I think one of the most profound changes I’ve witnessed in the healthcare industry over the past 25 years is actually a philosophical challenge. Previously, executives and leadership had more of an inward focus—how many beds are filled this month? How many providers do we need for staffing? What is our market share in the communities we serve?
At TwelveStone (previously Reeves-Sain) we’ve maintained a belief over the years that the patient is actually at the epicenter of healthcare.
This simple truth is one of the reasons why I believe that TwelveStone is well positioned to help acute and post acute care organizations to make the leap to new, more patient-centered model of care. At TwelveStone we are what I like to call “environment impartial,” meaning that we totally focus on the patient, regardless of whether we’re supporting them in a post-acute care setting or helping them make the transition from the hospital to recuperate in their home or a long-term care facility.
Factors Driving Change
In the rapidly fading fee-for-service world, providers had a much narrower view of their role. Now, providers have increased responsibilities, even post-discharge. Given the introduction of bundled-payments, healthcare organizations are now much more involved in driving key quality, cost and patient satisfaction issues like medication compliance and reducing the risk of readmissions. For example, Medicare penalizes hospitals with relatively higher rates of Medicare readmissions, by withholding up to 3% of the payment. To thrive, healthcare organizations must find creative ways to address these added pressures.
The Future of Patient-Centric Care
As the CEO of TwelveStone, I frequently meet with executives of hospitals, health systems, hospice organizations, long term care facilities etc. and all of the conversations usually have a common thread. I frequently hear that they’re concerned about being asked to take on more responsibilities and improve health outcomes using the same amount of resources. And, more importantly, they’re concerned that this trend is going to continue and expand.
We’ve designed the TwelveStone product and service offerings to continue to play a larger role, to do more of the heavy lifting. We’re able to offer clients the right kind of flexibility and clinical expertise with a clear line of sight to the patient as they move through the healing process between facilities. By wrapping everything a patient requires into a single source and maintaining contact to ensure that any issues are dealt with and questions answered we are an extension of our partners, driving down discharge timing and minimizing issues throughout the healing process.
