New Partnership Gives Wisconsin SNFs Access to After-Hours Telehealth

More than 50 skilled nursing facilities in Wisconsin will soon have access to telehealth services to improve after-hours care and reduce hospitalizations.

North Shore Healthcare has announced a partnership with Sound Physicians for the connected health platform, which will enable staff at 52 of the company’s SNFs to access healthcare providers on demand after normal business hours for virtual care.

"Receiving consistent physician support during evenings and weekends has been a challenge for providers for many years,” David Mills, CEO of the Milwaukee-based healthcare organization, said in a press release. “These are the times when we need the most guidance and support from professionals, often at a moment's notice. We are extremely excited to partner with Sound Physicians as they have developed an innovative care model that addresses this issue, resulting in better outcomes and support being delivered to our residents and staff."

SNFs and other long-term acute care facilities have long faced challenges in providing on-site care that improves clinical outcomes and reduces costly hospitalizations. The pandemic made those problems even more acute, though emergency measures that expanded telehealth access and coverage helped them use connected health platforms and tools.

The regulatory landscape for telehealth use in SNFs is still not ideal, though lawmakers have shown an interest in developing long-term telehealth policy that includes these facilities and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is moving toward better Medicare reimbursement. As a result, many SNFs are launching telehealth programs aimed at proving the value of the service to regulators and policymakers.

"Sound Physicians will focus on bringing acute care expertise to North Shore via our integrated telemedicine platform to improve clinical outcomes and reduce unnecessary returns to the hospital," Brendan McNamara, the company’s chief executive officer for telemedicine, said. The company is partnering with GAPS Health to launch its TeleSNF program in the North Shore Health SNFs beginning this month.

Earlier this year, two large SNFs in Minnesota and California launched their own telehealth programs with Curve Health.

"The pandemic has opened the industry's eyes to the importance of telemedicine-based services in SNFs, and the regulatory environment now supports the growth of Curve and its partnership with forward-looking organizations like Southview,” Avi Katz, who owns Southview Acres Health Care Center in Minnesota, said of the partnership. “We're expecting the immediate accessibility of physicians to enable a more seamless patient and family experience and a significant decline in unnecessary hospitalizations."