I spend a good (ok, large) amount of time working with non-profit and privately held health care, post-acute and seniors housing organizations. Nearly all of my work is at the C-level and above and frankly, my career as an executive was there as well (25 plus years). Boards/governance bodies play a key role in the success and/or failure of an organization. The same also mitigate or increase risk to the organization, depending on their behavior. I have witnessed bad boards absolutely devastate once great, market dominant organizations simply through their failure to stay structurally in-tune with industry trends, market conditions, public policy, and patient care and service requirements (from compliance to outcomes and satisfaction). Naïve, insular and narrowly focused Boards have taken down some of the largest and most prominent companies in any industry. Health care, with its unique ties to government programs (Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) and regulatory structures, requires a governance model that reflects the industry challenges and mitigates the risks inherent in regulated, reimbursed health care.
Boards have as their primary duty, a fiduciary obligation to the organization. This duty is best described as an obligation to act and behave solely, in the best interest of the organization and its shareholders/stakeholders. In non-profit parlance: best interest in the mission of the organization. To be an effective fiduciary then, the Board must seek to eliminate conflicts of interest and to learn about the risks or potential harms that are inherent to the organization via the business it is in. The common definitions associated with a Board’s fiduciary obligation is the duty of care, the duty of loyalty and the duty of obedience. Simply,
- Duty of Care: To act as a prudent person and to be engaged in their duties as Board members in the preservation and protection of the organization. The actions include attending meetings, reading, questioning, and obtaining industry education
- Duty of Loyalty: Removing self promotion and personal interest (including personal business interest) from Board duties/responsibilities. Acting only in the collective best interest or the organization and its mission/shareholder/stakeholders.
- Duty of Obedience: To assure the organization is compliant with all federal, state and local laws and is conducting business in a compliant manner with other rules and regulations as applicable (e.g., bond/debt covenants).
With PDPM about to change the entire Medicare fee-for-service reimbursement program for SNFs while presenting broader payment change implications (down the road) for Medicare Advantage and even Medicaid (note that Medicaid payment systems always trend-off Medicare programs), Boards need to start NOW to understand PDPM and its certain, organizational impacts. Each of the above “duties” are in-play but most acutely, the duty of care and the duty of obedience.
To maintain clarity and a certain amount of brevity and readability, below is my Board education/implementation framework for PDPM.
- What is PDPM? Explain at a macro-level what the new program impacts (Medicare A, fee-for-service) and how it works compared to the current Medicare RUGs-based system. I would avoid the jargon and technical while sticking to the core differences.
- Differences in patient classification and payment level assignment
- Differences in the role of therapy and the payment thereof
- Variable payment differences
- Clinical incentives and behavioral changes
- PDPM Impact for the Organization, Part 1? What should the Board know about how PDPM will impact the organization.
- Revenue impact? The Board should see and understand, quantified revenue impacts. Note: Organizations should be modeling the changes NOW to their reimbursement
- Any technology changes and investments that are necessary prior to October 1
- Any staff changes, staff education costs, need to budget for consultants, etc.
- Changes in therapy contracts or therapy provision necessitated by PDPM
- Changes in care delivery and why such as more group and concurrent therapy, shorter lengths of stay, possible change in clinical acuity
- PDPM Impact for the Organization, Part 2? What the Board should know that doesn’t change under PDPM?
- No changes to other payer sources and programs expected (e.g., Medicare Advantage)
- No compliance or regulatory changes (survey regulations)
- No other program changes such as QRP, VBP, etc.
- No impact to other services or programs the organization may have (home health, hospice, Assisted Living, Pace, etc.)
- PDPM Risks: What to Monitor? The Board needs to assure that the organization’s preparation for PDPM and the changes will be implemented and managed such that the organization will stay compliant with all applicable laws, rules and requirements.
- Will the revenue changes impact bond/debt covenants (negatively)?
- How will therapy provision be monitored, especially if therapy is provided via a contractor? CMS has warned that drastic changes in minutes provided and/or treatment levels (from almost exclusively 1 to 1 to group and concurrent) will lead to targeted audits and potential penalties
- Revenue changes not adequately predicted to the Board
- Patient satisfaction changes (negative). PDPM places a premium on efficiency of stay, especially given the variable payment dynamic. Will care be complete and patients satisfied or will corners be cut adversely impacting satisfaction?
- Compliance changes (adverse) or performance changes adverse due to PDPM. Has the organization’s performance metrics such as rehospitalizations, falls, infections rates, etc. changed? Any adverse survey changes or serious citations occurred? The Board must be actively engaged in QAPI and should be monitoring quality of care data
- Budgets and investments met/made to assure smooth and supportive transition to PDPM
- PDPM: Other? The Board should require periodic updates across an extended period of time on how the transition to PDPM has impacted the organization, positively and negatively. Similarly, as with all other major industry changes, PDPM should impact strategic plans and the same, should adjust for the impact PDPM will have.
Given that PDPM will implement October 1, organizations that haven’t at least begun Step 1 above are behind. Step 2 should occur ASAP, especially since many organizations will likely see some negative revenue impact, if they have a disproportionate Medicare book of therapy of ultra-high RUGs and longer lengths of stay. Any organization with a therapy contract (not employed, in-house) will need to get into discussions NOW regarding PDPM and their contract terms. PDPM changes are sweeping and shouldn’t be ignored and/or, under sold and misconstrued to the Board or governing body. The risks are too great and the organizational peril, too high.