Five Ways the In-House Therapy Alliance™ Can Benefit Your SNF
With our partnership, you can enjoy the benefits of in-house therapy, as Seagrove takes the helm providing the expertise and support you need.
In Part 1 of this series, we covered what questions to ask yourself to determine if your existing therapy partner is the right fit. Both rehab models, contract and in-house, have their place in the long-term care industry, and sometimes contract therapy companies are the right fit depending on a SNF’s size, location, and other attributes. However for some, the type of therapy partner who was a great fit last year for your SNF during a time of prosperity, may not be working out well for you today during the reality of a global pandemic and in the post-PDPM landscape.
Our clients have had a different experience from the norm this year. As a member of the In-House Therapy Alliance™, our clients are either already in-house or we previously led them through a conversion to an in-house model. This results in many benefits for them, especially during times of adversity:
Ultimate Control with One Unified Team: With our in-house model, therapists are now part of your facility’s staff and so everyone in your facility is on one team. While we provide day-to-day oversight for therapy staff, having one team all ultimately reporting and responsible to one person (the Administrator) seems to be especially helpful as your team is on the same page. During non-pandemic times, therapy staff employed at an in-house SNF may elect to do outside PRN, but many in-house SNFs are now able to limit their own therapists to only working in their primary facility during this time so they can restrict opportunities for spread in order to benefit the SNF’s safety. We are also hearing from in-house SNF clients who are able to repurpose their therapists to assist in providing other non-skilled services in an effort to back fill some CNA slots when needed. When everyone is all on one team, sharing the load during times of crisis can be a natural behavior within your organization.
Save Time + Reduced Workload: We are known for our expert knowledge and how to adapt in the face of Medicare changes, which saves you time as we do the leg work of tracking industry and regulatory changes, and then we provide the tools and training needed for your staff to understand and operationalize those changes. We reduce your everyday workload as we implement a full-suite of services that cover your therapy program’s operations, provide staffing assistance when needed, and guide your rehab team through virtual and on-site visits to enact change. Meanwhile, with a flat-rate monthly fee, you no longer need to worry about varying contractor bills and annual contract negotiations, and we provide regular progress reports for your executive team that clearly show your return on investment. Speaking of investment…
Save $$ + Make $$: Our In-House Therapy Alliance™ members save tens of thousands and in many cases hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in therapy costs after converting to an in-house model. That is after our flat-rate monthly membership fee, so those are dollars directly recycled back into your facility budget for whatever you choose: physical plant improvements, resident care, staff raises, savings fund… you decide how best to use your savings within the SNF to support your mission and residents.
Patients First: We believe that this model not only helps our partners to be more compliant and profitable, but also puts patients first. How so? Nursing and therapy work in tandem on the same team to deliver patient care without cross purposes. Whereas in the contract model, the contractor generates more revenue per minute on Part B patients than they do on Part A patients, a motive that can compete with the facility’s aims. But by going in-house, you can align the incentives of your therapy department to match those of your facility. In addition, many high quality therapists are attracted to the stability of in-house therapy positions, making it easier for us to staff and retain top talent. With therapists as permanent members of your team, the therapist’s commitment as an employee is to the patient’s home and not a third party business. In addition, typically the in-house clinician is given more autonomy regarding mode of therapy delivered versus being pressured to provide group or concurrent therapy in some contract settings.
Risk Mitigation: By being a monthly member of our In-House Therapy Alliance™, you have access to the compliance expertise you need to reduce risk, as chart audits and regular oversight are already in place for your rehab program. (There was a time historically when facilities used to outsource to contractors in hopes it relinquished responsibility, but federal precedents have been set so that this could be a costly gamble in light of legal settlements where facilities were held liable by CMS should any reason for suit or settlement occur by one’s therapy contractor. So whether you are using a contractor or operating in-house, please be sure regular third-party audits and therapy reviews are occurring to safeguard your facility in light of ever-changing Medicare regulations.)
In this time of pandemic, are you happy with how your therapy partner has been performing? Or looking back would you rather have had the benefits of in-house programs? If you would like to explore your options, we would be happy to take a look at your specific facility and run a complimentary assessment to determine if being part of our In-House Therapy Alliance™ would be financially and operationally beneficial to you and your residents.
Best regards to you, the residents in your care, and your teams,
Mark McDavid, OTR, RAC-CT, CHC
850-532-1334
