What Should You Do With Referral Data?
Recently, we posted about The Essential Role of Data in SNF Success. We know that data shows you the truth of your situation, can help drive strategic decisions and can help you target the right referral sources. Now, let’s get more specific.
For skilled nursing facilities, being known for specialty services means the opportunity for more desirable referrals. How do you use data to determine the highest-priority specialty services for your marketplace?
Examine market data and find specialty providers who can offer services on-site, such as cardiologists, pulmonologists, respiratory therapists and nephrologists.
Compile outcomes data and use it to enhance your relationships with preferred networks, ACOs, hospital referral sources, Medicare Advantage plans, I-SNPs, IE-SNPs and other key partners.
Gain a Competitive Advantage
Once you determine what the market needs, who can help you provide the services and what your referral sources and payers are looking for, you can formulate and execute a more specific plan. Ultimately, these specialty programs will lead to a competitive advantage.
Your census will grow as you partner with physicians, insurance companies, and hospitals to create specialized clinical programs.
Discharge planners will begin to recommend your facility for its specialties.
Others in the care process will take notice, leading to additional referrals.
What types of specialty programs are there?
As you analyze your data, you’ll find opportunities for improving existing services and identify diagnoses where there is a tremendous need. For example, there may be a need for renal care, trach care, pulmonology, cardiology, behavior care or memory care in your marketplace.
Understand Why You Don’t Accept Certain Referrals
Look closely at the patients you currently can’t take and categorize them carefully. What, specifically, was it about the referral that you couldn’t handle? Put specific codes and notes in your systems for the reasons why these patients couldn’t be accepted. This will help your tracking and data reporting efforts.
Build Better Relationships
Sophisticated referral data helps SNFs of all sizes show value to hospitals and health care systems within ACOs and managed care organizations. The depth of data can greatly enhance SNF provider status when meeting with large hospital centers.
Get the Help You Need
Fischer Health Care Consulting helps operators utilize referral data, star ratings, readmission rates and length of stay information to create better partnerships and pay-for-performance programs. We can also help you manage KPIs and outcomes data. Ultimately, this process will help you navigate hospital and insurance company preferred networks, ACOs and bundled payments.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation.