Curbing the cost of interdisciplinary care plans.
Interdisciplinary care plans, if done properly, become not only a cost-effective form of planning patient care but can also be the most efficient and holistic form of care giving. The key person in the team is the coordinator. The coordinator must ensure timely care plan reviews, notify members of upcoming conferences, enforce conference rules, and ensure proper documentation and efficient utilization of time at the conference. The administrator is ultimately responsible for seeing that each discipline is held accountable for its part of the care plan process. The administrator must encourage the provision of high-quality care through the care planning process, as well as motivate and reinforce to all team members the importance of this holistic concept of patient care. The person actually writing the care plans during the conference can be chosen by the coordinator but should be someone who has a good concept of proper care plan form and medical terminology and who can write quickly. A productive care conference is only part of the answer to an effective interdisciplinary approach. Care plans must be specific, individualized and realistic, with measurable and obtainable goals. They must be made available to all personnel in such a manner that they become a precise menu of the care giving process. All care givers must be keenly aware of the value and usefulness of this patient care tool to ensure high quality in a coordinated, holistic approach.
D003363:Cost Control / Q000379:methods; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000191:economics*; D010347:Patient Care Planning / Q000191:economics*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States