An Integrated Mobile Acute Care Service Enhances Value

Additive Impact of Virtual Urgent and Emergency Department at Home Care on Value-Based Primary Care for Medicaid and Dual-Eligible Members

Virtual urgent care (VUC) and emergency department at home (ED at home) are two emerging interventions that may help address avoidable health care costs driven by inadequate access to primary care. This study evaluates the integration of VUC and ED at home as a combined mobile integrated care program, into a value-based primary care model that serves Medicaid and dual-eligible populations. Use of embedded VUC and ED at home among individuals with claim-identified physical health needs was associated with a statistically significant 27% reduction in inpatient admissions (P = 0.05), a 61% reduction in readmission (P = 0.04), and a 240% increase in engagement with primary care and care coordination (P < 0.001). Use of these services was also associated with a total cost of care decrease of $550 per member per month (P = 0.07). Findings suggest that virtual and home-based acute care services may be a promising lever for value-based payment models to enhance engagement and realize goals of improved cost and outcomes among populations with complex medical and social needs.

Incorporating Systems-Level Stakeholder Perspectives into the Design of Mobile Integrated Health Programs

OBJECTIVES

Despite early evidence of effectiveness, cost-savings, and resource optimization, mobile integrated health (MIH) programs have not been widely implemented in the United States. System, community, and organizational-level barriers often hinder evidence-based public health interventions, such as MIH programs, from being broadly adopted into real-world clinical practice. The objective of this study is to identify solutions to the barriers impeding the implementation of MIH through interviews with multilevel stakeholders.

METHODS

Using the CENTERing multi-level partner voices in Implementation Theory methodology, the study team recruited stakeholders to participate in semi-structured interviews that were recorded, transcribed, and open-coded. Stakeholders were asked to explore and propose solutions to established barriers to the implementation of MIH programs including poor understanding of the role of MIH, the absence of sustainable reimbursement for MIH programs, and its disruption of existing clinical workflows. The study team used the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to develop an interview guide and codebook. Coders employed a combination of deductive and inductive coding strategies to identify common themes related to pragmatic solutions for overcoming barriers to the adoption of MIH.

RESULTS

Interviews with Department of Public Health officials, medical directors of MIH programs, non-physician MIH program leaders, community paramedics, health insurance officials, ambulatory physicians, hospital administrators, and hospital contract specialists (n = 18) elicited solutions to address barriers including (1) Developing a consistent identity for the MIH paradigm, (2) adopting an interdisciplinary approach to the development of efficient MIH workflows that utilize informatics to mimic existing clinical work, and (3) implementing capitated fee schedules that are cost-effective by targeting high-risk populations that are already a priority for payors.

CONCLUSIONS

An investigation of solutions to barriers that impede the translation of MIH models into sustainable practice elicited several unifying themes including the establishment of a cohesive identity for MIH to improve engagement and dissemination, the use of a strategic approach to program design that aligns with existing healthcare delivery workflows and collaboration with payors to promote a robust reimbursement structure. These findings may help accelerate the implementation of MIH programs into real clinical practice.

Factors Impacting the Implementation of Mobile Integrated Health Programs for the Acute Care of Older Adults

OBJECTIVE

Emergency services utilization is increasing in older adult populations. Many such encounters may be preventable with better access to acute care in the community. Mobile integrated health (MIH) programs leverage mobile resources to deliver care and services to patients in the out-of-hospital environment and have the potential to improve clinical outcomes and decrease health care costs; however, they have not been widely implemented. We assessed barriers, potential facilitators, and other factors critical to the implementation of MIH programs with key vested partners.

METHODS

Professional and community-member partners were purposefully recruited to participate in recorded structured interviews. The study team used the Practical Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM) framework to develop an interview guide and codebook. Coders employed a combination of deductive and inductive coding strategies to identify common themes across partner groups.

RESULTS

The study team interviewed 22 participants (mean age 56, 68% female). A cohort of professional subject matter experts included physicians, paramedics, public health personnel, and hospital administrators. A cohort of lay community partners included patients and caregivers. Coders identified three prominent themes that impact MIH implementation. First, MIH is disruptive to existing clinical workflows. Second, using MIH to improve patients' experience during acute care encounters is key to intervention adoption. Finally, legislative action is needed to augment central financial and regulatory policies to ensure the adoption of MIH programs.

CONCLUSIONS

Common themes impacting the implementation of MIH programs were identified across vested partner groups. Multilevel strategies are needed to address patient adoption, clinical partners' workflow, and legislative policies to ensure the success of MIH programs.

The Effect of Mobile Payment on Payment Waiting Time for Outpatients With Medical Insurance: Historically Controlled Study

BACKGROUND

Waiting for a long time to make payments in outpatient wards and long queues of insured patients at the checkout window are common in many hospitals across China. To alleviate the problem of long queues for payment, many hospitals in China have established various mobile apps that those without health insurance can use. However, medically insured outpatients are still required to pay manually at the checkout window. Therefore, it is urgent to use information technology to innovate and optimize the outpatient service process, implement mobile payment for medically insured outpatients, and shorten the waiting time for outpatients, especially in the context of the COVID-19 epidemic. Furthermore, smartphone-based mobile payment for outpatients with health insurance could be superior to on-site cashier billing.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to investigate the impact of smartphone-based mobile payment in relation to different aspects, such as waiting time, satisfaction with patients' waiting time, payment experience, the proportion of those dissatisfied with payment, total outpatient satisfaction, and outpatient volume, and compare mobile payment with on-site payment.

METHODS

This was a historically controlled study. This study analyzed the outpatients' waiting time to make a medical insurance payment, their satisfaction with the waiting time and payment experience, the proportion of those dissatisfied with payment, and the outpatient volume of patients at Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center 1 year before and after the implementation of mobile payment for medical insurance in January 2021. An independent sample 2-tailed t test was used to compare waiting time, satisfaction with waiting time, and overall satisfaction. Paired sample 2-tailed t test was used to compare monthly outpatient visits. The chi-square test was used to compare the percentages of patients dissatisfied with payment.

RESULTS

After the implementation of mobile payment for medical insurance outpatients, the patients' payment waiting time was significantly shortened (mean 45.28, SD 10.35 min vs mean 1.02, SD 0.25 min; t₉₀₁₄=53.396; P<.001), and satisfaction with waiting time and payment experience were significantly improved (mean 82.08, SD 3.17 vs mean 90.36, SD 3.45; t₉₀₁₄=-118.65; P<.001). Dissatisfaction with payment significantly decreased (10.27%, SD 2.18% vs 1.19% vs SD 0.30%; P<.001). The total satisfaction of outpatients significantly improved (mean 86.91, SD 3.23 vs mean 89.98, SD 3.31; t₉₀₁₄=-44.57; P<.001), and the outpatient volume increased (248,105.58, SD 89,280.76 vs 303,194.75, SD 53,773.12; t₁₁=2.414; P=.03). Furthermore, payment efficiency improved, and the number of the on-site cashiers substantially decreased.

CONCLUSIONS

Mobile payment for health insurance significantly shortened patients' payment waiting time; improved patient satisfaction on waiting time and payment experience and overall satisfaction; reduced the proportion of patients who were dissatisfied with payment and the cashier at the hospital; and increased monthly outpatient volume. This approach was effective and thus worthy of promoting.

Virtual Hospitalization at Home After the Covid-19 Pandemic: Time to Consider Our Future Community Healthcare Options

The concept of acute hospitalization at home has been described for over 3 decades. Its scope, however, was largely limited to small experimental trials and pilot studies. The Covid-19 pandemic changed these circumstances. The convergence of the critical need for acute hospital beds along with the growing sophistication and comfort in virtual monitoring facilitated the rapid deployment of hospitalization at home throughout many communities in the United States. Now in the waning times of the pandemic, community health leaders and health systems are questioning what the future role of home virtual hospitalization might be. Might this concept be relegated to only future times of critical bed shortage, or might it be part of a true change in community healthcare delivery.