The rules for making proper level-of-care decisions are lengthy and confusing, which makes the role of the physician advisor within the utilization review (UR) committee extremely critical.
Care providers accept the general principle that patients have the right to direct their own care, but what if the patient refuses every discharge option you provide and wants to stay in inpatient care indefinitely?
One of the more talked-about initiatives in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the creation of accountable care organizations (ACO) and the global payment pilot projects.
Project BOOST (Better Outcomes for Older Adults Through Safe Transitions) is gaining popularity among providers nationwide as a method to reduce preventable hospital readmissions. Since the program began in September 2008, more than 1,400 facilities have downloaded the free toolkit from the Society of Hospital Medicine’s (SHM) website, and 65 sites have enrolled in the mentorship program. (See the “All about BOOST” sidebar below for more information on Project BOOST.)
