Electronic visit verification (EVV) is changing the way care is delivered and monitored outside of traditional healthcare facilities. EVV benefits people receiving care through greater accountability and more consistent service delivery. Caregivers also benefit from better connectivity, increased efficiency and less paperwork.
EVV has the potential to do more than simply verify that services have taken place. And in this insightful podcast episode, industry experts Lindsay Mack, director of client success at Netsmart, and Kristy Pyles, founder of In Your Corner Consulting, take a journey through the evolving EVV landscape, offering insights into its present state and what the future may hold.
Mack and Pyles begin with an exploration of the current state of EVV implementations across the United States. While personal care services (PCS) have seen widespread adoption, with most states having successfully implemented EVV, the road has been bumpier for home health services. Mack and Pyles shed light on the challenges faced by providers, payers and states, including technology barriers, rural service locations, device availability and user comfort with emerging technologies.
Providers are also facing financial concerns and administrative burdens, heightened by the recent 80/20 rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This rule requires home- and community-based providers to spend at least 80 percent of their Medicaid payments for home and personal care services on workers who are directly providing the care.
Mack and Pyles empathize with the providers' struggles, acknowledging the whack-a-mole nature of compliance demands and the potential impact on their already stretched resources.
Taking a deeper look into the short-term impacts of EVV, the experts advise providers to stay vigilant, checking their EVV visits for compliance and working closely with their vendors to ensure a seamless transition.
But amid the challenges, there are also opportunities. Mack and Pyles foresee EVV expanding its reach to encompass additional services such as transportation, hospice and even a potential Medicare pilot program. The goal? Leveraging EVV's power to withstand fraud, waste and abuse while improving care delivery and outcomes.
Looking ahead, the experts predict a move toward national program standardization, allowing more efficient data tracking and analysis. They also envision a golden age of EVV, where vendors enhance their solutions with workforce management tools, artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and a deeper
understanding of end-user needs, ultimately empowering providers and caregivers.
Throughout the podcast, Mack and Pyles underscore the game-changing potential of EVV, positioning it as a tool that not only ensures compliance but also drives value-based care initiatives, addresses workforce shortages and improves patient outcomes. As the landscape continues to evolve, one thing is certain: EVV is here to stay, and its impact on the healthcare industry is just beginning to unfold.
Lindsay Mack and Kristy Pyles share much more about the challenges, opportunities and potential of EVV in their insightful podcast. To hear their thoughts on EVV and how it will continue to shape care delivery in the home, click
here to listen to the podcast.