Finding and retaining workers is one of the biggest challenges facing skilled nursing communities today. And the longer the staffing crisis drags on, the broader the impact will be on the most important piece of the whole equation: residents.

The human touch is a key element of senior care, but one that can suffer when labor-strapped communities have fewer workers with less time to focus beyond the immediate, acute needs of residents.

That’s where proven partners like Optum can help. United Healthcare was one of the innovators of Institutional Special Needs Plans (I-SNPs) for people with chronic conditions and complex needs, and today, it offers a plan in partnership with Optum, which operates under a patient-centric care model focused on treating the whole patient.

For member communities, Optum also provides an added layer of medical staff and support, free to skilled nursing communities, from the nation’s largest network of experienced clinicians.

How the Optum care model bolsters stressed SNFs

UnitedHealthcare Nursing Home plan and Optum care model brings its own highly trained, experienced clinicians into communities to coordinate and oversee care of member residents. Through these plans, clinicians make regular visits to member SNFs coordinating across the different disciplines, from the doctors and nurses to therapists — even activities staff.

These connections allow SNFs to bridge gaps and elevate care “to make sure all of those things are functioning in harmony,” says Stephen Thireos, regional vice president of clinical operations for Optum. The care teams work closely with nursing community staff, providing added layers of education and support that reduce daily demands on staff.

They also work closely with families, becoming the main point of contact for all aspects of a resident’s wellbeing. That means fewer calls for staff to field.

And the benefits go beyond patient care.

The care model is CMS-compliant, reducing administrative burdens for communities. And the care teams provide regular documentation to help homes with audits and state surveys. Optum also has dedicated provider engagement teams to help providers and communities navigate the sometimes complex world of payments and reimbursements.

Proven results from the ‘human touch’

The post-pandemic dearth of workers is unprecedented, Thireos says.

“My sense is that issues that had already been perhaps tenuous in long-term care have now become critical because of what little veneer of a safety net is there,” he says. “We’ve worn through it in some settings, kind of leaving us where we are today.”

Optum and its patient-centric model bolster that safety net. Optum care teams are regular visitors to the communities. They get to know the residents. They spend time with them and their families, enabling them to identify problems early.

That proactive, personal care adds up to healthier residents and less work for short-staffed communities. According to a study from the American Journal of Managed Care, nursing home residents in I-SNPs make half as many trips to the ER, have 38% fewer hospital admissions and 45% fewer readmissions as the average nursing home resident.

In other words, I-SNPs can redefine the “human touch.”

Evolving benefits to meet evolving needs

The Optum care model combined with the UnitedHealthcare Nursing Home plan is one of the largest and most experienced in the country. And it’s constantly evolving to meet changing customer needs.

“COVID-19 has made everything different,” Thireos says. “Everyone is focused on the bottom line.”

Optum is developing new initiatives to broaden its benefits beyond just medical care. For instance, it recently launched pilot programs with care coordination and integrated care teams to reduce the administrative burdens on medical staff.

“From making organized referrals to transportation, collecting test results, doing data entry – things that improve the flow of work,” Thireos says. “We’re looking at efficiency. We’re looking at how we can broaden the direct benefit to the patient experience, the facility.”

Throughout the pandemic, Optum has expanded its mission to do everything from bringing in infection control experts, personal protective gear and meals to communities stressed by outbreaks.

“It’s not something we do because we want to get in their favor,” Thireos says. “It’s something we want to do because it’s important to support the people we partner with. Because if they can’t do their work, we can’t do our work. And ultimately who suffers is the patient. So the humanity of supporting them is the right thing to do. And we’ll continue to do that whenever we’re able to.”

This article is sponsored by Optum, whose care model and UnitedHealthcare Nursing Home Plan bring specialized health plan benefits, clinical support and expertise to residents and patients in skilled nursing facilities. For more information on how this patient-centric model can benefit both you and your residents, visit optum.com/staffing.