MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center
The effective quality improvement process should be grounded in relevant data and the current needs of patients and staff. Thus, MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center launched an incentive to redesign a care program to determine which units should be supported by case managers and to improve their functioning (“It’s about time,” n.d.). The process initiated by the organization has specific attributes of effective care management that justify its high practical utility.
First, the model that maximizes staff time and patient management is utilized. The analyzed data, such as admissions, emergency department visits, and the time required for patient assessment, are used to create an image of how medical units can be managed more effectively (Ensocare, n.d.). Another critical attribute is the transparent patient assignment methodology. The success of the incentive depends on the extent to which available data are investigated, and patients are assigned based on findings (Ensocare, n.d.). For this reason, MedStar performs statistical analysis of all relevant information to create a practical care improvement framework.
Gundersen Health System
Gundersen Health has its own program to improve the quality of life and reduce costs for patients with complex health profiles. It implies reduced hospital stays, lower costs for all clients, reduced use of inpatient services, and increased patient satisfaction (Berry et al., 2013). Thus, the first important attribute is prioritizing target populations by risk factors.
The incentive is designed for patients with complex health profiles or at higher risk of acquiring undesired and severe conditions (Berry et al., 2013). As a result, it leads to more effective care provision for these groups. The second important feature is deploying the model, maximizing staff time, and patient management. Care coordination staff accompany patients and their families and respond to specific challenges (Berry et al., 2013). As a result, the care provided to the most complex patients is significantly enhanced.
Bon Secours Life Coach Program
The program is designed for patients who have difficulty accessing care. It connects patients without insurance, with limited resources, or without a personal doctor with primary care resources necessary for their recovery (“Bon Secours Life Coach program,” 2012). It also reduces patients’ trips to the emergency rooms, which is essential for the healthcare sector (“Bon Secours Life Coach program,” 2012).
The first attribute of effective care management, peculiar to the program, is prioritizing target populations based on risk factors. If a patient meets the criteria, such as low income, lack of insurance, and no source of primary care, they can be offered assistance (“Bon Secours Life Coach program,” 2012). The second attribute implies defined care team roles that match the population’s needs. A life coach assists a client and provides patients with primary care physicians (“Bon Secours Life Coach program,” 2012). It reduces the number of returns for emergency departments with the same condition.
Bon Secours’ Life Coaches Guide the Uninsured to Health Services
Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center in Portsmouth assists patients with specific needs by offering them life coaches. It is one of the innovative incentives aimed at improving the provision of care and its effectiveness. Its first important attribute is a transparent patient assignment methodology. It helps coordinate activities by arranging appointments at the hospital’s free clinic for individuals with specific needs (Catholic Health Association of the United States, 2012). Moreover, the model maximizes staff time and patient management by reducing the number of uninsured patients who frequently use emergency rooms for nonemergency or chronic conditions (Catholic Health Association of the United States, 2012). As a result, costs are reduced, specialists can use their time more effectively, and they can provide emergent care to those who really need it.
References
Berry, L. L., Rock, B. L., Smith Houskamp, B., Brueggeman, J., & Tucker, L. (2013). Care coordination for patients with complex health profiles in inpatient and outpatient settings. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 88(2), 184–194.
Bon Secours Life Coach program. (2012). The Health Journals.
Catholic Health Association of the United States. (2012). Bon Secours’ life coaches guide the uninsured to health services. CHA.
Ensocare. (n.d.). Becoming an effective care management organization.
It’s about time. (n.d.). About.