Please don't say "Group Therapy" like it's a 4-letter word!
Because many are thinking of the term "Group Therapy" as though it is a curse word, HealthPRO Heritage asks you to instead consider re-imagining what is traditionally thought of as Group Therapy. Let’s RE-think and RE-format Group Therapy with an ultra-valuable, super-educational component. In other words, why not re-invent Group Therapy treatments instead as ‘'Group Education Classes'’?
Consider the Upside
- A Marketing Advantage: Collaborate with Admissions to hype up the value proposition to possible new admits: “Our facility offers 1:1 therapy AND a variety of educational Group Learning Classes instructed by therapy and other professionals, including: Welcome Class, Avoiding Falls, Disease Management, Medication Management, Safety at Home, Discharge Readiness, Managing Your Diet at Home, and more.”
- Facility Performance Measures: Empowering residents and their families with health literacy will assure safe transitions to the next level of care (NLOC) and ultimately impact quality indicators (such as QMs, readmission rates, ALOS, functional outcomes, etc.).
- Rehab Efficiency: In this new arrangement, Rehab departments work together to share responsibility – much like a family – to get the job done. For example, while an evaluating therapist might have lower productivity, the extroverted ‘cheerleader’ who loves to run groups can be assigned to take on responsibility for “Group Classes.” In this scenario, the delta in therapists’ productivity is acceptable, and the RD’s responsibility is to make sure the “family’s” roles are well-balanced (i.e.: therapists work together to help each other meet residents’ goals, optimize outcomes, and work efficiently.)
- Everyone’s Satisfied: Residents and caregivers are sure to see the value in a meaningful, holistic approach that combines traditional therapy with a progressive, well-defined educational component to empower residents during their SNF stay. Also, consider that most clinicians are educators at heart and will embrace the opportunity to dedicate time to teach residents in their care. Consider that this is in direct contrast to what many in the industry are concerned about: that Group Therapy will be ill-defined, unproductive, and lame. THINK: residents sitting in a circle and all performing ankle pump exercises or playing balloon volleyball – UGH!
Best Practices
HealthPRO Heritage is already assimilating this approach – leveraging our proprietary Safe Transitions clinical platform – on behalf of our clients with overwhelming positive response! These Safe Transitions classes are offered in a group setting at a standing time each week, (so as to encourage week-over-week attendance) and feature elements from our library of health literacy resources. Our therapists empower residents and caregivers to be independent by giving them the knowledge and the tools needed to navigate through to the next level of care.
Reach out to HealthPRO Heritage to ask us about our very different approach to supporting our portfolio of current therapy and consulting clients for PDPM and Beyond! We are excited about the upcoming changes in our industry, and we want to continue to partner with progressive, pro-active post-acute care providers to optimize quality care and outcomes for seniors. Contact info@healthpro-heritage.com for more specifics RE: Beyond PDPM... Beyond Therapy... Beyond Ordinary.
Shout out to Sarah Presley, PTA, RAC-CT for her contribution of creative ideas on this topic.