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LSS Receives Signature Healthcare Foundation 2016 Senator Paul Simon Award

LSS Receives Signature Healthcare Foundation 2016 Senator Paul Simon Award

The Signature Healthcare Foundation has presented its 2016 Senator Paul Simon Award to Lutheran Senior Services (LSS) in recognition of the significant cost savings achieved through LSS’ participation in the federal Center For Medicare & Medicaid Services Model 3 Bundled Payment for Care Improvement Pilot Program (BPCI) and the changes implemented through the BPCI and LSS’ REACH (Rehabilitation through Achievement) program. These changes focused on senior care coordination along the continuum of care and resulted in reductions in length of stay, readmission rates and costs, providing a model for effective and efficient patient care.

“Since expanding our presence in the short stay, post acute care rehabilitation market through REACH, we have successfully lowered the cost of these services to payers by re-designing the way we deliver and provide these care services and the way we work with our health system partners to support their goals,” said Gary Anderson, LSS Vice President Clinical Effectiveness. “We expanded in this market as a result of our decision to participate in the Model 3 Post-Acute Care bundled payments program and pursue its goal of reduced total cost of Post-Acute Care services. “

The entire LSS organization — clinical, finance, administration, communities and more — is driving functional performance improvement every day through a broad range of therapy and nursing interventions. Over the past 18 months, the average length of a REACH stay has been reduced by over seven days — from 25-27 days to 18-20 days, while the hospital readmission rate has dropped from the 20-25% range to the low teens and even single digits. At the same time, the REACH guest satisfaction rate is in the 95+ percent range.

“Our most recent quarterly data show that our efforts saved Medicare approximately $400,000,” Anderson added. “This is a measurable program that helps preserve Medicare for the future and increases the percentage of REACH guests who are able to return to their previous living destination as a result of our services.”

The Senator Paul Simon Award was instituted to honor Senator Simon’s service to Signature Healthcare Foundation as a member of its Board of Directors. The award is intended to encourage and reward cost effective strategies in healthcare. Signature Healthcare Foundation was formed in 2002 with a mission to utilize physician leadership to improve healthcare quality, efficiency and affordability.

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