Hospital Case Management articles from July 2003

Hospital Case Management archives from July 2003

Physician-aligned case management improves efficiency and cuts LOS: partnership ensures that patients get the right treatment at the right time.
July 1, 2003... INTEGRIS Rural Health (IRH), based in Oklahoma City, has been able to cut its systemwide average length of stay by at least a day across its eight-hospital system by implementing a physician-aligned model of case management. In a...

CM model eliminates piecemeal patient care: CMs, physicians work closely at health system.
July 1, 2003... Before INTEGRIS Rural Health (IRH) implemented its physician-aligned model of case management, the process was piecemeal throughout the eight-hospital system. "There was no consistency in any hospital and no systematic approach to case...

Understand patient care from physician perspective: the right tactic can help eliminate animosity.
July 1, 2003... When Carol Reeder, RN, BSN, MSA, first goes into a hospital to consult on setting up a physician-aligned case management model, she encourages case managers to try to understand what physicians have to deal with in their daily practice. ...

If info you need is in your system, can you find it? Work with your hospital's IT department.
July 1, 2003... Today's case management departments need access to information as quickly as possible, and that can be a challenge unless your hospital's information technology (IT) system is tailored to fit the needs of the department and someone knows how to...

Study shows QI helps heart attack patients: reminders, checklists helped improve care.
July 1, 2003... Combined results from three studies conducted in 33 Michigan hospitals show it's possible to improve the care provided to heart attack patients after admission by reminding physicians, nurses, and patients about proven therapies. By...

Diabetes QI program cuts complications by 60%: JCAHO honors program with Codman Award. (Critical Path Network[TM]).
July 1, 2003... Quality improvement projects can be especially challenging if you try to implement them on a systemwide basis across many health care institutions, but a diabetes project in Iowa shows that it can be done if you give people the tools and let...

Project hinges on top quality hospital data: mortality rate for AMI drops 36%. (Critical Path Network[TM]).(acute myocardial infarction)
July 1, 2003... A quality improvement project in Dayton, OH, achieved a 36% drop in mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) among a group of hospitals cooperating on the effort, and participants say it could not have been done without high-quality...

CMS releases proposed rule on inpatient payments. (Critical Path Network[TM]).(Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its proposed rule for inpatient Medicare payments for fiscal year 2004. Among the key items in the nearly 1,000-page rule are the following. * CMS has calculated the...

CHF readmissions decline as med needs addressed: 'Medication Mission' improving quality of life.(congestive heart failure)
July 1, 2003... A discovery that came out of a congestive heart failure (CHF) project led to a "Medication Mission" that is improving quality of life and reducing readmission rates for patients at St. Joseph Health Center in Warren, OH. While looking at...

Follow-up calls improve discharge instructions: contact helps with problems, reinforces opportunity.
July 1, 2003... A process for making follow-up calls after new moms are discharged with their babies from Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, WA, has helped to improve discharge instructions at the health care facility. Performance-improvement projects...

Quick classes in CPR ensure safer discharge: classes help caregivers, kids with special needs.
July 1, 2003... Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a good skill for every parent to learn, says Jennifer Bay, RN, BSN, the CPR coordinator for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. If adults who spend a lot of time with children know CPR, they are less likely...

JCAHO proposes standard on overcrowding in the ED.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has released a proposed leadership standard on emergency department (ED) overcrowding. The proposed standard calls on hospital leaders to develop and implement plans to...

CE questions.
July 1, 2003... 1. Under the physician-aligned model of case management at INTEGRIS Rural Health in Oklahoma City, the goal is for each case manager to see no more than -- patients on a daily basis. A. 12 to 15 B. 20 to 25 C. 25 to 30 D. 30...

Organizations unveil patient safety road map: consensus report endorses 30 specific practices.
July 1, 2003... Some of the nation's leading health care and consumer groups have endorsed 30 patient safety practices they describe as a road map for better patient safety. These practices, they say, should be used universally in health care settings to...

PA state legislature puts patient safety in spotlight: new law requires patient safety committee, officer.
July 1, 2003... The health care industry may have what amounts to a love-hate relationship with government involvement in health care practices, but patient safety advocates in Pennsylvania can, at the very least, take heart in the intent of a new law recently...

Hospital case management: confidential salary survey.
July 1, 2003... This confidential salary survey is being conducted to gather information for a special report later in the year. Watch in coming months for your issue detailing the results of this survey and the overall state of employment in your field....