to demonstrate and support outcomes.

To make your organization stand out among other post-acute providers in the eyes of a managed care organization or health system, it’s important to ensure that you have what it takes to get them where they want to go, which includes working on improving quality of care, patient experience and management of healthcare dollars.

Ready to learn more? Check out our webinar with Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health Vice President Stacy Youcis and Netsmart Vice President AJ Peterson as they further examine vital elements for partnerships with managed care organizations and post-acute care providers.