The CMS Readmission Reduction Program, an important part of the Affordable Care Act that went into effect on Oct. 1, 2012, will have a profound impact on how hospitals manage care transitions and work with community healthcare providers to prevent avoidable readmissions. With growing pressure to do more with less, hospitals cannot afford the 1-3 percent payment penalties or projections of total penalty over the next several years.
The latest study from the Alliance for Home Health Care Quality and Innovation showed that home healthcare is not only cost effective, but also helps prevent avoidable hospital readmissions. The data from the Alliance underscores the importance of strongly coordinated care efforts between hospitals and home healthcare providers. This has profound implications for overall healthcare expenditure and is great news for hospitals.
There will be an increase in hospitals partnering with home health agencies through health information exchanges (HIEs) as part of the shift for hospitals to become accountable care organizations (ACOs). The HL7 organization already provides standards for such an exchange and interoperability among healthcare providers that improve care delivery, optimize workflow, reduce ambiguity and enhance knowledge transfer. It is therefore imperative for hospitals to partner with home health agencies with the right technology platform and EMR – one that ensures compatibility of systems, continuity of patient care information, and the ability to collaborate to ultimately improve overall patient outcomes and prevent costly readmission penalties.
Hospitals should identify home health software vendors that are members of HL7 and have successfully demonstrated compatibility with hospital EMRs. Such software vendors are typically already working with leading and top-performing home health agencies based on quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance. These are the home health agencies that will be the strongest, most suitable partners.
Full Transcript of byliner in Healthcare Technology Magazine by Andrew Olowu, Axxess’ Chief Technology Officer. Original publication can be viewed at: http://www.healthmgttech.com/articles/201301/integration-analytics-key-to-next-generation-emrs.php
