COVID-19 cases have begun to climb as we head into flu season.

The majority of new cases are a result of transmission from asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals that, thanks to less testing locations and less prudency, are elevating the dangers for high-risk populations. Many healthcare policies that emerged as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are being dropped, raising concerns about the well-being of senior care staff and residents. Wearing an FFP2 mask has remained obligatory across many healthcare facilities globally and with great reason. There is countless data that supports the continued use of masks, namely in the reduction of active cases and overall morbidity rate. Despite most healthcare facilities across the United States dropping their mask mandates, there has been some pushback.

Several public health experts are advocating for year-round masking, masking during flu season, or masking when respiratory viruses reach their “critical threshold” should be mandatory healthcare policies in settings with high-risk populations. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has certainly garnered an elevated appreciation and understanding of health protocols that keep residents, patients, and healthcare workers alike safe. While community immunity and access to countermeasures have leveled out to some extent, older adults and those with underlying health conditions continue to represent the majority of new cases and based on observed trends, the same can be expected in the future.

While COVID-19 has been demoted to endemic, it is still disproportionately affecting our most vulnerable populations. Those in senior care are especially high-risk due to having more points of contact. Many facilities already have a vaccination process for their residents since vaccinating against the flu (and COVID, if not up to date) in advance of the upcoming season has proven to dramatically decrease the length and strength of respiratory illnesses.

According to the CDC, exposure to COVID-19 no longer requires isolation unless you have symptoms.  The CDC website has a new tool where you can type in the date of exposure, then, based on a number of factors, it can help you decide when to test or isolate. For more information about the upcoming Flu and COVID season, please check out the CDC data tracker.

You can also follow these guidelines provided by the CDC if you test positive: 

Any positive COVID-19 test means the virus was detected, and you have or recently had an infection.

• Isolate and take precautions, including wearing a high-quality mask or respirator, to protect others around you from getting infected.
• Tell people you had recent contact with that they may have been exposed.
• Monitor your symptoms. If you have any emergency warning signs, seek emergency care immediately.
• Contact a healthcare provider, community health center, or pharmacy to learn about treatment options that may be available to you. Treatment must be started within the first few days to be effective.

PrimeCLAIMS Clearinghouse Propels Proclaim Partners to "Company of the Year"

The Financial Services Review has awarded ProClaim Partners “Company of the Year in its Claims Processing Solutions Providers category for 2022,” for outstanding innovation with its primeCLAIMS clearinghouse.  We are honored to be acknowledged for the technology and performance we bring to Post Acute Care and other industry claims processing.

When healthcare billers transitioned out of COVID, they had to do more with less. In 2022, primeCLAIMS streamlined the claims process, creating a higher standard of superior performance through technology.

Jonathan Duvall, Senior Director of Product Management, says, “Our goal is to provide software that goes beyond processing claims and integrates into an organization’s revenue cycle workflow. By studying workflow, primeCLAIMS delivers an intuitive experience to get companies paid every dollar for every day of patient care.”

- primeCLAIMS Clearinghouse facilitates seamless electronic claim submissions by automating the claims handling process.

- primeCLAIMS Sequential Billings compares month-to-month billing through side-by-side, claim-to-claim comparisons to detect discrepancies.

- primeCLAIMS Enhanced Aging lets you compare what was billed VS what was paid and highlights discrepancies of missing payments.

- primeCLAIMS EzDDE enables billers to edit hundreds of lines quickly and move to the next claim - saving up to 30 minutes per claim.

PrimeCLAIMS continues to work towards innovations and deliver technologies that focus on billers. Don't hesitate to contact Jae Sparks VP of Sales & Marketing, at 770-543-0473, to schedule a demo.

The team is gearing up for the November 1-4, PointClickCare Summit in Las Vegas. We're excited to sponsor two booths – Prime Care Tech is at #419 and our primeCLAIMS affiliates are at #306. 

Stop by for a chance to win a Louis Vuitton purse – and stay for a demo of our industry-leading applications.

If you're looking to take advantage of educational opportunities, we'll lead two breakout sessions:

• Wednesday, 4:15-5p
  We're not Great At PDPM, Yet; Using Data & Tools to Improve Care and Reimbursement
  Jonathan Duvall/Prime Care Tech and Tammy Tuminaro/Century Rehabilitation
• Thursday, 2:45-3:30p 
  Get Paid–Every Dollar, Every Day!
  Jonathan Duvall/Prime Care Tech and Kimberly Sturm, primeCLAIMS

After a busy year of enhancements, we look forward to sharing what makes our technologies the smartest in the marketplace. Get in touch if you'd like to connect!

Last week our team connected with leaders from senior care communities at the Senior Living Innovation Forum (SLIF) Spring event. Topics of discussion were around strategies for surviving and thriving among the anticipated shifts. Here are three key takeaways.

1. Stay True to Your Roots: Don’t chase shiny objects or the next new thing to attract residents. Trust, connection, consistency, and service are still key influencers in residents/families choosing your community.
2. Expect New Payer Types and Alliances: Expect payer types to grow beyond private and self-pay in assisted living (AL). This may trend further into AL operators joining forces with skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).
3. Focus on the Continuum of Care: Seniors value integrated healthcare and expect caregivers to review all medical data to deliver proactive, predictive, and prescriptive care – or complete senior health. 

So, how can we help with these strategies? Your chief ally in our software-as-a-service suite is primeVIEW, which offers an integrated analytics dashboard, customized with trends meaningful to your success. By using it to monitor areas of high (and low) performance, you can stay true to your roots – trust, connection, consistency, and service.

When it comes to bringing on new payers or aligning with SNFs, you may need our other apps:

• Our primeCLAIMS app with two-way PointClickCare EHR integration, coupled with other senior care customization, empowers you to do more with less staff while expediting payment.
• Our Managed Care MASTER case-to-contract app ensures you meet the quality care requirements of your payers while capturing every dollar promised in the contract.

We can also help with the technology and security infrastructure you need to run your business cost-effectively and wisely. Ask us about our primeCLOUD managed IT services.

If you missed us at SLIF, catch up with us for more recommended strategies and how our technologies can help.

Last week our team connected with leaders from long-term and post-acute care at LTC 100. As always, these events help us stay on top of the challenges our customers face in their day-to-day operations. Here's what we heard at LTC 100 and how we can help.

In addition to our software-as-a-service (SaaS) suite, we can help with the technology and security infrastructure you need to run your business cost-effectively and wisely. Ask us about our primeCLOUD managed IT services.

If you missed us at LTC 100, catch up with us for recommended strategies and how our technologies can help.

For more recap details, see McKnights Long-Term Care News: Distressed or ready to reset? At LTC 100, execs share thoughts on 2022 outlook.