Case Management Advisor articles from January 2004

Case Management Advisor archives from January 2004

Help your clients ensure their end-of-life wishes are met: act now to avoid difficult, costly dilemmas.
January 1, 2004... You might not encounter an end-of-life issue as dramatic as the recent Terri Schiavo case, which pitted the husband against the parents and prompted a special law passed by the Florida state legislature. But regardless of your practice...

Don't avoid bringing up a difficult subject: talk to your clients about advance care planning.
January 1, 2004... End-of-life care may be the most difficult subject you'll take up with your clients, but you'll be doing them a big disservice if you don't discuss it. "A lot of it boils down to people being able to communicate on topics they don't want...

CMs guide members on end-of-life decisions: insurer's initiatives include education for staff.
January 1, 2004... When case managers at Highmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield bring up advance directives with their patients, they are well prepared. The insurer has developed a comprehensive plan to increase awareness of advance care planning by working with...

Take the lead in improving relationships with docs: collaborate for better patient care.
January 1, 2004... A good working relationship between a knowledgeable and effective case manager and a cooperative, clinically up-to-date physician can result in excellent, cost-effective patient care with superior outcomes and high levels of patient...

Program identifies at-risk patients early: interventions are personalized to help patients.
January 1, 2004... Traditional disease management programs that help patients manage their diseases after they become costly are like "arriving at the scene of an accident that has already happened," John Palumbo asserts. That's why I-trax, a population...

Health plan targets members at risk for suicide: system picks up cues often missed by clinicians.
January 1, 2004... Clinicians at PacifiCare Behavioral Health use a variety of techniques to identify patients who may be at risk for suicide, beginning with a member's first call to the managed behavioral health plan's behavioral health line, which is staffed by...

Navigating the 'Bermuda Triangle' of ethics: strategies for hospital case managers.(Guest Column)
January 1, 2004... Hospital case managers routinely face what I call the "Bermuda Triangle" of case management ethics. The top of the triangle is the clinical concern, encompassing the medical and treatment needs of the patient. On the right are the financial...

Safeguard protected health information: CMSA, AAOHN offer guidance.
January 1, 2004... Regardless of their practice setting, case mangers need to take steps to maintain the confidentiality of protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996. "Confidentiality of a...

CE questions.
January 1, 2004... 1. The Patient Self-Determination Act gives patients the right to refuse treatment and to create advance directives for their health care. A. True B. False 2. According to Michael Demoratz, the initial advance directives...