Podcasts: The Best of 2020

 In Getting Earlier Referrals, Preparing for the Future

“The Best of 2020” sounds like an oxymoron. In a year dominated by a global pandemic that’s still in full force – and the many challenges it has brought to people’s physical health, mental well-being, finances and other facets of life – it’s difficult to find silver linings.

Yet healthcare professionals continued to work hard, often at great risk, to tackle COVID-19, minimize the risk for their patients and seek to improve care despite all the challenges.

Transcending Home Care PodcastOur monthly podcast, Transcending Home Care, had strong engagement in 2020 as listeners downloaded episodes hundreds of times to hear helpful insights from our knowledgeable guests on a variety of topics regarding senior care and home-based care.

The most frequently downloaded episodes showed a clear desire to provide better patient care for longer periods of time. Our most popular episode continued to be “Breaking Down Barriers to Earlier Referrals” featuring Michael Paletta, MD, chief medical officer for Hospice of Michigan. Dr. Paletta discussed how providers can help communicate better with physicians to prompt earlier referrals to hospice and palliative care. If you haven’t heard the episode yet, you can listen here.

Another topic of high interest was improving the patient experience. Two different episodes – one featuring Robin Stawacz of Acclivity Health Solutions and the other showcasing Cooper Linton of Duke HomeCare & Hospice – looked at the patient experience from a couple of different angles.

The interview with Robin Stawacz focused on the use of remote care tools including telehealth for staying connected with patients and families while the discussion with Cooper Linton examined evaluating the patient experience squarely from the patient’s perspective.

As providers toiled to keep pace with today’s demands magnified by the pandemic, they also kept an eye on tomorrow. Our podcast episode, “What Innovation Is Needed for In-Home Care,” explored emerging areas of new thinking with Devin Griffith, vice president of innovation and development for AuthoraCare Collective. This highly downloaded conversation highlighted subjects such as evolving community partnerships, technology and payer models.

Finally, two different episodes covering the impact of PDGM on home health providers also received a significant number of downloads. An interview with Mark Hunt of Covenant Care gave astute suggestions on how providers could satisfy the new PDGM reimbursement regulations while creating a positive impact on patient care and outcomes. A discussion with data experts Jess Stover and Erin Masterson of BlackTree Healthcare Consulting reviewed how PDGM was working in the real world after the first quarter of 2020 (even though it was a world skewed by COVID-19).

We at Transcend hope you’ve had the opportunity to hear at least some of our podcast episodes – and if so, we trust that you found the content to be engaging and enlightening. If you’ve missed any of the “Best of 2020” episodes mentioned in this blog post, the links provided will enable easy access for you to catch up on these timely topics.

Most of all, we wish you a safe, healthy and happy holiday season. May the new year see us get COVID-19 under control so that you can concentrate on providing and improving patient care in a pandemic-free environment.

What topics would you like to hear us address in our podcast episodes for 2021? Feel free to email your suggestions to me at stan@transcend-strategy.com.

Related Posts