People who have chronic health conditions and are eligible for Medicaid have been able to receive care in Health Homes in some states of the U.S. since the Affordable Care Act was implemented in 2010.
The chronic conditions that people in Health Homes have can range from diabetes and heart disease to substance abuse and mental health issues.
Treating and assisting people with chronic conditions in Health Homes can be challenging for management teams.
They’re expected to operate from a whole-person perspective, which means the managers and members of staff need to integrate and coordinate all of the primary, acute, and long-term services and support required to treat and assist the whole person.
In Health Home care, and in other professional areas, challenges should be seen as opportunities.
When challenges are addressed in the right way, managers and members of staff can provide more efficient services that ultimately help the people who need care and treatment.
So, let’s explore some of the key challenges and opportunities in Health Home management.
Gaining Overviews of Caseloads
Any kind of healthcare facility can make operations run more smoothly, which ultimately leads to better patient care, by using management software.
Furthermore, managers of Health Homes can now use a care management tool that’s specifically designed for the unique requirements of Health Homes.
With intuitive and easy-to-use Health Home management software, managers can get a clearer overall view of their caseloads.
Getting reliable overviews of each client can be very challenging without specific software tools. But when managers of care teams use the right software for caseload coverage overviews, they can easily view things like core service encounters, claims, and bill statuses.
In turn, that means they can spend more time working with their clients and giving them the appropriate care that they require.
Coordinating with Other Healthcare Organizations
Coordinating with other healthcare providers and partners can often be challenging for Health Home managers. But to ensure clients receive the best care in an efficient manner, it’s vital that things like clinical event notifications are received and acted upon by Health Home management teams.
Again, software that has been designed specifically to help Health Home operations to run smoothly can assist managers.
Teams can automatically receive notifications from Regional Health Information Organizations to make smooth and efficient operations a reality. That benefits both the Health Home members of staff and the clients that need care.
Preventing Gaps in Care
Unfortunately, gaps in care can happen when operations are out of sync.
The progress of each client needs to be tracked to ensure no gaps in care happen. With the right management software, clients’ files can be directly linked to ensure all tracking and reporting is completed accurately and in a timely fashion.
In turn, that means every Health Home resident receives the precise care and assistance that they need on a daily basis.
Ensuring there are no gaps in care is of the utmost importance, so Health Home managers must utilize the right tools and approaches to prevent gaps from occurring.
Ensuring Admin Tasks Like Billing Run Smoothly
While client care is always the top priority at Health Homes, administrative tasks are also mightily important.
Client billing is one admin area that managers need to stay on top of if they want to avoid problems.
By using the right software tools, client billing can be handled automatically. And if HML rate codes alter, claims can automatically be voided and resubmitted.
When you stay on top of admin tasks like billing, other daily operations can run more smoothly. Ultimately, that enables Health Home managers and employees to focus on what matters the most: providing expert care to their clients.
