Three Ways Premier is Supporting Continuum of Care Providers

Key takeaways:

• Recognizing the importance of the Continuum of Care (CoC) in a person’s healthcare journey is critical to their health and well-being as well as to our healthcare system’s long-term sustainability.
• Connecting the dots across this journey can lead to increased efficiencies, reduced costs and better outcomes that benefit patients, providers and suppliers alike.
• Premier is committed to solving the challenges the CoC sector faces with dedicated staff experts, technology-driven supply chain tools, artificial intelligence (AI)-backed surveillance solutions and by advocating for necessary legislative reform.

Did you know that nearly 90 percent of healthcare services are delivered outside the four walls of the hospital? With its great depth and breadth, this segment of healthcare – referred to as the Continuum of Care (CoC) at Premier – is a vital component of the U.S. healthcare ecosystem.

When we talk about the CoC, we’re talking about more than just “post” or “sub-acute” care that someone might receive after a hospital visit. The CoC represents a person’s journey throughout healthcare, from wellness services to chronic care and everything in between. Some healthcare futurists believe in just 20 years, the vast majority of healthcare will be administered in the home setting, which will make CoC services even more prominent.

Given the CoC’s vastness and multitude of touchpoints along an individual’s healthcare journey, the central challenge is aligning the different pieces so they operate in a way that’s more efficient, more cost effective and that delivers the best possible outcomes.

Think of your own experiences. We’ve all navigated our healthcare system on our own journey or when helping a loved one. Not knowing who to call for help; providers and patients filling out cumbersome, paper-based forms; prescriptions that need to be called in rather than sent electronically; trying to understand which home care options will be covered – these situations can be all too familiar.

Tackling these challenges must start with bridging the digital divide for both providers and their patients; through its CoC team and across the organization, Premier is leading the way.

At Premier, we’re on a mission to improve the patient experience and overall healthcare delivery across the continuum. Here are some of the ways we’re working to make a positive impact on the CoC today and ensure the impact lasts into the future.

Tech-enabling Supply Chain for Greater Resiliency and Improved Margins

As inflation and labor shortages persist, providers across the continuum need strategies for safely reducing costs without compromising care quality. Premier’s CoC team is answering the call with group purchasing organization (GPO) and supply chain technologies designed to save providers both time and money and enable high-quality patient care.

This year, we’re adding a new digital procurement platform to our portfolio developed specifically for CoC providers. Through a complete procurement and inventory management solution, providers will be able to place orders with suppliers, manage formularies and route invoices all in one low-cost, user-friendly interface. Additionally, the platform automatically manages, tracks and audits pricing under Premier’s GPO contracts, direct contracts and special pricing agreements so providers can rest assured knowing they’re paying the right price, every time.

Rounding out our portfolio are Premier’s Remitra® Cash Flow Optimizer (CFO) solution and stockd® digital sales channel. Remitra CFO helps extend payment terms and optimize working capital that may be locked away in providers’ manual, paper-based accounting processes. As for stockd, CoC providers can access limited-time deals and direct-sourced products in a user-friendly online platform, leading to increased efficiency and significant savings.

Bringing AI-driven, Clinical Surveillance Technology to Long-Term Care (LTC) Facilities

The COVID-19 pandemic shone a light on how LTC providers have been historically left behind in the movement to tech-enabled healthcare. Providers caring for medically complex seniors often need additional resources to monitor and prevent widespread infection, which is why many nursing homes were challenged to stop the spread of COVID-19.

In 2022, Premier’s PINC AI™ team redeveloped our acute care infection surveillance solution to monitor for specific markers of infections among LTC residents. This solution looks to automate LTC operations and ensure that patients receive better, more timely care.

In addition, the PINC AI™ Remote Surveillance program is helping to ease the workload of infection preventionists in LTC, home care and other types of settings by alleviating the burden of consistent data collection that’s now required for regulatory reporting.

Advocating on the Behalf of CoC Providers, Patients and Suppliers

Premier has a long history of advocating on behalf of its members and the communities they serve, working to shape federal laws and regulations that put America’s healthcare on track to achieve better quality, efficiency, resiliency and access for patients.

We recently published a Healthcare Policy Roadmap for the 118^th Congress that details policy recommendations, developed alongside our members, that align to four main public policy objectives: optimizing the value of healthcare, building resilient healthcare supply chains, tech-enabling healthcare and eliminating gaps in healthcare.

Specifically related to the CoC sector, we’re advocating for Congress and the Biden Administration to work together to ensure provider financial viability, improve access to home infusion services, protect and advance LTC pharmacies, support long-term and post-acute providers through additional funding for electronic health record (EHR), clinical surveillance technology and more.

We’re making inroads but there’s more work for all of us to do.

There’s also opportunity for technology to smooth payment systems, deconflict reimbursement formulas and better understand insurance company margins – in combination with legislation and regulation, supply chain operations and improved business processes for providers – all of which need to accurately reflect the reality of healthcare delivery within the continuum.

Everyone wins when we achieve our shared goals. The result is more efficient purchasing, greater transparency and improved recognition of the CoC’s role in our healthcare ecosystem. These outcomes benefit all of us and our ability to care for patients. That’s why Premier is here, that’s where we’re going.

For more on this topic:

• See how Premier’s Continuum of Care services are driving value for members.
• Learn how Premier’s Public Affairs team is guiding the healthcare conversation in Washington, D.C.

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