Hospital Case Management articles from April 2003

Hospital Case Management archives from April 2003

Changing health care environment can make discharge planning a juggling act; patients have more out-of-pocket expenses, changing benefits.
April 1, 2003... It's no longer enough for case managers to know where patients are going after discharge. Now they have to know each patient s benefits as soon after admission as possible and be aware of what the benefits will and won't cover. If you are...

Take a realistic approach when you plan a discharge; negotiate with MCO or seek community resources.
April 1, 2003... The days are long past when there were few limits to what a hospital case manager could recommend for a patient's discharge plan. Now, case managers must look at what is appropriate for patients to meet their medical needs and to get them...

Educate yourself about alternative treatments; expect questions as patients pay out of pocket.(Brief Article)
April 1, 2003... When physicians write discharge orders for patients, they leave the arrangements for the case managers to make. This means that the case managers get the questions and complaints about why their post-discharge care is necessary, what is...

Look to reinsurer for help with catastrophic cases: additional resources may be available.
April 1, 2003... If you're a hospital case manager with a catastrophically ill or injured patient, part of your job as advocate for the patient should be to find out who may be at risk financially for the patient's care in addition to his or her health...

Brush up on economic evaluation skills. (Guest Column).
April 1, 2003... Case managers frequently are involved in projects intended to identify optimal uses for health care resources. There are clear limits to what types of health care services can be provided, and this means that clinicians have to make choices...

Don't let sepsis threaten patients--watch for signs; pathway ensures antibiotics are given quickly. (Critical Path Network[TM]).
April 1, 2003... When a teen-ager came to Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati with a sunburn-like rash, a life-threatening cause was identified by an emergency department (ED) nurse. "He was septic and had meningococcemia, which can kill in...

CE questions. (Critical Path Network[TM]).
April 1, 2003... 13. Which of the following is not a component of a safe discharge? A. The patient has a prescription and the supplies he or she needs. B. The patient knows how to take care of him- or herself and has been instructed in things such as...

Hospital's award-winning plan for prescription drugs: some $150,000 in free meds provided each year. (Discharge Planning Advisor[R]--the update for improving continuity of care).
April 1, 2003... A social work professional at a 100-bed hospital in Indiana is getting free medications for patients who can't afford them with a program she says could be a model for health care organizations across the country. Using an Internet program...

Redirect indigent funds for prescription drugs; hospital spends $1 to provide $16 in medication. (Discharge Planning Advisor[R]--the update for improving continuity of care).
April 1, 2003... W.A. Foote Memorial Hospital in Jackson, MI, has dramatically increased the bang for its prescription drug buck by forming a medication assistance program (MAP) in conjunction with several community agencies, says Beth A. Smith, RN, MSN, MBA,...

Partnership gets drugs for needy patients; discharges are more efficient, staff less frustrated. (Discharge Planning Advisor[R]--the update for improving continuity of care).
April 1, 2003... Obtaining prescription drugs for patients who can't afford them has been a problem for Athens (GA) Regional Medical Center for the 18 years that Beverly A. Baker, CRC, CCM, has been with the hospital, she says. "With the rising cost of...

Conference targets quality in case management. (Discharge Planning Advisor[R]--the update for improving continuity of care).
April 1, 2003... Experts will share their proven ideas for successful case management at the 8th Annual Hospital Case Management Conference, Delivering on the Promise of Case Management: Making an Impact in a Challenging Health Care Environment, to be held...