The reimbursement focus from Zimmet Healthcare's annual conference shared the spotlight with a topic still fresh of mind for many skilled nursing operators – staffing shortages. However, session speaker Tara Gregorio, President of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, advised staying away from staffing agencies – not only to reduce cost, but ensure a continuum of care for residents.

Attendees also discussed CMS's review of minimal staffing and how it might impact federal funding. This topic is better explained in the Infection Control Today article, CMS Proposed Minimum Staffing Requirements Could Cost $10B Annually.

As keenly noted in the Skilled Nursing News article, The Devil's in the Data: Why SNFs May Be Facing an Information Crisis, Marc Zimmet, President of Zimmet Healthcare Services Group, points out how randomly timed and siloed data results in inaccurate data. Said Zimmet, "The bottom line is everything you think you know about skilled nursing facility data is wrong, is inaccurate — and that’s the greatest danger facing skilled nursing."

Here's how we can help:

• Our primeVIEW KPI dashboard solves this issue of disparate and dated information by integrating data from your multiple systems into a consolidated real-time view. 
• Our primeCLAIMS revenue cycle management app is the only one built for and supported by post-acute billers. 

Take a step in the right direction and get in touch for a demo of primeVIEW!

What's top of mind for senior care operators in Ohio this year? Working smarter to achieve desired outcomes. And technology can help. As we illustrate in the infographic below, our customized software for senior care – primeVIEW and primeCLAIMS – can help with the top five priorities discussed at OHCA.

If you would like to learn more about our primeVIEW and primeCLAIMS SaaS applications, get in touch for a demo or 30-minute consult. 

Last week, our team attended the annual Ohio Health Care Association (OHCA) convention. Our Senior Customer Success Director Debi Damas also lead a session on the state of senior care. She discussed pandemic challenges and encouraged the exchange of strategies to mitigate change. The following is a recap of this valuable session.

Where does senior care stand and what the heck happened?

• Nursing home staffing shortages only worsened as 2020 came to a close
• 48 states saw occupancy of 80% or less, with some as low as 56%

What can senior organizations do right now?

• Develop purpose-driven, compassionate staff
• Adopt technology to increase connectedness, efficacy, and optimal health
• Embrace telehealth
• Develop a culture of positive aging framed by wellness
• Establish trust by being prepared for emergencies and unexpected events

What happened with senior living census?

• Increased push to home health care
• People wanted no part of facility-based care
• Long-term care (LTC) facilities were not admitting
• Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) turned beds/halls into COVID units
• Senior care providers are now seeing slight increases in census

How can senior organizations build census?

• Marketing value-adds to prospective residents:
• Amenities
• Telehealth
• Wellness focus
• Sharing positive performance data with hospitals:
• Vaccination rates
• Infection control
• Outcome data, readmission rates
• Identifying an ideal niche based on ICD code(s)

How does revenue look in senior care?

• 55% of SNFs are operating at a loss
• Significant increases in claims denials, resulting in more reviews
• Some managed care is moving from PDPM to levels
• Per Mark Parkinson (CEO of AHCA/NCAL), long term success comes down to: 
• State Medicaid rates
• Payer mix
• Financing
• Operational excellence

What staffing trends emerged among senior care employers?

• Rigid schedules/Inflexible call off policies
• 23% of nursing homes had direct care staff shortages in May
• 96% received some government assistance
• 47% received funds from Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP)
• 82% received funds from CARES Act/Provider Relief Fund
• 52% received Medicaid add on or increase from state government

What can senior care organizations do to improve staffing?

• Increase the ways you make staff feel valued
• Change your pay structure
• Offer bonuses – sign-on, working all scheduled shifts, etc.
• Revise staffing policies to benefit employees
• Increase flexibility to accommodate child/eldercare challenges
• Provide a career path; demonstrate benefits of added skills and education
• Be attentive and thorough with screening and hiring
  

To reiterate one of Debi's earlier points, technology can help. Here are three senior care providers who are benefiting right now from our software.

• Embassy Healthcare saves $1.5M in labor with primeVIEW App
• Symphony Care Network increases revenue $1,200/stay with Managed Care MASTER app
• Hyatt Family Facilities rely on primeVIEW app to consolidate data for monitoring Five Star and PBJ reporting