For case managers, working with patients experiencing homelessness is always a challenge. But now, amid the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, many fear the problem will soon grow exponentially worse.
Rose has worked as a cardiology case manager at a hospital in the Southwest for the past 17 years. She enjoys her job and her patients. A significant portion of her patient population is comprised of a community of veterans. She knows that it is common for veterans to live near one other, as their shared war experiences provide a source of understanding and support not often available from civilians.
Case management directors and their staffs are vigilantly watching the nursing homes in their areas to determine which nursing homes have available beds and which may have no beds at all due to a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.
Is the inpatient-only list soon to be a thing of the past? It’s possible. In the 2021 OPPS proposed rule, released August 3, CMS suggested that there is no longer a need for the inpatient-only list. Instead, CMS recommended deferring to the physician’s clinical judgment.
Last month, Case Management Monthly provided tips to help support patients using technology during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Since then, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a research letter underscoring the need for this support.
Case managers use a lot of lists. They use lists of nursing homes, lists of community organizations, and lists of other resources that are designed to help their patients.
But there are times when a list is not the best option, saysDiane Iverson, RN, BSN, BS, ACM, CCM, a Baltimore-area case manager. For example, when case managers are working with individuals seeking assistance for substance use disorders, lists of resources may not be effective.
Matty, an expert utilization review (UR) case manager, is shocked when she receives a letter denying payment for the entire hospital stay of Michael, who has recovered after falling severely ill with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Case management directors and utilization review (UR) case managers beware! In a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document released in July, CMS said it expects to discontinue enforcement discretion for Medicare fee-for-service medical reviews beginning August 3, regardless of the status of the public health emergency (PHE).
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.
