LifeSpan Network, a post-acute care provider association in Maryland, announced it is creating a statewide network of skilled nursing facilities. LifeSpan said the network would cover the entire state and link skilled nursing centers, and their electronic health record systems, into a single care management platform.
The nonprofit LifeSpan is the largest senior care provider association in the Mid-Atlantic, representing more than 330 senior care providers in Maryland and the District of Columbia. Its membership include not-for-profit and for-profit facilities providing care and services to seniors across the continuum of care. By using analytics software from Real Time Medical Systems, the new network will cater to the needs of health systems, insurers, ACOs and other organizations to improve quality of care and reduce hospitalizations.
For the first time, LifeSpan said, health systems and insurers will be able to see and compare the outcome results from each SNF and sort the data by time, diagnoses, length of stay, acuity, etc. In addition, case managers will be able to see real-time data as to which patients are at highest risk of a hospital admission and allow collaborative and immediate intervention.
A reduction of SNF related hospitalizations by 50 percent would yield at least a $35 million annual Medicare cost reduction in Maryland, LifeSpan noted. This would be a boon to the preservation of the Maryland Medicare Waiver.
"LifeSpan Network is committed to improving quality in Maryland's skilled nursing facilities. As Maryland continues to redesign its health care delivery system through the Total Cost of Care Model, this partnership is an example of an innovative approach focused on ensuring that residents receive the highest standard of care while at the same time reducing unnecessary costs within the health care system," said LifeSpan CEO Kevin Heffner, in a statement.
