Aligning with the "Right" Partner is Essential

The numerous reform efforts prompted by the Affordable Care Act is forcing acute care institutions to look beyond their four walls as their financial results are impacted either positively or negatively by the performance of other healthcare providers, such as home health agencies and hospices after discharge.  Finding the "right" partner is critical in optimizing the impact on the hospital.  When looking for these "allies", hospitals should base this decision on several key metrics, listed below.

1. Hospital re-admission rate-how often are their patients re-admitted

2. Emergency care usage-how often do their patients go to the ER

3. Patient satisfaction scores-Are their patients satisfied with them(possible rub-off)

4. PEPPER scores-How compliant are they and could they tarnish the hospital's reputation

5. Service levels-Do they admit the patients quickly, thereby minimizing re-admission risk

6. Resource utilization-Do their patients reach their goals with the appropriate level of visits

7. Financial stability-Do they have the financial resources to survive

Other less important factors which cannot be as easily quantified could include cultural fit, clinical sophistication, and IT interoperability.

If your organization is looking to assess potential partners in your market or your home health agency or hospice are trying to make its case to a hospital as to why they are the "right" partner, contact Rich Chesney with Healthcare Market Resources via rchesney@healthmr.com or 215-657-7373 to learn about generating these metrics for your situation.