Post-acute care is an important part of a patient-centered approach, and having the right post-acute technology is essential for providing quality healthcare services in the home. There are a few key points to consider when choosing the right post-acute technology solutions for an agency.
In this article, we’ll discuss some of the considerations homecare agencies need to keep in mind when choosing post-acute technology for their operations. We’ll start by explaining the different types of solutions available, and then we’ll talk about how to select the right one. Finally, we’ll discuss compatibility with other systems and additional factors to consider when making a decision.
About Post-Acute Technology
Technology is essential to care delivery today and has a significant impact on a provider’s operational and billing processes. Post-acute agencies should look for technology solutions that improve communication and collaboration within their internal teams as well as external healthcare systems, reduce manual processes and streamline workflows. Agencies should ask themselves:
- Does this solution transfer data and documentation securely?
- Does this this technology help reduce manual processes, such as data entry or paperwork?
- Would utilizing this post-acute technology provide greater insight into patient progress data-driven decision making?
How to Assess Needs
Adopting new technologies can be challenging, so it’s important for organizations to weigh their options carefully and choose the right suite of solutions to meet the company’s current needs and growth plans. Here are a few key considerations when assessing post acute technology needs:
- Scalability – does this solution allow the company to grow and scale or will the solution need to be replaced once the agency reaches a certain size?
- Interoperability – does the solution have the ability to connect with other health systems and have integrations with other key software vendors that help empower better care?
- Access to data – does the solution provide data analytics or integrate to help you keep track of key performance metrics?
- Compliance – does this solution help ensure regulatory compliance or make compliance easier. Does the software vendor commit to making the necessary changes to stay up to date with regulatory compliance?
A Note About Compliance
Finally, post-acute technology must be compliant with healthcare regulations. An agency’s technology solutions should work together to meet all applicable regulatory requirements and standards. This includes security measures such as encryption and authentication protocols, as well as data privacy regulations such as HIPAA compliance. An organization’s suite of technology solutions should work together to ensure that all regulatory requirements are followed and provide psychological safety for the clinicians, so they know their documentation has been completed correctly.
How Post-Acute Technology Can Improve Patient Care
Configurable systems are a critical requirement for empowering exceptional patient care. Systems must be highly customizable, to allow healthcare providers to tailor their workflows and processes, while maintaining best practices for compliance, standardization and growth. Configurable systems enable care teams to quickly adjust processes and protocols as required, streamline communication among multiple teams, and improve the overall quality of care. Fully optimized technology solutions increase operational a process efficiencies and save agencies time and money while reducing stress.
Finding the Right Partner
Post-acute technology can help agencies manage their patients more effectively by tailoring a solution to fit the agencies specific needs. In order to stay ahead of the curve, it is important for agencies to regularly audit their technology solutions to ensure they are making the most of any new features or integrations that have been made available. It is also important to audit your processes to see if there are ways to save time and effort for caregivers out in the field. As regulations change, it can be easy to continue to add onto current processes rather than taking the time to consider the most efficient way to adapt to new requirements.
Finding a partner that provides post-acute technology with features like customization, interoperability, and integrations is key to ensuring the best post-acute care for patients. Homecare Homebase carefully selects industry partners that enhance our solution and help our customers improve staff satisfaction and operational processes while maintaining compliance. WorldView, one of HCHB’s preferred partners, works with homecare agencies to provide document management solutions that are tailored to their needs.
To ensure that patients and providers have access to the best technology, agencies must understand both the post-acute care landscape and their operational needs. Assessing these factors alongside compliance requirements will equip them with the information needed to make an informed purchase decision.
