|
The Patricia McCollom Scholarship Task Group has selected Cynthia Bracey, MSN, RN, CCM, of Fort Bragg, N.C. Ms. Bracey, a case manager with the Army’s Wounded Warrior program, was the most distinguished member of a highly qualified field of nominees who had either applied for consideration, or were nominated by their peers.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) today announced the entry of a record-setting consent decree resolving a class lawsuit against Sears, Roebuck and Co. (Sears) under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) for $6.2 million and significant remedial relief.
Editor’s Note: Case managers who work in workers’ comp. may want to print this article to share with employers who refuse to make accommodations for workers when they reach MMI.
National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Dr. David Blumenthal recently issued a message on the “meaningful” progress toward electronic health information exchange. Dr. Blumenthal discussed the term “meaningful use” of electronic health records both as a concept that underlies the movement toward an electronic health care environment and as a practical set of standards that will be issued as a proposed regulation by the end of 2009.
Editor’s Note: Case In Point held a Webinar called HITECH: How It Impacts Case Management on September 30. For those of you who could not attend the live event, the program is archived for you and your team to view. The program is approved for 1.5 contact hours for nurses and case managers.
Clinics have joined health insurers in using patient surveys to improve their quality of care. One survey developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality and endorsed by National Quality Forum is the Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Clinician & Group Survey, which has standardized measurements of patient satisfaction.
Health care quality in the U.S. depends a great deal on location, with Vermont providing the best and Mississippi the worst in the country, according to a Commonwealth Fund analysis. The study found that “public policies, plus state and local health care systems, can make a difference” in the quality of care provided by the states.
Baptist Hospital in Nashville is using “surgicalists,” the surgical version of hospitalists, to provide improved care for emergency department patients who need surgery. The new surgicalist program was created to reduce wait times between consults and surgery and to provide better follow-up care from emergency department visit through discharge.
Medical scribes at the University of Virginia Medical Center help physicians by following them on hospital rounds and taking detailed notes on a laptop that will be transferred to patients’ electronic medical records.
U.S. health care spending totals $2.4 trillion each year, far more than other industrialized countries, but the nation lags in preventing deaths from common illnesses that should not kill, according to a Commonwealth Fund report. One expert said of the U.S. health care system: “Where it’s good, it’s very, very good, and where it’s bad, it’s horrid.”
Hospital readmissions and adverse events are among the topics addressed in the 2010 Office of Inspector General (OIG) Work Plan that affect case managers.
I received this video from fellow case manager Gerald Cawley, RN, CCM, who works at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic Health Services in Houston. The video follows the story of a young man who was struck by a train at the age of 14. He miraculously survived but is now a triple amputee. In his recuperation, he pushed all the boundaries to build his dream, and the health care professionals had no choice but to run with him. He is now helping soldiers to rebuild their shattered dreams and teaching everyone that where there is hope, there are no set limits.
High-performing workers’ morale has been hit especially hard by the recession, according to a survey by Watson Wyatt and World at Work. In response, human resources departments need to be more creative in motivating and rewarding them, Lin Grensing-Pophal writes. Top talent also needs more individualized feedback and training opportunities, she writes.
If your boss’ behavior bothers you, look at what “drives you bonkers,” then work on not reacting so strongly to it, Anita Bruzzese writes. Teach yourself not to take the behavior personally and create a plan for handling potentially irritating situations. |
Stay Informed 
