Q: What is the origin of HealthTech 4 Medicaid (HT4M)?
A:Last year at the JP Morgan conference, we had a really great panel focused on innovation in Medicaid. From that event, people said, ‘Why aren’t we doing something more about making sure there’s a pathway for entrepreneurs in the Medicaid space?’ Ten months later it came to be.
Q: What should nursing providers be thinking about innovation?
A:[They] serve a huge population of dual-eligibles, so innovation in Medicaid is really important. It impacts staff — if you have better technology and innovation, it helps manage diseases and ailments that can come from long-term nursing care.
Q: What about providers who feel like Medicaid is underpaying them?
A:I was a hospital administrator for 15 years, so I know that struggle intimately. But the Medicaid ecosystem has potential for business development. It’s a fallacy to think there is not a business case to be made.
Q: What about those who balk at installing new technology?
A:If you have staff with technology that can work with your patients, that staff is more likely to stay. Ultimately, there is a cost savings that trickles down.
From the February 01, 2019 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News
