Health IT startup RightCare Solutions is putting some of the money it raised in a series A to work with the hire of a chief operating officer. It is gearing up for the national launch of its care transitions platform, which uses a scoring system to determine which patients should be referred for post-acute services. The idea is to cut down on unnecessary readmissions that increase healthcare costs and can lead to Medicare reimbursement penalties for hospitals.
Matthew Ruth previously worked for Jazz Pharmaceuticals where he was vice president for the psychiatry business unit.
Last October, RightCare Solutions raised $1.76 million. CEO Eric Heil said at the time that it would be used to boost the company’s staff and expand its platform to other hospitals across the country.
Questions for the Discharge Decision Support System are presented by nurses and discharge planners. If their responses trigger an alert, patients are referred for post-acute care support. The company is part of University of Pennsylvania’s Technology Transfer Program UpStart. The technology was originally developed at the university’s school of nursing.
Post-acute care services can include long-term hospital care, rehabilitation care and skilled nursing facility care. This area accounts for the fastest growing major spending category, according to a research report in Health Affairs.
