A new Amada Senior Care partnership aims to develop a physician network and also reduce hospital readmissions for clients using in-home care or assisted living services.
Orange County, Calif.-based Amada offers two types of senior care services: in-home, non medical care, and assisted living placement guidance. Through a partnership with a new division of online publisher Lifescript.com, a Mission Viejo-based organization dedicated to healthy living, the company wants to contribute to health care reform initiatives seeking to reduce preventable rehospitalizations.
One provision of the Affordable Care Act penalizes hospitals for readmission rates above a certain threshold in an effort to improve the quality of hospital care. The focus has shifted to post-acute care, and Michael Demoratz, a physician and certified case manager who’s working with Amada, says in-home senior care and assisted living placement services could play a large role.
“A lot of times, elderly patients end up back in the hospital or emergency room simply because they don’t know what to do, or because they have nowhere else to go,” said Demoratz.
The doctor described a typical scenario for a patient who is discharged in the afternoon and gets home shortly after 5 p.m.
“If that patient has an issue or concern for the doctor and his office is closed when they call, they may dial 911, or end up back in the hospital some other way when they don’t necessarily need to be. This has become a serious problem,” he said.
As the senior population grows, hospital readmissions could become more frequent. New partnerships that improve post-acute care may prove crucial.
“Hospitals, case managers, and physicians have to work together with senior care providers, assisted living placement experts and in-home caregivers for this to change,” Demoratz said. “They have to find ways to help seniors use other resources that are available to them. Facilitating those relationships, providing workable solutions, and alleviating the strain this causes for hospitals, patients, patients’ friends and their family will be my primary role at Amada.”
Demoratz will be developing a network to strengthen Amada’s presence in hospitals. The company has partnered with Lifescript.com’s new division to facilitate this goal, which will help with implementation and management. Demoratz will also work with Amada to further develop care options for franchise partners by expanding the company’s assisted living placement business.
Written by Alyssa Gerace
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