Multimedia In these Clinical Focus interviews hosted by Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn and other members of the Case In Point editorial staff, you will find experts in the field discussing topics of pressing interest in today’s health care arena. If you or someone you know would like to participate in our Clinical Focus series, or if you would like to offer feedback on any of the interviews posted here, please contact Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn at allewellyn@contexomedia.com .

Healthy Howard Interview with Dr. Peter Beilenson Communities across the nation are working to develop programs to meet the health and social needs of their communities. Healthy Howard is a community-based program from Howard County in Maryland that is making important inroads in providing access, safe, quality and effective healthcare for its residents. The goal of the project is to build a model public health community where residents are surrounded by a range of clean, safe and healthy activities, products and environments. As counties across the nation continue to see chronic disease rates rise in both children and adults, comprehensive efforts like Healthy Howard are needed to tackle the obstacles in our social environment that stand in between individuals and healthy choices. Case managers are integral to the success of this program. Included here is an interview with Dr. Beilenson, Health officer of Howard County in Maryland. Dr. Beilenson was instrumental in developing the Healthy Howard Program. Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn talks with Peter L. Beilenson, M.D., M.P.H. to learn about the Healthy Howard program. Dr. Beilenson is currently serves as Health Officer of Howard County in Maryland. Dr. Beilenson brings 17 years of experience in public health leadership. During his tenure in Baltimore City, Dr. Beilenson’s vision led to expanded drug treatment programs in Baltimore, improved immunization compliance, a wide range of effective lead poisoning prevention initiatives, juvenile violence prevention, and the creation of the statewide initiative for universal health coverage in Maryland - Health Care for All. In Howard County he has launched the Healthy Howard Access Plan, a first-of-its-kind program in the country that will provide comprehensive, affordable health and wellness services to the uninsured of Howard County.  Visit HealthyHowardPlan.org Listen to the Peter Beilenson interview   Update on HIV/AIDS   Currently, more than 1.1 million Americans live with HIV. Every year, another 56,000 people contract the virus: a figure that has been relatively constant over the past decade. The Obama administration announced a new strategy to combat this epidemic with the goal of reducing the rate of infections by 25 percent over the next five years and getting treatment to 85 percent of HIV patients within three months of their diagnosis. Case managers, social workers and other front-line HIV service providers play a vital and often challenging role in linking people living with HIV to the resources they need to stay healthy. To update listeners on this topic and a new resource, Dorland Health Editor in Chief, Anne Llewellyn sits down with Vincent Lynch, MSW, Ph.D to discuss the state of HIV/AIDS today and about a new resource that can assist with resource management. Vincent Lynch, MSW, Ph.D  is founder of the Annual National Conference on Social Work and HIV/AIDS, now in its 23rd year.  He has been in AIDS-care since 1988.  He works at Boston College Graduate School of Social Work.     Next, take a minute to listen to an interview from the Takeaway Talk Radio Show that took place on July 13, 2010 with Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, on what the Federal Government is doing to meet the needs of this at-risk population. Last, take a minute to explore the HIV Case Manager Portal, a new easy to use online resource.   Listen to the Vincent Lynch interview Listen to the Kathleen Selebius interview         Sheryl Oakes Caddy: The Office of the National Nurse Case In Point Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn sits down with Sheryl Oakes Caddy, RN, JD, to discuss the Office of the National Nurse. Caddy sheds light on the background of the movement, the progress on getting the bill introduced in Congress, and the ongoing discussion surrounding the views and challenges to this important movement. (Pictured from left are Debbie Orre, MSN, RN; Sheryl Oakes Caddy, JD, RN; Teri Mills, MR, RN, CNE; Alisa Schneider, MS, RN; and Terri Polick, RN.) Listen to the interview below. Or click on the links to read more about the National Nurse.   Listen to the interview Read the latest version of the bill Mail a letter of support to your local or state representative   For questions, comments or feedback, contact Sherly Oakes Caddy at soc.law@comcast.net or Teri Mills at teri@nationalnurse.info or visit the National Nurse website.     Mentoring: An Opportunity to Improve Recruitment and Retention Today, recruitment and retention is essential in hospitals, managed care organizations and other settings. The HSM Group and the Institute for Healthcare Leadership report that the national average cost of replacing one nurse is between $30,000 and $145,000, while the national average salary of a medical-surgical nurse is $46,832. Therefore, the cost of replacing just one nurse would be as high as $92,442. To replace a specialty area nurse, the cost can increase to $145,000. Replacement costs include human resources expenses for advertising and interviewing, overtime, temporary replacement costs for per diem nurses, lost productivity, and terminal payouts. Listen to the interview To address this, mentoring has become an important concept that can be used pre-employment and extend into the work environment. Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn sits down with a team that has implemented such a program:   Wendie Rains, BSN, RN Community Nurse Mentor Program Coordinator wrains@tmcc.edu Mary Lushina, RN, BSN, MBA, CCM, CPHQ Senior Vice-President, Employers Occupational Health, Inc. MLushina@employers.com Savannah Gonsalves Student Nurse Truckee Meadows  Community College savannahg1983@yahoo.com   To learn more about the program, visit the Truckee Meadows Community College Nurse Mentoring Program’s website or call Wendi Raines at 775-673-7056.     Jon Seymour Anne Llewellyn, editor in chief of Dorland’s case management products, talks with Dr. Jon Seymour from the Reed Group for an update on how disability management guidelines assist professionals in understanding the time and treatment guidelines required to treat complex conditions. By using guidelines, care is more efficient, effective and cost effective. Dr. Seymour joined Reed Group in 2008 to develop MDGuidelines, a powerful new Internet health care information platform built around The Medical Disability Advisor, Reed’s leading reference on disability durations. Listen to the interview Read Jon Seymour's full bio For more information on information on Disability Management  Guidelines, visit Reed Group and MDGuidelines.   Rebecca Perez In 2009 the Case Management Society of America launched the Integrated Health Management Program to help case managers and care coordinators address the behavioral as well as the physical needs of medically complex patients. A trainer with the Integrated Health Management Program, Rebecca Perez, RN, CCM, CPUR, CPUM, sits down with Robin Jay with Behavioral Health Central to discuss the importance of integrated medical management, and specifically case management. Listen to the interview Special thanks to Robin Jay, editorial director with Behavioral Health Central, a premier news, resource and interactive online community for mental health and addiction-treatment decision makers.

In these Clinical Focus interviews hosted by Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn and other members of the Case In Point editorial staff, you will find experts in the field discussing topics of pressing interest in today’s health care arena. If you or someone you know would like to participate in our Clinical Focus series, or if you would like to offer feedback on any of the interviews posted here, please contact Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn at allewellyn@contexomedia.com .   Ferdinand Richards and Patty Collier Dr. Ferdinand Richards and Patty Collier from Florida’s Medicare Quality Improvement Organization (FMQAI) discuss the Case Management Assignment Protocol (CMAP), a program developed in 2003 designed with the following goals in mind: reducing denials and write-offs; streamlining utilization review, case management, and discharge planning; strengthening collaboration for improved patient care; documenting, analyzing and profiling each step of the case management process. Today, CMAP, if implemented correctly, serves to assist hospitals in reducing their risk for repayment of Medicare funds as a result of the Recovery Audit Contracting program established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Hospitals committed to using CMAP have been shown to reduce inappropriate admissions by 91 percent.   Listen to the interview   Blake Andersen Dr. Blake Andersen, President & CEO of HealthSciences Institute, dilates on the expanding role of case managers among the backdrop of the ongoing discussion on health care reform. Founded in 2003, HeatlhSciences is a collaborative and organization focused on health care certification, development, and resource organization. HealthSciences prepares nurses and other health care professionals in health care purchaser, health plan, and provider organizations to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered population health improvement, disease management and health coaching services. You can contact Dr. Andersen via andersen@healthsciences.org . Click here to view the Chronic Care Professional (CCP) Certification Brochure. Or click here to visit the Chronic Care Professional (CCP) Certification Information Page.   Listen to the interview   Mary Mason, MD Mary Mason, MD, the Senior Vice President/Chief Medical Officer  with Centene Corporation, joins the Clinical Interview Faculty and shares information on a program know as Connections Plus. The program was developed in response to the identified need for real-time communication with at-risk members. The goal of the program has been to eliminate a lack of safe, reliable access to a telephone as a barrier to coordinating care. Outcomes achieved include reduction in avoidable adverse events such as inappropriate emergency room utilization, hospital admissions, and premature birth. If you have questions upon listening to the interview, you can contact Dr. Mason at mmason@centene.com . Listen to the Interview   Second Chances Study The Second Chances study is an observational research study designed to quantify and characterize the burden of surviving a stroke on patients and their caregivers. Case managers can use this video for their own professional development and share it with their patients, family and friends to show that there is hope after stroke. Watch the interview   Mary Wakefield Public Policy expert Mary Wakefield, PhD, RN, FAAN, joins the list of professionals who have contributed to the clinical focus interviews. Mary provides information that will assist case managers in crafting messages to employers, legislative officials and others who continue to ask the question, “What value do case managers bring?” At the time of the interview in February 2009, Dr. Wakefield was the director of the University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences. The very next week, Mary was appointed as head of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), a government agency that oversees a federal program for underserved areas throughout the nation. HRSA will administer $2.5 billion allocated in the recent stimulus bill to invest in our health care infrastructure. As a nurse leader and a friend of case management now serving in a prominent position in the Obama administration, Mary’s words and insight carry acute importance. Listen to the interview   Allen W Heinemann Dr. Heinemann is Director for the Center for Rehabilitation Outcomes Research at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and Associate Director of Research at RIC as well as Professor of Preventative Medicine & Research at the Feinberg School of Medicine, NU. Dr. Heinemann joins the Clinical Focus Interviews to discuss the Second Changes Stroke Study that was sponsored by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, the National Stroke Association, Boeingher Ingelheim and Evanston Northeastern Healthcare, Center on Outcomes Research and Education or CORE. Listen to the interview

Fran Griffin Fran Griffin is a Director at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in Cambridge, Mass., with whom she has worked since 1999. She began as a faculty member and joined the staff in 2002. Over that time, her diverse roles include supporting the development of content in patient safety and reliability, directing collaborative projects, and serving as faculty for the 100,000 Lives Campaign and 5 Million Lives Campaign. Ms. Griffin is a co-developer of the IHI Global Trigger Tool, and she has authored several articles and a book chapter related to patient safety. As a registered respiratory therapist, she has 20 years of hospital experience, including administrative oversight for quality, case management, and other related departments. Ms. Griffin talks about joining the Clinical Focus interviews and brings ideas and innovations on preventing surgical infections. Listen to the interview

Dr. Mark Ashley Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn sat down with Dr. Mark Ashley and engaged in a conversation about the importance of engaging the family in the care of patients with traumatic brain injury. Case managers who work with patients with this severe trauma can gain important insight into ways the family can make the difference in maximizing outcomes. Listen to the interview

Dr. Ken Duckworth "The impact these illnesses have on the United States is pretty breathtaking. About 1 percent of the population in America has schizophrenia and about 2 or 3 percent have bipolar disorder. And this 3 or 4 percent of people occupies a tremendous number of beds, a tremendous number of disability lost days. When you combine (these) with depression and OCD, you can account for thousands and thousands and thousands of disability lost days in America." Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn talks with Dr. Ken Duckworth from the National Alliance on Mental Illness on August 27, 2007, in preparation for an article that appeared in the December 2007/January 2008 issue of Case in Point. The article is titled "Raising a Voice for Mental Illness."

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Lisa Halpern "By the time I got to Harvard I was getting lost on a three-block walk to school. And then I was getting lost everywhere else, like subway stations. I started taking taxis everywhere. I realized at some point that I couldn't count simple change, so I paid for everything with $20 bills. By the time my mom flew in a panic across the country, I had gone on a one-year leave from graduate school." — Lisa Halpern on her early stages of schizophrenia Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn talks with Lisa Halpern on August 23, 2007, in preparation for an article that appeared in the December 2007/January 2008 issue of Case in Point. The article is titled "Raising a Voice for Mental Illness."

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Dr. Clete Kushida "In humans, the data is fairly mixed as to what the actual function of sleep is. There's various and different hypotheses. But we do know that if a person is sleep deprived, they have problems such as excessive daytime sleepiness, which puts them at risk for motor vehicle as well as work-related accidents. They have difficulties with their cognitive functions. Their ability to think unimpaired is affected, as well as their mood changes. There are a constellation of different types of effects that occur as a result of sleep deprivation." Executive Editor Robin Jay talks with Dr. Clete Kushida, a sleep doctor from Stanford University, on August 22, 2007, in preparation for an article that appeared in the December 2007/January 2008 issue of Case in Point. The article was titled "Awake At Night: The Ill Effects of Poor Sleep and Sleep Disorders."

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Bonnie Rodgers

In these Clinical Focus interviews hosted by Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn and other members of the Case In Point editorial staff, you will find experts in the field discussing topics of pressing interest in today’s health care arena.

If you or someone you know would like to participate in our Clinical Focus series, or if you would like to offer feedback on any of the interviews posted here, please contact Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn at allewellyn@contexomedia.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Eve Stern

Editor in Chief Anne Llewellyn sat down with Eve Stern, RN, MS, to discuss a new consumer decision support tool that will assist case managers and families when addressing a growing issue: senior housing. Stern shares how the idea was conceived and the practical application that meets an important need. She also talks about the Senior Housing locator, an online navigational tool powered by SNAPforSeniors. The tool is accessible free of charge on the SNAPforSeniors website.

Listen to the interview