Our Founder and CEO, Jeremy Powell recently sat down with Dr. Karen Wyatt, End of Life University to participate in a podcast: “Technology Advances for End-of-Life Care”. During this episode, Jeremy and the host discuss how technology can help solve some of the greatest challenges in the provision of end-of-life care, how technology can help more patients be referred for hospice and palliative care in a timely manner, and why technology should be embraced.
Dr. John Mulder and Acclivity were recently featured in The Hospice Explained podcast entitled, Dr. John Mulder – Pioneering Member of Palliative Care Specialty. This podcast series covers topics spanning the differences between palliative and hospice, how technology can impact healthcare, and the stigma of other Doctors referring to hospice or palliative care for their patients.
Our very own, Dr. John Mulder, recently sat down with Dr. Karen Wyatt of End of Life University in her newest podcast episode: “Palliative Care: What’s Needed Now and in the Future”. During their conversation, they covered topics spanning Dr. Mulder’s background and how he got into the specialty, the difference between hospice and palliative care, addressing physician burnout, improving patient outcomes and quality of life, the importance of educating peers, attracting new talent, as well as his work with Acclivity and how technology can assist with referrals.
Across the country, hospice organizations are competing for clinical staff from the same limited pool of eligible applicants. Even before COVID, demand for clinicians, nurses, and social workers outpaced supply. The pandemic has exacerbated the shortage, resulting in early retirements or resignations from the field to focus on non-patient care areas or different careers altogether.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that the U.S. will need 11 million additional nurses over the next decade to avoid further shortage[1]. With inadequate faculty to teach new nurses and a limited number of preceptorships available to train them, meeting the demand for registered nurses may be close to impossible. The shortage of social workers, especially in rural areas, is estimated in the tens of thousands and also creating challenges. The field is not attracting enough new workers to replace retiring Baby Boomers. At the same time, multiple sectors are competing for social workers with the advanced degrees required for the job.
Since we can’t magically increase the number of licensed clinicians available for hire, it’s time to reimagine the way hospices use staff to manage the care of patients and meet both their medical and social needs.
Read morePartnership provides ACOs with data, insights, and strategic counsel to improve quality of care for seriously ill patients while reducing total cost of care
JACKSONVILLE, FL – October 6, 2021 Acclivity Health, a technology innovator transforming care for the seriously ill, today announced a partnership with Value Health Partners, LLC (VHP), a trusted partner in the creation of high-value, integrated population health organizations, to help position providers for success as they transition to value-based care models. By combining real-time data and actionable insights around financial and clinical performance with personalized, strategic roadmaps for establishing effective value-based care and payment models, Acclivity and VHP will help providers deliver high-quality patient care while reducing total cost of care.
“The healthcare industry’s move toward value-based care has the potential to dramatically change how healthcare is delivered for seriously ill patients in the U.S. for the better. However, this transition is incredibly complex and challenging for providers, and these organizations often struggle to be successful from both a clinical and financial perspective,” said Jeremy Powell, CEO of Acclivity Health. “Our collaboration with VHP will further enhance the value we offer to providers by equipping them to attain the best possible clinical and financial outcomes as they take on these alternative payment models. VHP delivers knowledge, practice transformation services, and know-how, and Acclivity delivers the right tools, analytics, and workflows to improve the quality of care while maximizing shared savings. It’s a perfect one-two punch combination.”
Read moreNo one knows how to manage your ACO’s unique group of providers and patient population better than you and your management team. However, in order to maximize shared savings and bonuses, you need the right analytics to identify, monitor, and manage opportunities to improve population health management and reduce total costs of care.
Because the United States healthcare system is fragmented, critical healthcare data is siloed within healthcare organizations, clinics, independent practices, and payer organizations. Interoperability between organizations is hampered by issues that include ownership of data, differences in data interpretation, privacy concerns, and limitations in technology.
If you’re managing an ACO, it may seem impossible to get a 360o view of your provider and patient populations, with complete spend visibility and an understanding of patient and provider behaviors. You may be able to see what patients in your population have been the highest utilizers in the past, but that only takes you so far.
Read moreThe journey toward value-based care remains uncertain, yet impactful for hospice. Providers and payers of all walks are taking a sharper look at hospice as the value-based insurance design (VBID) demonstration project approaches its second year. Hospices need a seat at the bargaining table in order to maintain control of their financial destiny, according to industry stakeholders.
Commonly called the Medicare Advantage hospice carve-in, the demonstration project took effect Jan. 1. The intention of the program is to increase access to hospice services and facilitate better care coordination, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The carve-in is designed to assess payer and provider performance related to hospice within Medicare Advantage. Participation in the demonstration is voluntary for both payers and providers.
The carve-in changes the ways participating hospices receive payment for their services. In the VBID arena, hospice providers accept greater financial risk in exchange for incentives for improving quality or reducing costs.
Our very own Robin Stawasz and our client, Kevin Hohnbaum, business development manager at Willamette Valley Hospice, recently co-authored an article entitled: “Finding Your Value and Sharing it With Others” that appears in the Fall 2021 quarterly addition of the NHPCO Newsline newsletter.
In the article, they help explain the importance of how hospices should be finding their place in the evolving healthcare landscape, as well as providing a Payment Model Primer.
Read the full article that can be found on page 6 here.
Patients, families and clinicians in other fields need a better understanding of palliative care in order to fully realize the clinical and financial benefits of those services, according to physician John Mulder, M.D. The palliative care community also needs a more substantial reimbursement structure to ensure that providers can meet rising demand and to attract new talent to this medical specialty.
Mulder is well-known in the hospice and palliative care community through his work at several organizations and for speaking at national industry conferences. Currently, he is chief medical consultant for hospice and palliative care at Holland Home, the largest provider of elder care services in Michigan. He also serves as executive director for the Trillium Institute, which provides education for clinicians on managing serious and terminal illness.
Through a 20-year journey and track record in leading several successful healthcare ventures, Acclivity Health came to recognize the significant need to affect exponential change in advanced illness management.
Jeremy Powell, CEO of Acclivity Health Solutions, joins the Passionate Leaders podcast series to discuss how the business exists with the same leadership team that positioned them to notice the gaps in advanced illness management and why Acclivity Health Solutions has become an industry leader.
Additionally, Jeremy shares where he sees palliative care heading into the future and how organizations can get involved with Acclivity and the critically needed efforts of the company and its mission.
