The days fly by so fast; we suspect excellent articles like this one from Skilled Nursing News do as well. In All Or Nothing for SNFs: ‘Managed Care Is Not Something You Can Dabble In,' experts from Blue Sky Therapy and BKD are interviewed. We compiled their advice into a one-page checklist to help you maximize your managed care reimbursements.

If you prefer to keep reading versus downloading our checklist, here are the highlights:

1. Establish authorization process with therapy partners 
2. Take an inventory of managed care contracts 
3. Communicate contract terms to staff - reimbursement criteria, pay types, delivery of care mandates, authorization requirements 
4. Determine method of reimbursement - PDPM, visit rate, old RUG model Review inventory for outdated contracts 
5. Research and target new payers - review declined admissions/payer out-of-network or CMS list of payers with highest local enrollment. 
6. Stay on top of CMS Five Star ratings - minimum three stars to negotiate with MCOs; five stars likely required in metro areas 
7. Monitor your outcomes - readmissions, discharge to home/hospice /other, average length of stay, admissions by insurance company 
8. Compare your stars and outcomes to competitors 
9. Diligently document care - a top reason for denial is neglecting authorization of care requirements 
10. Seek out forums with hospital liaisons and competitors to jointly address various payer issues 

We can't say it enough – technology can help! Our Managed Care MASTER was designed to address nearly everything on this checklist. We did a 30-minute recorded demo of it just last month if you'd like to check it out, or get in touch for a live demo.

We've heard plenty about the 'new normal' and how COVID-19 has changed our lives. But, the one thing that's stayed constant in senior care is that technology can help. 

For example, our primeVIEW clients are employing this mobile-capable app with built-in alerts to track developing COVID-19 symptoms and proactively respond. Other examples from SNFs of all sizes, some of which were recognized in McKnight's recent tech awards, follow below. 

Download our At-A-Glance Infographic or read this short summary for more information and links to each article.

TACTIC #1: Telehealth

After cutting readmissions up to 50%, the largest health care provider in New York State looks to expand nursing home telehealth network.

READ MORE » Skilled Nursing News, September 24, 2020

TACTIC #2: Family Connectivity

Low-country assisted living and memory care community kept its approach simple by emphasizing time together and privacy.

READ MORE » McKnight's Senior Living, October 1, 2020

TACTIC #3: Visitor Screening

Nursing homes and schools are getting some added help in keeping their residents safe thanks to thermal facial recognition cameras and touchless check-in technology.

READ MORE » RochesterFirst.com, August 2020

TACTIC #4: Wristwatch Wearables

New cellular wristwatch wearables — without too many confusing, expensive and unneeded bells and whistles — are available to connect residents directly to their families without staff assistance.

READ MORE » McKnight's Senior Living, October 2020

TACTIC #5: Telemedicine Devices

A small chain of nursing homes in West Virginia uses the Eko CORE digital stethoscope to reliably transmit sounds from the heart, lung or bowels to an iPad, that stores data in an EHR system — accessible to all caregivers.

READ MORE » McKnight's Senior Living, September 2020

Need help with technology? Get in touch. 

Last week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) issued a COVID-19 Nursing Home Visitation Memorandum consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance. This is good news in addressing ongoing concerns about the psychosocial well-being of residents who've been disconnected from families due to COVID-19. 

Understanding that this is yet another change for you to review and revise your policies around, we've summarized the recommendations and at-a-glance infographic and included it below. 

The memo also explains that compassionate care does not just refer to end-of-life and may include residents:

• Recently-admitted/struggling with transition
• Grieving recent friend/family death
• Needing encouragement to eat/drink
• Experiencing emotional distress, seldom speaking or frequently crying

The goal of the memo goes beyond guidelines to encourage person-centered caregiving during this time. SNFs should consider the residents’ physical, mental, and psychosocial well-being, and support their quality of life.

To save you from reading the whole 186-page report from the Coronavirus commission for nursing homes, we've pulled out some focus areas and highlights that are most relevant to SNFs right now. 

Our primeCLOUD managed IT services and data-driven apps can help you address some of these focus areas.

Get in touch to learn more!

Don't have time to review CMS' 158-page Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 Prevalence in Nursing Homes? No problem, we've done it for you. This week, we're covering best-of-best practices from various states related to Cohorting, Housing, and Sheltering.

COVID-19 Intermediary Care - CT, MS, NM

A few states have taken action to relieve nursing homes of the post-acute demands of recovering COVID patients.

• Athena Health Care Systems in Connecticut operates four for patients still impacted, but no longer acute -- taking the pressure off of nursing homes to accept them.
• Similarly, medical shelters are available statewide in New Mexico for medical monitoring and self-isolation of COVID-19 positive individuals.
• Likewise, the Mississippi Department of Health arranges COVID-19 convalescence in between hospital and nursing home care. 

Transportation is also covered in this toolkit. The overarching best practice there is to allocate special vehicles for transporting COVID-19 patients to/from hospitals or intermediary centers. 

Healthcare Worker Housing - NE, PA

Other states have opted to focus on healthcare workers, as the COVID-19 battle continues. 

• The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services is offering temporary housing tp health care workers, emergency medical services, and law enforcement personnel who are concerned about exposing loved ones in their own homes.
• Likewise, the Pennsylvania Health Care Association is offering hotel rooms to staff needing distancing due to possible exposure. 

Transportation

Transportation is also covered in this toolkit. The main take-away there is to possibly allocate special vehicles to COVID-19 patients being transported to/from hospitals or intermediary centers. 

At-A-Glance Infographics from Other Sections

While there were just two big take-aways from the Cohorting, Housing, and Sheltering, other sections were full of great ideas. In case you missed them, here are the At-A-Glance Infographics for your convenience:

• Best Practices for Infection Control
• Best Practices for Communications and Visitors
• Best Practices in Workforce and Staffing