In 2011, approximately 41 million Americans were 65 or older. By 2029, when the last baby boomers reach retirement age, an estimated 71 million Americans will be at this same age, a 73% increase. An aging population presents numerous challenges for healthcare providers, including a key challenge of Medicare reimbursement.
With the advent of the ACA, lawmakers attempted to link payment for healthcare to quality of care. Through the development of HCAPS surveys, Medicare now reimburses healthcare providers based on the aggregate survey responses each hospital receives.
As the US population continues to age, the number of Medicare beneficiaries will continue to increase. Since 2011, the number of Medicare beneficiaries has expanded by nearly 8 million individuals. As this trend continues in the future, it will become increasingly more important for hospitals to receive full reimbursement from Medicare as a result of HCAPS survey results.
The responsibility of Increasing HCAPS scores often falls on frontline nurses. Implementing patient centered strategies like hourly rounding can be excellent methods to ensure each patient gets adequate attention and care. However, non-digital practices can only go so far.
Digital rounding tools like the Nobl Rounding Platform can help increase HCAHPS scores. In fact, a study of three nursing units found that using Vigilance could improve overall hospital rating scores by nearly 20%. A higher hospital rating score leads to an increase in medicare reimbursement.
Digital rounding tools work by enabling staff to proactively anticipate and meet patient needs. Through tools such as issue tracking and resolution, Vigilance promotes an environment of communication between healthcare providers and patients.
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