The main dilemma for the boardroom and the frontline case management professionals is they do not warm up to “models.” In fact, models are looked at with skepticism, and if they are being evaluated, models are looked at as warnings about more work to come. Looking at the patient/family level of care, every patient and family should receive the following services from case management.
Connecting patients with community-based organization often has little impact on the frequency with which a patient is seen in the emergency department or hospitalized, according to a study released January 4 by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
An Annals of Emergency Medicine study recently concluded that there is a link between referrals to the emergency department by outpatient providers and the seriousness of one’s health problems and likelihood of hospitalization.
Mr. Coin, a chronically ill patient, is being discharged to home. Although the discharge is complex, the transition to home is uneventful—until the case manager, Robin, receives a call from Mr. Coin's son, who tells Robin that her patient has been sent home with his heparin lock still in place.
The 2-midnight rule was designed to simplify decisions on whether to order inpatient or outpatient observation services for patients and to reduce the volume of observation cases. However, some hospitals and healthcare systems have reported that the rule has actually increased confusion around level of care, without lowering observation volumes.
A recent study, led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, found that using pharmacy professionals to take medication histories in the emergency department reduced errors associated with medication history and orders by more than 80%.
Designating a hospital property to house individuals with alcohol-use disorders, who might otherwise be homeless, can help better manage the health issues of these complex patients and reduce spending on medical and public services.
