The federal government has been pushing hospitals to reduce the number of preventable readmissions. Now it's putting some money behind the initiative by adding two new CPT codes that will allow physicians to bill for care that may help keep patients out of the hospital.
It is an ongoing challenge for case managers to determine whether a patient is more appropriately placed as an inpatient or in observation. Below are some real-life examples provided by Deborah Hale, CCS, CCDS, in the HCPro book Observation Services: A Guide to Compliant Level of Care Determinations.
When patients leave the hospital, one key factor often determines whether they'll soon need to be readmitted: how well they follow their discharge instructions.
Many organizations across the country have learned that patient care is more effective when providers work together. One means of accomplishing this goal is by performing patient rounds using teams that include a number of different practitioners, from physicians and nurses to case managers and pharmacists.