Why Telehealth and RPM Matter for Home Health Agencies
In today’s fast-paced healthcare world, telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM) are game-changers for skilled home health agencies. These tools give agencies the power to connect with patients and families remotely, making it easier to provide timely care right in their homes. This proactive approach not only improves patient outcomes but also helps cut down on costly hospital visits. With staffing shortages and financial pressures becoming the new normal, technology like telehealth and RPM is essential for delivering high-quality, efficient care. But here’s the big question: Where are you at risk? Where are you losing money? And where are your outcomes taking a hit?
The Financial Squeeze: How Can Your Agency Survive?
If you’re running a home health agency, you’re likely feeling the financial squeeze. CMS recently proposed a 4.9% cut in payments due to “behavioral adjustment” and “coding creep,” which could force many smaller agencies to be bought up or shut down. On top of that, agencies are turning away 54% of referrals because of staff shortages, making it even harder to provide care when it’s needed most.
And let’s not forget the Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) program, starting in January 2025, which will impact your bottom line based on national performance comparisons. Payments could increase or decrease by up to 5%, depending on how well your agency stacks up against others.
The takeaway: If agencies don’t adapt, financial penalties and reduced referrals will become harder to avoid.
How Telehealth and RPM Can Turn Things Around
So, how can your agency navigate these challenges? Telehealth and RPM are powerful solutions that help agencies stay ahead of problems. By keeping an eye on patients between visits, agencies can catch issues early and reduce hospital readmissions, avoid emergency visits, and better manage ongoing conditions like shortness of breath or medication adherence.
Here’s how telehealth and RPM can improve your bottom line:
> Fewer Skilled Nursing Visits (SNVs): Reducing both planned and unplanned visits makes your agency more profitable per episode.
> Increase Nurse Capacity Without Burnout: RPM helps staff manage more patients efficiently, especially during after-hours and on-call activities.
> Avoid Partial Episode Payments (PEPs) and Low-Utilization Payment Adjustments (LUPAs): RPM ensures you meet CMS visit requirements, preventing loss of full payments.
In short, telehealth and RPM are tools that make you more efficient and effective at delivering care—at a time when every dollar and every outcome counts.
Improve Public Outcomes and Stand Out in the Market
Beyond financial gains, telehealth and RPM help boost your agency’s reputation. Using these tools can improve publicly reported outcomes like quality STAR ratings and patient/caregiver satisfaction scores (HHCAHPS).
Offering telehealth services also helps your agency stand out in a competitive market. Hospitals, doctors, and families will see you as a forward-thinking agency that’s leveraging the latest tools to provide top-notch care.
New Revenue Opportunities: Private Pay and More
Telehealth and RPM aren’t just about improving care—they can also help you open new revenue streams. Offering private pay services for personal care gives your agency a chance to generate more income while keeping patients connected, even when you’re at capacity.
With features like medication reminders, video visits, and biometric monitoring, your agency can help patients stay independent while providing the care they need, all while boosting your financial health.
The Financial Impact of Telehealth and RPM: It Pays for Itself
Let’s get into the numbers. Implementing a telehealth program like BettrAi Virtual Care Management (VCM) costs around $10 per patient per month—a small investment considering the potential return.
> Reduce Just One SNV per Episode: By cutting just one unnecessary Skilled Nursing Visit (which costs about $75), you’ve already covered the cost of the program and increased your episode profitability.
> Maximize Recertifications: Continuous monitoring through RPM provides the data needed to justify recertifications, ensuring patients can stay on service longer when needed.
Not to mention the added marketing and referral benefits that come with offering telehealth. Families feel reassured knowing their loved ones are receiving consistent, cutting-edge care. The family/caregiver and provider apps included with BettrAi also strengthen communication, boosting patient and family satisfaction.
Expanding Beyond Skilled Home Health: RPM for Non-Medical Home Care
The benefits of telehealth and RPM extend beyond skilled home health services. Non-medical home care and personal care services can use these tools to:
> Expand Service Offerings: Open new revenue streams by offering private pay options.
> Keep Patients Connected: Help individuals remain independent at home longer, with tools like medication reminders, video visits, and biometric monitoring.
Hospice Care: Compassionate Support with Telehealth and RPM
For hospice care, telehealth and RPM tools offer a compassionate, supportive way to stay connected with families and patients. Hospice teams can monitor symptoms, manage pain, and provide emotional and spiritual support, ensuring quality of life is maintained even between in-person visits. Families get peace of mind, and patients receive the dignified, compassionate care they deserve.
How BettrAi Can Help Your Agency Thrive
BettrAi’s Virtual Care Management (VCM) program is designed to help skilled home health agencies tackle today’s biggest challenges head-on. Here’s how BettrAi can support your agency:
1. Integrated Biometric Devices: Our platform seamlessly integrates with devices like Tenovi, Clear Arch, Smart Meter, Circul, and Livemetric, giving you access to real-time patient data for timely, proactive interventions.
2. Enhanced Communication and Compliance: BettrAi features bi-directional communication tools for nurses, patients, and families, plus a virtual digital assistant that helps patients stay compliant with care plans and medication reminders.
3. Financial Efficiency: BettrAi helps reduce unnecessary SNVs, avoids PEPs and LUPAs, and increases recertification opportunities, making each care episode more profitable.
4. Boost Patient Satisfaction: Our tools don’t just improve clinical outcomes; they also elevate the patient and caregiver experience, increasing satisfaction scores (HHCAHPS) and improving your agency’s public ratings.
With no additional charge to patients and no need for Medicare reimbursement, BettrAi is a cost-effective solution that pays for itself by reducing unnecessary visits and optimizing care. Plus, the added family/caregiver app provides peace of mind, knowing their loved ones are receiving the best care possible.
BettrAi is more than just a tech tool—it’s a true partner in your agency’s success. Whether you’re looking to improve outcomes, cut costs, or stay ahead of regulatory changes, our Virtual Care Management platform can help. Get in touch today to learn how BettrAi can empower your agency to thrive in the ever-evolving healthcare landscape. Together, let’s shape the future of healthcare—one patient, one family, and one agency at a time.
