Category Archives: Care Transitions

Michigan SNF Collaborative Sets Competition Aside to Improve Quality and Readmission Rates

Posted on by
Reply

Susan CraftTo hold the line on hospital readmissions, a tri-county, skilled nursing facility (SNF) collaborative in Michigan evaluates 130 participating SNFs by a host of quality metrics the SNFs enter into a common data portal.

In this podcast, Susan Craft of the Henry Ford Health System (HFHS), one of four collaborative founders, outlines a few SNF participation and reporting mandates that run the gamut from meeting attendance to LACE readmission risk scores.

During Reducing SNF Readmissions: Quality Reporting Metrics Drive Improvement, a May 2017 webinar now available for replay, Ms. Craft, director, care coordination, family caregiver program, HFHS Office of Clinical Quality & Safety, shared the key details behind this SNF collaborative, the program’s impact on readmission rates, and new readmission reduction targets derived from the program’s data analysis.


Length: 4:15 minutes

The Science Behind Care Transition Management: More Than Case Managers and Discharge Calls

Posted on by
Reply

Jennifer DragoAmong the myths surrounding care transitions management is the belief the intervention can be effectively executed pre-discharge or by phone only, explains Jennifer Drago, executive vice president of population health for Sun Health.

In this audio interview, Ms. Drago dispels this myth, outlining requirements for a professionally designed, evidence-based transitions of care program, and why inclusion of dedicated staff and home visits will enhance clinical outcomes and possibly save lives.

During A Leading Care Transitions Model: Addressing Social Health Determinants Through Targeted Home Visits, a March 2017 webinar now available for replay, Ms. Drago shared the key features of Sun Health’s care transitions program, which achieved the lowest readmissions rates in CMS’s recently concluded Community-Based Care Transitions Program.


Length: 2:34 minutes

Hearst Health Prize Winner CCNC: Care Transition Management Not ‘One-Size-Fits-All’

Posted on by
Reply

Carlos JacksonCommunity Care of North Carolina’s Transitional Care program was awarded the Hearst Health Prize this month not only for demonstrating how effective transitional care is for its 1.5 million Medicaid beneficiaries, but also for continually evaluating and modifying the intervention based on its findings.

In this broadcast, Carlos Jackson, CCNC’s director of program evaluation, shares one of CCNC’s more interesting findings, identifying the priority population for the intervention, and explains why the care transition management mindset must expand beyond reducing hospital readmissions.

During a March 2016 webinar, Measuring and Evaluating the Impact of Home Visits for Clinically Complex Patients, now available for replay, Carlos Jackson shares the details behind CCNC’s home visits program, a key aspect of the care transitions program, from how individuals are identified for the intervention to the impact it has on key performance metrics.


Length: 3:23 minutes

Next Generation Healthcare Nurse Navigators: The Advantages That Won Over ‘Solo Cowboy’ Practitioners

Posted on by
Reply

Robert FortiniWhen Bon Secours adapted Geisinger’s case management model six years ago and embedded nurse navigators within physician practices, there was reluctance and even resistance from some “solo cowboy” physician practitioners, recalls Robert Fortini, PNP, chief clinical officer for Bon Secours Medical Group. Today, providers are fiercely protective of the cadre of 70 nurse navigators, who do the “heavy lifting” of chronic care management.

In this audio interview, Fortini offers some lessons learned for organizations considering the embedded case management approach, including budgetary planning, calculations, and “icing-on-the-cake” outcomes for patients and hospitals.

During a January 2016 webinar, Physician Reimbursement in 2016: Workflow Optimization for Chronic Care Management and Advance Care Planning, now available for replay, Fortini offered an inside look at Bon Secours’ experience with CMS’ chronic care management reimbursement in 2015 and how they leverage this experience for CMS’s newest billable event in 2016—advance care planning.


Length: 3:24 minutes

Transitions Leadership Group Maps Patient Moves through St. Vincent’s Network Continuum

Posted on by
Reply

Colleen SwedbergAs groundwork for participation in CMS’s Bundled Payments for Care Improvement initiative, St. Vincent’s Health Partners (SVHP) formed a cross-functional cross-boundary Transitions Leadership Group to map what happens to patients moving along their care journeys, explains Colleen Swedberg, MSN, RN, CNL, director for care coordination and integration.

In this audio interview, Ms. Swedberg describes the structure and goals of the Transitions Leadership Group and some tools and protocols it developed to set standards for any post-acute provider wishing to join the SVHP network.

During a September 2015 webinar, Post-Acute Care Trends: Aligning Clinical Standards and Provider Demands in the Changing Landscape, now available for replay, Ms. Swedberg and Julia Portale, vice president of community services, Jewish Senior Services, share their organizations’ collaborative approaches to the evolving post-acute care market.


Length: 4:03 minutes

Yale-New Haven Embedded High-Risk Care Coordinators Monitor Geriatric Homebound

Posted on by
Reply

Dr. Vivian ArgentoFollowing weekly huddles with nurse practitioners, Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) geriatric care coordinators use a red-yellow-green system to prioritize care for its Medicare homebound patients, explains Dr. Vivian Argento, the executive director of geriatric and palliative services at Bridgeport Hospital, in this audio interview.

While the bulk of care provided by YNHHS’s geriatric care coordination model is delivered during house calls to seniors deemed homebound by Medicare criteria, the program also provides care to patients in assisted living facilities.

The YNHHS geriatric care coordination model was one of three embedded models of care presented during a June 2015 webinar, Embedded Care Coordination for At-Risk Populations: A Case Study from Yale New Haven Health System, now available for replay. During the program, Dr. Argento was joined by Amanda Skinner, YNHHS executive director for clinical integration and population health, who described livingwellCARES, embedded on-site care coordination for YNHHS employees; and its patient-centered medical home’s hybrid model of centralized and embedded care coordination resources.


Length: 3:11 minutes

SNF Visit Gauges Readmissions Risk, Supports SNF-to-Home Transition

Posted on by
Reply

Danielle AmrineTo help patients transition from a skilled nursing facility (SNF) to independent living, the Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio visits high-risk patients at SNFs within 10 calendar days of admittance, explained Danielle Amrine, the council’s transitional care business manager. During an April 21, 2015 webinar, Home Visits: Five Pillars to Reduce Readmissions and Empower High-Risk Patients, Ms. Amrine described seven key questions to ask patients during the SNF visit, how field coaches assess the SNF patient’s risk for readmission to the hospital, and the council’s novel arrangement for completing the SNF visits.

The SNF visits are one component of the council’s multi-faceted home visits intervention, a participant in CMS’s Community-Based Care Transitions Program (CCTP).

During the 45-minute webinar, now available as an on-demand replay, Ms. Amrine shared the key features of the council’s home visits program, including visit scheduling, patient assessment, post-visit touch points and program evolution.


Length: 3:16 minutes

SFHN Care Transitions Task Force: Standards Are Starting Point for Quality Improvement

Posted on by
Reply

Dr. Michelle SchneidermannTo narrow its focus while creating transitional care standards, the San Francisco Health Network (SFHN) Care Transitions Task Force divided into three subgroups: inpatient, outpatient and pharmacy. During a February 26, 2015 webinar, Cross-Continuum Care Transitions: A Standardized Approach to Post-Acute Patient Hand-Offs, task force leader Dr. Michelle Schneidermann, associate clinical professor of medicine for the division of hospital medicine at University of California San Francisco/SFGH, outlined the work of each subgroup.

During the 45-minute webinar, now available as on on-demand replay, Dr. Schneidermann, who is also medical director of the San Francisco Department of Public Health Medical Respite and Sobering Center, shared the key achievements of the Care Transitions Task Force and its impact on readmission rates.


Length: 4:01 minutes

CHRISTUS Remote Monitoring for Chronic Condition Management: Coaching Patients to Wellness at Home

Posted on by
Reply

Shannon CliftonThe daily monitoring phase of CHRISTUS Health’s remote care management workflow involves the patient, a care transition nurse coach, and the patient’s primary care physician if needed. During a February 24, 2015 webinar, Remote Patient Monitoring for Chronic Condition Management, Shannon Clifton, director of connected care for CHRISTUS Health, described this critical stage of the 60-day program that strives to keep high-risk patients within wellness parameters.

During the 45-minute webinar, now available as on on-demand replay, Ms. Clifton and Dr. Luke Webster, chief medical information officer, CHRISTUS Health, shared the key features of the remote monitoring effort, including program design and impact, ROI, and how the program fits into Christus’ long-term strategy as a risk-bearing organization.


Length: 3:46 minutes