Hospital executives frequently use LOS to measure how well a case management staff performs, but there are other indicators, such as patient satisfaction and observation use, that prove department effectiveness.
Working with a patient who is leaving against medical advice (LAMA) can be difficult. Although the physician responsible for the patient’s medical care is primarily involved in this situation, discharge planners frequently become involved when the patient has continuing care needs.
Providers give Medicare beneficiaries the advance beneficiary notice (ABN) before they undergo an outpatient procedure that Medicare will likely not cover.
Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) is a federal mandate that protects individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) or mental retardation (MR) from placement in facilities that can’t provide their specialized level of care. The screen also determines whether patients are capable of living independently.
Recruiting, retention, and turnover are challenging in any profession. Case management is no exception. Experienced, competent case managers are especially hard to find, says Wendy De Vreugd, RB, BSN, PHN, FNP, senior director of case management for West Region at Kindred Healthcare, Hospital Division, in Westminster, CA.
At Cabell Huntington (WV) Hospital (CHH), case managers are more than just chart reviewers, they are part of the physician team—a shift in perspective that improved the facility’s LOS and, arguably, its patient care.
Increased ED volumes, changes in regulatory requirements, the required use of observation, and added scrutiny from the recovery audit contractors have made implementing an ED case management model essential.
Beatrice, 66, arrives at the long-term acute care (LTAC) hospital with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), hemodialysis, malnutrition, a stage IV coccyx decubitus ulcer, depression, and no family support.
Physicians can defer admission decisions to those who truly understand level of care—the case managers. The method is called the “admit per case management protocol.
