The new year means the roll out of Patient-Driven Groupings Model (PDGM). It’s the biggest change in Medicare’s payment methodology for home healthcare since the home health Prospective Payment System (PPS) was implemented and, like PPS, means that providers have to make significant changes to their operations under the new rules. What will it take for home healthcare agencies to succeed in providing value-driven care while meeting the pressures that come with PDGM? Collaboration with teams from different departments, organizations and at different sites. Let’s break it down.

Closely coordinate across all departments.

Under PDGM, the home health industry is faced with the challenge of meeting reduced payment periods and delivering quality care. In order to rise to this challenge, agencies will need to be synchronized across all areas—from intake to care management to coding and billing. That way miscommunications between the departments are unlikely to occur, slowing down operations or resulting in errors.

Collaborate with outside organizations and therapists.

Agencies will have to conduct even more thorough patient assessments to ensure that the proper treatment and payment for that treatment is met under PDGM. Collecting complete patient health histories involves collaborating with multiple teams, including hospitals and doctors that have provided care for the patient. PDGM’s new approach to reimbursements and therapy will likely result in fewer therapy visits for patients. This means that agencies should consult with therapists to make sure that patients get the services they need, and to discuss how home health aides can conduct basic tasks at home in between the therapy agencies.

Use technologies to communicate on-the-move.

The home health industry faces the challenge of a team that’s regularly on the move, making it difficult to bring everybody into the same room for education, training, meetings and other kinds of communications. That’s why collaboration will require using technologies like HIPAA-Compliant communication tools to keep everyone in the loop.

With the right tools, collaborating to meet PDGM requirements doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Vaporstream provides agencies with a HIPAA-Compliant Communications tool that lets them easily and quickly communicate—whether to discuss a care plan, handle administrative tasks, or coordinate with another care team member. VS Concierge lets home healthcare agencies easily send documents, images and files that can automatically be sent to EHR or a billing system, speeding up workflows and freeing up care team members. Learn more about how we can help you collaborate here.