Hospice of the Western Reserve, Netsmart Partner

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas—Hospice of the Western Reserve (HOWR), a nonprofit provider of hospice and palliative care services, announced it has selected the Netsmart CareFabric to support its post-acute service lines on a single platform. The Ohio-based provider said it aims to further its mission to provide compassionate palliative and end-of-life care by leveraging a unified platform that supports its clinical, financial and operational efficiencies across the agency’s 11 locations.

With the implementation of myUnity, a user-friendly electronic health record (EHR) that utilizes near real-time analytics and clinical decision support, HOWR aims to deliver patient-centered services. Additionally, myUnity will support the organization’s push to strengthen interoperability, enabling the sharing and exchanging of data with hospital systems.

“Embracing the versatility of myUnity allows us to support both our patients and our staff,” said William E. Finn, president and CEO of HOWR. “This is about more than adopting a new platform. It’s about ensuring we have the tools to continue meeting people where they are with exceptional care, today and for years to come.”

Hospice of the Western Reserve will utilize a variety of solutions and services within the CareFabric platform—ranging from patient and family engagement to augmented intelligence (AI) technology—accessing a powerful combination of automation, referral summarizations, revenue cycle management and telehealth, with the goal of standardizing its operations and enhancing service delivery. Furthermore, with the use of the Netsmart collection automation solution, AlphaCollector, HOWR said it aims to reduce its accounts receivable time and accelerate its cash flow. 

Hospice of the Western Reserve will implement CareRouter to help support efficiencies for its staff scheduling visits, response times for after-hours and urgent calls. Through this collaboration, HOWR and Netsmart will work toward further developing CareRouter integration capabilities with myUnity for staff scheduling, providing near real-time visibility of caregivers in the field, staff availability and appointments. 

“Hospice of the Western Reserve is taking proactive steps by investing in an integrated platform and working with a trusted health care IT organization to equip them with advanced tools so they can deliver high-quality care to patients and their families,” said David Strocchia, senior vice president and managing director of provider solutions, Netsmart. “This new collaboration marks a significant decision, and the beginning of a long-term relationship built on diligence and a strong commitment to innovation with the goal of accelerating both of our journeys. We look forward to working alongside Hospice of the Western Reserve to elevate their operations, while helping to build a resilient, sustainable workforce to meet the rising demand for hospice and palliative care services.”