New Neighbors in Home Health
As home health providers prepare for HHVBP in 2022, our industry needs to be aware of other provider types who are seeking to take a share of in-home care. Some of the companies who are focusing on home care include; Amazon, Walmart, and Dollar General. These entities have broad national reach and are not normally associated with the familiar/ traditional home health care models.
Home health programs that reward physicians, hospitals and even ambulance companies for keeping patients out of the emergency room and hospital are also becoming more available. Hospitals are also entering the market with hospital-at-home programs that often partner with private duty agencies to provide ADL support as well. Cost effective outcome-based care is the focus of the federal government, private payers, and big business across the nation.
What does this mean for Medicare Certified home health providers?
We must provide the most cost-effective care while maintaining outcome standards that prove our worth. If not, we may be pushed out of our own market by providers who are innovating, using technology, and thinking outside the box.
Most Home health providers have approached the reduction of costs through reduced utilization, outsourcing of services and staff reductions.
However, to continue to be competitive the home health industry now needs to increase productivity and quality simultaneously.
Eighteen months into a 30-day payment system coupled with RCD many home health agencies are still struggling to initiate and complete an OASIS packet from beginning to end in less that 5 calendar days.
Did you know that OperaCare clients typically start and complete OASIS packets on the same day and can increase productivity to four and occasionally five completed OASIS a day? Because quality assurance is combined with the OASIS visit, the need for corrections or back and forth processes that last for days is eliminated.
This represents a significant decrease in labor costs and facilitates further cost reductions as the agency becomes more systematized and standardized. This approach was used by acute care hospitals when faced with similar challenges to increase productivity and quality as home health and continues to be successfully maintained today.
