Reed Smith’s Post-Hospitalist Care Conference in 60 Seconds
There has been much talk about the Reed Smith 2014 Washington Health Care Conference that took place in Washington D.C. last month. This year, the entire focus of the conference was on post-hospitalist care and brought together experts and leaders from all over the healthcare industry to weigh in on national policy, episodic care, alternative payment models, post-hospitalist care delivery strategies and investor relations. Along with a keynote address by Dr. Norman Ornstein from the American Enterprise Institute, the Reed Smith 2014 Washington Health Care Conference provided an astounding amount of information and new perspectives on post-hospital care. It was a lot to take in!
I wanted to find a brilliant summary of the Reed Smith conference to share with my colleagues who read the General Medicine blog, but it appears that the conference attendees got so much out of the conference they couldn’t reduce it to a consumable form for the web. I prioritized the most relevant discussions to create a 60-second overview for post-hospitalist care stakeholders. I have no doubt that this will only wet your pallet for more detailed information about the happenings at the conference and there are links to more robust summaries at the bottom of this post for those post-hospitalist care specialists with a more voracious appetite.
Without further adieu, General Medicine presents the Reed Smith 2014 Washington Health Care Conference in 60 seconds:
Bundled payments will require better communication systems in post-hospitalist care.
A prominent discussion was the various alternative payment models in post-hospitalist care, specifically focusing on payment bundling models through CMS’s “triple aim” initiative. There was an emphasis on improving communication in healthcare, and panel members gestured toward technological innovation in communication systems within and between care settings to obtain these measures.
CMS payment bundles may limit the quality of post-hospitalist care.
Several experts expressed caution that post-hospitalist care may suffer due to CMS payment bundles. There was concern that this model did not provide a system of accountability that would encourage quality patient care.
Private equity is hesitant to invest in post-hospitalist care without guaranteed reimbursements.
Jay Barnes, Senior VP for Healthcare Investment Banking at Jeffries LLC, provided a financial perspective on payment bundles. He explained that the private equity market does not exist in post-hospitalist care because of the challenges that an unpredictable future of reimbursement presents.
Policy regarding post-hospitalist care is slow to change due to the political system.
There have been many recent debates in Congress regarding post-hospitalist care and how to accommodate the various stakeholders while maintaining a level playing field. While interest from the government is a positive sign, disagreement at the level of policy-making has slowed the process of initiative.
For a more detailed account of the Reed Smith 2014 Washington Health Care Conference focusing on post-hospitalist care, take some time to review its website. If you are interested in learning more about how General Medicine can help with your post-hospitalist care facility contact us today.
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