How Virtual Care Can Protect Your SNF’s Reputation

It’s no secret that staffing shortages are complicating care at skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) like never before.

While overtime can address short-term needs, the expectation for long-term shortages will result in staff burnout, increased turnover, and the possibility of restricting new admissions, impacting your organization clinically, financially, and reputationally.

However, by looking to lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, SNF leaders can implement virtual care strategies to reduce the strain on existing staff, all while ensuring superior care.

Telehealth Services Fill the Gap

Access to a physician with the skill set required to evaluate and treat SNF escalations virtually provides:

• Increased treatment decision support
• Reduced stress on existing staff

And while there are many telehealth services available, SNFs gain the most value from a combination of technology and physician expertise when documentation and care coordination are enhanced by telehealth support.

This requires a solution that fully integrates with the SNF electronic health record (EHR) to provide the information necessary to understand the resident’s needs, as well as the ability to easily document in the EHR.

Why an Integrated Virtual Care Solution Matters

When virtual care is part of the EHR, access to and documentation of the visit is part of the normal workflow, requiring just one click to reach the appropriate clinician.

Even better?

This integration eliminates the need for manual charting.

But that’s not all.

Below, we explore the far-reaching benefits of an EHR-integrated virtual care solution.

Reduced Costly Hospital Readmissions

After-hours access to a qualified network of physicians can reduce readmissions considerably. Because the SNF nurse can treat residents in place with the assistance of a telehealth physician in 96% of cases, fewer residents return to the hospital.

Ensured Compliance

Full EHR integration ensures records and notes are complete and included in the resident’s records, providing an audit trail to meet compliance and claims filing requirements.

Improved Staff Morale

When staff can reach highly skilled clinicians quickly and connect them with residents in under five minutes, uncertainty is eliminated. This not only increases staff confidence in their ability to handle resident needs at night, but also helps staff build skills to treat more residents in place.

Protect SNF Reputation

Enhancing your SNF’s ability to care for residents at all hours of the day improves care and helps the facility avoid negative surveys, references, and incidents.

This level of care can also help differentiate your SNF in a competitive marketplace, solidifying your facility as a provider committed to providing safe, quality care for patients.