The past:
" Physicians and home health agencies sometimes have relationships that are more transactional than collaborative, with minimal communication before, during, and after the care transition. The physician may make the referral and sign the paperwork, but he or she does not personally introduce the patient to the agency to make an effective transition, and there is little follow-up or discussion initiated by the physician or the agency.
The roles of home health agencies are changing, moving from providing purely episodic care, such as after hospitalization, to providing continual chronic disease management. Physicians who collaborate with these partners and emphasize two-way communication can gain better results for their patients." - AAFP, 2016
The future:
BridgeCare takes a collaborative and adaptable approach when working with Home Care teams. We know home care teams provide critical support and education to post-acute patients. We also know how much value you can add to the overall system if you are listened to and partnered with.
What we offer:
At BridgeCare, most of the day is spent talking to home care team members, if we aren't directly speaking to the patients themselves. We have a dedicated line for providers and home care staff to speak to a physician directly. No more intermediaries or phone trees. We also welcome our patients to call the physician directly so matters can be resolved faster if medications need to be adjusted or medical questions answered.
Gone is the idea of "bugging the doctor" or "the doctor is too busy today". BridgeCare also embraces all methods of communication including text and email to our secure accounts. This removes communication barriers for both patients and team members and allows for ease of collaboration and an improved focus to be on being proactive.
We welcome your input.
We want to collaborate. We understand and appreciate that your team sees the patient more frequently than any other provider during their post-acute care. You know the patient. You know to look for challenges visible in the home, such as throw rugs, clutter, or broken stairs that can lead to falls, and to make recommendations. We can order garb bars and other DME based on your input. We can assist with educating patients on the need to lower salt diet after you perform a “refrigerator biopsy". We can order missed medications after you do a pill count or you can help remove medications after we do medication reconciliation.
We are here to make a patient's transition from hospital to home the best it can be.