Articles

In this interview, we sit down with Real Time Medical Systems (Real Time) Clinical Account Specialist Michele Self, MA, CCC SLP, CMA, Clinical Program Director Kathy Derleth, RN, BSN, and Clinical Account Specialist Cheryl Scalzo, RN, to discuss what SNFs can do to prepare for state surveyors. Michele, Kathy, and Cheryl will discuss three key areas that are most cited amongst surveyors, including the importance of having a comprehensive care plan, ensuring quality care, managing Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) efforts, and how data driven technology solutions can improve patient outcomes while ensuring SNFs are prepared for survey teams.   COMPREHENSIVE CARE...read more

As CMS continues to enforce the regulatory process around infection prevention and control (IPC) efforts, there is an increased focus on the long-term care phase 3 Requirements of Participation (RoP). With ongoing efforts to address COVID-19, the spotlight remains on Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) and, specifically, on the role of the Infection Preventionist (IP) and Antibiotic Stewardship. Studies have shown that 40-75% of prescribed antibiotics in skilled nursing facilities (SNF) may be “unnecessary or inappropriate” resulting in serious risk of infections, increased adverse drug interactions and events and even death. There is also the significant threat of antibiotic-resistant infections,...read more

Interventional analytics has emerged as an essential technology to assist payers and nursing homes in making care decisions to improve outcomes for aging members.   The Medicare Advantage population is set for tremendous growth over this decade. Estimates show that the MA program will cover more than two-thirds of the Medicare population by 2030. This growing and aging population will increasingly require long-term post-acute care, which is already costing Medicare tens of billions of dollars in payments to skilled nursing facilities that account for almost half of all post-acute care spending by the federal program. Payers in the MA space must plan...read more

During a recent webinar hosted by the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS), Real Time’s Executive Vice President of Health Systems Solutions Phyllis Wojtusik, RN, and Vice President of Clinical and Network Quality  Margie Latrella, MSN, APN-C discussed the clinical and financial impact of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) “doing nothing” when it comes to post-acute spend, including missed opportunities related to quality of care, lack of oversight into network performance, and losing potential earned shared savings dollars on post-acute care (PAC) patients. In a value-based care (VBC) world, ACOs are responsible for the entire patient journey; therefore, their long-term success and...read more