You’ve likely acquired many tools over the years of organizing long-term and post-acute care (LTPAC) patients. Imagine being able to intake a patient, organize each next step of care, and instantly connect and update the care team all in one place.
Care coordination software merges all patient data into a single platform and automates workflows to create patient-centered care plans, boost patient engagement, and improve communication.
What Is Care Coordination Software?
Care coordination software is a platform that makes patient information easily accessible to clinicians for smooth patient tracking and care management in one place. These tools organize each step of care so that you and other clinicians work well together.
Care coordination programs and other tools, like electronic health records (EHR), are essential for coordinating treatment plans. When you put together a plan to address a patient’s condition, like dementia or diabetes, you can manage everything involved in that patient’s care, even among multidisciplinary teams. With high case loads, the more organized the system, the better care you can provide.
Healthcare Needs Better Care Coordination
Unfortunately, fragmented care is the status quo for US healthcare. In an ocean of clinicians and touchpoints, a lack of tools and an inability to exchange information quickly break down communication.
In these cases, patients end up shuttled around for unnecessary repeat tests or appointments and may experience confusion, medical errors, and substandard care transitions. These events lead to more emergency care and poor health outcomes, especially for those with chronic illnesses or complex health conditions.
With up-to-date information and one care coordination platform to store patient information and notes, clinicians and administrative teams can provide and arrange timely and effective care.
Key Features of Care Coordination Software
Patient care coordination software brings every part of care management into one central place. Care coordination platforms, like ChartPath, offer essential features, such as role-based task management, secure messaging, data exchange, and seamless integrations with EHR.
Role-Based Task Management
Not all healthcare workers or admin team members have authorization for specific care tasks, such as writing prescriptions. Software for care coordination includes user restriction features, so you can prioritize patient safety and overall compliance.
Smart prompt tools save common prescriptions and top conditions for quick charting, improving planning and task organization. These features reduce administrative overwhelm in busy LTPAC facilities, streamline communication between clinicians, and improve patient care.
Patient Data Sharing
Data exchange is essential for care coordination software. Web-based platforms are instrumental as they automatically share and synchronize data across users and locations.
For instance, the care coordinator can log in at the same time as a nurse on-site and access patient details in a secure format with real-time updates. Each can make notes that auto-save or send a secure message and connect online instantly. E-prescription integrations send prescriptions to on-site or independent pharmacies for fast fulfillment.
EHR and Billing Integration
Additionally, care coordination programs can integrate with your EHR and billing tools. With these connections, data automatically flows between your databases in one dashboard, so you can update files and process claims instantly. For better efficiency, look for software with clearinghouse access for rapid submissions and approvals.
Benefits for Clinicians, Patients, and Administrators
A care coordination program can help you provide better patient care and adapt to a healthcare industry that constantly shifts. In particular, software for care coordination boosts efficiency, improves value-based care and patient outcomes, and simplifies billing.
Frictionless Workflows
An efficient workflow is one that allows your staff to complete tasks faster and with more accuracy. It’s streamlined and free of redundant work or information bottlenecks. Care coordination software, especially one with automation and smart tools, eliminates repetitive work and makes the next step clear, reducing delays and costs.
Better Patient Outcomes
Long-term and post-acute care often operate with a patient-centered care model, where patients and families are actively involved in planning and delivering care. When your team knows a patient’s goals and desires, you can design care to meet those needs.
Care coordination software enhances that organization with a more seamless flow of information, keeping each clinician updated on wishes and medical needs. For instance, families might notice a sudden change in an LTC patient’s bathroom habits during a visit. They might tell the nursing staff and request a UTI screening.
Staff can update the EHR and alert the care coordination team, who can then arrange additional lab services or ultrasounds as needed. The software at the center of this communication helps clinicians deliver the right care at the right time, leading to better health outcomes.
Clean Billing Claims
Finally, care coordination software improves billing accuracy and compliance. Clinicians and coordinators don’t need to manually push data to the billing team. Instead, automated workflows and instant data sharing instantly send billing staff the most current information, reducing mistakes and denials.
These tools and workflows document that patients receiving certain types of care go through the correct steps. The CMS GUIDE model for dementia care is one example. Patients must have comprehensive assessments and care planning documents, all of which need to be included for claim approval.
The ChartPath EHR platform simplifies charting and coordination across multidisciplinary teams and includes a billing integration at zero cost. The whole package creates a seamless experience for easier organization and better patient care.
Gaps in Care Coordination in LTPAC Settings
US healthcare is slowly working toward an interconnected ecosystem where data flows easily between systems and facilities. Yet, the LTPAC field has lagged behind. While many clinicians use software for internal processes, like an assisted living EHR or practice management tool, those may not always integrate with others.
Adopting new technologies and training staff to use these tools may cause some disruption at first. But selecting user-friendly software that meets current data exchange standards and has around-the-clock tech support makes for an easy transition.
The Future of Care Coordination Technology
As technology evolves, care coordination will see more AI and automation features. These functions will organize data into common formats that are easier to share across systems and easier to read or extract insights.
Data will flow better across systems that may not work well together now. From there, AI-enhanced tools could auto-generate care pathways and auto-adapt care plans based on additional input, leading to even better team coordination and patient care.
With ChartPath, you can ensure efficient coordination with a suite of tools that simplify care management and enhance outcomes. Book a demo and discover how ChartPath can benefit your practice.
