This article is sponsored by CitusHealth. In this Voices Interview, Home Health Care News sits down with Jackie Owen, Clinical Product Specialist, CitusHealth, to talk about HHVBP, CAHPS scores, and patient satisfaction and adherence. She explains how technology is helping care providers navigate the new home health landscape, and she also talks about what CitusHealth is doing to move the needle for providers in today’s challenging operating environment.
Home Health Care News: What career experiences do you most draw from in your role today at CitusHealth?
Jackie Owen: With 15 years of nursing experience, my background encompasses various care settings, including infusion, home health, and hospice care. Combining all these experiences has made me truly appreciate the importance of serving patients in their own homes. It is this realization that continued to help me in my current role here at CitusHealth.
Additionally, I served as a liaison between patients and health care providers in my previous role as a home infusion nurse. This experience proved to be both inspirational and influential, prompting me to expand beyond bedside nursing. It motivated me to bring my expertise to different levels and areas of health care, ultimately leading me to where I am today.
What excites you most about the current opportunities in home-based care?
I am very excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in leveraging advanced technology to benefit patients, their families, and caregivers. By embracing these advancements, we can effectively reduce rehospitalization rates, ensure seamless communication with referral sources and streamline day-to-day care for all involved parties.
The integration of cutting-edge technology in patient care holds immense potential for enhancing overall outcomes. It enables us to provide personalized and efficient care while empowering patients and their families with valuable tools and resources. By leveraging technology, we can create a comprehensive ecosystem that facilitates seamless communication and collaboration among caregivers, health care professionals, and patients themselves.
What is the biggest change the industry has experienced as a result of the implementation of HHVBP?
In my opinion, the biggest change has been the adoption of real-time communication to enhance various aspects of patient care, such as increased statistics, patient satisfaction, provider satisfaction and hospital satisfaction. This ensures that the communication needs of families, patients and caregivers are effectively addressed.
How is technology helping organizations prepare for value-based purchasing, and what do they need to do differently?
Technology plays a vital role in optimizing the patient and family experience by improving their CAHPS surveys and star ratings. It enables health care providers to effectively treat more patients using the same physical resources while optimizing efficiency and staff satisfaction, particularly during clinical shortages. This leads to reduced hospitalizations and total cost of care, resulting in increased referrals based on performance. Additionally, technology helps streamline processes such as initiating care, securing signatures and orders, and accelerating the revenue cycle, thereby enhancing overall satisfaction.
For organizations to embrace these benefits, they must be open to change and willing to adopt technology without viewing it as a barrier or additional burden. It is crucial for health care institutions to proactively introduce technology to their staff, fostering an environment of openness and transparency. In doing so, they can harness the significant benefits that technology offers, ultimately leading to substantial advantages for both staff and patients.
How is a solution like CitusHealth helping care providers improve their CAHPS scores and patient satisfaction measures?
Responding promptly to consumer needs is crucial, as 97% of consumers acknowledge that responsiveness significantly influences their satisfaction. At our organization, we have recognized this importance and are utilizing our platform to deliver timely responses to meet consumer expectations.
Unlike traditional communication platforms that often fall short, our comprehensive approach encompasses various channels such as text messaging, email, mobile apps, and a user-friendly patient portal. This ensures that we can effectively address consumer needs and provide them with the immediate response they desire.
Where do you see home care technology going in the next five years?
From my perspective, the future of home care lies in going fully electronic and eliminating the use of paper entirely. This transition holds particular significance in maintaining HIPAA compliance and ensuring patient privacy and security. Embracing electronic systems brings substantial value to providers, payers and patients alike, fostering a higher quality of care across the board.
By leveraging electronic platforms, we can enhance efficiency, streamline workflows, improve documentation accuracy, and facilitate seamless communication among health care stakeholders. Ultimately, this shift toward electronic systems will contribute to a more integrated and effective home care experience for everyone involved.
In a couple of words, finish this sentence: “In 2023, the home-based care industry has been defined by…?”
…an overall reduction in cost to both insurers, patients, and just a better quality of care.
CitusHealth is a single digital solution that delivers robust care team collaboration and communication, increased patient and family caregiver engagement, and referral satisfaction to home-based and post-acute care providers. To learn more about how CitusHealth can impact your organization, visit www.citushealth.com.
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 sales@agingmedia.com.
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