Naughty or Nice: How SNF Software Stacks Up

You’re making your list of possible therapy management software and checking it twice. But how do you know if your skilled nursing facility (SNF) software is naughty or nice?

While therapy management software isn’t as simple as choosing between a present or a lump of coal this season, finding the right solution for your business isn’t as complicated as you may think. When you strip away the bells and whistles, effective SNF therapy software will shine in four main areas:

1. Security
2. Interoperability 
3. Responsiveness
4. Reliability 

Here’s everything you need to know to put your SNF therapy software on the nice or naughty list this year. 

Nice: Heightened Security for Patients and Therapists

Healthcare data security is an essential component of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Rules. In particular, the HIPAA Security Rule requires skilled nursing facilities, assisted living facilities, and hospitals to assess data security controls by conducting routine risk assessments.¹ Similarly, facilities must implement a risk management program to address any possible vulnerabilities and enforce the appropriate administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of health information protected within the EMR.² 

Unfortunately, the American Journal of Nursing has reported that cyberattacks on healthcare organizations are on the rise, with 83 percent of those recently surveyed citing an increase in data breaches over the past year.³ For your therapy management software to land on the nice list, heightened security is a must. Highly configurable management systems help meet your organization’s unique requirements for SNFs while improving staff efficiency and boosting data security.⁴    

Naughty: Limited Interoperability Between Systems

SNF and assisted living facility EMR software was built to favor a vitals or medication-based system, not to provide therapy-centered documentation. However, details such as functional improvement and time spent per patient are critical for patient retention and reimbursement. For a skilled nursing facility to provide quality care to each patient—and remain compliant—therapy management software must be easily integrated with the existing SNF EMR.

Naughty SNF therapy solutions feature limited interoperability between systems, while nice software can integrate with common SNF EMRs, such as PointClickCare, MatrixCare, AHT, and more. Simplified interoperability grants nurses instant access to patient therapy information and allows therapists to constructively capture the documentation, codes, and billing necessary to demonstrate functional improvement and receive compensation for their efforts.

Nice: Improved Responsiveness for Precise Billing 

Adjusting to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) has been a major pain point for skilled nursing facilities. As a replacement for the previous RUG-IV system, updates to common billing practices have left some facilities scratching their heads to understand the new method of calculating reimbursement. SNFs who have been over-delivering therapy can be left unpaid for services provided beyond the reimbursement level for each resident, and those who have under-delivered may experience poor patient outcomes and potential Medicare audits.⁵

Therapy management software with improved responsiveness can help optimize the reimbursement your facility is due and support precise billing. Proactive regulatory readiness provides facilities with the education and resources they need to tackle industry changes, such as PDPM, months in advance. These features of nice software options help safeguard your facility’s ability to be compliant and thrive. 

Naughty: Unreliable Workflows and Business Insights

With patient and facility performance alike, a lack of data insights makes it difficult to determine a baseline for improvement. Not to mention, unreliable workflows, issues in scheduling, and gaps in documentation can complicate operational decisions. Therapy software that lacks business insights and clear-cut, customizable workflows is sure to get a lump of coal this season.

In comparison, friendly reporting and comprehensive business intelligence tools power actionable insights which can lead to improved operational outcomes. Nice SNF therapy management software provides access to real-time key performance indicators (KPIs), as well as the industry’s best clinical content library and flexible mobility — both on and offline. 

What’s On Your Wish List This Year?

If all you want this holiday season is a reliable therapy management software option that allows therapists to focus on improving patient care and outcomes, Net Health has the solution for you. Optima Therapy for SNFs provides contract therapy companies, skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), assisted living facilities (ALFs), and continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) with the industry’s leading therapy management software for scheduling, billing, compliance, business insights, and more. 

Schedule your free demo today for a therapy management solution that’s sure to put your facility on every patient’s nice list this year. 

References

1,2. HIPAA Journal, “Healthcare Data Security,” Dec. 7, 2020. 
3. American Journal of Nursing, “NewsCAP: Cyberattacks on health care organizations are increasing,” Oct. 2019.  
4. Net Health, “Data Sheet: Optima Therapy for SNFs,” Dec. 2020. 
5. Net Health, “Understanding the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM),” Dec. 2020.