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New opportunities are opening up for case managers in primary care as physician practices, healthcare systems, and health plans recognize the value of care coordination.
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Four reports issued by the AAAHC Institute for Quality Improvement, a subsidiary of the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC), offer insights into some of the most common outpatient procedures, including cataract surgery, colonoscopy, low back injection, and knee arthroscopy. Highlights of the studies include:
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By every standard, outpatient surgery is growing. The recession took a bite out of it, with many patients delaying elective surgery until they obtained new positions and health insurance. However, by and large, most facilities are seeing resurgence in cases again in the hospital outpatient departments (HOPDs) and freestanding centers.
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The author informs us that the winner of the 2010 Tour de France was Alberto Contador, riding a Specialized SL3 racing bike. The U.S. rider Chris Horner finished 12 minutes behind riding a Trek, Madone.
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During morning surgery rush times, registrars at Indiana University Health North Hospital in Carmel began monitoring the actual time patients were arriving in a database.
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According to a study that appears in Archives of Surgery, between 85% and 94% of patients were willing to sign forms permitting medical residents to assist surgeons, but many will not consent to giving residents a major role during surgery.
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More states are mandating adverse event reporting, and this trend could have a significant impact on healthcare providers, says Kathryn Schulke, BSN, a principal with the law firm of Booz Allen Hamilton in Rockville, MD. Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia have passed legislation requiring adverse event reporting, she says.
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As the num ber of people in the general population with high body mass index (BMI) rises, outpatient surgery providers are seeing growing numbers of these patients. The question arises, are providers treating them appropriately? No, according to the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA).
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When it comes to helping their patients or clients learn to take responsibility for their own healthcare, the first thing case managers have to do is to get to know them and become familiar with their family situation, says B.K. Kizziar, RN-BC, CCM, CLP, owner of B.K. & Associates, a Southlake, TX, case management consulting firm.
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New initiatives being developed as a result of healthcare reform, such as the patient-centered medical home and the accountable care organization, are new models of care delivery, but the concepts are not new to case managers, says Mary Beth Newman, MSN, RN-BC, CMAC, CCP, MEP, CCM, program manager, case management, WellPoint Centers of Medical Excellent, based in Mason, OH, and president of the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) with headquarters in Little Rock, AR.
