As the COVID-19 pandemic has surged, hospitals and healthcare providers have increasingly taken advantage of technology to provide routine care to patients and monitor them after discharge.
Q: How can case managers help patients, especially those dealing with chronic diseases such as diabetes, access care during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic?
Helping patients with diabetes manage their care and avoid preventable readmissions is challenging under normal circumstances, but even more so during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Q: Beginning in July, prior authorization is needed for certain hospital outpatient services such as blepharoplasty, botulinum toxin injections, panniculectomy, rhinoplasty, and vein ablation. Going forward, how should hospitals approach this change?
Casey is on her way to the closest emergency department (ED). She is ill and has felt this way for the past nine days. Her symptoms resemble those associated with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Q: Beyond the need for laptops and internet connectivity, are there any other technological solutions that can be helpful as case managers work remotely?
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created challenges for case management departments. They must balance protecting the health of case management staff while maximizing productivity. In this new environment, departments are closely examining the role of the utilization review (UR) case manager.
Q: Patients who leave the hospital against medical advice (AMA) have a much higher 30-day readmission rate than patients with non-AMA discharges. What strategies can case managers use to help patients who may be at risk for leaving AMA?
Q: As case managers, we often deal with patient populations that are afflicted by health disparities. What are some of the best strategies for reducing these disparities?
Patients who leave the hospital against medical advice are more likely than other patients to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, adding up to a sizable and costly problem, according to a study published June 11 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open.
