Category Archives: Supply Chain Management

Help for Home Care and Hospice Providers


We know that the primary focus of Home Care and Hospice providers is to provide the best possible care for their patients; we also know that the last thing on their mind is the supply chain.  Luckily we have a solution that focuses on this aspect of your business for you!

Our thought was simple, find a way to have the clinicians who care for patients enter their orders while in the field, have those orders go through a series of checks and balances (set by the providing agency of course) and then deliver the orders directly to the patient’s or clinician’s home the next day.  Then we had another idea, what if we created an interface with agency’s billing software so the orders AND invoices flowed seamlessly between the two companies eliminating double entry.  The solution we created from these ideas is GroveConnect.

The way GroveConnect can help you increase your patient care is by saving your organization both TIME and MONEY.  By implementing this process orders can be placed as your clinicians see their patients (from formularies you put together), you’ll eliminate the need for large medical supply closets and cut out the numerous back and forth trips clinicians make to get supplies.  All of which increase your operational costs.  The feature, however, that sets Grove’s tool apart from others is that you can write your own checks and balances (e.g. only one silver dressing for a patient per week, order value not to exceed $25.00, etc.) and that these rules can be patient specific, product specific, time frame specific and/or a combination of any and all.  If one of these checks and balances are breached an email will be sent to the Clinician Manager to be either approved or declined based on patient need, doctor’s orders, etc.

The beauty of GroveConnect is that it delivers on the features listed above while increasing control through formularies (that’s right you can create as many as you like) and having orders go through a series of checks and balances.  Best of all it reduces the amount of time spent on managing this process leaving more time in the day as well as dollars in the budget to focus on patient care!

Come join Grove and let our technology help you work smarter, not harder. We’re here to help!

The Healthcare Note by Grove Medical

Are you ready for your MEDICAID AUDIT!?!


If you haven’t heard yet, Medicaid is performing audits all over the country and they’re already in the Southeast.  We know just reading those words will stress you out so we thought we’d pass along what we’ve heard as well as a few tips from folks who’ve already gone through this exercise.

What we’ve been told is that Medicaid’s focus will be on a random four month sampling of invoices from a three year period looking specifically at ancillary medical supplies.  According to our sources ancillary has been defined as those supplies and services that are directly identifiable to an individual patient, furnished at the direction of a physician because of special medical needs and are either not reusable, represent a cost for each preparation or are complex medical equipment.  This four month random sample will then be analyzed by the auditors to find charges that should have been billed to other payer sources before it was billed to Medicaid.  That number will then be extrapolated to a three year grand total which will then be disallowed.

Your first question should be how can I combat this?  Unless you’re using a patient charge tracking software package and a Part B billing service you’ll have to do A LOT of leg work.  You’ll have to provide proof that the charges in question were both used and billed properly by comparing them to the resident charts.

A better way to combat this is to use Grove .  Allow us to provide Tracer, our patient charge and inventory tracking software and accredited Part B billing services FREE of CHARGE.   Tracer is a very well-rounded and easy-to-use software package that can also provide all the documentation and reporting you’ll need to make the audit process MUCH less painful.  We can also take care of your Part B billing for Wound Care, Ostomy, Trach and Enteral patients under our provider number.  This service is also offered at no charge to you for both the service and products not to mention our clinical support from our certified Clinical Nurse Consultant team.

We want to make sure that you view us as a resource and not just as a vendor.  That’s why our focus is on being the best medical supply partner to the long-term care industry by providing quality medical supplies and innovative services at competitive prices.  Contact us today to discuss how Grove can help you protect your organization and increase your bottom line.  There’s no sense in fighting this battle alone!

The Healthcare Note by Grove Medical

How Are Medicare Payment Cuts Going to Effect Skilled Nursing Facilities


According to responses noted in the recent Avalere Health, LLC survey Skilled Nursing Facility Response to FY 2012 Medicare Payment Reductions  patient care will likely take a step back due to reduced staff, postponed facility improvements and reduced therapy.  Avalere Health, LLC received 292 responses representing about 3,000 facilities; virtually all states were represented and the facilities surveyed ranged in size from small (less than 100 beds) to medium (between 100-1000 beds) to large (more than 1000 beds).

Some of the findings from the survey are very alarming: 36.8% of the respondents expect to layoff direct service staff, 23.5% plan to significantly delay or cancel the opening of new facilities and/or expansion of existing facilities and 37% expect to indefinitely postpone or cancel hiring of direct service staff.

With budgets, regulations and uncertainties, it is nice to have a partner that shares the same values; one who is dedicated to providing customer service at the lowest possible price.  Please contact us if we can help you during this turbulent time.

The Healthcare Note by Grove Medical

 

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Anyone looking for CEUs?


The wound assessment seminars that we’ve been hosting  throughout the southeast ( Charleston, SC, Atlanta, GA, Morrisville, NC, etc., etc.) have been fantastic successes and we’re going to continue to bring them to you.  However everyone we speak to is clamoring for more education and more opportunities to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs).  With that in mind we’re working with our manufacturing partners to help provide these opportunities at no, or at least at very low, cost to you and your organization.

Highlighted in this post are the continuing education opportunities provided to the customers of the world’s 5th largest manufacturer of diabetes self-monitoring systems, ARKRAY.  For many years Grove has partnered with ARKRAY to bring our valued customers their innovative products and now they’ve taken it a step further in offering FREE online CEU  courses through their Assure Brilliance program.  The topics range from needle-stick safety, infection control, nutrition and diabetes management and are accredited for RNs and CNAs.  Also several of the courses are accredited for Nursing Home Administrators, Registered Dietitians, and Social Workers.

As always we are very proud to serve our customers and to bring them new opportunities to save money, become more efficient and provide better care to their patients!  Please contact us if you’d like to take advantage of the CEU courses offered by ARKRAY or if you have suggestions on other subject areas that may be helpful.

The Healthcare Note by Grove Medical

Wound Assessment Seminar Coming to North Carolina!


We’ve announced a new Wound Care seminar opportunity in Morrisville, NCPartnered with the Wound Care Education Institute we’ll be bringing you this great seminar on Tuesday, November 8th 2011.

https://www.facebook.com/woundcareeducationinstitute

This seminar on wound assessment will focus on the same points of interest as our previous seminars:

  •  Identification – Wound Etiology
  • Tissue Types
  • 2007 New Pressure Ulcer Staging Guidelines
  •  Skin Lesion
  • Wound Pain
  • Documentation
As always this seminar teaches best practices for wound assessment leading to better care and outcomes for patients.  Whether you’re an LPNRNNurse PractitionerPhysical TherapistPhysicianNurse Manager, Treatment Nurse, Wound Care Team Member, Clinical Director, MDS Coordinator, consultant or any other clinician interested in wound care you should attend this seminar.

As an added bonus all nurses who attend will earn three (3) Continuing Education Units (CEUs) upon completion.

This session will be from 8:00am to 12:00pm at the Hilton Garden Inn Raleigh-Durham Airport (1500 RDU Center Dr., Morrisville, NC 27560, (919) 840-8088).  For more information and the registration form please contact Shannon Chitty, Grove’s Clinical Nursing Consultant, your Sales or Customer Service Representative or RSVP on our Facebook page!

Space is limited so sign up today!  Through our partnership we can help improve the care you deliver!

Learn How To Assess Wounds Like An Expert!


https://www.facebook.com/woundcareeducationinstitute

Once again Grove is working with the Wound Care Education Institute to bring two great seminars, this time to South Carolina.

Anyone that works with wounds whether they be an LPN, RN, Nurse Practitioner, Physical Therapist, Physician, Nurse Manager, Treatment Nurse, Wound Care Team Member, Clinical Director, MDS Coordinator, consultant or any other clinician interested in wound care should attend.   As an added bonus all nurses who attend will earn three (3) Continuing Education Units (CEUs) upon completion.

Both seminars will cover the following topics:

  •  Identification – Wound Etiology
  • Tissue Types
  • 2007 New Pressure Ulcer Staging Guidelines
  •  Skin Lesion
  • Wound Pain
  • Documentation

The first session is October 6th from 8:00am to 12:00pm at the Radisson Hotel Charleston Airport (5991 Rivers Ave., North Charleston, SC 29406, (843) 744-2501), the second session is on October 7th also from 8:00am to 12:00pm at the Embassy Suites Columbia-Greystone (200 Stoneridge Dr., Columbia, SC 29210, (803) 252-8700).  For more information and the registration form please contact Shannon Chitty, Grove’s Clinical Nursing Consultant, your Sales or Customer Service Representative or RSVP on our Facebook page!

Space is limited so sign up today!  Through our partnership we can help improve the care you deliver!

New Compat Administration Sets from Nestle


Nestle continues to advance safety through innovation by introducing their new Compat® Administration Pump sets with the SpikeRight® PLUS Connector.   With this introduction Nestle has taken the lead, even amid delays by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), in offering an enteral feeding system that is incompatible with I.V. systems.

To date more than 270,000,000 units of the SpikeRight PLUS system have been sold worldwide with only one reported incident of tubing miss-connection.  To learn more about how Nestle can help you reduce the number of tubing miss-connects please watch the video below.  It not only presents facts and figures, but also gives you step-by-step instructions on how to use this innovative product.

 

As we’ve said before Grove is proud to partner with manufacturers who provide innovations to make our industry more efficient, safer and able to provide better care.  These are some of the same principles that we base our business on and we’d love to show you the Grove Medical difference.  Please contact us for more information on this product as well as the thousands of other products we represent.

Have a great day,

The Healthcare Note by Grove Medical

Hurricane Irene Is On Her Way


If you haven’t heard by now the first hurricane of the 2011 season is on its way, and fast.

Hurricane Irene is heading towards the southeastern part of the country and the Hurricane Prep Center is urging us all, individuals and businesses, to get prepared and cover all our bases.  The Weather Channel also warns against complacency that may have been bred by the fact that only 4 hurricanes have made landfall in the U.S. since the destructive 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons.  Irene will be no different than any other hurricane, you cannot assume that it will make landfall elsewhere.

According to most reports we’ve read Irene should make landfall in south Florida early Friday morning and travel north reaching northern Florida early Saturday morning.

As your medical supply distribution partner we want to make sure that you have everything you need to be prepared and ready to care for your patients.  Please call, email or fax us ASAP to avoid any break downs in the supply chain and ensure that you have everything you need to provide the care your patients deserve.

Again we appreciate our partnerships and look forward to serving you!

The Healthcare Note by Grove Medical

The Close of Summer is on its Way


Labor Day is coming up marking the close to a VERY hot summer and an opportunity for another long weekend!  With that in mind we need to announce that all of our carriers, as well as Grove, will be closed on Monday September 5th in observance of the holiday.  What this means for us and our partners  is that no pick ups or deliveries of orders will be made on that Monday so we need to prepare.

To ensure that you have all of the medical supplies you need before the weekend please place your order with us by Wednesday, August 31st.  And remember there are several ways to do this, you can visit our website, email or call your Customer Service Representative or fax your order in to 864-220-1745.

Thank you for your time and don’t forget to check us out on Facebook and Twitter…just two more ways to stay connected and informed!

The Healthcare Note by Grove Medical

Reminder: In Preparation for the July Fourth Holiday


In celebration of America’s 235th birthday Grove will be closed on Monday, July 4th for the Independence Day holiday. Please note that all orders requiring delivery before the holiday weekend will need to be placed no later than 12:00PM Wednesday, June 29th as our shipping partners will be closed as well, we’ve posted their schedules here.

We truly appreciate our partnerships and please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.  Have a safe and wonderful holiday weekend!

The Healthcare Note by Grove Medical