VitalCore Services
What We Do
We raise the bar. Our patient-first model means we deliver safe, high-quality healthcare that mitigates risks for our clients. We focus on preventive healthcare and outcome-based behavioral health services, which means we take an individualized, patient-centered approach that encourages the patient to be involved and engaged in their treatment. We form relationships with state and local correctional agencies, and we don’t cut corners. We’ve partnered with a renowned university that oversees our telehealth services through peer review and we implement a staffing plan for each facility to have an appropriate clinical flow ensuring safe, efficient, and effective patient care. We’re building our own oversight that identifies and solves problems that arise – so you don’t have to.
How We Do It
We focus on people and partnerships. We start by building leadership and clinical teams, both at our headquarters and in the field that includes the most experienced and innovative professionals in the industry. We further share that expertise by hiring and retaining skilled front-line employees, we provide unparalleled skills-based training and an advanced benefits package.
Why We Do It
We’ve been there. We’ve seen the positive outcomes and rewards of high-quality care; and believe by providing excellent services it is possible to improve the patient’s life; and in turn, strengthen the entire correctional system. We have proven that a well-run healthcare system alleviates stress, mitigates risk; and contributes to a secure, safe and healthy correctional facility. We understand that healthy and cared-for patients can better prepare for life beyond corrections. We know how to do healthcare the right way and together we can make a difference.
Quality SERVICES
VitalCore continuously seeks the most recent, innovative, and effective health strategies. We are raising expectations on what correctional healthcare should look like. We are doing the right thing at the right time for our patients and having the best possible results. Our focus includes but is not limited to:
Preventative Medicine
Chronic Care
Infectious Disease Prevention & Care
Behavioral & Mental Health
Reentry
Specialty Care
Substance Use Disorders & Recovery/Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)
Oral Health
Health Education
VitalCore excels in all areas of correctional health
Management of
Chronic & Infectious Diseases
The proper management of chronic and infectious diseases includes being proactive, implementing safety measures, frequent evaluations, and follow-up care for patients. In addition, quality assurance is an important aspect as the oversight verifies and ensures the policies and procedures are being followed. Our staffing plan includes enough employees to hold regular chronic disease clinics. Chronic care clinics are extremely important and needed to gauge patients who deal with major and chronic illnesses as their conditions can worsen very quickly, causing further physical harm and potential death.
Along with a chronic disease plan, VitalCore offers an excellent evidence-based infectious disease program. We ensure that each site has a Registered Nurse (RN) designated as the Infectious Disease Nurse. The infectious disease nurse receives appropriate training to monitor the site program and to train other site staff.
One example of our infectious disease program in action is VitalCore’s comprehensive COVID-19 Pandemic Plan, which pioneered the industry’s pandemic protocols within corrections for which we have received national recognition. The plan is reviewed and updated as needed on a weekly basis, and all site medical staff receive appropriate guidance for management of the plan.
Telehealth &
Peer Review
VitalCore Health Strategies had the foresight as the early adopters of telehealth to know we needed to expand access to healthcare within corrections to achieve a community standard of healthcare within institutions.
The terms telehealth and telemedicine refer to both two-way video consultations and the transmission of healthcare data. Telemedicine can be utilized in many specialties within the medical field which is especially helpful to use in a sector like correctional healthcare where access to medical or behavioral health services may be delayed due to the logistics of transportation especially in rural areas. Telehealth providers can be available to see the patient, triage, evaluate, review records, imaging results, monitor vital signs and symptoms while conferring with the onsite clinical team to provide timely recommendations and treatment even with cardiovascular healthcare where emergent issues often occur.
Because telehealth is an innovative, and fast-growing segment of healthcare, VitalCore has partnered with George Washington University, a leading academic institution in the field, to provide third-party oversight through peer review of our telehealth program. VitalCore’s telehealth services function 24 hours per day, 7 days per week and include specialty teleconsultations giving onsite healthcare staff immediate access to an expansive care team.
Integrating telehealth services into the facilities has resulted in shorter wait times for patients, improving access to healthcare in rural areas, enabling efficient, cost-effective, and high-quality care and support to the onsite clinical team. VitalCore’s telehealth services are far-ranging and include patient self-education and self-management, pre- and post-acute management of chronic conditions, and emergency services.
VitalCore is able to provide continuous top-quality healthcare by ensuring the onsite medical staff receives support and access to physicians and specialists beyond the walls of the facility. As a result, there are fewer offsite transports or associated overtime costs which saves our clients’ money and provides better care for our patients.
Advanced
Technology
We value education, innovation, and growth. We take pride in what we do and strive to be the best in the field; we won’t get stagnant as we are always striving to improve and evolve. As we remain committed to successful outcomes and take pride in what we do. We research and identify the programs, systems, equipment, and advancement in technologies.
As healthcare technology continues to advance at a remarkable rate, VCHS continues to incorporate proven technology to advance patient outcomes.
Ease of Workflow
Medical billers and coders are some of the most impacted allied health workers, and, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demand for this sector is expected to increase by 13% from 2016 to 2026. The introduction of electronic health records (EHR) has made it easier for medical billers and coders to work efficiently and accurately.
Entering data into a computerized system is much less time consuming than paper-based methods, and it reduces the risk of errors in patient data and financial details. Quality of care is improved when providers are informed and have around-the-clock access to patient’s electronic health records. Offsite and as needed peer review, chart reviews and quality assurance measures are possible with digital access. VitalCore also utilizes EHRs to save clients’ money and ensure accuracy in billing and reporting.
Lower Healthcare Costs
According to a study from the University of Michigan, shifting from paper to electronic health records reduced the cost of outpatient care by 3%. These researchers estimated this as $5.14 in savings per patient each month.
ALWAYS IMPROVING
Technological developments in healthcare have saved countless patients and are continuously improving our quality of life. Technology in the medical field has had a massive impact on nearly all processes and practices of healthcare professionals.
Utilizing Electronic Health Record (EHR) can automatically alert the treating physician to potential issues, such as allergies or intolerances to certain medicines. In addition, VitalCore has a team of employees who specialize and train other employees on the electronic systems; they include settings such as “triggers” or “Prompts” which assist the clinical teams with providing timely treatment, current treatment plans/reviews and follow-care. EHRs can be accessed from nearly any medical facility, which is extremely useful for doctors assessing non-local patients and crucial for treating patients that are unresponsive.
EHRs provide invaluable data to the multidisciplinary service team (MDST), bridging multiple providers and specialists to provide daily and ongoing care. EHRs help to advance medical knowledge and the development of treatments for common health problems like a viral outbreak. A standardized health information technology system can provide insights into how widespread an outbreak is, enabling preventative measures, such as increased flu shot production. Advances in technology allows us to gain insight into data, thresholds and outcomes to make informed decisions.
Clinical EXCELLENCE
VitalCore Health Strategies’ primary objective is to be an industry disruptor; to make a difference in the quality of care provided in correctional and institutionalized settings. We value our employees and set the tone for positive and healthy work environments. Our Mission, Vision, Values and Guiding Principles is the foundation from which our system derived and functions. To succeed at VitalCore Health Strategies, all team members must practice and display the Core Values and Guiding Principles and will be held to these standards of performance. The culture of or workspace and the quality of performance measures are vital to our success and are adopted to ensure there is a focus and structured plan in place that keeps us on track in our initiative to be distinct. We are proud of the clinical excellence and the vast improvements we have made and will continue to make for our patients at all our contract sites.
Quality Assurance Performance Improvement (QAPI)
VitalCore has developed a Quality Assurance Performance Improvement Program that emphasizes on compliance and quality. Performance Improvement is a proactive and continuous study of processes with the intent to prevent or decrease the likelihood of problems. The site Health Services Administrator is the liaison between the VitalCore Corporate Director of Quality Improvement, facility staff and multidisciplinary QAPI committee that meets monthly to identify areas of opportunity for improvement and identify and analyze the root causes of persistent or systemic problems.
Once the site has identified areas for improvement, the thresholds are determined by the VitalCore Corporate Office QAPI Committee who establishes targets for each problem by using Community Standards of Care, Policies, Procedures and Nursing Clinical Guidelines that are compliant with the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare, American Correctional Association, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices.
Having a Quality Assurance Performance Improvement Program is an important part of the services, and we believe oversight is the foundation of providing quality services and allows us to continuously improve performance that enhances individual/patient outcomes.
One of the services we provide that raise the bar of healthcare standards within corrections is the daily corporate level involvement monitoring the quality of care we deliver and offering clinical support in our Daily Care Management Calls. VitalCore clinicians conduct daily telephone calls with each site’s Health Service Administrators (HSA) or Director of Nurses (DON) to discuss the care for patients with serious conditions or illnesses. All HSAs and DONs participate in the call. Through daily support call, we maintain awareness of complicated patient cases and provide advice for their treatment, while continuously following HIPAA regulations. The discussion and recommendations from these calls come from both the corporate-level clinician and site-level HSAs and DONs. VitalCore also holds a weekly HSA call to provide updates, allow the HSAs to ask questions, and overall build and maintain a sense of comradery and support.