Case Management Advisor – January 1, 2012
January 1, 2012
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Higher costs and fewer dollars put a new emphasis on wellness
Faced with rising healthcare costs and declining healthcare dollars, providers and payers alike are putting a new emphasis on wellness and prevention, and case managers should fit right in. -
For healthy change, take message to community
In September 2011, world leaders held the first General Assembly at the United Nations (UN) to address chronic disease, which caused an estimated 36 million deaths worldwide in 2008. -
Create rapport to engage patients
When it comes to helping their patients or clients learn to take responsibility for their own healthcare, the first thing case managers have to do is to get to know them and become familiar with their family situation, says B.K. Kizziar, RN-BC, CCM, CLP, owner of B.K. & Associates, a Southlake, TX, case management consulting firm. -
Problems, challenges on the horizon
Depending on where you live, the changing healthcare environment could mean opportunities or challenges, case managers across the country say. -
New delivery models offer opportunities
New initiatives being developed as a result of healthcare reform, such as the patient-centered medical home and the accountable care organization, are new models of care delivery, but the concepts are not new to case managers, says Mary Beth Newman, MSN, RN-BC, CMAC, CCP, MEP, CCM, program manager, case management, WellPoint Centers of Medical Excellent, based in Mason, OH, and president of the Case Management Society of America (CMSA) with headquarters in Little Rock, AR. -
Eliminating co-pays may reduce more events
The use of specific medications following a heart attack has been shown to reduce cardiovascular events and mortality, however; while highly effective, the rate of adherence to these medications is poor. -
Mixed reactions to management program
The U.S. healthcare system, with a focus on outpatient visits for acute problems, might not be supporting patients with chronic illness in their everyday lives to manage their health. -
Encourage communication with your patients
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has launched an initiative with the Ad Council to encourage clinicians and patients to engage in effective two-way communication to ensure safer care and better health outcomes. -
There is no need to reinvent the wheel
Technology is beneficial to people designing programs to impact the health behaviors of their patient population base, says Jason L. Bittle, community health improvement coordinator at Hanover (PA) Hospital Wellness and Education Center. -
Written materials are a good reminder
Providing written information for the patient with heart failure to use at home is important for reinforcing what was taught, says Eileen Brinker, RN, MSN, heart failure program coordinator at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Medical Center.