NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TripleCare, a national provider of telemedicine-based healthcare services to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), announced today that the company has been selected to participate in a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) study evaluating the cost effectiveness of telemedicine utilization in SNFs.
The one-year study is intended to assess the benefits of telemedicine-based virtual physician services, which are used to prevent both avoidable nursing-home-to-hospital admissions and readmissions, and to estimate the economic impact on Medicare, Medicaid and the participating SNFs. The TRECS Institute, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving care for seniors while decreasing healthcare costs, is leading and managing the study while TripleCare is providing the virtual physician services.
As one of the nation’s first telemedicine providers, TripleCare brings virtual healthcare services to SNFs during off hours when physician coverage at these facilities is typically lacking or non-existent, such as overnight, during the weekends and on holidays. These are the times when most hospital transfers occur. The company’s network of highly trained physicians perform virtual bedside visits, treating patients in place, using advanced technology, coupled with assistance from SNFs’ on-site nurses. This innovative telemedicine-based approach allows physicians to differentiate from patients that truly need to go to the hospital versus those that can be treated in the SNF. TripleCare’s virtual physician services have proven to aid in avoiding unnecessary hospital transfers.
In this study, made possible through CMS and Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration under the agency’s Civil Money Penalty Grants Program, TripleCare and TRECS are bringing virtual physician services to three Florida-based SNFs, including: Braden River Rehabilitation Center, Bradenton; Tiffany Hall Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, Port St. Lucie; and, Moultrie Creek Nursing and Rehab, St. Augustine.
In a recent, separate TRECS study during which TripleCare provided virtual physician services, both a dramatic improvement in the quality of patient care delivered as well as a significant financial benefit were reported: 91 instances of hospital admissions/readmissions were averted, resulting in more than $1.3 million in savings for Medicare. Additionally, results revealed positive increases in net revenue for the study facility, which significantly exceeded the cost of TripleCare’s services, thereby improving both top- and bottom-line financial performance for the SNF.
“Changes in patients’ conditions often occur in the off hours when physicians are not physically present at SNFs. This is precisely the time when TripleCare’s virtual physician services kick in. Our team of expert physicians nationwide work closely with on-site SNF nurses to immediately address these changes in an attempt to avoid hospitalizations. As a result, these virtual visits are reaping considerable financial savings for SNFs and our nation’s healthcare system. We also afford SNF patients and their families a better care experience and peace of mind, knowing TripleCare is there to offer physician oversight in the off hours,” explained Mary Jo Gorman, chief executive officer at TripleCare.
“We are confident that by the end of this year-long study, results will bear out the many benefits our telemedicine approach affords patients, SNFs and CMS. The healthcare industry is working aggressively to prevent hospitalizations, and for years, TripleCare has successfully directly addressed this through its model. We are currently contracted with more than 60 SNFs nationwide, which is a true testament to the ways we enhance patient care while concurrently helping them control costs,” she concluded.
John Whitman, executive director at TRECS, believes that soon every nursing facility in America will be utilizing virtual physician services. He said: “Studies show that approximately 60-70 percent of all nursing home transfers to the hospital are unnecessary. Sending a vulnerable senior to the hospital only increases their exposure to a wide range of other proven, adverse effects. TRECS and TripleCare have clearly demonstrated a better patient care model that not only reduces avoidable hospitalizations and improves clinical outcomes but also generates positive economic impact for both CMS and participating SNFs.”
About the Agency for Health Care Administration
The Agency for Health Care Administration is committed to better health care for all Floridians. The Agency administers Florida’s Medicaid program, licenses and regulates more than 49,500 health care facilities and 43 health plans, and publishes health care data and statistics at www.FloridaHealthFinder.gov. The Agency oversees the Civil Money Penalty projects approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for Florida projects. These projects are aimed at improving the quality of life and care of nursing home residents. For more information about these projects and how to apply, visit the Agency’s website. Additional information about Agency initiatives is available via Facebook (AHCAFlorida), Twitter (@AHCA_FL) and YouTube (/AHCAFlorida).
About The TRECS Institute
Chalfont, Pa.-based The TRECS Institute (Targeting Revolutionary Elder Care Solutions), founded in 2004, is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving care for seniors nationwide, which reduces costs for the U.S. healthcare system. Since its founding, TRECS has conducted studies and held national summits on topics relating to the nation’s 15,000 nursing facilities in operation, as well as the outlook for the future of America’s nursing home industry.
About TripleCare
New York, N.Y.-based TripleCare is a national provider of telemedicine-based healthcare services to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). The Company brings highly trained physicians to patients’ bedsides, via advanced technology, which enables patients to receive timely interventions when a change of condition occurs. As an experienced telemedicine provider bringing care to patients since 2008, TripleCare is contracted with more than 60 skilled nursing facilities across 11 states. TripleCare’s proven implementation and service approach benefits patients, families, providers and SNFs.
TripleCare was recently identified as a leading telemedicine provider in the post-acute environment by The Advisory Board Company, a healthcare research and consulting firm located in Washington, D.C.
For more information, please visit www.triple.care or follow the Company on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
