As value-based care becomes more prevalent in rehabilitative therapy, practice owners and clinicians may find themselves wondering:
- How they can make the most of their data
- How they can satisfy patients and payers
- How they can innovate to form more valuable patient relationships
Additionally, the industry shift to telehealth therapy services in the past year has left many wondering how they can maximize the value of these services going forward.
To help you answer these questions, we recently sat down with three industry experts to explore their perspectives on how to maximize growth and improve patient care through value-based care models. Here are the key takeaways from our conversation.
Empower patients with data
Value-based care requires meticulous attention to both qualitative and quantitative performance metrics, such as patient experiences and functional improvements. This valuable data can help your practice attract and retain patients by demonstrating the effectiveness and quality of your services before patients even step foot in your practice.
Marla Ranieri, Chief Development Officer at BetterPT, explains, "All of this data will be more accessible and available to your patients, especially in the digital world. So patients will be making informed decisions on where to go for their care, and the data that you've provided will be able to show the best value for the patient."
David McMullan, Senior Vice President of Customer Success at Casamba, elaborates on this, explaining that patients want more than just the data you use to defend yourself for reimbursement. Using patient experience data, "Your patients are going to want to see, 'Oh my gosh, it was so easy to get in and be seen. I love the relationships,'" he says. With data to prove these strong patient relationships, you can be someone that your patients go back to when their daughter then sprains their ankle or their mother now is not doing as well in the skilled nursing facility.
By using your value-based care data to stand out, your practice can reach new patients and expand services within your existing patient base.
Telehealth is your new front door
For rehabilitative therapy practices, telehealth presents an innovative opportunity to expand your services, reach new customers faster and increase patient compliance. Marla elaborates, "It's been proven that the quicker a patient seeks out and receives early treatment for their injury or disablement, the better they do with the results. So, telehealth lets patients access you quicker and faster."
This shift also opens up the door to increase patient compliance and retention through recorded sessions. Marla continues, "I believe audio and video recordings are going to be used more in the future than they are right now. When you have a patient who can't remember their session, they can review the video to see themselves and watch your cues. You're also able to give the recording a family member and that family member can help the patient adhere to their program."
Additionally, patients who may not be able to come to the office three times per week for their treatment program can use telehealth to supplement their in-person visits. This flexibility will increase program compliance and, subsequently, improve patient outcomes within the value-based care model.
Diversify Your Reach
The truth is, there are only so many referral sources to go around — but that doesn't mean there is a lack of people in need of rehabilitative therapy services. Technology can help you take advantage of direct access channels (online sources, gyms, health centers, etc.) and reach more patients when and where they need your help most.
Marla continues, "Patients should be able to see what you are offering with just the click of a button, including available times for your different services, such as PT, home safety evaluations, performance assessments and post-COVID recovery programs. With digital tools, the patient can put all their information in, and your clinic can process their intake information digitally. If you are not thinking about making it easy for a patient to access your care and easy to deliver that care, then you're really leaving money on the table."
Luis Montes, Co-Founder & Managing Partner at HealthTek Consulting Group, reminds us that there are opportunities for referring partners outside of the traditional post-op or orthopedic realms as well.
"I've seen some very good collaborations between the skilled side, especially within home healthcare. For example, agencies are partnering with therapy companies to provide therapy under Medicare part A benefits while patients are in skilled home health care services. Then, when the patient's discharged from skilled home healthcare, that therapy can continue with benefits from Medicare part B," he says.
Thinking outside of traditional referring channels can help you maximize your revenue and provide valuable care to patients you might not otherwise reach.
Growing in 2021 and beyond
The world of rehabilitative therapy is changing; practices that are willing to embrace new technology and explore new channels will improve both their revenue and their patient outcomes within the value-based care model.
For more expert insights on how to grow your practice with value-based care, check out our full webinar, Is Your Therapy Practice Leaving Money on the Table?, where panelists Marla, David, and Luis dive into each of these topics in-depth.
