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Author: Alora Home Health Software

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the healthcare sector and the businesses that operate within it consistently since its onset. At ALORA, we continue to serve our customers & partners at the highest level. In this blog we outline some of the things we are doing to ensure business continuity, employee safety, and customer service through the challenges the Coronavirus continues to present...

New Study Shows Duration of Average Home Health Care Visits Indicates Direct Correlation to Future Hospital Admissions in Patients

 

Home Health NewsIn the past few years, the conclusion of most experts seems unanimous that patients receiving home health care exhibit a lower tendency to go to emergency rooms and require hospitalization. This also reduces costs for the government, states, private insurers, and the patients themselves due to soaring hospitalization costs. New data digs a little further on the topic, citing that the length of the actual home health visits on a case by case basis, can actually influence the chances of hospitalization and re-hospitalization. A study revealed that home health and homecare visits with lengths of time spanning from one minute above recorded averages and up, may in fact be tied to lower hospital readmission rates on a national basis. The study’s findings are significant in that they suggest that the quality, length and quantity of what services are provided to patients during home health visits have a large impact on patient outcomes and economic bottom lines. In other words, one minute here and there dedicated to extra care, diagnosis, and services, can prevent hours and days of re-hospitalization and the costs that accompany it.

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Study Indicates African American Patients Receiving Home Health Care Yield Higher Re-hospitalization Statistics

 

[caption id="attachment_15211" align="alignleft" width="300"]Homecare News Homecare visits and Re-hospitilazation[/caption]

More than 12 million people annually receive home health care services in the United States. A large percentage of these patients are considered elderly (above the age of 60). Home health care agencies afford families and individuals the convenience of treatment and monitoring within their homes for a variety of different ailments and conditions. Often times these homecare services occur on the heels of major surgeries or short and long term hospitalizations. A group of researchers at the University of Missouri recently conducted a study that suggests that within the larger group of elderly patients receiving home care following hospitalization, the sub-group of racial and ethnic minorities (in particular African Americans) may be at greater risk of returning to the hospital or emergency room (ER), compared those with the ethnicity of non-Hispanic whites.

The Power of Simplicity

 

Choosing a Home Health Software that Works for Your Agency

 

Is it mobile responsive? Will I be able to collect caregiver and patient signatures electronically? Can I complete visit notes on or offline? Does it have EVV?  How many licenses do I need? Does it handle skilled care? Will it handle non-skilled homecare? How many features does it have? How expensive is it going to be? Can it handle multiple business lines? Does it have Telephony? Will it work for Private Duty? Can I use it for Hospice? Is the support free? What is the onboarding process? Do I have to sign a contract? Can it bill for all payers? Is it easy to learn? Is it easy to use for caregivers? Will it work for Home Health Aide visits?

These are just SOME of the questions you might be thinking about as you begin your search for the best Home Health Software for your agency. Maybe your agency has just opened, or you could be established with multiple branches...in either case, some of your core questions are still the same.

Mobile Ready Home Health Software Home health and home care agencies no longer need to invest in devices for caregivers. Alora’s entire platform is optimized for tablets and smart phones as well as computers. With this announcement, Alora software's entire platform, which covers front-line clinical care, back-office...

As EVV Mandates Approached - Lawmakers Wanted More Time

EVV extensionIn the last few years, several states in the U.S have implemented mandated EVV not only to reduce fraud, but to keep tighter controls on how homecare visits are conducted and funded. The 21st Century Cures Act, which is an over 6 billion dollar conglomerate of legislation enacted as law under the Obama administration, basically states that Medicaid-reimbursed home care providers nationally must begin implementing approved EVV systems prior to Jan. 1, 2019. U.S. lawmakers then introduced legislation to delay this implementation of electronic visit verification (EVV) in home care by at least one additional year.