by Steve Haar | Feb 27, 2023 | CEO, Referral Management, technology
SHAREThere are many steps to patient admissions, and the process can get bogged down at anyone of them. Unfortunately, for most organizations, there is insufficient access to information to uncover what needs to be done to address issues or even where those issues reside. Often, organizations are not collecting the data in the first place. One reason organizations don’t collect data is the nature of their admissions process. Spreading communications across email, text messages, paper forms, and faxes create an…
by Steve Haar | Jan 27, 2023 | Palliative Care
SHAREJanuary 2023 (2022 overview) We released the first Hospitality Index in Q3 last year, explaining the components of the index. In short, 2022 saw relatively steady admissions for hospice care, with a bump in the last half of the year for smaller facilities. This Release OF HAI and HAVS Stable Admissions Index Level On a broad basis, monthly hospice admissions were relatively level in 2022. The overall index range ran from a low of 94(July) to a high of 115…
by Steve Haar | Dec 12, 2022 | healthcare workers
SHAREHealthcare companies are almost uniformly facing staffing issues. The understaffed positions range throughout the organization. While some areas are having a harder time with doctors, nurses, & PAs, others are struggling with maintenance and administrative roles. Many unfortunate organizations are having a hard time across the board. Healthcare leaders are seeking ways to mitigate staffing shortages. Some are working on short-term solutions for their organizations, while others are taking action to curb staffing shortages in the long run. Their efforts…
by Steve Haar | Nov 29, 2022 | Hospice, technology
SHARE Virtual Intake Portal (VIP) is a service created by SMARTMD to manage the admissions process for hospice organizations. Where other tools and approaches to admissions were created to address a part of the process, VIP is a ground-up solution. SMARTMD asked, “if we created a process from scratch, based on technology available today, what would hospice admissions look like?”. This approach is founded on the concept of DigitalTransformation (DT). Admissions teams using VIP have reported cutting a couple of…
by Steve Haar | Sep 16, 2022 | CEO, Hospice
SHARE Hospice Admissions Index & Volatility Scores Relatively Flat Index Mask Market Volatility What is The Hospice Admissions Index and Volatility Score Hospice Admissions Index (HAI) measures the relative monthly change in the broad hospice facilities’ admissions. The participating hospices are part of the SMARTMD Palliative CRM Virtual Intake Portal (VIP). To be included in the HAI, a facility must be part of VIP continuously for the entire measurement period. While the HAI looks at the aggregate change, the Hospice…
by Steve Haar | Aug 10, 2022 | CEO
SHARE For all the discussion of technology, telehealth, and pharma in healthcare, the universal challenge is the workforce shortage. Facilities across the globe struggle to find and keep staff in all areas of the organization. Any solution will require healthcare executives to support long-term industry initiatives while managing the impact of current staffing shortages on their respective organizations. The Impact Of Healthcare Workforce Shortages Every day there are new articles about the impact of workforce shortages in the healthcare industry. …
by Steve Haar | Jul 27, 2022 | CEO
SHARE Digital transformation (DT) is more than a fad, it is a business necessity. It is easy to stick with what you have been doing in the near term. Since most companies have not implemented DT, the competitive landscape will be static. This masks the threat of not developing plans and implementing DT over the long term. Why Digital Transformation? Since the rise of the internet, people have envisioned a state of operations that, until recently, technology and culture could…
by Steve Haar | Jul 19, 2022 | Hospice
SHARE Compliance is a significant concern within healthcare, adhering to government and insurance requirements. For hospice, where employee turnover is at the highest level in years, ensuring continuity of care and compliance provides a challenge for organizations across the country. Finding ways to maintain compliance means exploring new tools and processes. Risk of Employee Turnover The more a process depends on the memory of individuals and intervention or manual activity, the greater the risk posed by employee turnover. In most…
by Steve Haar | Jun 27, 2022 | Hospice
SHARE Digital transformation is a process of adopting technology to improve all facets of a business. Ideally, engaging in digital transformation involves a long-term view of the operations. But, as hospice is challenged with staffing issues, it is vital to consider ways to improve efficiency and reduce the burden on staff to make each member of the team more productive. Done properly, digital transformation can mitigate the disruption that takes place in the event of turnover. Hospice organizations are facing…
by Steve Haar | Jun 15, 2022 | Hospice
SHARE Hospice facilities & organizations have faced significant challenges over the past few years, as seen throughout healthcare. Adopting new procedures and technology to address the issues of the pandemic, changing federal guidelines, and a host of other issues need to be managed. Chief among the concerns is the lack of qualified hospice professionals and knowledgeable healthcare providers. The challenge of education, training, and the burden it puts on hospice resources is being addressed in a number of ways. Hospice…
