Pat, a nurse case manager, had noticed an increase in the number of uninsured patients at the hospital where she worked. She didn’t know why the past few months had seen so many uninsured come through the doors, but she wondered whether it had to do with her state’s healthcare reform.
Having performed discharge planning for many, many years, I’ve learned one key component is now more true than ever: Assessments must be very comprehensive. We are dealing with a wider variety and different mix of patients. For example, we are seeing an older population that is living longer, often with dementia. These are patients with multiple comorbidities who are living on a limited income. We also are dealing with a larger group of patients—again, with multiple comorbidities—who are living longer due to medical advances and require costly medications and repeated readmissions for complications or procedures. Additionally, we care for the homeless, who are often riddled with mental health or drug addiction problems as well as comorbidities.
I always get invigorated after attending a good educational tradeshow. This past October’s AHIMA national conference provided a wonderful showcase of lectures, workshops, vendors, and events that seemed to have something for everyone.
