As hospitals continue to face penalties for excessive readmission rates, facilities have good reason to steer patients who need post-acute care after discharge to high-quality skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). However, patients discharged to SNFs are often left to choose a facility given minimal information to help make their decision. Instead of receiving data regarding SNF’s quality of care, patients are expected to make a decision based off of facility location, often in rushed circumstances with little time to perform adequate research.
According to a HealthAffairs study, hospitals opt out of sharing SNF performance data with patients, fearing the disclosure of that type of information is forbidden due to legal restrictions and patient choice regulations.
A recent proposal by The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will implement a new rule changing how patients choose their SNF. Slated for final action November 2018, the rule calls for hospitals to give patients comprehensive information regarding SNFs, allowing them to make informed decisions on where their care continues.
Patients and hospitals will pay particular attention to how SNFs perform against competitors. Since most SNF admissions are from hospitals discharging patients, this new rule can either help or harm business. With this proposed change, facilities have an opportunity to focus on improving readmission rates, patient satisfaction, and quality performance in order to boost referral rates.
CipherHealth’s post-discharge follow-up software Voice, provides efficient follow-up to 100% of residents discharged from SNFs. The software reduces readmissions to hospitals by monitoring residents recovery at home and alerting staff members if a patient indicates an issue or concern during a Voice call. In addition to reducing hospital readmissions, the post-discharge follow-up solution improves patient satisfaction and maximizes valuable staff time.
Read CipherHealth’s Overview on Voice, Post-Discharge Follow Up Solution to learn how your SNF can sustain low readmissions and improve patient satisfaction, positioning your facility as a top contender to patients and hospitals.
To learn more on the new proposed rule, read McKnight’s ‘Discharge proposal could improve patients’ moves to SNFs, new study says‘.
