When Spencer Johnson wrote the iconic book, Who Moved My Cheese? An A-Mazing Way to Deal With Change in Your Work and in Your Life, he probably didn’t have the homecare industry in mind. But with the speed of reimbursement and regulatory issues surrounding us today, he certainly could have.
In recent years, the federal government has been pushing hospitals to help their patients self-manage chronic conditions. If patients and families aren’t able to sufficiently self-manage their conditions within 30 days of discharge, hospitals may incur reimbursement penalties when these patients are readmitted or need to come back to the emergency department, says Karen Zander, RN, MS, CMAC, FAAN,president and CEO of The Center for Case Management, Inc., in Wellesley, Massachusetts.
Positive patient outcomes are often linked to high inpatient rather than high outpatient facility spending, according to the Journal of Health Economics.
Undiagnosed depression affects a third of hospitalized patients and may interfere with their recovery, says a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Hospital Medicine. It may also mean patients have a higher chance of experiencing an avoidable hospital readmission, because they are less likely to take medications as directed and more likely to miss outpatient appointments.
When treating patients with life-changing injuries, acute care social workers may best be able to help a patient if they don’t go it alone. Connecting with providers and establishing relationships can go a long way in helping patients, according to CMSA Today.
Below is information from the National Institute of Mental Health outlining the signs and symptoms of depression and how the condition might manifest differently in different patients. The complete guide on depression is available online.
