Predictive Modeling News: Predictive Technology Focuses on Hospice Appropriateness

Predictive Modeling News recently published an article about our most recent peer reviewed Vanderbilt study which shows that our end-of-life analytics solution is making a big difference in end-of-life care. Read the full story and a Q&A with our founder in this article.

A study conducted by Nashville-based healthcare technology company Medalogix and peer-reviewed by Vanderbilt University shows that Medalogix’s Bridge technology “decreases the risk of patient death in the home healthcare setting by 52%,” a statement from Medalogix reports.

The study also finds that Bridge “reduces by 30% the risk of early death during hospice home care for the terminally ill.”Medalogix Bridge is a clinical support tool that assists clinicians in identifying and managing the right patients for hospice care at the right time.

According to the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care, more than 80% of patients with chronic diseases want to die at home, the statement continues. Hospice treatment allows patients to do that, but qualified patients are often not identified quickly enough.

In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that only 25% ofAmericans actually die in their homes. Medalogix Bridge users, however, experience a 62% increase in identification of hospice-appropriate patients; additionally, the statement says, Bridge increases days spent on hospice by 21%.

“Observational statistics of our clients have shown the effectiveness of our Bridge technology, but having the study peer reviewed by Vanderbilt confirms the huge impact Bridge is having on end-of-life patient care,” comments Dan Hogan, CEO at Medalogix. “Our hope is that this study allows us to continue expanding our client base and scope of care.”

Bridge produces significant healthcare savings, the statement asserts.A home health agency with an average daily census of 1,600 patients could expect a three-year financial benefit of $798,554, it says, adding that if scaled to every level of the acuity ladder, Bridge could generate $2 billion in annual savings to the healthcare system by identifying palliative care patients earlier.

A white paper from Medalogix explains further that Bridge “adds predictive insights and operational efficiency to dual home health and hospice providers’ patient transfer process” by “combining a patient risk ranking with a clinical workflow tool that facilitates communication between service lines — all to provide hospice beneficiaries a higher quality of life, at the end of life.” When implemented, the solution helps:

• increase accuracy of hospice-appropriate patient identification,
• decrease the time clinicians spend reviewing patient records and
• decrease the identification‐to-transfer window.

Here’s how:

• Identify. Medalogix Bridge “leverages a customized predictive model to generate a patient risk ranking,” the white paper explains. With this analytics‐based list, “clinicians can easily view which patients would benefit from hospice care,” it says. Clinical teams leveraging Medalogix Bridge will typically gather in case conference to view and discuss its predictive ranking. While in the Medalogix system, clinicians can delve deeper into each identified patient’s key electronic medical record information. “Having the risk rank and patient diagnosis information in one easy‐to‐access location expedites and streamlines hospice care discussion and decisions,” the white paper notes.

• Act. Medalogix Bridge “facilitates action on those insights with its built‐in clinical workflow component,” the document adds. Once a patient’s clinical evidence is reviewed, clinicians can move each patient through a customizable workflow. Organization‐chosen steps, such as “Complete Clinical Evidence” and “Obtain Physician Order” are incorporated with timed alerts to better manage and coordinate care. The timed alerts also help pinpoint operational lag.

• Improve. Medalogix Bridge delivers dashboards that enable clinical managers as well as senior executives to view key utilization, performance and outcome measurements. “With these visual progress metrics,” the white paper notes, “providers can pinpoint operational improvement opportunities and further improve care.”

Results. Medalogix Bridge users have reported:

• An 89% increase in patient review. Medalogix Bridge “frees clinicians from sorting through a sea of manual records,” the white paper says. “Now they can focus on more closely examining those patients with a higher probability of benefiting from hospice care.”
• A 62% increase in identification of hospice‐appropriate patients.
• A 9% increase in hospice transference.

Predictive Modeling News spoke to Hogan about the technology.

Predictive Modeling News:How does the Bridge technology better identify hospice-eligible patients? What data does it draw on to make those determinations?
Dan Hogan:Traditionally, caregivers use three dimensions of decision making to identify a hospice-appropriate patient: their education, experience and instinct. Our technology adds the fourth dimension of decision making to the mix: analytics. When you have this fourth dimension, just like the fourth leg on bar stool, your decision is stronger. Our analytic insights are derived from the clinical data in our home health partner’s electronic medical record.
PMN:How does that translate into savings? What expense areas can a home health agency cut back on?
DH:In a value-based care system, providers and patients benefit when patients are in the right care setting at the right time. PMN: How important is predictive modeling in home care and hospice care?
DH:It’s paramount in every area of healthcare. As healthcare providers are now measured and reimbursed based on patient outcomes (quality) rather than the amount of times a patient visits (quantity), providers are looking for new ways to identify risky patients. Analytics adds another dimension of identification that traditional means may have missed. Additionally, as Baby Boomers, the largest generation, age into old age, they’ll naturally require more care. With more patients in need of more resources, and legislation demanding higher quality, providers have to do more with less. Technology is the answer.
PMN:What other ways can predictive analytics be used in the home and hospice care setting?
DH:Currently we offer three home health analytics solutions. The first, Bridge, identifies home health patients who would benefit from hospice care. The second, Touch, identifies patients at risk of transferring off the home health census (i.e. rehospitalization). The third, our End of Episode Planning tool, identifies patients who could benefit from an additional home healthcare episode. We’re currently working on a new solution that identifies patients who may need home health services again in the future.

Medalogix provides analytics and workflows to home health providers so they can improve care and reduce costs. Founded in 2012 by former home health agency owner Hogan, Medalogix has been recognized by Harvard University, HIMSS and Fierce Healthcare IT as an innovative solution that’s improving America’s healthcare system. In recognition of its innovative product and potential positive impact, a statement says, Medalogix was recently selected as a finalist from a pool of 500 applicants and awarded $37,000 inHarvard University’s Health Acceleration Challenge.