A case manager has difficulty placing a homeless patient who was admitted for life-threatening hypothermia after spending a bitterly cold night outside.
Can a fast track system really improve care in the emergency department (ED) and move patients through the system more quickly? Authors of a recent study say, yes.
Case managers already know their responsibility for patients doesn’t end at discharge and an important part of readmission prevention involves following up with the patient well after he or she leaves. But a new study shows one problem area where case managers might want to put some additional attention: the transition from SNF to home.
In Maryland, an innovative program called SBIRIT (Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment) is helping take some of the weight off case managers working with substance use disorder patients by successfully steering those patients into treatment through the use of peer recovery specialists.
Early discharge programs have become increasingly important as hospital administrators focus on patient flow and throughput as a major strategy for financial stability and patient satisfaction.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) recently released a new app that case managers might want to recommend to their patients to use at those follow-up visits. It can help patients remember to ask important questions about their condition and their care.
Are you double-checking that your patients being discharged to skilled nursing facilities (SNF) meet the three-day inpatient stay requirement? You might want to take a closer look if you aren’t, in light of a February report from the Office of Inspector General that found CMS paid out potentially millions of dollars for beneficiary stays that didn’t qualify under the rule.
