Based on Early Readmission Success, Excelsior Plots Skilled Nursing Telemedicine Expansion

Since the latter half of 2019, an East Coast health care group has used a telemedicine partnership to intervene in 100 potential hospitalizations, and within that grouping, definitively stopped 30 hospital admissions — in a collaboration with a medical device company that provides real-time heart monitoring and remote care.  In an effort to reduce unnecessary […]

Rise of Data Could Bring More False Claims Act Cases, CMS Scrutiny to Skilled Nursing

Attend any conference geared toward long-term and post-acute health care operators, and you’ll hear a common thread: Data is king. In a landscape defined by value-based payment models such as Medicare Advantage plans and accountable care organizations (ACOs), investing in data analytics has become almost a prerequisite for success. If a given operator can prove […]

Buoyed by Series A Funding, Skilled Nursing Telehealth Firm Tapestry Targets Managed Care, Home Health

Fresh off a successful Series A funding round, a telehealth company that built its platform around serving rural skilled nursing facilities sees growth ahead in urban markets — as well in serving other post-acute providers along the continuum. TapestryCare last week announced the completion of a funding round led by the New York City-based Sopris […]

After Successful Pilot at Signature, SNF Care-Planning Initiative to Expand with $3M Grant — and Eye on Reducing Hospitalizations

Advance care planning has emerged as a key win-win for nursing home operators and their residents, improving quality of life while also helping providers avoid unnecessary and costly rehospitalizations. Backed by a multi-million-dollar grant and adopted by some major players in the skilled nursing space, a program designed to improve advance care planning opportunities — […]

Officials Seeking Skilled Nursing Telehealth Solutions — with $750K Reward

Officials in Maryland have put out a call to nursing home operators and telehealth providers, offering $750,000 to the company that can create the most expansive tech solution for the state’s post-acute and long-term care facilities. Following in the footsteps of the federal government and health systems across the country, the Maryland Health Care Commission […]

Skilled Nursing Data Breach with $14M Ransom Illustrates Industry’s Cybersecurity Problems

More than 100 nursing homes were left vulnerable, without entry to patient medical records, after their data provider experienced a breach — an example of a threat that could become more widespread in an industry not known for technological advancement. Virtual Care Provider Inc. (VCPI) last month was hit with a ransomware attack, a kind […]

After Achieving 33% Hospitalization Cut and $3.4M in Savings, Skilled Nursing Startup Expands

A care-coordination startup that has generated 33% reductions in avoidable hospitalizations and $3.4 million in net savings for nursing homes is expanding on its success with a cash injection from a non-profit research institute. Probari — formerly known as Care Revolution — focuses on treating acutely ill residents in place at nursing homes in an […]

Ford to Scale Back Skilled Nursing Transportation Arm, Shift to Autonomous Vehicles

Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) has substantially scaled back plans for its medical transportation subsidiary GoRide Health, marking a major turn for the ambulance alternative that had targeted the skilled nursing and hospital-system spaces. TechCrunch initially reported the news this week. GoRide Health, which was launched in March 2017 with the goal of providing an […]

Embracing End-of-Life Plans Can Lead to Better Skilled Nursing Care — While Reducing Unnecessary Costs

For nursing home owners and operators, having frank conversations about residents’ end-of-life intentions, and organizing the associated paperwork proactively, is a potential way to avoid unwanted hospitalizations and the sizable costs that come with it — especially if it’s not in line with the patient’s wishes. Nursing homes are faced with tough decisions when the […]

Nearly Half of Post-Acute Staffers Have Minimal Health IT Knowledge — or None at All

Post-acute providers continue to struggle with information technology and data-sharing — particularly around care coordination and value-based payment models — a new survey from Black Book Market Research reveals. In fact, 49% of providers who were surveyed reported that their staffers had very low levels of health IT levels of understanding — or they had […]

Uber-Style Nurse Staffing Platform connectRN Lands Athenahealth Vet as New CEO, Plots Expansion

With changes in Medicare reimbursement rules and heightened pressure to cultivate stronger clinical outcomes, technology has increasingly emerged as a solution to help providers find and retain staff. connectRN, a mobile software platform that assists registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), nursing assistants, and other staff in finding available employment slots at multiple facilities, […]

Best Buy, Amazon, Walmart Lead Major Retailers’ Charge into Senior Care — With Multi-Billion Potential

While they don’t yet represent a direct threat to traditional skilled nursing providers, several marquee retail brands have made significant bets on the senior care space as the population ages — with a specific focus on keeping seniors healthy and out of institutional settings. Electronics retailer Best Buy’s (NYSE: BBY) recent moves into the senior […]

Investing in Skilled Nursing Tech Isn’t Worth Much Without Employee, Leadership Acceptance

Data continues to be the watchword in a skilled nursing marketplace where hospitals and other referral partners demand increasingly concrete information about post-acute outcomes. In response, numerous tech companies have stepped into the fray to provide potential solutions — from data analytics tools that can identify serious health issues before they escalate to a hospitalization, […]

Skilled Nursing Facilities Outpace Hospitals in Data Sharing, Technology

Though data sharing between acute and post-acute care facilities remains a frustration for operators and patients alike, the PAC space may actually be running ahead of their hospital counterparts when it comes to using in technology. That’s according to a new white paper from Toronto-based software provider PointClickCare (PCC) on patient transitions, which examined data […]

Creative Solutions Turns to Data Ahead of PDPM with 70-SNF Rollout

In a nod to the importance of data under the Medicare reimbursement overhaul coming October 1, a Texas skilled nursing provider is adding data analytics to all of its facilities — more than 70 throughout the Lone Star State. Creative Solutions in Healthcare, based in Fort Worth, Texas, and Real Time Medical Solutions earlier this […]

SNF Telehealth Adoption Hampered By Capital and Cultural Obstacles

Skilled nursing providers are becoming increasingly interested in telehealth technology as a way of improving clinical outcomes and reducing care costs. But systemic obstacles blocking capital investment — and SNFs’ generally narrow margins — and cultural resistance mean that it’s hard for providers to implement the technology, Lana Adzhigirey, care transformation manager at the health […]

Consulate Takes Aim at Readmissions with New Diagnostics, Lab Partnership

The largest skilled nursing provider in Florida moved to bolster its diagnostic capabilities with an eye toward reducing costly hospital readmissions. Consulate Health Care late last month announced a partnership agreement with TridentUSA Health Services to provide radiology, ultrasound, and laboratory services to Consulate’s senior care facilities across the U.S. The terms of the deal […]