WellSky Report Reveals Changes, Trends in Care Delivery

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas—WellSky, a health and community care technology company, released its third “Evolution of Care” report. The 2024 report—based on data from WellSky’s network of hospitals, accountable care organizations (ACO), physician practices and providers across the United States—explores the transformations in care delivery over the last year and highlights the impact they have on patients and providers.

WellSky’s analysis found:

As referral volume increases, hospitals progressively struggle to secure timely post-acute care options for their patients. 

According to data from WellSky, the demand for post-acute care remains high, with skilled nursing facility (SNF) and home health referrals increasing by 3% and 6%, respectively, in the past year. Despite efforts to make improvements, SNF referral acceptance rates are still below pre-pandemic levels, while home health acceptance rates remain significantly lower—at 34.5% as of October 2023—making it difficult for acute providers to secure timely care for their patients.

The average length of hospital stay before discharge is slowly decreasing but remains higher than in 2019. 

While the hospital average lengths of stay (ALOS) before discharge to post-acute care have decreased in the past year, they remain higher than in 2019. For patients discharged to SNFs, hospital ALOS increased by 12% (2023 vs. 2019). For patients discharged to home health, hospital ALOS increased by 7% over the same period. Higher ALOS can lead to higher costs, reduced patient satisfaction and delays in necessary care post-discharge.

In addition to revealing data insights, the report analyzes trends that are shaping the health care industry, such as:

Generative artificial intelligence (AI) and predictive analytics are enhancing caregiving. 

The report presented findings that support the evolution of generative AI transforming care transitions and coordination software in health care by streamlining administrative tasks and improving data-driven decision-making. Generative AI and predictive analytics offer providers more focus on direct patient care, which can lead to more efficient health care delivery. By optimizing resources, forecasting trends and identifying at-risk patients for early intervention, AI can enhance patient engagement, team coordination and cost efficiency.

“As referral volumes surge and staffing shortages persist, providers are under immense pressure to secure timely and appropriate post-acute care for their patients,” said Bill Miller, CEO of WellSky. “Advanced technology and AI-driven solutions from WellSky will help providers navigate these challenges, streamline care coordination and, ultimately, deliver better patient outcomes in a rapidly changing health care landscape.”

Regulatory shifts are changing the health care market. 

The report found that although great strides have been made in an effort to push providers toward value-based care, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is continuing to drive change and innovation in the health care industry through newly proposed models, such as the transforming episode accountability model, ACO primary care flex and the making care primary model. These initiatives aim to transform the health care landscape by enhancing care coordination, improving patient outcomes and addressing health disparities, all while underscoring the importance of a connected continuum of care and the need for collaboration among all stakeholders.

Recent results seen from WellSky “CarePort Connect” users demonstrate a 6% improvement in timely start of care for home health and a 4% decrease in acute length of stay for patients discharged to a SNF. The company said that its solutions, services and data aim to allow providers better navigation of these changes by utilizing its tools and analytics to improve care coordination, patient engagement and compliance.

More details on the 2024 Evolution of Care findings and what they mean for the health care industry can be found here.