October 04, 2018
Netsmart Media Contact:
Vince Koehler
vkoehler@ntst.com
913.272.2235
OVERLAND PARK, Kan., Oct. 4, 2018 — Lutheran Senior Services (LSS) is the first senior living organization in the U.S. to exchange bidirectional clinical data with its local acute care partner SSM Health through the Carequality interoperability framework, of which Netsmart is a founding member and live implementer. The St. Louis-based senior living and post-acute care provider is leveraging the powerful Netsmart network and electronic health record (EHR) to make their organization efficient. The Netsmart network now has the largest community of connected post-acute and human services providers with more than 5 million transactions each month.
LSS is successfully exchanging health data from its Netsmart EHR with local acute care provider SSM Health, who uses Epic Systems’ EHR solutions. The bi-directional sharing of information between the organizations allows for data to be queried across providers, coordinating better care for the individuals in both facilities.
“It’s exciting when we can collaborate with our provider partners to bring reliable tools and practices that allow seamless integration with Epic,” said Kam Jasti, director, Value-Based Care and Interoperability for SSM Health. “By exchanging relevant clinical data through connections like Carequality, we collectively enable our patients to receive the best care possible as they transition between healthcare settings. As a result, it becomes more of a natural extension of their SSM Health care.”
Carequality is a collaborative of healthcare IT providers that establishes unified health data sharing for providers in all healthcare communities. The framework supports an efficient exchange of information that enhances workflows and impacts outcomes. Through the powerful Netsmart network, LSS now has instant access to critical clinical information that can save time and improve transitions of care through enhanced referral management and care coordination.
This exchange of information ensures that the right information gets to the right people at the right time, from referral staff to clinicians. This creates an impact that not only helps improve the speed and accuracy of referrals and admissions but also improves the time it takes for an individual to begin receiving care, making the transfer process much simpler.
“It’s a true value in partnership when we can rely on our provider partners, like Netsmart, to contribute and bring the best tools and practices to the table,” said Josh King, LSS vice president of information technology. “By being able to exchange relevant clinical data through connections like Carequality, we collectively provide the best opportunity for our shared patients to receive the highest quality care possible as they transition between healthcare settings.”
For Netsmart, this successful integration between LSS and SSM Health further solidifies its mission to connect and unite providers across the full healthcare continuum. Carequality framework enables the healthcare IT partner to align post-acute providers in utilizing electronic health data exchange for transitioning to value-based care and in preparation for regulatory changes in 2019.
“It’s been humbling to see the progress made over the last few years, we congratulate other software vendors on starting their journey so we can collectively achieve true care coordination,” said Netsmart CEO Mike Valentine. “Our behavioral health clients have already experienced tremendous benefits from this exchange of data, and we’re excited to see the benefits extend to our post-acute clients. As we continue our drive to connect all healthcare settings, we’re putting power in the hands of our clients everywhere to transform how we approach and provide healthcare.”
About Lutheran Senior Services
Lutheran Senior Services is a mission-driven, not-for-profit network that specializes in housing, care, and supportive services for older adults age 62 and above. With 21 locations in Missouri and Illinois, LSS serves more than 11,000 seniors each year through options that include Senior Living Communities offering all levels of care, Affordable Housing for those with limited incomes, and Home & Community Based Services. LSS builds upon 160 years of excellence in living out its Christian mission of Older Adults Living Life to the Fullest.
About SSM Health
SSM Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving the comprehensive health needs of communities across the Midwest through a robust and fully integrated health care delivery system. The organization’s more than 40,000 employees and 10,000 providers are committed to providing exceptional health care services and revealing God’s healing presence to everyone they serve.
With care delivery sites in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, SSM Health includes 24 hospitals, more than 300 physician offices and other outpatient and virtual care services, 10 post-acute facilities, comprehensive home care and hospice services, a pharmacy benefit company, a health insurance company and an accountable care organization. It is one of the largest employers in every community it serves.
For more information, visit ssmhealth.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter.
About Netsmart
Netsmart designs, builds and delivers electronic health records (EHRs), solutions and services that are powerful, intuitive and easy-to-use. Our platform provides accurate, up-to-date information that is easily accessible to care team members in behavioral health, care at home, senior living and social services. We make the complex simple and personalized so our clients can concentrate on what they do best: provide services and treatment that support whole-person care.
By leveraging the powerful Netsmart network, care providers can seamlessly and securely integrate information across communities, collaborate on the most effective treatments and improve outcomes for those in their care. Our streamlined systems and personalized workflows put relevant information at the fingertips of users when and where they need it.
For 50 years, Netsmart has been committed to providing a common platform to integrate care. SIMPLE. PERSONAL. POWERFUL.
Our more than 1,700 associates work hand-in-hand with our 600,000+ users in more than 25,000 organizations across the U.S. to develop and deploy technology that automates and coordinates everything from clinical to financial to administrative.
Learn more about how Netsmart is changing the face of healthcare today. Visit www.ntst.com, call 1-800-472-5509, follow us on our CareThreads Blog, LinkedIn and Twitter, like us on Facebook or visit us on YouTube.
Netsmart is pleased to support the EveryDayMatters® Foundation, which was established for behavioral health, care at home, senior living and social services organizations to learn from each other and share their causes and stories.