Helion’s Network Performance Team: A Day in the Life of Wearing Many Hats

Helion strives to empower post-acute care providers to operate at their best. On the forefront of that mission is the Network Performance team. This team, consisting of various network performance managers (NPMs), plays a crucial role in helping providers connect to the healthcare system in Pennsylvania, Delaware, western and northeastern New York, and West Virginia. That includes technology and reimbursement methods, reviewing clinical and performance outcomes and site-of-care best practices training. “I would say our role is ever-changing,” said Dylan Sikora, who manages numerous counties in Pennsylvania including Allegheny, Butler, and Indiana. “We are truly the boots on the ground, relationship builders when it comes to connections with providers,” Sikora added. Interesting enough, most of the NPMs have post-acute care backgrounds as well, which means they have a better understanding of what facilities and members are experiencing.

Whether it’s preparing for travel, answering phone calls and emails, or meeting with providers, day-to-day responsibilities are never the same for a network performance manager. They could start their day in a board room at a hospital and end their day at a skilled nursing facility or home health agency. But no matter the post-acute setting, the end goal is always the same; making sure members are receiving the highest quality of care. One way the Network Performance team achieves that is through scorecard reviews. “I always say our scorecards are a great conversation starter. They tell a little bit of the story, but then it gives us the opportunity to talk with the provider on what the full story is,” said Christa Polinsky, manager of network performance for PA and DE. Whether it’s a new provider or mature provider, there is always an opportunity to discuss performance outcomes and share best practices.

The NPMs also use a Discharge Readiness and Caregiver Burden Resources guide to help improve quality of care. Shana Wonderly, who manages southwestern PA and northern WV, led the way in revamping and redeveloping this guide with the help of the Clinical Operations team. Providers are encouraged to use this resource when meeting with members and their caregivers to focus on the barriers they may experience during the discharge process. Wonderly said, “Caregiver burden is a barrier that is often overlooked when focusing on discharge planning. Members say they have a caregiver who can provide 24/7 assistance, but the daughter that’s supposed to assist works full time and is only there to help their mother a few hours in the evening.” She added, “It is not only important for the member, but also for the caregiver to assess their own burden in caring for their loved one. If a family member is burned out on providing the care, the risk for hospitalization increases for the member.” The guide took nearly six months to create. Wonderly said she is proud of the Network Performance and Clinical Operations teams; especially how much information was collected during the discovery phase in order to create the document. Sikora added, “It’s great for the providers to actually sit down and look at this document and say, ‘I’m going to put myself in their shoes and see what challenges they are facing’.” Polinsky also reflected on her team creating this resource. She said, “It’s something that providers don’t have to research on their own now. They are time-crunched with staffing challenges and everything. It’s a crucial part in post-acute care.”

As mentioned, the network performance managers are always looking to strengthen their relationships with providers. It has been especially challenging coming back from the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, the NPMs were making strides across the network by going into facilities and talking with providers face-to-face, about best practices. When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in 2020, walls went up in every facility and that onsite interaction stopped. Providers began struggling with a national staffing crisis — there was significant turnover and some facilities closed. Virtual meetings offered a convenient way for the team to stay connected to the network providers during the pandemic, but keeping those conversations engaging and interactive was challenging.

Now that we are on the other side of the pandemic, the Network Performance team is getting back out in the field and meeting providers where they are re-establishing those partnerships. “Post-pandemic, it’s kind of the new normal,” Polinsky said. “But what’s really exciting is that we are on the other end of it, we’re back with the providers again, face-to-face. Shana and Dylan and the rest of the NPMs thrive on that.” She added, “I’m just excited to see us getting back to where we’re knocking down those walls again and we’re having those conversations and we’re really connecting the entire continuum of care, because again that’s going to be success for the member, success for the providers and just health care in general.”

Healthcare is an everchanging environment and director of network performance, Nicole Becker said she is amazed with the work the Network Performance team has done across the entire footprint. “As healthcare evolves, this team has been able to pivot smoothly through change, which is not always easy. The team remains steadfast and focused on quality care for members at the end of the day,” Becker said. This is more than just a job for the NPMs, it is personal as they live in the communities they serve, and they each have their “why” for being in this role. Looking to the future, the Network Performance team believes there are numerous opportunities developing for Helion including expanding into other states and market segments.