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.
