Discharge Planning
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Transgender Patients Face Many Challenges in the Healthcare System
Transgender people are becoming more open, and case managers are likely to work with patients who openly identify as transgender. Transgender individuals are legally protected in obtaining healthcare, including transition-related care. Healthcare providers are required to treat these individuals with respect, including using their chosen gender identity.
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CMS 2020 Final Rules: Discharge Planning Revisions Released
New rules intended to help empower patients preparing to move from acute care into post-acute care will soon govern hospital discharge planning, according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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Hospital Gives Patients Tips on Finding the Right Skilled Nursing Facility
When hospitalized patients need to be transitioned to a skilled nursing facility, one of the first hurdles is finding the right place. Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Boston has developed a one-page tool to help families with this decision.
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Transitioning Patients to Skilled Nursing Facilities Is Challenging
Too often, patient information is lost or inadequate during transitions from hospital to skilled nursing facilities. This causes challenges that case managers can help overcome.
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Tips for Reducing Long Length of Stay Cases
Long length-of-stay patients can cost hospitals hundreds of thousands of dollars in unreimbursed care each year. Hospital case managers can help reduce these cases through consistent care management and team support.
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Hospital Case Managers Can Learn From Lean
One effective way for hospitals to improve patient care and reduce rehospitalizations and longer lengths of stay (LOS) is to take a Lean approach. Lean and Lean Six Sigma principles can help a healthcare organization eliminate waste and improve quality, and outcomes. For example, after employing Lean principles, Mid Coast-Parkview Health in Brunswick, ME, shortened patient stays of 30 or more days by more than 20%, saving $124,000.
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How to Find the Ideal Case Management Staffing Level
No matter what size a hospital and case management department are, there are difficulties in finding the right level of staffing. There is no one-size-fits-all approach because each hospital has its own expectations and sensitive situations in which case management might be needed. The goal should be to have case managers work to the full capacity of their skills and abilities.
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ED Case Managers Can Help Improve Transitions and Outcomes
Case managers in the ED can perform more than utilization reviews. In a newer model for their role, case managers can help put ED patients in touch with resources, helping them avoid readmissions and improve outcomes. Cleveland Clinic realized that with the changing landscape of healthcare, there is a way care management can put patients in touch with the community services they need to stay out of the hospital and ED. Case managers based in the ED can help patients with whatever they will need when they are well enough to leave.
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Case Management Dashboard Can Improve Patient Outcomes
Hospitals and other healthcare organizations can improve patient navigation, quality, and efficiency by creating goals and a plan through data collection and a dashboard. Health systems are successfully using analytics to engage with electronic medical records and in creating roadmaps for patients. Electronic data collection helps health systems predict roadblocks more accurately. It also helps facilitate faster transitions.
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Centralized Utilization Review: Key Considerations for Successful Implementation
As hospitals grapple with ever-changing utilization review (UR) guidelines from CMS and consolidate with other facilities, many are centralizing their UR operations. Under a centralized model, an offsite UR nurse or case manager is alerted when a new patient is admitted and sees all the documentation necessary to determine whether the medical record supports the patient’s status. Centralized UR establishes a standardized common process across facilities, which is a key benefit for multihospital health systems.