Care Coordination: Managing Cost and Length of Stay

Case Management Bootcamp Part 4 of 5

Overview:

You may spend most of your day focusing on utilization management and discharge planning, but care coordination is one of the key roles that hospital case managers and social workers perform. Other roles include utilization management and discharge planning. It is integral to managing cost and length of stay. Nevertheless, it is often overlooked or under-performed. This is sometimes due to workload issues and/or understaffing. Other times it is due to a lack of focus on this area of work.

This program will review the elements that most greatly impact on cost and length of stay. By focusing on care coordination as one of the key strategies for successful reductions of these metrics, you will be better positioned to perform your role as a hospital case manager. Care coordination, as one of the main roles of the RN case manager, is complex and includes many characteristics that encompass the role. Although these issues can be complex, there are tools and techniques to incorporate care coordination into your daily practice. These will be covered as well as those elements that have the greatest negative impact on care coordination. Those that have the greatest positive impact will be discussed in detail. Working with teams to enhance care coordination, as well as rounds and huddles, will be discussed. Participants will walk away with effective strategies for managing their hospital’s length of stay and cost.

Objectives:

• Understand the key elements of effective care coordination
• Discuss ways in which to incorporate care coordination into your daily workflow
• Identify how care coordination can be de-railed and how you can keep it on track

CE’s: NHA & SW

Presenter: Toni Cesta, Ph. D, RN, FAAN, Founder, Case Management Concepts, LLC

Dr. Cesta is a founding partner of Case Management Concepts, LLC, a consulting company which assists institutions in designing, implementing, and evaluating case management departments and models, educational programs, onsite support for leadership and staff.

Dr. Cesta is the author of nine books in the field of case management, a frequently sought-after speaker, lecturer, and consultant, and is considered one of the primary thought leaders in the field of case management. Dr. Cesta also writes a monthly column called “Case Management Insider” in Relias Media’s Hospital Case Management newsletter in which she shares insights and information on current issues and trends in case management.

Dr. Cesta has been active in the research and development of case management for over 25 years. Her research in case management has included two funded studies measuring the effects of a case management model on congestive heart failure and fractured hip patient populations, with measures of patient satisfaction, quality of life, and short- and long-term clinical perceptions and outcomes.

Registration:

Registration is free for SDAHO Members and $49 for Non-Members.

Click here to register.