A director working to manage her institution’s length of stay is usually aware of situations that can make a patient stay longer. Among these situations is a patient who is need of guardianship.
Patient care is strengthened by the RN case manager and social work relationship. Social workers should consider patient psychosocial needs alongside the RN case manager’s assessment of the patient’s disease trajectory and recovery requirements.
It’s no secret that social factors can create sizable barriers for case managers who are working to prevent readmissions, plan for discharges, and meet length of stay targets. Unfortunately, government regulators often don’t factor these issues in when they are looking at quality measures. But that is starting to change.
A diagnosis in the emergency department is not always guaranteed, but reframing patient encounters can ensure patient needs are met, according to a study in Annals of Emergency Medicine.
