Creator: Patrick Connole
Tumlinson: Time Is Now to Rethink Hospital to PAC Handoffs
Anne Tumlinson digs into the issue of hospital to post-acute care transitions, calling them one of the most under-engineered handoffs in U.S. healthcare in this provocative commentary.
In a new commentary for U.S. News & World Report, Park Place contributor Anne Tumlinson digs into the issue of hospital to post-acute care (PAC) transitions.
She calls the transitions one of the most under-engineered handoffs in U.S. healthcare, with providers navigating the convergence of clinical workforce shortages and rising patient acuity as the population ages further.
But things can change with the advent of technology-enabled solutions and payment reform, she writes. One area of attention within the commentary is how hospitals can improve relations with PAC providers, like SNFs.
Tumlinson, the founder and CEO of ATI Advisory, says “there are no shortcuts here. It is not enough to ‘reserve’ skilled nursing facility beds. Hospital clinical leadership must take this setting seriously as clinical partners, including doing the foundational work of designing handoff workflows, developing shared understanding about information sharing and assessments, and building strong coordination arrangements.”
She adds that cross-staffing clinical liaisons between settings is an evidence-based practice that closes information and accountability gaps. Resource intensive but effective, this staffing model may become more viable as value-based care expands, Tumlinson said.
Comments or questions on this article? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.
