INPATIENT GEROPSYCHIATRIC UNITS

 Mid-America assists providers in the development and management of inpatient geropsychiatric units. Our partners have helped providers of all types - from small rural hospitals to highly integrated healthcare service networks - improve their patient care management systems. Despite cost pressures and utilization limitations imposed by Medicare and other payers, providers of geropsychiatric services face the challenge of maintaining high quality and achieving desired outcomes.
The new prospective payment system (PPS) rates require providers of geropsychiatric services to redesign processes, improve efficiency and demonstrate cost effectiveness in order to remain profitable and positioned for managed care and other third-party contracting. In spite of these challenges, geropsychiatric units remain a needed and appreciated service in the community. You may be reevaluating your geropsychiatric program; If so, you may want to consider the management and/or consulting services provided by Mid-America.

Range of Management Expertise

• Psychiatric Nursing
• Program Management
• Finance
• Program Planning
• Reimbursement
• Billing and Documentation

Consulting Services
Mid-America offers practical consulting assistance that produces an immediate bottom line impact. Mid-America will assist providers to increase market penetration while reducing operating costs to meet today’s reimbursement challenges and operate successfully in the new prospective pay environment.

• Assessing staffing needs, productivity, and cost effectiveness, and market penetration
• Redesigning service delivery in line with PPS
• Developing and expanding new programs
• Needs assessment & Market analysis
• Define scope of services
• Financial feasibility studies
• Ensuring appropriateness of patient care
• Billing, documentation and reimbursement audits
• Establishing outcome measures for clinical effectiveness
• Certification, regulatory compliance, and program accreditation

Program Management

Contracted management services are available to those providers who need assistance on either an interim basis to maintain program strength and profitability or on a long-term basis to effect a financial turn-around or improve operational profitability.

• Full-time program director
• Full-time community relations director
• Regular on-site visits with program director and staff
• Admission criteria
• Assessment screening tools and training
• Staff recruitment, training and job descriptions
• Telephone consultations as needed
• Periodic on-site audits:
  • Clinical documentation
  • Reimbursement
  • Compliance with Medicare, state licensure, JCAHO and other accrediting agencies
• Regular meetings with hospital administration:
  • Written monthly executive summary
  • Review statistics, Medicare coverage issues, revenue targets and all pertinent data issues
• Regular consultation with medical director
• Continuous monitoring of operating costs

Management Assistance

• Continual program oversight of financial performance