In this Clinical Dashboard series, Skilled Nursing News talks with Ariana Moreau, Director of Clinical Services at A.G. Rhodes, about her thoughts on the ideal Clinical Dashboard. Starting her health care career in January 2011, Moreau’s expertise spans maintaining and improving clinical teams and procedures. Moreau’s desires for the Clinical Dashboard center around artificial intelligence tools for use in predictive analytics and speeding up the process for accurate data collection.
What are the three most important data points that you would want to see each day on your ideal clinical dashboard and why?
Changes in condition and accidents, and also potential changes in condition identified by predictive analysis. Secondly, documentation compliance with added focus areas that are needed to support optimum reimbursement for MDS (Minimum Data Set) as well as identify potential IPA (Interim Payment Assessments). Lastly, an organizational and facility level overview dashboard where we could trend down specific clinical metrics such as infections, accidents/incidents, and documentation compliance.
How would the ideal clinical dashboard drive patient care decisions?
The ability to have insight into risk areas or potential changes in condition would allow us to intervene earlier and improve clinical outcomes. Identification of potential reimbursement areas would also help ensure we are providing all the necessary clinical care to achieve quality outcomes.
How would the ideal clinical dashboard help optimize reimbursement?
The ability to have a bird’s eye view on the residents that have MDS assessments due within the next 14 days and those currently in the lookback period would allow us to more closely monitor documentation and clinical care to ensure we capture all the care we are providing for reimbursement. Also, if there was specific documentation compliance feedback related to reimbursement optimization (potential IPA), that would help ensure we are capturing all of the care we are providing and increase/maximize our reimbursement.
How can the clinical dashboard improve staffing efficiency?
Allowing us to better evaluate the clinician workload along with clinical acuity to ensure that staffing assignments remain balanced.
How would you like to see the clinical dashboard integrated with predictive analytics tools?
This is my biggest wish area. I would like to see more AI driven software that will provide valuable insight into potential areas that we need to focus our attention to prevent negative outcomes vs just responding to them after the fact. Software that can highlight potential changes in condition, infections or even potential fall risk would allow us to intervene earlier and hopefully prevent any adverse outcomes, especially rehospitalization.
Clinical Reimbursement — if we had analytics to help monitor clinical documentation directly related to clinical reimbursement or potential IPA’s this could help us ensure we are able to capture all the clinical care being provided to maximize reimbursement.
Besides yourself, what are the most important roles in your organization to also have access to the clinical dashboard?
Administrators, Directors of Nursing , MDS Nurses, Medical Providers, Nurse Managers.
What would you do to improve the collection of patient health data?
I would ensure that all areas of the health record communicate efficiently, and data is easily exchanged from one area of the health record to another. This would greatly improve clinical workflow efficiency and the communication of pertinent information to each discipline.
Can the ideal clinical dashboard help with value-based care?
Absolutely. Being able to see the majority of your clinical metrics in real time will allow us to stay focused on areas we are doing well and quickly course correct on areas we need to improve. Monitoring real time data allows you to make decisions and act more swiftly than analyzing and responding to retrospective data.
Can the clinical dashboard improve care denials from managed care?
With the additional monitoring a robust and predictive dashboard would provide it would assist in ensuring we capture all necessary documentation for the care being provided. This would help to reduce denials and support appeals when clinically appropriate.