Prioritizing partners across the continuum.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Health Services Research
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Healthcare reform emphasizes value-based care and reduced readmissions.
• Effective collaboration across the care continuum is crucial for patient outcomes and cost reduction.
• Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) sought to strengthen partnerships with skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a tool for prioritizing SNF partners for collaboration.
• To identify SNFs with mutual interests in improving quality and reducing costs.
• To strategically allocate resources and enhance care coordination.

Main Methods:

• Developed a Collaborative Partner Prioritization Tool using six variables.
• Variables included patient volume, readmission rates, quality ratings, medical director affiliation, physician presence, and program participation.
• Assessed SNFs based on these criteria to identify top-tier partners.

Main Results:

• Approximately 70% of LVHN patients utilized 20 SNFs for post-inpatient care.
• Five SNFs were identified as
• Tier 1 Facilities
• based on the prioritization tool.
• LVHN increased physician presence and provided EMR access to Tier 1 SNFs, initiating collaborative projects.

Conclusions:

• The Collaborative Partner Prioritization Tool effectively identifies and prioritizes SNF partners.
• Strategic collaboration with SNFs improves care quality, reduces costs, and aligns with healthcare policy shifts.
• Ongoing adaptation of the tool is necessary as the post-acute market evolves.