Why it's important to pick healthcare partners carefully

by Anthony Cirillo Working on both sides of the aisle so to speak, I get to see the best and the worst of both the hospital world and the long-term care world. And recently long-term care has gotten beaten up, more so than usual. Hospital folks you need to take note because increasingly you are looking for partners in skilled nursing, rehabilitation and assisted living who can provide high-quality care while reducing readmissions. When doing your homework, you may want to get a primer on what has been happening lately. First there was a scathing Frontline report on life and death in assisted living. And the largest assisted living chain was severely thrown under the bus. That is important to note for a few reasons. As the largest chain, there was an expectation of quality and a perception of quality. Those positive perceptions would typically make it easier for hospital administrators to choose partners. Yet with one airing of a television program, those perceptions and warm and fuzzy feelings went bye-bye. A couple of other stories hammered nursing homes. Stealing from residents trusts funds--check. Abandoning residents entirely--check. When I advocated we expand the role of the chief experience officer across the continuum, these stories are some of the reasons why. You want to pick partners who have your values, who have exceptional quality and who provide an experience that matches what you provide. That means, just like families of long-term care residents, yo...
Source: hospital impact - Category: Health Managers Authors: Source Type: blogs