Hospital Case Management articles from March 2003

Hospital Case Management archives from March 2003

FMEA: a new QI tool to help improve case management processes: failure mode analysis can be used to improve virtually any CM activity.(quality improvement )
March 1, 2003... Case managers are no strangers to quality improvement (QI) tools; for many years they have used a number of QI tools to improve processes and to help them meet accreditation standards. But the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare...

CMs, social workers collaborate for better care: indigent learn to navigate the health care system.
March 1, 2003... A multidisciplinary program staffed by nurse practitioner case managers and social workers has resulted in dramatic decreases in admissions, lengths of stay, and emergency department visits among indigent patients cared for at the University of...

Indigent patients present multiple challenges: psychosocial needs often impede recovery.
March 1, 2003... The approximately 4,000 indigent patients in the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinic's Care Management program (CMPUI) in Iowa City make up 3% of patients but utilize 6.5% of hospital resources and represent 6.4% of acute admissions. ...

Team care management = lower lengths of stay: patients, caregivers, CMs work closely.
March 1, 2003... At Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT, the patients' care is managed by their primary care nurse, their case manager, and by the patients themselves. As a result, the nonprofit hospital's lengths of stay are at or below the averages reported by the...

Ventilator education program reduces VAP: train respiratory care practitioners, ICU nurses. (Critical Path Network[TM]).(ventilator-associated pneumonia )
March 1, 2003... A multimodal education program to teach nursing and respiratory therapy staffs about improved techniques has led to a significant reduction in the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). The program was implemented at...

Computer technology improves operations: making switch is slow, but worthwhile. (Critical Path Network[TM]).
March 1, 2003... Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston first implemented its new electronic data system two years ago, solely to replace the existing hospital information system for business operations. The initial focus was on implementing billing...

How will you measure up to new CARF standards? CARF looking for corporate citizenship. (Ambulatory Care Quarterly).(Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities)
March 1, 2003... Starting July 1, all organizations accredited by the Tucson, AZ-based Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) must meet a new set of standards, regardless of what area of rehabilitation they are involved in. The new...

Patient education is key to shorter lengths of stay: hospital keeps patients informed. (Ambulatory Care Quarterly).
March 1, 2003... At Griffin Hospital, patients sometimes point out to the staff that they were scheduled for a test but didn't have it. Some comb their patient record and suggest changes. It's part of the hospital's philosophy that informed patients are...

Coalition of organizations develops common vision: goal is to help CMs address future challenges. (Ambulatory Care Quarterly).
March 1, 2003... Case management stands at a crossroads and needs a common vision plan that unites case managers across the broad health care spectrum, a group of case management leaders has concluded. The Case Management Society of America (CMSA) in Little...

CE questions.
March 1, 2003... 9. Which of the following is not one of the five basic steps in the failure mode and effects analysis process, according to Patrice Spath, RHIT, of Brown-Spath & Associates in Forest Grove, OR? A. Choose the process to be studied. B....