Alex Hejnosz from CipherHealth, a solution provider company at the marcus evans National Healthcare CNO Summit Spring 2013, on the importance of knowing a patient’s exact problem for better care coordination. Interview with: Alex Hejnosz, Founding Partner, CipherHealth

1. Reducing Readmissions by
Putting Patients First
CNOs must consider patient satisfaction, during the calls, and follow-up activity
the overall patient experience, and from the hospital staff can be
recognize the central role of patient aggregated, and reports from the
perception in the new performance- system can lead to year over year
based financial model. improvement.
As the industry shifts towards outcome- What means can be used to address
driven payments like Value Based system-wide issues?
Purchasing and payer-led performance
incentives, it has become essential for a If the problem can be narrowly defined,
hospital to extend the care they provide it can much more easily be solved.
beyond the four walls of their facility. Many hospitals look at performance unit
Post-discharge follow up is absolutely by unit, but incorporating a variety of
Interview with: Alex Hejnosz, critical. Each hospital and patient viewpoints (units, age, service line, day
Founding Partner, CipherHealth population is different, so questions of week, etc.) can lead to rapid and
should be tailored and asked upon dramatic improvement.
discharge. If it can happen every time,
Chief Nursing Officers (CNOs) can if every patient can receive a follow-up
improve care coordination, reduce call, the results are clear: read-
readmissions, and improve the patient missions reduction, patient experience
CNOs
experience by identifying the exact improvement, and cost savings related
obstacles that patients are facing after to value-based purchasing.
discharge and putting the patient in
understand
touch with the right resource to take How can care coordination be
care of the problem, says Alex Hejnosz, improved?
Founding Partner, CipherHealth.
that every
Initiatives like Centers for Medicare and First, the patient’s exact problem must
Medicaid’s Readmissions Penalties and be identified, and the only way to do
the Patient Protection and Affordable this is to ask. Once the patient’s issue is
patient
Care Act make following up with known, then they need to be connected
patients one of the hospitals top with the right person to resolve their
priorities, and have created a huge need concern. For example, if patients are
deserves a
for systems that help perform this not able to buy medicine, a strong
outreach to every patient in the program may refer them to a social
hospital, he goes on to say. worker who knows where medicine can
follow-up
be obtained cheaply. Systematic
From a solution provider company at solutions are key. Data from each of
the marcus evans National these interactions must be captured and
call, and
Healthcare CNO Summit Spring stored for future reporting.
2013, taking place in Atlanta, Georgia,
March 14-15, Hejnosz discusses asking How can interactive calls help
they are
the right questions to gain patient enhance patient care?
insights to strengthen patient care.
In the short term, interactive calls can
absolutely
What should CNOs consider to meet drive an immediate improvement in
the requirements of the Affordable Hospital Consumer Assessment of
Care Act? Healthcare Providers and Systems and
right
red u ct io n i n rea d m is s i on s fro m
This regulation effectively holds a identifying and solving the patient’s
whole hospital accountable for its concern. In the long term, the value is
performance, across clinical and in the system and the structure. Patient
satisfaction metrics. To be effective, demographics, responses from patients

2. About the National Healthcare CNO Summit Spring 2013
The marcus evans Summits
This unique forum will take place at the Ritz Carlton, Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia,
group delivers peer-to-peer
March 14-15, 2013. Offering much more than any conference, exhibition or trade
information on strategic matters,
show, this exclusive meeting will bring together esteemed industry thought leaders
professional trends and
and solution providers to a highly focused and interactive networking event. The
breakthrough innovations.
Summit includes presentations on successful collaboration between the CMO and
CNO for quality outcomes, cutting edge leadership solutions, and creating a unified
and nurturing team.
www.healthcare-summit.com
Please note that the Summit is a Contact
closed business event and the
Maria Gregoriou, Journalist, marcus evans, Summits Division
number of participants strictly
limited.
Tel: + 357 22 849 400
Email: press@marcusevanscy.com
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About CipherHealth
CipherHealth helps hospitals reduce readmissions and improve the patient experience. The CipherVoice automated calling program
reaches out to 100% of a hospital’s patients after they are treated and identifies those in need of support, resulting in up to 20-
35% reduction in readmissions and 25-30% improvements in HCAHPS scores.
www.cipherhealth.com
About marcus evans Summits
marcus evans Summits are high level business forums for the world’s leading decision-makers to meet, learn and discuss
strategies and solutions. Held at exclusive locations around the world, these events provide attendees with a unique opportunity to
individually tailor their schedules of keynote presentations, think tanks, seminars and one-on-one business meetings.
For more information, please visit: www.marcusevans.com
Upcoming Events
Long-Term Care CXO Summit - www.longtermcaresummit.com
National Healthcare CMO Summit - www.nhcmiosummit.com
National Healthcare CXO Summit - www.nhcxosummit.com
To view the web version, please click here: www.nhcnosummit.com/AlexHejnosz