Reverse Your Outlook On Healthcare

A palindrome reads the same backwards as forward. This video reads the exact opposite backwards as forward. Not only does it read the opposite, the meaning is the exact opposite. This is only a 1 minute, 44 second video and it is brilliant. Make sure you read as well as listen…forward and backward.

This is a video that was submitted in a contest by a 20-year old. The contest was titled “u @ 50″ by AARP. This video won second place. When they showed it, everyone in the room was awe-struck and broke into spontaneous applause. So simple and yet so brilliant. Take a minute and watch it. Then apply the concept to healthcare reform? Enjoy!

Kissito Healthcare Mentioned in White Paper Regarding Bundled Payments

While bundled payments is not a new concept in the discussion of healthcare reform, it found its way back to the front burner in December 2008 when the US Congressional Budget Office (CBO) proposed new ways to reduce federal healthcare spending to the House and the Senate.

Introduced nearly 30 years ago, bundled payments would essentially provide one payment to Acute Care Hospitals (ACHs) for both acute and post acute services and allow the ACH to determine the amount of post acute care a patient needs and the most cost effective care provider. Under this scenario, the CBO estimates a $0.7 billion reduction in federal outlays between 2010 and 2014 and by 2019 they estimate a reduction of almost $19 billion.

The reintroduction of the concept raises many questions for ACHs, long term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), home health agencies, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs) and how they will be reimbursed for treating Medicare recipients. Also questioning this potential manner of reform are the lawmakers.

In a recent white paper entitled “To Bundle or Not To Bundle: Lawmakers Explore the Question,” released by three attorneys at McGuire Woods, LLP, Jason S. Greis, R. Brent Rawlings, and J. Brian Jackson explore the questions that the implementation of bundled payments raise. The three comprehensively explain the concept, its history, and how it would affect the various types of acute and post acute facilities from the time of implementation through 2019 when the reform measure will reach the outcome envisioned by the CBO.

They further investigate the questions industry leaders are raising, the pros and cons of the option and what companies are doing now in preparation for the proposed legislation. An interview with Tom Clarke, President & CEO of Kissito Healthcare resulted in the explanation that “[s]ome organizations have already begun planning for the bundling trend by creating integrated post-acute care and senior living campuses with a full array or long-term care services, or by developing post-acute care facilities capable of catering to more acutely ill patients in more cost-effective settings.” Kissito Post Acute is one of said organizations in that its “SNF facilities provide ventilator weaning programs, which are commonly found in LTACHs, while achieving comparable clinical outcomes and Medicare costs savings.”

Kissito Post Acute, a division of Kissito Healthcare, prides itself on remaining patient-centered and physician-driven. Existing for the care and betterment of human life, Kissito Post Acute realizes the current paths patients take from hospital to home and redefines that, attempting to eliminate many of the unnecessary trips to various types of facilities. Their Collaborative Patient Care Model™ fosters the best environment for successful outcomes. This unique, industry-leading approach involves partners in a cohesive team that enables patients to return to their lives and function at the highest level.

Yuma, Arizona

Palm View located in Yuma, AZ is a 143-bed facility offering rehabilitative therapy and long term services for residents with moderate to complex medical conditions, and a secured unit for Alzheimer’s care for residents with dementia.

• Private and semi-private rooms

• Medical Rehabilitation services include Speech, Occupational, and Physical Therapy

• Medically Complex Patient Case Mix

• Physician Driven, Patient Centered Post Acute Model producing improved quality outcomes

• Electronic Medical Record with remote access for physicians

• Empowering patient and family education program

• Aggressive post acute return to home program

• Quality long term care services

• Secure Alzheimer-Dementia Unit

• Memory Care Programming

Accolades
Arizona Health Care Association Certified Nursing Assistant of the Year 2008 — Co winner of statewide award.

National Association of Healthcare Assistants Best Attitude Award 2008 — Recognized for Employee of the Year.

Arizona Department of Health Services — Ranked “Excellent” on the Quality Performance Scale with a score of 100% across all categories.

Employer of the Year 2006 — Award for excellence by Yuma County.

Contact Info:
Kissito Healthcare Palm View
2222 South Avenue A
Yuma, AZ 85364
928.783.8831
kissitohealthcarepalmview.org

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Collaborative Care Pathways – Patient Management Tool

Clinical Pathways, also referred as Integrated Care Pathways, Pathways of Care, Collaborative Care Pathways, are structured, multidisciplinary plans of care designed to support the implementation Read more

Care Transitions, a Key to Reducing Hospital Readmissions

Who We Are

Kissito Post Acute is defining the next generation of short-term transitional healthcare through its innovative rehabilitation centers. Our Collaborative Post Acute Care Model^™ is physician driven and patient-centered and fosters an enhanced care environment and improved outcomes. This unique, industry-leading approach engages partners in a cohesive team, enabling patients to return to their lives and function at the highest level possible.

We have 9 facilities in Texas, Arizona and Virginia and are diligently studying and researching a single point of entry model to further enhance our Collaborative Post Acute Care Model^™ and our ability to improve outcomes and quality in the healthcare delivery system. We are currently developing more collaborative partnerships with Long Term Acute Care Hospitals and Home Health Agencies to provide a Total Post Acute Solution in several of our locations. All of our facilities provide speech, occupational, and physical therapy, long term care extensive nursing, and promote  aggressive return to home therapy programs based on systems and processes that help reduce hospital readmissions and mortality rates in both the acute and post acute setting.

Kissito Post Acute is a division of the Kissito Healthcare Family. This not-for-profit organization includes Kissito Post Acute, Kissito Long Term Care and Kissito International.

Patient Caregiver Solutions

• Provide innovative, leading-edge skilled nursing and rehabilitation services
• Member of the Clinical Team visits each patient at the hospital to conduct an initial assessment and provides joint case management for a safe transition
• Collaborative Care Pathways™ Driven by Patient Centered Goals
• Employ various activities to increase the patient’s strength and enable him/her to maintain independence
• Commitment to following each patient through every step of his/her care in regaining independence and getting back to living life to the fullest
• Formulary Management, Therapeutic Interchanges, and On-Site Pharmacy Programs
• 24X7 Patient CareLine addressing Disease Red Flags, Medication Administration, and Patient Questions
• Enhanced Nurse Staffing Model which provides more direct care hours
• Comprehensive patient and caregiver education through Transition U
• Private medical rehabilitation suites with hotel-like amenities
• Assist patients, caregivers, and families in the transition to home & provide continuity of care after patient is discharged to home

Physician Solutions

• Practice support through onsite Nurse Practitioners
• Clinical Pathways provide uniform assessment
• High staffing ratios of skilled nurses augment professional physician interactions
• Greater patient satisfaction leading to enhanced physician-patient relationships
• SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Reccomendation) patient change in condition communication system
• HL-7 compliant Electronic Health Record accessible 24/7 with secure remote access
• Ongoing staff competency and skills training program alleviates failures to recognize red flags early.

Payer Solutions

• 
• Post Acute risk management under capitation payments
• Hospitalization alternative for Advantage Plans/Managed Care Plans
• Comprehensive Payment solutions by integrating traditional functional silos into a single entity
• Benchmarked clinical care and outcomes
• Cost effective solutions through Evidence-based practices
• Incorporating Physician services into our acute-post acute integrated model

Hospital Solutions

• 
• Comprehensive, coordinated and collaborative care planning to minimize risk of rehospitalizations
• Large-scale savings under the proposed Bundled Payment Reform through fully integrated capitated setting
• Tailored interventions to reduced hospital readmission rates and to avoid economic losses under healthcare reforms
• Reduced cost through Post Acute management of Hospital Acquired Conditions
• Continuum of care across care settings to enhance patients outcomes
• HL7 Electronic Health Record interface

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