This article is sponsored by WellSky. In this interview, Skilled Nursing News sits down with Steve Morgan, President and Chief Operating Officer, WellSky, to talk about how providers can leverage technology partnerships to gain greater visibility into the patient journey and improve care outcomes. He explains why partnering with an EHR vendor that supports and provides care coordination, insightful analytics and interoperability are not only helpful tools, but also requirements as long-term care providers strive to efficiently and effectively navigate value-based care models.
Skilled Nursing News: What life and career experiences do you most draw from in your role today?
Steve Morgan: I’ve been in health care for 22 years, starting at Cerner Corporation, where I witnessed firsthand the impact of technology adoption in enhancing care in both acute and ambulatory settings. After a decade with Cerner, I had the opportunity to join UnitedHealth Group as the Chief Operating Officer of OptumInsight. There, my role expanded across a broader range of care settings, working with caregiving communities to implement advanced technologies and assist providers and payers in improving care experiences.
For the past six years, I’ve served as the President and Chief Operating Officer at WellSky, and I still draw on my experiences working with world-class organizations and, more significantly, with exceptional teams at each stop. At WellSky, I’m fortunate to collaborate with what I consider the best team I’ve ever been part of.
How can partnering with a sole technology vendor impact different areas of a post-acute care organization, and how has WellSky’s recent acquisition of Experience Care increased the scope of this impact?
Our goal is to be the technology partner of choice. We are offering post-acute care providers greater visibility into patient journeys, unparalleled support for care coordination, improved interoperability, and the best analytic tools — all integrated within a single platform through one technology partner.
The scale of reach we have across post-acute care also enables the second-order effects of this vision, such as increased cross-referrals and improved care coordination. WellSky offers unique visibility into every phase of an individual’s health and care journey across both post-acute and community care settings. This not only aids providers in driving care quality, but also supports better revenue cycle management, strengthens reimbursement processes and enhances financial performance. Further, it positions providers favorably for success in value-based care models.
The acquisition of Experience Care has enabled WellSky to strengthen our already capable team into a scalable, intelligent care management partner for long-term care providers. Clients of Experience Care now get access to WellSky’s extensive suite of solutions, our leading network of providers, and technology-enabled services.
Experience Care already has a proven track record, supporting 150 long-term care clients across 850 facilities. Integrating Experience Care into the WellSky family has bolstered our presence in the long-term care market while broadening our network of post-acute providers. Not only does this expansion align with our long-term goals, but it also benefits our clients across skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, independent living facilities, intermediate care facilities, and continued care retirement communities.
What do Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) need from the health care industry as a whole to effectively and efficiently provide high-quality, value-based care?
I fundamentally believe, and as an organization, WellSky shares the belief, that SNFs must embrace and invest in technology solutions. This extends beyond just Electronic Health Records (EHR) to include telemedicine, remote monitoring and digital health platforms, all aimed at improving efficiency, enhancing communication, and empowering residents in their care management.
The interoperability improvements that WellSky is implementing among SNFs, hospitals, primary care providers, and other post-acute and community care settings we support can facilitate smoother care transitions, prevent medical errors and avert deteriorating health conditions. Implementing standardized quality measures to assess SNF performance and tracking outcomes, along with high-quality reporting, will identify areas for improvement and benchmark performance against industry standards.
Integrating SNFs into care coordination networks improves communication and collaboration among all parties involved in a patient’s care journey and supports continuity of care. Additionally, streamlining regulatory processes and reducing administrative burdens will be key as workforce shortages create more challenges for SNFs. They require a skilled workforce capable of delivering specialized care to residents with complex medical needs. Therefore, investments in training and education programs will play a critical role in achieving high-quality care delivery.
Ultimately, value-based payment models that reward high-quality care outcomes over the volume of services can motivate SNFs to prioritize effective, patient-centered care and achieve positive health outcomes. This circles back to WellSky’s vision and mission, highlighting the adoption of the right technologies and interoperable capabilities as key enablers for this goal.
How does incorporating financial data into your EHR platform support streamlined, real-time decision-making in skilled nursing facilities?
At the outset, it enables administrators to compare the cost of care against patient outcomes so they can make more informed decisions around resource distribution. Additionally, it helps reduce billing errors and maximize reimbursement for more precise budgeting and forecasting. Providers can analyze historical financial data alongside trends to better predict future expenses and revenue streams. They can also better navigate regulatory requirements and risk management to develop more proactive risk mitigation strategies.
As Medicare Advantage beneficiary enrollment continues to rise, providers need a comprehensive billing solution with contract management to accommodate new payment models. We are also uniquely positioned and fortunate to have acquired Comprehensive A/R. This team works alongside SNF providers to assist in managing their business office functions. Our support extends beyond technology to include other service capabilities as well.
What are some of the top challenges facing post-acute care providers today, and how is technology helping providers overcome these obstacles?
Post-acute providers are facing a number of challenges. These often include workforce shortages, data management difficulties, regulatory compliance, financial pressures, and disjointed care transitions.. A modernized EHR and its surrounding capabilities can streamline documentation, freeing up time for other caregiving activities like bedside time and direct patient interactions.
Data and analytics tools assist providers in identifying trends, tracking outcomes more effectively, and optimizing resource use and allocation, in addition to offering reporting and analytics in an easily consumable format with just a few clicks. Interoperability platforms play a significant role in enabling the seamless exchange of patient data between different provider systems, helping reduce the strain of care coordination and minimize redundant tasks. We can offer providers a centralized interoperability module for managing patient information across various settings.
What role can AI play in helping SNFs innovate now and in the future?
AI can certainly support the summarization and extraction of information from documents, such as a Continuity of Care Document (CCD). By pulling key information and providing references to where the information is located in the document, AI can save providers countless hours. Additionally, AI can generate meaningful, concise discharge summaries by distilling patient records based on recent encounters and assessments, creating a relevant overview of the patient’s condition. These functions are invaluable for smooth transitions to new care settings, and there are numerous opportunities for AI to enhance other health care processes as well.
Finish this sentence: “The skilled nursing industry in 2024 will be the year of…”
…efficiency.
With caregivers in high demand, AI tools and innovations will have a significant impact on caregivers’ abilities to focus more on patients and less on administrative tasks.
Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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].
