Mitigation to eventual elimination of LGBT healthcare disparities

December 9, 2016
Case Management Monthly

Life for many lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans seems to be improving in many ways in recent years. A 2013 Pew Research survey of LGBT adults showed that 92% believe that society is more accepting of them than it was in the past and that this support is trending in the right direction for the future. But while LGBT Americans have made gains, research shows that disparities remain, particularly when it comes to healthcare for older LGBT individuals.

Case study: The four pillars standing between your organization and a readmission

December 16, 2016
Case Management Monthly

When you’re working to prevent readmissions at a large hospital system, things can get complicated pretty quickly just by virtue of the size of the organization. But at one Texas health system, officials have opted to simplify their process by boiling down their efforts to four pillars that they say are helping them to keep patients from needing to return to the hospital unnecessarily.

Ask the expert: What’s the latest of BFCC-QIO short-stay reviews?

December 29, 2016
Case Management Monthly

Back in May, CMS put a hold on short-stay inpatient audits related to the 2-midnight rule. That hold was lifted effective September 12, 2016, according to a FAQ published by CMS as CMM reported last month. Our readers are wondering, however, about the latest information when it comes to these reviews. We reached out to Ronald Hirsch, MD, FACP, CHCQM, vice president of the Regulations and Education Group at Accretive Health in Chicago, to give us the latest update.

From the director's desk: Reaching for the gold!

December 29, 2016
Case Management Monthly

Hard to believe but this year the Commission for Case Manager Certification celebrates its 25th year of certifying case managers. Are you one of them? I hope so and I hope your management supports the need for its staff who serves in a case manager role to be certified.

Complex case: Managing care for an end-of-life patient

December 29, 2016
Case Management Monthly

Mrs. Gray, a 93-year-old is in the ICU, has been diagnosed by her physician as having chronic heart disease that has progressed to “end stage.” The physicians set up a meeting at the patient’s bedside to discuss this prognosis with her and invite a representative of every member of the healthcare team to participate. Among those attending the meeting were the nurse case manager and social worker, who makes sure a representative from spiritual care is also present. Since the patient has told them that she has no family or friends, which the social worker validates after an extensive investigation, there are no significant others to attend. Mrs. Gray is truly the last living member of her family.