Access and transfer centers are becoming the touchpoint for all kinds of care, including high acuity and outpatient cases. These centers can help health systems control and manage different care models while also improving margins.
In a March 23 webinar sponsored by Central Logic and hosted by Becker's Hospital Review, Darin Vercillo, MD, co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Central Logic, Barry Dennis, RN, Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations for Central Logic, and John Dailey, JD, Chief Business Development Officer for the George Washington University Medical Faculty Associates, shared how hospitals can expand revenue and improve margins through access and transfer center strategies.
Stop patient leakage
Many emergency departments are leaking patients to competitors. Access centers can stop leakage to keep patients within the hospital's network, improving margins. For hospitals treating high acuity patients, access centers can fulfill a "center of excellence" role to treat those patents faster within their own networks.
"What we've seen clinically for transfer center models, for sensitive diagnosis for stroke or trauma care, when you develop the model to drive rapid access for those patients, it delivers those patients to a definitive level of care at a faster rate than traditional models," Mr. Dennis said.
A well-run transfer center should be able do one transfer per bed per month. Hospitals with 700 beds can expect nearly 700 transfers per month, which – at an average of $10,800 per high acuity patient – amounts to more than $90 million in transfer and referral revenue, and generally with a more favorable payer mix, insurance authorizations and approvals. Transfers generally bring in a better patient and acuity mix.
"We can project the value of the patient transferred coming in and compare that to margin and understand ahead of time what the return on investment will be for our transfer and access center efforts," Dr. Vercillo said.
Generate buy-in and build a brand
Getting clinicians and other staff on board with an access and transfer center strategy can be challenging. A successful hospital access center must have a well-defined strategic vision, with physicians in agreement with the strategy and the right positioning to back it up.
"One of the hallmarks of a successful initiative in this industry is a strong brand or program identity," Mr. Dailey said. Access centers with strong brand recognition will attract more business to them when health systems have the choice of where to send patients.
Brands can also attract business to hospitals, which can then be extended to an access center. Dr. Vercillo recommended extending a brand identity beyond the main hospital campus to include regional campuses in the access and transfer center strategy. This tactic can improve efficiency and capacity management by more evenly dispersing transfer cases across campuses when clinically appropriate.
The role of transfer centers in health systems' COVID-19 response
Access and transfer centers have a role to play in dealing with unforeseen events like the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The access center takes a role in ensuring that any patient that's going to be transferred is screened under those same stringent requirements for patients presenting in the emergency department," Dr. Vercillo said. "It allows the access center to address different needs of being admitted and screened, as well as managing those patients through the process."
Access centers can then direct patients to the safest treatment location possible. These centers can also track where COVID-19 cases are coming from, identifying communities and ZIP codes that have been most affected.
Conclusion
Through access and transfer centers, health systems can improve referrals, stop patient leakage and bolster the health system's response to unforeseen events in a streamlined way. By getting physicians and other stakeholders on board, health systems can ensure success in these strategies.
"Sometimes health systems think they can build an access center and they'll be successful," Mr. Dennis said. "You can't just flip a switch. It's a transformational journey over time."
For more resources on patient leakage, keepage & growth, you can visit http://www.centrallogic.com/patient-leakage. To listen to the full webinar, click here.