This article is sponsored by TeamHealth. In this Voices interview, Skilled Nursing News sits down with Clarence Smith, EVP of Post-Acute Division at TeamHealth, to explore the new realities for the post-acute care space. Smith shares the best practices that SNFs should use to meet today’s increasing acuity needs, and why 2022 will be the year of reorientation in skilled care.
Skilled Nursing News: Clarence, you have spent your career in healthcare with expertise in both acute care and post-acute care. What career experiences do you most draw from in your role with TeamHealth today?
Clarence Smith: I am a licensed physical therapist and have practiced in a variety of settings. As a clinician, I really enjoyed the science of health care and trying to improve my patients’ physical impairments and functional limitations. It was meaningful work.
However, I believed there was a greater opportunity to contribute to health care if I transitioned into health care administration. Over the past 15 years, I’ve worked with health care communities to help contribute to the vision of improving the experience of care and the value of care delivery.
What are the most significant and interesting ways that the post-acute care industry is working to lower care costs?
Smith: This space continues to challenge us, offering opportunities to demonstrate that care in the post-acute space is a major contributor to improving overall care in the United States. Post-acute is becoming a focal point for care delivery. Over 10,000 people a day are turning 65, and by 2030, more than 20% of the U.S. population will be 65 or older. For the last 10 years, hospital length of stay has decreased by approximately 8%, while 30-day all-cause readmission has decreased by six-and-a-half percent.
Enhancements in the clinical care model displayed in the post-acute care setting have definitely contributed to these outcomes.
Tell us about TeamHealth. What is the organization’s vision for how post-acute facilities should model their medical approaches?
Smith: TeamHealth is a large, national organization with strong regional footprints in both acute and post-acute facilities. We have several clinical services lines, including emergency medicine and hospitalist services. Our emergency medicine service line is in approximately 550 hospitals and our hospitalist service line is in approximately 300 hospitals.
Then we have our post-acute care program providing medicine and behavioral health services in over 2000 facilities. When you look at our vision for post-acute, we are establishing what I call a collaborative practice model that defines a context of care in the post-acute care setting.
As an industry, we’re aware of the problems and the opportunities in post-acute care. Over 70% of readmissions are avoidable. Heart failure, pneumonia, congestive obstructive pulmonary disease and acute myocardial infarction are the most common diagnoses that result in readmissions. The lack of formal relationships among the sites of care cause major barriers to communication and collaboration.
I think it’s imperative to engage and align with the medical community to utilize evidence-based practice, improve patient and family education and convey the goals of care between settings to improve quality in the post-acute care setting.
Patient acuity in SNFs continues to rise, driving the need for additional specialty care services. What are the best practices that SNFs should use to meet these increasing acuity needs?
Smith: No doubt the clinical complexity of patients has dramatically increased over time. It’s true in the episodic care management of the short-term skilled nursing facility patient, and it’s also true in the longitudinal care management of the long-term care nursing facility resident.
The increasing acuity and the complexity of the conditions in this patient population really have changed the intensity of the medical services provided. We find that medical staffs are rounding more frequently, and there’s a need for subspecialty care to support the needs of this patient population.
What are the key criteria and trends that hospitals look for when assessing post-acute care partnerships, including with SNFs?
Smith: Hospitals are looking for organizations to help them improve care in their respective communities. The organizations that will gain the partnership of the hospital are those that can help improve clinical outcomes and the patient experience while promoting efficiency and cost reduction.
As such, what are the top steps that SNFs can take to achieve higher standards of patient care in post-acute?
Smith: The health care system is going to become more dependent on post-acute care facilities. I believe that the facilities will need to continue to focus on opportunities that improve care transitions. They will have to embrace value-based care, and they’re really going to have to incorporate new technologies and modalities in delivering care.
Finish this sentence: “The skilled nursing industry in 2022 will be the year of…”?
Smith: That’s an interesting one. This industry has resilient professionals. Every year we’re presented with a unique set of challenges, and every year the industry adapts and finds ways to deliver high-quality care.
So, 2022 is really the year of reorientation. We have to take the experiences from the last two years and use them as an opportunity to continue to move forward and use what we learned to revolutionize communities with new care delivery models to prepare for the future.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
TeamHealth offers careers for physicians, plus hospital management and staffing services for facilities across the country. To learn more regarding TeamHealth’s clinical partnership areas and post-acute care services, visit TeamHealth.com.
The Voices Series is a sponsored content program featuring leading executives discussing trends, topics and more shaping their industry in a question-and-answer format. For more information on Voices, please contact [email protected].