McKnight's Long-Term Care News, May 2019, Page 29, Vendor, PDPM Chart

Amid the consternation around the Patient-Driven Payment Model, vendors are eager to help.

PointClickCare, for example, has developed a tool that looks at what a provider’s reimbursement would be under the new model based on actual documentation in their system. The assessment tool, the PDPM Estimator, was initially launched in November during the SUMMIT conference. Since then, it has been available to PointClickCare users.

“Homes are still coding for RUGs — as they should be — but we want to highlight where they can improve documentation for PDPM even before its implementation,” said PointClickCare Director of Market Insights Jayne Warwick. 

MatrixCare has a simulator tool that acts as a report that allows comparison of RUGs and PDPM rates. In addition, the analytics team is developing functionality that will allow a deeper dive into the PDPM calculation, as well as key performance indicators associated with PDPM, the company said. 

Prime Care Technologies has focused on how providers can make PDPM work for them, said Chief Product Officer Cheryl Field.

“I do think clinicians will have to depend more on the technology and vendor partners to deal with some of the complexities of the program,” she told McKnight’s.  

But moving to PDPM may not be as hard as feared. 

“Everything is a metric and people are pretty used to a notion of technology being depended upon,” Field said.