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Heres one for the strange-but-true case file: A 48-year-old woman under home therapy for continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) presented to the emergency department with a one-day history of fever and chills accompanied by general abdominal discomfort without nausea or vomiting.
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Synopsis: As determined by process of care measurement, adverse event occurrence, and patient satisfaction, quality of care is compromised by infection control procedures.
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By creating a series of tools and other resources, Premera Blue Cross has been able to increase the efficiency of its case management department and earn coveted accreditation from Washington, DC-based URAC. The case management program at the Mountlake Terrace, WA, health plan is one of only two in the state of Washington to achieve URAC accreditation. The health plan covers members in Washington and Alaska.
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It sounds exciting to be an expert witness until you take the stand in court and the attorney for the other side questions your credibility, B.K. Kizziar asserts. Thats why she advises case managers who are interested in becoming expert witnesses to learn how the legal system works and be prepared for what they may encounter in a case.
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In an effort to ensure that chronically ill members get the most effective and efficient health care services, BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee has developed a pilot project to pay physicians for e-mail consultations, telephone calls, and group visits with members with diabetes, hypertension, or congestive heart failure.
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Adults with lower than average reading skills are less likely than other Americans to get potentially life-saving screening tests, be vaccinated for flu and pneumonia, and take their children for well-child physician visits, according to a report by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
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Documentation is a valuable communication tool throughout the case management process, providing an accurate record of the assessment, care plan, and execution of treatment and services. Through systematic collection of information about the service experience, the end results of care can be evaluated.
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Rather than age or severity of illness, the strongest determinants of the withdrawal of ventilation in critically ill patients are often the physicians perception that the patient preferred not to use life support or had a low chance of survival in the intensive care unit, a recent study1 by the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group and the Level of Care Study Investigators has found.
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Studies of terminally ill patients indicate that a small number of them want the option of physician-assisted suicide (PAS) or other means of controlling the manner in which they die. Yet with PAS legal in only one state, most will not have that option.
