THE VALUED VOICE

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) is strongly encouraging nursing homes to report the number of skilled nursing facility (SNF) beds available in their location each day to EMResource as part of a bed tracking system. With the daily reports from nursing homes, DHS hopes the “SNF bed tracker” will provide a real time picture of bed availability across the state, which hospitals can use as they work to identify potential post-acute care placements for their patients. In an EMResource update, DHS wrote, "Reporting is optional, and strongly encouraged." DHS has delivered the same message in its meetings with both nursing homes and hospitals.
 
Hospitals are reporting increasing numbers of patients who are ready to be discharged but remain in the hospital because an appropriate post-acute care placement is not available. Numbers vary by size of hospital and the region of the state, but individual hospitals have reported from around ten to more than 40 patients currently ready to be discharged but waiting for a post-acute care placement.
 
DHS is asking area hospitals and nursing homes to work together to populate and use the SNF bed tracker as a resource. In March, DHS hosted a training webinar for nursing homes to introduce the tracker’s reporting capabilities. The webinar recording can be accessed here.
 
Hospital staff interested in accessing and using the system should provide their name, facility and email address to DHSEMResource@dhs.wisconsin.gov.