This article is sponsored by Erdman. In this Voices interview, Senior Housing News sits down with Rustin Becker, President & CEO at Erdman, to learn about some of the most exciting opportunities around Medicare Advantage in the next 12 months. He explains how those trends impact the way that senior living providers care for residents, and he discusses the evolution of the resident continuum with respect to ILO and memory care.
Senior Housing News: What career experiences do you most draw from in your role today?
Rustin Becker: Over the last 30 years, I’ve been a part of a lot of different projects. The culmination of those experiences is my ability to create something new and innovative, and through that process, I see the joy as clients implement innovative solutions for patient or resident populations. When I connect with clients years later, they often still look at those projects as something special.
In my role as CEO today, my focus is on maintaining visibility on the future of our clients’ industries so ERDMAN can best serve them. More importantly, however, is my dedication to advancing a culture within our organization that facilitates experiences like I’ve had for all of our team members. We are building a culture where individuals feel empowered with a strong sense of affiliation to the organization and each other.
How do we share a common vision while leveraging the unique talents and expertise each person brings? How do we create an environment that craves innovation and the ability for team members to step out of their comfort zone and try something new — the ability for team members to quickly resolve problems constructively in the best interest of the project? At the end of the day, what we do is relatively complex, and we’re going to encounter problems and challenges that have to be solved.
Tell us about ERDMAN. What is its mission and how does the company help senior living providers meet the health care needs of its residents?
Becker: ERDMAN’s vision is to improve every life we touch. Our mission is to rethink the future of health care so leaders can build healthier communities. To accomplish that, ERDMAN leverages an approach we call “integrative thinking.” Our team is composed of individuals steeped in experience around senior living, health care delivery, strategy, demography, health care utilization modeling, real estate development, architecture, engineering and construction.
Leveraging all of those different lenses simultaneously is what makes us unique, and it results in better solutions for the organizations we partner with, leading to exceptional care, improved resident and staff experiences and a more efficient use of capital.
How do you see the health care and senior living industries evolving in 2022, and at the same time, potentially converging or working synergistically?
Becker: These industries have endured two of the most challenging years I’ve seen in my 30 years in this space. They’re faced with labor challenges, supply chain disruptions and pressure to evolve more quickly than they ever have before. As I look in 2022 and beyond, I see a focus on greater adaptability and flexibility. Through that, senior living will find opportunities to deliver care more efficiently from a human capital standpoint.
Part of that will be achieved with technology. Part of that will be achieved by redesigning the ways we deliver care. In terms of the synergistic component of delivering care, I think there are opportunities for senior living facilities to play a different role in the overall health care continuum. The industries can leverage each other to improve the health and wellbeing of seniors, and reduce the need for complex acute care.
What are the most exciting opportunities around Medicare Advantage in the next 12 months?
Becker: Because Medicare Advantage is effectively a more vertically integrated payer model, there is a significant opportunity to rethink the way we have delivered care in the traditional fee-for-service model, which is paid for by the resident. How do we potentially participate directly in Medicare Advantage and receive compensation or reward for keeping our residents healthier while reducing readmissions?
Number one is around chronic disease management: diabetic A1C management, for example. That could be approached through nutritional programs or fitness programs. Number two is the behavioral health of the residents that we serve. That could be approached through engagement activities, those types of things. Number three is the early identification and management of disease where it’s more cost-effective to treat.
How will those three trends impact the way that senior living providers care for residents?
Becker: Providers will need to think about their staffing model differently. Some of the staffing in communities today isn’t designed specifically for an aggressive approach to efficient, preventative care. Those trends will also demand new pathways of communication between senior living and health care providers. It will require senior living providers to look at their financial and operational modeling differently, including how they get paid for the services they provide.
How do you see the resident continuum around independent living, assisted living and memory care evolving? How would that influence the health care versus hospitality mindset for senior living in the year ahead?
Becker: Over the last 30 years, I’ve seen the type of residents in each of those spaces change significantly. For lack of a better term, we often refer to it as acuity creep. The individuals in assisted living today are significantly more complex than what they were in the past. From my vantage point, that acuity complexity or acuity change is going to continue going forward. As we think about the continuum, we need to find new ways to engage our resident population earlier in that process.
Part of that is through evolving markets, with more active adult environments. But I also think the answer lies with the changing nature of independent and assisted living environments. We need an environment that residents see as their home – one that is positive, affirming and feels like a hospitality structure — but with an operational engine underneath that supports each resident’s health care needs.
These two areas will be more divergent than in the past, and successful organizations will be the ones that find ways to achieve both, bringing a unified, seamless approach to the residents.
Finish this sentence: “The senior housing industry in 2022 will be the year of…”
Becker: Growth and change.
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
ERDMAN is a national leader in health care and senior living strategy, design, and implementation. To learn more about how Erdman can help your organization, visit ERDMAN.com.
The Voices Series is a sponsored content program featuring leading executives discussing trends, topics and more shaping their industry in a question-and-answer format. For more information on Voices, please contact sales@agingmedia.com.
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