How can home health and hospice organizations apply data to provide better patient care? What if data-driven predictive modeling could define with a high degree of certainty that a patient was on the verge of hospitalization … or pinpoint when a patient would die? What do future opportunities look like as artificial intelligence and machine learning make predictive modeling even more accurate and able to adjust predictions in real time as risk factors change? In this episode, Elliott Wood – president and CEO of Medalogix – and Stan Massey discuss these impactful topics and more. With Medalo ..read more

Sometimes it’s good to put two “like minds” in a room and get them talking. You don’t have to ask us twice! Transcend’s Stan Massey and Tony Kudner sit down for a free-flowing conversation about the biggest trends in home-based care over the last 10 to 15 years, and discuss what skills might serve providers well in the years to come. With much of Transcend’s research, we aim to have a discrete point of view and easily digestible takeaways. We want to ensure our insights and thoughts align with our philosophy and perspectives on home-based care so we can pass useful ideas on to our clients and ..read more

Sometimes it’s good to put two “like minds” in a room and get them talking. You don’t have to ask us twice! Transcend’s Stan Massey and Tony Kudner sit down for a free-flowing conversation about the biggest trends in home-based care over the last 10 to 15 years, and discuss what skills might serve providers well in the years to come. With much of Transcend’s research, we aim to have a discrete point of view and easily digestible takeaways. We want to ensure our insights and thoughts align with our philosophy and perspectives on home-based care so we can pass useful ideas on to our clients and ..read more

Data is becoming increasingly engrained and revered in the world of healthcare. And, indeed, data is vitally important in improving medical science, measuring outcomes and proving the value of specific processes. Yet, as data continues to grow in priority, that emphasis can cause patients to feel like a number in an ever-expanding sea of numbers. Going back to Hippocrates, medicine was designed to treat people, not just diseases. In fact, one of the main principles of the Hippocratic Oath centers on respect for the patient’s autonomy. So how do healthcare providers retain the humanity and dign ..read more

Value is more than a buzzword in home-based care these days. Agencies know that payers, policymakers and consumers are all expecting it in the care they provide. But where should a hospice or home care agency start when thinking about how to demonstrate that value? How do you create a value proposition when there isn’t yet a roadmap for doing so? It all begins with taking a step back and defining exactly who you’re trying to prove value to: Is it the payer? Is it a health system? Perhaps a patient and their caregiver? Once you’ve truly defined your audience, the rest can start to fall into pla ..read more

A financially viable home-based palliative care model is driven by appropriate practices, processes and logistics. A big part of establishing successful parameters comes from starting with a sensible staffing model. What are the right roles in a palliative care start-up? How should a provider schedule patient visits? What’s the proper mix of in-person visits versus support by phone or virtual video visits? How does the right level of patient care translate into manageable caseloads for clinicians and social workers? How can providers make sure services are covered by reimbursement? In this sec ..read more

Most healthcare providers – especially providers of care at patients’ homes – started their organizations offering one particular service line. Whether that original service was home health, hospice, private duty nursing or something else, many organizations felt the need to expand their services and engage with patients for more needs over longer periods of time. When these organizations added even one more service, they often began to talk about their “continuum of care.” But how expansive should a continuum be? How can agencies know what service lines to add and when to make the expansions ..read more

Due to the historically weak reimbursement stream from CMS for palliative care, providers often have been conflicted with providing this undeniably helpful service and staying out of the red while doing so. Some hospice providers started their palliative care service line with the mindset that it would be a “loss leader” – they expected to lose money on the service but hoped to build relationships with patients and families sooner, convert them to their hospice care as early as appropriate, and make up for the loss through stronger hospice census and LOS. For most providers, things didn’t real ..read more

Most providers of home care are struggling with major staffing shortages – especially among nurses, CNAs and social workers. The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a new era of professionals reevaluating their careers, resulting in massive job changes and even “the Great Resignation.” Turnover among many healthcare providers is at record levels. Recently, Transcend Strategy Group and MAC Legacy partnered in a national research project to explore what healthcare workers look for in their careers so employers can be more effective with recruitment and retention. According to the research results, 30 p ..read more

It’s no secret that most seniors in America want to maintain their independence for as long as possible. In fact, according to the Disabled Living Foundation, the majority of seniors say they fear losing their independence more than they fear death. For many, a main hallmark of independence is being able to age in place. A survey by AARP revealed that 90% of Americans age 65 and over want to stay in their home and 80% believe their current residence is where they will live until they die. Other statistics show 27% of seniors currently live alone – and that number is projected to keep growing a ..read more