The final report of the proceedings, Melding Technology and Strategy: Health & Payment Reform and Business Lines, was released this month. Before we jump into December news, let’s take a quick look at the meeting’s highlights:
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LeadingAge PresidAs the new year approaches, it’s time to look ahead to what will improve patient outcomes and business revenues in 2017. Business strategy is a great place to start, and that was the theme of the most recent CAST Commissioners Meeting, held Oct. 29, 2016, in Indianapolis, IN.ent and CEO Katie Smith Sloan presented the new LeadingAge strategic plan and the role technology will play.
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CAST Chair Mark McClellan, MD, PhD, of the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy, discussed health and payment reform.
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Guest speaker and former CAST Commissioner David Gruber, MD, of Alvarez & Marsal, shared an analysis of long-term post-acute care (LTPAC) business lines and how to plan strategically for the future.
Business Strategy
Speaking of strategy, want to sharpen your business strategy and use of technology? Download a new e-book, Three Ways Technology Drives Your Competitive Edge, to learn from CEOs of the most prominent senior living organizations. This short e-book shares what they are doing to adopt technology and improve the bottom line.
Remember to Share Your Feedback and Guidance
Speaking of the holidays, I urge to review the components of the latest Shared Care Planning and Coordination initiative (the whitepaper, interactive guide, selection matrix, selection tool, and case studies) before you leave for the holidays, and then take a minute to complete a quick survey to help us make it better, and to provide us with guidance on the next tool you’d like CAST to focus on in 2017.
Based on initial conversations and input from CAST Commissioners, we are considering focusing our new tool development efforts on Social Engagement Technologies in the new year, but we look forward to your input.
We would greatly appreciate it if you could complete the 2-minute survey by C.O.B Monday, Jan. 16, 2017; we plan to announce your opinion in the January issue of the CAST eNewsletter scheduled to be sent on Jan. 19, 2017.
CAST News
LeadingAge CAST partnered with Ziegler, a LeadingAge Gold Partner, to update the technology adoption and staffing portion of their joint annual survey, the 13th annual LeadingAge Ziegler 150 (LZ 150). The survey offers insights in the technology adoption of electronic documentation, safety technologies, and health and wellness technologies among the largest 150 LeadingAge members.
Moreover, I recently joined eight other experts selected by The Hartford and the MIT AgeLab to identify the top 10 smart home technologies for homeowners over age 50. Smart smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, wireless doorbell cameras, and keyless entry made the list. After extensively reviewing 25 technologies, the panel of leading experts on housing, aging, and technology chose the top 10 that can make life easier, help with home maintenance, and enhance safety and security for mature homeowners.
LeadingAge and CAST Members
Some LeadingAge CAST members have already heeded the call to become data-driven organizations—and are reaping the benefits. Congratulations to these organizations that are leading the field in the use of technology.
LeadingAge Silver Partner OnShift received high-profile recognition for its high-impact financial results when it was named number 326 on Deloitte’s 2016 Technology Fast 500. OnShift delivers cloud-based software and proactive services to solve everyday workforce challenges in healthcare and posted 229% growth since last year.
CAST Business Associate Eldermark, the leading innovator in the senior care software market, announced the release of its first round of Dashboards, enabling real-time monitoring of key performance indicators. In addition, the Arkansas State Board of Pharmacy recently approved Eldermark to provide EMAR, electronic medication administration record technology, to all senior living providers within the state.
LeadingAge Member Lifespace Communities, a LeadingAge member headquartered in Des Moines, IA, is attracting attention for its plans to launch a technology makeover in 2017, as part of its goal to attract Baby Boomers. Senior Housing News featured the initiative on Dec. 5, 2016. Lifespace anticipates that within the next three to five years, its potential residents will bring with them an increasing level of technological savvy—and an expectation for Lifespace to keep up.
Policy
Telehealth received national attention this month, with a new Senate bill passed in Congress and a telemedicine project featured for National Rural Health Day.
In a unanimous vote, the Senate decided to pave the way for a national telehealth model. The bill proposes to expand New Mexico’s Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), which increases access to specialty treatment in rural and underserved areas. Project ECHO uses videoconferencing to link expert specialist teams at an academic hub with primary care clinicians in local communities.
Telemedicine took the spotlight on National Rural Health Day, Nov. 17, 2017. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) held a webcast featuring a South Dakota telemedicine project by Avera eCare to connect rural patients and hospital staff with urban doctors, which is equalizing the level of care among rural and urban areas.
In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently sought input on the metrics used in pay-for-performance financial arrangements, with 97 reporting requirement adjustments up for review. This year’s list included falls prevention, pressure ulcers, pain management, opioids, hospice care, and more.
Wellness Research
If your facility is using electronic prescribing (ePrescribing), you may want to revisit your dosage of certain drugs in light of new research. A recent study found that the default dosages of some drugs programmed in hospital ePrescribing and electronic medical records (EMRs) can increase an elderly patient’s risk of falls.
Happy Holidays
I wish you a Happy Holiday Season and a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful, and Prosperous 2017. I hope you enjoy these and other articles in this issue of Tech Time. Please contact me with any questions for comments.