Facilities that hold regular interdisciplinary care coordination rounds often say such meetings save time. However, the rounds can turn from time-savers to time-wasters if the matters discussed do not stay on topic or drag on.
Case managers and social workers have an active role in helping patients and families make end-of-life decisions such as using palliative care and hospice.
CMS’ rules for properly applying condition code 44 are hard enough to understand, but when it comes to putting those rules into practice, things can get even more difficult.
As patient advocates, case managers often need to question physician decisions that do not follow evidence-based criteria or that go against patient wishes.
Observation services are a specific set of services provided to a patient while the physician decides whether to admit or discharge the patient. That means if a patient undergoes a procedure that requires “active monitoring,” he or she is not receiving observation services during the procedure.
