Senior care collaboration was a natural fit for Marquis Companies because its mission is to help people live the best rest of their lives.
“We take care of a population of individuals who are primarily in aging decline,” said Phil Fogg Jr., CEO at Marquis, a provider based in Milwaukie, Oregon, a suburb of Portland. “All of our services are geared toward a common goal to help them lead the best life possible as they go through the process of decline.”
Marquis has three divisions that work together to fulfill its mission:
- Marquis Senior Living operates 26 properties, including assisted living, skilled nursing and independent living cottages. The communities are located in the West.
- Consonus Healthcare provides rehabilitation and pharmacy services, and data analytics. It serves Marquis buildings as well other senior living properties. The pharmacy serves 25,000 beds in the western United States. The rehab service is available nationwide.
- AgeRight Care Management offers physician services and negotiates managed care contracts. It also owns and operates an Institutional Special Needs Plan (I-SNP) with 465 members. The I-SNP is a Medicare Advantage insurance plan for residents of a skilled nursing or assisted living facility.
“We have been able to get all of our business units to work together toward common goals,” said Fogg. These include a reduction of hospital readmissions and emergency room visits. Goals also focus on the improvement of CMS Five-Star quality measures, along with the resident’s functional progress and overall experience.
Ownership of the ancillary services is a benefit, said Fogg. It not only allows the seamless integration of services, but also provides management with the ability to control the services to produce the best outcomes.
The future of population management
Marquis’ I-SNP model is a good example of where senior care collaboration is headed. “We’re really talking about population management,” said Fogg. “I believe that’s how we should manage long-term care.”
Under the I-SNP program, Marquis takes financial responsibility for the population it serves. Marquis receives set fees from Medicare to manage the care of the I-SNP members. Marquis benefits by keeping the I-SNP members healthy and out of the hospital.
The financial returns from the I-SNP are not huge, said Fogg. But, he added, “From a quality of service standpoint, it’s awesome.”
The senior living and care ecosystem is moving toward an alignment of services, said Fogg. “The days when you could just think about what was going on within your four walls are done.”
His advice: Providers should decide whether they want to own or outsource ancillary services. Those providers without the management bandwidth, financial resources, and enough residents or patients to enjoy the benefits of scale should find partners and collaborate with them. Fogg said: “The worst thing someone can do is nothing.”
