CM-physician alignment cuts length of stay.
When Sentara Healthcare enacted a pilot project in which a care coordinator was assigned to a hospitalist group and followed patients throughout the hospital stay, the average length of stay for patients in the program dropped by one day. One care coordinator was assigned to two to three hospitalists and had a caseload of 20 to 23 patients with pneumonia, sepsis, or heart failure and other patients determined to be at high risk. Care coordinators meet with hospitalists each morning to review patients likely to be discharged that day, meet again during multidisciplinary rounds, and communicate constantly during the day. Other initiatives include providing box lunches for patients discharged around noon and establishing a team of discharge facilitators in a central location to send referrals to post-acute providers and set up transportation.
D019090:Case Management; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D010865:Pilot Projects; D014768:Virginia