In 2018 73% of nursing homes received the penalty for poor return-to-acute numbers within 30 days of admission, and 27% got a bonus. In Texas it was worse--90% received the penalty. The math hasn't gotten better over time.
Nursing Homes are under increased pressure to take high acuity patients, and the fact that they haven't been able to respond to the bonuses and incentives proves it.
Ok, so reimbursements are rewarding RTA's. Why else should a SNF be interested? The simple answer is: hospitals are watching.
See this from the American Healthtech's article, "How are Hospitals Measuring SNF Performance?":
LTACs and IRFs, albeit with lower readmissions, are still pricey options. Home health, while attractive from a cost perspective, results in an eye-brow raising bounce back rate of nearly one in three. The door is wide open for SNFs. For those willing to attack readmissions and position quality benefits, there are attractive value: great care at a great price. Prove you can sustain low readmissions, you'll be well positioned with the hospitals on which your revenues and reputation depend.
We know it's a problem, and we know it's an opportunity. So how can lab help?
Over and over again, when determining factors in reducing RTA, two things are cited. 1) Access to quality staff and clinicians and 2) Access to timely laboratory. For the full details, click here for the important study by Dr. Ouslander et al, Management-of-Acute-Changes-in-Condition-in-Skilled-Nursing-Facilities-Dec-2018, The former is always a challenge, never more so than now. We can help you with the former.
When you have rapid, you can diagnose changes in condition quicker, respond quicker, and avoid unnecessary and costly trips to the ER. These trips hurt the patient, hurt the hospital, and hurt the nursing home. Nobody wins.
SmartLab's way of doing lab gives you powerful tools to treat on site. For those using our traditional service, besides getting an advanced menu of in-house tests we can run, the facility has access to an array of resources and advice from our physician-led consulting board. This is standard working with us.
For those who advance into using an in-nursing-home Point-of-Care Lab, their options open up tremendously. Need a lactate to check for sepsis? If you don't have an in-house point-of-care lab to diagnose properly, out of precaution that patient may be sent to the ER. Diagnosing within minutes has the power to drastically reduce the occasions where the physician doesn't feel comfortable leaving the patient in the facility and opts for an ER visit.
There are many, many more examples of how lab testing, and rapid access, can help reduce RTA's, and our customers are seeing the benefits. We'd be happy to help you see if it can help you.
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