Clinical and operational innovations better predict non-healing wounds and missed appointments  

Further expanding its analytics capabilities and leadership position within the wound care marketplace, Net Health, a provider of specialty electronic health systems and advanced healthcare analytics, today announced the addition of two new predictive analytics resources to improve clinical and operational outcomes for wound care providers.

The new Pressure Injury Deterioration Risk Indicator is built into Tissue Analytics, Net Health’s AI-powered wound imaging and analysis solution, which was recently granted breakthrough device status by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The Missed Visit Prediction Indicator is available in Net Health® Wound Care, one of the nation’s most widely used electronic health record (EHR) platforms for wound care. Both features are embedded in automated workflow processes and alert providers when risk is detected, enabling providers to intervene in real-time.

“Predictive analytics is transforming every aspect of healthcare and establishing new industry benchmarks for better outcomes, cost savings and other efficiencies every day,” said Josh Pickus, CEO of Net Health. “These latest additions to our analytics portfolio highlight our commitment to clients to help them improve every aspect of their practices from clinical to operational with leading-edge predictive technologies.”

Addressing the High Cost of HAPIs

The Pressure Injury Deterioration Risk Indicator addresses a critical challenge for hospitals: managing and preventing hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs). Thousands of patients die each year from pressure injury-related complications. CMS identifies severe HAPIs (i.e., Stage III or IV) as “Never Events” and does not cover the costs of care for these injuries, leading to millions of dollars in uncompensated care for hospitals and nursing homes nationwide.*

The predictive models that power the Pressure Injury Deterioration Risk Indicator were trained on over 4.7 million unique encounters in Net Health’s robust wound care database, one of the largest in the world. Unlike subjective, incomplete assessment methods, the analytic provides a real-time, data-driven, and accurate assessment of the likelihood that a specific pressure injury will deteriorate to the next stage (e.g., from Stage II to Stage III). Early detection is vital in improving pressure injury rates and patient outcomes.

Improving Costs and Outcomes

The Missed Visit Prediction indicator brings beneficial operational capabilities that improve workflow efficiencies and financial results. Patient no-shows and cancellations have real costs in terms of outcomes, quality of life and overall health. They cost healthcare organizations more than $150 billion annually in the U.S., and providers lose an average of $165-200 per unused time slot. The Missed Visit Prediction feature is built on advanced machine learning. It makes predictions using data already captured as part of a provider’s EHR, including socioeconomic data and past visit histories. The capability ensures the information provided is actionable and relevant. Additionally, the Predictor could help the average mid-size wound care practice increase revenue by five percent.

“We know how challenging it can be to provide wound care in today’s marketplace,” said Kevin Keenahan, VP for Strategy & Innovation and cofounder of Tissue Analytics. “I’ve talked to scores of wound care providers nationwide, and they tell us these features will help them better care for patients and ensure they run a more efficient and profitable practice. We look forward to continuing to provide real help and value to our clients and the industry.”   *For additional information and citations about the cost of HAPIs, see https://go.nethealth.com/costofwounds