Latest / Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast / Chris Wasel, President, Marketing & Strategic Partnerships at Vantage Healthcare

Transcript

Chris Wasel, President, Marketing & Strategic Partnerships at Vantage Healthcare · Becker’s Payer Issues Podcast

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This is Laura Dierdo with the Becker's Healthcare
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podcast. I'm thrilled today to be joined by
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Chris Wassel, president of marketing and strategic partnerships
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at Vantage Healthcare. Chris, it's a pleasure to
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have you on the podcast today.
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It's great to be here. Now I'm looking
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forward to our discussion and really getting into
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some of the big things that you're seeing
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in health care today,
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what you're looking forward to, and what you're
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excited about in terms of growth and development
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for the next year. But before we dive
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into my questions,
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can you tell me a little bit more
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about yourself and Vantage Healthcare?
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Yeah. Sure. So, again, I'm the head of
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strategy and development for,
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for Vantage. I have over 20 years experience
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in health care operations, development,
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value based payment, consulting, and network development.
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Prior to joining Vantage, I was
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a co managing director of
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Post Acute Care Planning Services, which is an
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organization
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that provides
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management and consulting services for ACOs,
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looking to build
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a post acute care provider network.
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Also was the cofounder of Accountacare, which is
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a health information
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technology company that
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works
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with value based payment
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organizations, particularly ACOs and
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hospitals that are involved in,
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bundled payment,
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models.
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Vantage Healthcare, just some background on Vantage. So
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we're the largest
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provider
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practice of its type in the northeast. We
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operate in the 6 New England states.
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We have over a 100 providers,
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physicians, nurse practitioners,
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care nurse care coordinators.
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We operate in over
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200
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skilled nursing facilities in assisted living communities throughout
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New England.
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And
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we operate
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in a couple of some value based payment
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programs. So one is
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MSSP
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ACO.
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We plan to
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participate in the guide model CMS guide model
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for dementia care.
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And
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you know, we plan to be very involved
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into
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the new model for
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2,020
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the team model, so
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model for hospitals
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as well. So
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That's amazing to hear. And, you know, certainly,
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just very much on the cutting edge of
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how health care seems to be evolving and
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cool that you have the opportunity
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to participate with the team model and see
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where that goes. So,
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I'm excited to learn more, as we go
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through our conversation here. What are some of
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the biggest issues that you're following in health
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care right now is and headed into the
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new year?
2:54
Yeah. So for
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for us,
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the biggest issues are
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around the expansion of our ACO patient
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population
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expansion. So in 2025,
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we plan on adding all of our
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assisted living patient population to the ACO. So
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in this year as we started our participation,
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we've had our skilled nursing facility population
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in the ACO and we'll be adding
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the assisted living to that. Our top challenges
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to
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realize better care and cost outcomes
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around that
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is, first of all, the challenges that skilled
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nursing facilities and assisted living communities have around
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staffing.
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So we, as a practice, depend on facility
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staff to identify
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patient issues that may result in,
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transfer to the emergency department. So, you know,
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we're working,
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and and those facilities that we depend on
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continue to have issues with
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staffing.
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And so what we're doing is,
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trying to beef up our work diligently
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on deploying
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technology
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with our providers,
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provider teams to
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help them treat and place
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and fill some of those gaps on the
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skilled nursing facility and assisted living facility side
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where
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they're having those challenges. So use technology
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to
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get the information that we need to better
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care for the patients where again in the
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past we've relied heavily on
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the staff that work in those facilities themselves.
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So that's
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one issue for the coming year and what
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we're trying to do to
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address that.
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2 other issues around that is, one is
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just
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participation
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in the ACO by our skilled nursing facility
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and assisted living clients. So
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this year
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we really didn't get our skilled nursing facilities
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involved in participating in the ACO.
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And for the coming year, we feel that
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that's very important to have
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they have the opportunity
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to the facilities
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on the skilled nursing facility side and assisted
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living to participate
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and potentially realize shared savings.
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We want them to participate and have
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so we can better alignment and get them
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on board so that we're on the same
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page
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in the coming year. So
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we'll be we have a really solid plan
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in place
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to, for the next year to
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get them on board and get them on
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board participating with
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the ACO. The other piece of that too
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is hospital engagement. So,
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our efforts to prevent hospitalizations,
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A key piece of that too is to
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do a better job of engaging
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with each of the hospitals in the markets
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that we serve
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so that we have better communication with emergency
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departments and try to keep patients from being,
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admitted inpatient
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and get them back to the skilled nursing
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facilities and assisted living communities. So
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we really believe with the team model rollout,
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we have about 70 hospitals in the markets
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that we serve that
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will,
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be mandated to participate in the team model
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in 2026
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and preparation for that will be happening in
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2025,
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and we're well positioned
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to,
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help them,
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manage those episodes. So with that engagement, we
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will then have an audience with them to
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be able to
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also have discussions around preventing hospitalizations
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for our ACO patients.
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And
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we hope to, you know, make progress in
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that area where it's been challenging this year.
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So
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and then lastly,
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we as a practice to really from a
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value based payment perspective
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to, again, our main objective is keeping in
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place and keeping patients out of the hospital.
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We really need better data, better information at
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the point of care to address patient needs.
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So this year we've spent a lot of
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time
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with initial assessments of different technology
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platforms to use to be able to do
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that.
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And a challenge to identify technology and systems
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to deploy that would effectively
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inform our providers,
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provide a teams of patient
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changes and condition to head off transfers to
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the hospital, but
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AI and remote patient monitoring are improving dramatically.
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So we're really hopeful in the coming year
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that we'll make progress in in this area
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as well.
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Well, that's great to hear. You know? And,
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certainly, a lot of moving parts there. I
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so I can appreciate,
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how challenging I I'm sure it can be
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to make sure everyone's aligning in the right
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space and then being able to understand how
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any challenges or changes can impact the financial
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side of how things are doing while also
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ensuring, you know, the best quality care possible.
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As you think through what change or transformation
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has to occur as you're bringing in additional,
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SNF and skilled nursing participation into the ACO,
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what are you doing on your side to
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prepare for that? Or, you know, how do
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you really engage in those conversations to meaningfully,
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move things in the direction that you'd like
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to see them?
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So we're for the coming year, we're
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we're partnering
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really closely with our ACO. We're actually making
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a change from
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the ACO that we've partnered with
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this year to a new ACO that we
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think will
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better align with
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our goals to, you know, that I just
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discussed.
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And,
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with that change,
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we feel that they have the resources and
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the commitments. We've got their commitment to work
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with us to essentially market to our own
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clients and really educate them
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on,
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participating in the ACO, what it means for
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them, get their
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financial people involved too in the conversation.
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And I think that
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combination of
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kind of teaming up to approach
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our,
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SNF and Assisted Living clients together
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will really,
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you know, impact their decisions and get them
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to,
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see the benefits of participating and getting them
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on board.
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That's great to hear. You know, and I
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really appreciate you digging a little bit deeper
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in there. Now knowing, you know, what,
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great opportunities are ahead of you, what are
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you most excited about or what makes you
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nervous?
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I'd say we're
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most excited about how
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AI and remote patient monitoring is driving
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innovation
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and especially around
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more accurate diagnostics
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and timely data
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and streamlining operations as well. So
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that on vital signs and other data will
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allow
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a more coordinated,
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efficient and
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cost effective
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care. So in 2025,
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as I stated previously,
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we all see that technology is developing
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quickly, improving quickly.
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That will be the case in 2025.
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And we need to determine appropriate use cases
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for
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these technologies
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and ensure that
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using them does not further
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distract providers
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during the patient visits, but improves things and
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fits with their workflow.
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So we're hopeful that technology will help providers
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with task shifting and better allow them to
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participate
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at the top of their license,
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and
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that'll help us too to retain providers and
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recruit other providers because it's, you know, you
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know, again, like everyone's experiencing
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staffing issues,
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the same
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is challenging in the with provider space as
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well.
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So
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technology innovations have the potential to improve
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clinical workflow
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too within
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EMR that we use,
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including the use of AI to automate
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doc,
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automate documentation, make it easier to search for
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information. So
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being able to make all that easier for
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providers, we hope will obviously have a positive
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impact on care and cost and also help
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us, you know, with provider satisfaction, which is
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really important to our practice.
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I'd say the item that we're kind of
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nervous about is it's, you know, it's kind
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of unclear
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what direction it's going in. I think in
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general,
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the value based
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payment challenges, first of all,
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CMS has created
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a large volume, a large number of value
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based care models, which is
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challenging because you have a lot of
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overlap models that are starting and then ending.
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And, yeah, there's a lot of time and
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effort that's put into
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developing
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systems to be able to operate within these
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models. So we continue to
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see that,
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and it's challenging. Secondly,
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there's a challenge
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around
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documentation
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requirements to demonstrate value. So there are several
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components to quality and providers need to report
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on
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the performance metrics
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and to show
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CMS
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that we are delivering high
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value care. And this creates a significant
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administrative burden
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adding cost to the system
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and essentially leading providers with fewer resources
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for patient care. And then lastly,
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related to all this is
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the continued
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dependency on fee for service.
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So,
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you know, we know that CMS's goal is
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to have
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every
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beneficiary
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under a value based
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payment model
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by
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2,030.
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But
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we'd like to see less dependency on fee
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for service, so we'd like to see kind
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of a well, first of all, pairing down
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of
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these models and really
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consolidation
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and then a change a little change in
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approach and give accountable organizations,
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the ones that are taking on the risk
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or
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flexibility to decide
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how organizations
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in
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the networks
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that we've formed to manage these patients,
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how they're compensated so they're not continue to
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be re relying on fee for service that
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are tied in with
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the,
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the value based payment model and more invested
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in it.
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That's great to hear. And I can imagine,
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you know, as you mentioned, some of those
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benefits, but also challenges with, you know, just
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being part of the value based care models
14:49
and seeing how, additional providers are brought into
14:52
that space,
14:54
and really where things are headed over the
14:56
next few years. It'll just be interesting to
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to watch all of that. Now in knowing
15:01
how,
15:02
how much complexities in the health care space,
15:04
but also, you know, really the the way
15:07
that things are evolving,
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What do you think most effective
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health care leaders will need in order to
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be successful over the next 2 to 3
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years or so?
15:15
Oh, it's,
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you know, it's impossible
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to
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you know, on the value based payment
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to operate
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in a silo and be successful.
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So
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healthcare organizations that are
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most likely to succeed
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under value based payment models
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have sophisticated
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strategy to build partnerships
15:41
and networks and leverage
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but those networks and partnerships
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leverage
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shared technologies and systems
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and build trust to drive efficiencies
15:55
and reduce costs across the network. So,
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yeah, choosing the right strategy, the right partners,
16:03
and being able to, again, get everyone
16:07
as much as possible
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on shared systems
16:12
is key to all of this. So that's,
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you know, definitely a,
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you know, different skill set than, you know,
16:20
what
16:22
health care leaders in the past have
16:25
relied upon. So,
16:27
you know, so that's what we're dealing with
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and trying to work through that. And it's,
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you know, it's complicated,
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but,
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you know, the more
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better strategy you have and being able
16:43
to drive that strategy and implement it and
16:47
stick to a plan and
16:49
rely on that plan is is really
16:53
important and more important than ever.
16:56
A 100% agree. Thank you so much for
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joining us on the podcast today, Chris. I
16:59
I really appreciate your time and perspective, and
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I look forward to connecting with you again
17:03
soon.
17:04
Thank you. Appreciate it.