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There should be no argument that skilled nursing facilities are facing pressure due to changing payment landscapes—PDPM, value-based payments, Medicare Advantage (MA) to name a few.  

This means providers simply cannot risk any inefficiency when it comes to quality of care or reimbursement cycles. And even though most electronic health record systems house all this information, often SNF administrators and providers have a difficult time accessing the right information so they can make the right decisions.  

A comprehensive view:  

If the goal is to create a consolidated view of information so that skilled nursing facilities can identify first the opportunities for savings and clinical efficiency and then go after them, what would that perfect scenario look like?  

Qualities of data: 

  1. Easily accessible- Each user should be able to access it and utilize its insights, and this means it shouldn’t be an email that gets lost in somebody’s inbox.  
  2. Relevant data- Providers should be able to configure the information to their unique needs.  
  3. Real-time data- This is imperative so SNFs can address challenges promptly.  
  4. Include trends- Historical data is incredibly useful when trying to know where things have been and where they are going. 

Types of data:  

  1. Length of stay Patients are staying longer within SNFs; in a seven-year period, the average amount of time patients are spending in these facilities went up 25%. 1 
  2. Occupancy rates- Daily rates and ongoing trends to make sure your facility beds are full and continue to stay full.  
  3. Medicare cost- See what your PDPM reimbursement will be, to ensure that your staff is being diligent and thorough in their assessments of your residents.  
  4. Readmission Rates- Track rehospitalizations and predict readmission rate by admit type, time, diagnosis, and gender all in one place.  

Move the needle: 

Whether it’s improving quality measures, clinical outcomes, or financial performance, pulling together information will become increasingly crucial for ensuring that information is interpreted and utilized appropriately. 

One single comprehensive view can break down even the most complex and convoluted healthcare problems into manageable component parts, giving SNF providers a new level of insight into how to deliver the highest quality care to residents while succeeding with their strategic goals.