Long term care providers have reason to rejoice based on a survey conducted by Home Health Care News at the end of 2020. Agencies feared the worst last year with the implementation of the Patient Driven Groupings Model (PDGM) and were blindsided by the double whammy which included COVID-19. As the dust has settled, home care operators see a silver lining in last year’s cloud.
Survey responders predict continued growth in 2021 and beyond; 35% of participants selected skilled care as the area of most anticipated growth, followed by 31% who believe non-skilled services hold the greatest promise. It’s clear that since the pandemic, families are keener on keeping loved ones at home and bringing help in as opposed to considering assisted living or other placement.
Many agencies seem to be turning to telehealth technology to aid in remote patient monitoring, primarily for chronic disease management and vital signs monitoring. Right now, these technologies are not reimbursable, but they go a long way to delivering value and outcomes which form the basis for the payments of your referral sources. Given the tighter payment models for home care, technology can provide vital information for your clinical staff and even avoid an ER visit; check out our blog on this topic.
For years, we’ve advised clients to quantify their achievements with high-cost patients to more favorably position themselves with payors. Perhaps your agency can demonstrate less exacerbations of a patient’s chronic condition because of your staffing and care protocols. Tell that story to the people who write the checks or refer patients to your business! And if you think this applies only to the skilled care world, guess again. Personal care can show good social outcomes, such as patient satisfaction & engagement, good safety records and delayed institutionalization.
Staffing continues to be an area of challenge as cited by 59% of survey responders, significantly beating changing payment models which concerned only 19%; this is an interesting shift when compared to the 2020 outlook, which showed these two areas neck-and-neck at 43%. The greatest area of expense seems to be staffing (41%) over PPE/infection control (27%)! A solid staffing plan and re-evaluation of your pay scales are good ideas to position your agency to recruit and retain superior direct care providers.
Overall, home care agencies are poised for a good 2021 and growth much beyond this year. Referral sources are evenly split among hospitals, physician offices and other community sources, so this is the time to fine-tune that “Referral Relations Plan” to solidify partnerships and highlight your agency’s stellar outcomes.