WellSky

WellSky Technology Solutions
Patient-screening tool, infection control documentation, self-assessment form, care coordination, and other COVID19-related resources for post–acute care organizations

For home health and hospice agencies, WellSky has developed a patient-screening tool and has finalized infection control documentation. Other items released in March include a COVID-19 self-assessment form that can be sent to patients via SMS, screening results visible in the CareInsights population view alongside patient risk levels, and screening alerts that can be sent to the entire care team. A vulnerability algorithm is under development and will analyze the likely severity of symptoms if a patient does contract COVID-19 and help agencies identify which patients are particularly in need of protection from exposure due to age and clinical conditions.

WellSky’s personal care agencies received new system functionality that captures additional information on client illnesses, increases reporting capabilities, incorporates a caregiver assessment directly into the mobile app, provides important COVID-19 warnings to caregivers at multiple touchpoints, and embeds educational resources.

In long-term care, WellSky has added COVID-19-diagnosis and billing codes, assisted clients with creating custom assessments to track and trend potential cases of COVID-19, and created a hot chart that clients are utilizing to track and document COVID-19. For LTACH and behavioral health clients, WellSky has updated configurations in our disease-tracking features to accommodate COVID-19 documentation. WellSky rehab clients are now utilizing our COVID-19 screening questionnaire and new telehealth codes.

WellSky provided infusion, specialty pharmacy, and HME clients with two dashboards that monitor patients with confirmed COVID-19 cases, documented exposure, or respiratory conditions that could warrant further intervention.

Recently, we worked with our 2-1-1 information and referral agencies to offer additional user licenses for free in order to support additional referral operations within our clients’ communities. We are also providing temporary WellSky Human Services and WellSky Aging & Disability licenses to provide additional staff with access to the system to check up on their clients and triage incoming calls. In addition, HSS has organized a client work group that has created a standardized set of meaningful data that will be collected on the people served by our community-based clients. This will enable us to develop a national perspective on how the pandemic is impacting vulnerable populations across the U.S.

WellSky Services (formerly Fazzi Associates) is offering two educational courses free of charge to clients in home health, hospice, and personal care. These courses provide important information on instituting emergency procedures and basic infection prevention and control procedures. Our Professional Services team has transitioned their scheduled in-person boot camps to interactive, virtual events so that we can continue to effectively train our clients in best practices.

In addition to investing in our technology, WellSky is working with various industry experts, as well as our own internal clinicians, to deliver practical strategies and insightful analysis of the latest CMS and CDC guidance through tip sheets, solution updates, and webinars. Of note, post–acute care providers can access an important and timely free infection control webinar presented by renowned infection control specialist Mary McGoldrick, MS, RN, CRNI(R). The WellSky COVID-19 Weekly Briefing is delivered each Tuesday and contains the most recent COVID-19 news and resources relevant to home health, hospice, and personal care. We’re currently developing similar concepts for other markets, including long-term care.

WellSky Care Coordination
Analytics-driven technology platform used to deploy and coordinate protocols that free up hospital beds

WellSky launched WellSky Care Coordination—an analytics-driven technology platform that leverages WellSky’s network of more than 10,000 providers and 1 million nurses and caregivers to deploy and coordinate protocols that free up hospital beds.

The rapidly accelerating spread of COVID-19 threatens to overwhelm the capacity of US hospitals. A new analysis by the Harvard Global Health Institute estimates that many parts of the US may have less than half the number of beds they need to meet needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Home-based models will be essential to preserve hospital beds for only the most acutely ill.

To address the anticipated hospital-bed shortage, WellSky activated its expansive care coordination network to preserve limited resources and provide safe, in-home care to non-COVID-19 patients who would typically utilize those beds. The program allows care managers to administer interventions for targeted patient populations, such as congestive heart failure (CHF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cellulitis, and non-COVID-19 pneumonia to free up hospital beds. Low-acuity COVID-19 patients living alone or lacking family support could also be supported in the home with the sufficient provision of personal protective equipment.