Todd Thompson, BSN, RN – Clinical Subject Matter Expert

CMS ADT E-Notification Mandate: 5 Keys to Better Care Coordination

It just makes sense: When a patient is discharged from the hospital or transferred to another care facility, the patient’s physician should be notified. That’s the goal of a new CMS regulation effective May 1, 2021.

In this post, I’ll cover five keys to establishing meaningful care coordination that removes barriers, fulfills the requirements of the CMS mandate, and improves outcomes for your patients. I’ll also highlight how Backline, the award-winning care collaboration platform from DrFirst, can help.

Take a look at my previous blog post, highlighting the 2021 CMS Condition of Participation (CoP) rule requiring hospitals to share admissions, discharge, and transfer (ADT) data with primary care physicians (PCPs) and post-acute care facilities.

1. Share ADT Data Inside and Outside Your Network

Sharing information between siloed organizations is critical for collaboration when providers aren’t using a common EHR or aren’t part of the same HIE network.

Backline lets participants share data even if they aren’t on the same platform or aren’t registered users. By sharing information securely with any receiver via text or email, it’s easy to ensure PCPs and post-acute care facilities receive ADT e-notifications.

2. Automate ADT E-Notifications

We understand you need to comply with the new mandate in a way that doesn’t add burden for your staff.

By configuring Backline to send real-time clinical information to PCPs and post-acute care facilities automatically, your staff can avoid the manual effort and error-prone tasks of faxing or mailing physical records.

3. Customize Data Sharing

While sharing a patient’s basic demographic information is a start, the real benefit comes from giving clinicians in other facilities all the information they need to deliver the best possible care.

Backline lets you customize the clinical content you share so that notifications can include core ADT information as well as actionable data such as discharge meds, diagnoses, treatment instructions, and more.

4. Make CCD Requests on Demand

When it comes to requesting continuity of care document (CCD) and ADT data, providers may become frustrated if they need to register for a provider portal, and requiring this extra step can limit adoption.

Backline simplifies the process by letting clinicians request their patients’ data without creating a login for another system. You can even post a link on your website to enable CCD requests so providers can quickly receive clinical data.

5. Bundle E-Notifications with Communication Solutions

To help you comply with the new CMS mandate while reducing the costs and overhead of managing multiple tools, Backline includes:

• Automated alerts and data transfer
• Telehealth
• HIPAA-compliant text messaging
• Electronic documents
• Clinical communication

If you have Backline, you already have ADT routing, e-notifications, and cross-organization data sharing—everything you need to comply with the new regulation. If you’re new to Backline, your organization can get started sharing ADT data, while upgrading care team collaboration and patient engagement capabilities at the same time.

Get Backline and Comply with the CMS ADT Rule

The goal of the new CMS ADT mandate is to enhance continuity of care and improve patient outcomes. But many hospitals are unsure how to share clinical information accurately, efficiently, and securely with other providers.

Backline removes the barriers to improving care coordination between providers, which is an important part of what we call the Healthiverse, an interconnected healthcare universe where information silos are shattered and where all stakeholders can collaborate to deliver better patient care.

With these five key features, you can comply with this important mandate while improving coordination with all the providers in your network.