DAYTON, Ohio,
Nov. 13, 2012 – Alternate Solutions HomeCare (ASH)
directors reported a 35.9 percent average rate decrease in 30-day hospital
readmissions from the third quarter of 2011 to the third quarter three of 2012.
One factor directors at ASH attribute the dramatic decrease to, is the use of
Medalogix predictive modeling software, which has enabled them to specify and
streamline appropriate clinical interventions.
“Medalogix
analyzes existing patient data to pinpoint the top 10 percent of patients most
at risk of readmission, so we know on an daily basis where to focus our
clinical resources most heavily,” said Chad Creech, ASH chief development
officer. “It’s a reality that warning signs can be missed by clinicians during
weekly visits. Medalogix’s monitoring safeguards and helps us better care for
our patients.”
Medalogix
compiles existing clinical data that ASH already generates, like OASIS-C and
patient records, and then utilizes a predictive algorithm optimized especially
for Alternate Solutions. Clinicians then log into a clinical portal that is
updated with new patient data and risk rankings every hour. These risk rankings
detail which patients are most at risk, why they are at risk and what
clinicians can do to successfully intervene. The system is designed to prevent
trips to the Emergency Room and readmissions to hospitals.
“The information given to us by Medalogix each
day allows us to look at patients differently,” said Tessie Ganzsarto, ASH
president. “To know that much about your patients and their critical areas in
near real-time allows us to be proactive and react much faster than we could in
the past.”
Considering the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision that grants
Medicare the ability to withhold payment form hospitals if a patient is
readmitted within 30 days, ASH’s 35.9 percent average rate decrease in 30-day
readmissions is a critical advantage as agencies vie for patient referrals from
hospitals who are acutely aware of the need to reduce their readmissions in
order to avoid substantial penalties and fines. A few notable benchmarks
detailing ASH’s readmission rates since partnering with Medalogix:
- Doubled ASH’s identification of at risk patients.
- Decreased ASH’s 7-day readmission rate by 50 percent in the first month of deployment.
- Drove ASH’s June, July and August readmissions rates 3 percentage points below the national average.
“Lowering readmissions is key to providing the best care possible to
our patients and serving our hospital partners under pay for performance
standards,” said Creech. “It’s been a major area of focus and the most recent
data demonstrates our efforts are working.”
“Keeping patients healthy, at home and avoiding costly and unnecessary hospital readmissions to the hospital is our primary concern,” said Lisa Morrison, ACH chief clinical officer. “It’s been a combined and strategic effort that has helped us significantly reduce readmissions.”
ASH is employing several strategies to reduce readmissions and is more
precisely targeting these interventions using Medalogix Risk Rankings. A few
examples of these strategic patient interventions are:
- Structuring staff bonuses around successfully lowering readmissions
- Revitalizing patient treatment plans based on best practice standards
- Implementing telephonic phone calls to at risk patients
“My motivation in developing Medalogix was to keep patients out of the
hospital while simultaneously helping hospitals adjust to reform,” said Dan
Hogan, Medalogix CEO. “These most recent readmission figures are encouraging as
they show the plan is working.”
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About Alternate Solutions Healthcare
System: Founded
in 1999 by Tessie and David Ganzsarto, Alternate Solutions is recognized as an
industry leader in post-acute strategic partnerships. It has strategic partnerships with health care
systems in Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin and West Virginia, and is in conversation
with several groups throughout the country to form more.
Alternate Solutions has received numerous awards and recognitions for
excellence its fields, including being ranked by HomeCare Elite™ in the top 1
percent of home health care agencies in the United States. The award is based upon
an analysis of performance measures in quality of care, quality improvement and
financial performance.
About Medalogix: Medalogix
was formed out of the idea that homebound patients would benefit from a more
in-depth analysis of the risks associated with their medications, and that home
care agencies, when armed with that analysis, would be better able to remediate
that risk. A litany of studies has shown that patient outcomes are far
better the longer a patient can remain in the home. It is Medalogix’s
goal to assist home care agencies with the process of identifying those
patients on their census that are most at risk of requiring unplanned hospital
care. The company combines its knowledge of medication risk with a home
health are agency’s own clinical data to build a predictive modeling capability
that is more accurate than any other risk assessment toolset on the market
today.
