10 Effective Hospital Case Management Tips
Did you know that each year almost 36 million hospital visits every year? While many of these patients are relatively straightforward emergency room cases, others turn out to be more complicated.
These clients require frequent moving and coordination to get them the tests and care that they need. That is where hospital case managers come into the picture.
These individuals make sure that hospitals avoid problems like readmission by providing hands-on guidance for these clients. Unfortunately, many hospitals don’t get the full potential out of their hospital case management.
So, to help your workplace operate as efficiently as possible we’ve organized these ten case management tips. As long as you follow the advice in this article, then both your business and patient experience will improve.
1. Know the Four Levels of Hospital Case Management
Case management positions can look a bit different depending on the specific area of healthcare that they deal with. However, they should all follow the same basic four levels of management. These four levels include:
- Intake/referral
- Assessment of needs
- Care planning
- Monitoring/follow-up
The first level of case management is all about collecting relevant medical information. The second level, assessment, is about evaluating these documents.
Once all this information has been read, then the manager can begin making a care plan for the client’s needs. Finally, there’s the fourth level which consists of evaluating the effectiveness of the care plan that’s currently in place, and changing it as needed.
2. Know the Different Note Formats
There are a variety of different note types that case managers rely on to convey patient information. Certain types of facilities or groups will prefer certain note types to another, so you should learn as many as you can. Here are some of the popular types:
- Behavior, Intervention, Response, Plan (or BIRP notes)
- Data, Assessment, Plan (or DAP notes)
- Goal, Intervention, Response, Plan (or GIRP notes)
- Problem, Response, Intervention, Plan (or PRIP notes)
- Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan (or SOAP notes)
3. Reassign Your Staff to New Positions
Case management is most effective when the staff can divide and conquer.
So, don’t be afraid to reassign roles. For example, try assigning a nurse to identify patients who are at risk of readmission within the next thirty days.
4. Identify At-Risk Patients Early On
It’s important to identify at-risk patients early on in the case management process.
This will allow you to give them the attention they likely need. One way to find them is by checking their number of hospital visits in the last six months. More than five is a clear sign of an at-risk patient.
5. Gather Your Staff For Daily Huddles
Communication is vital when it comes to hospital case management. As such, we recommend at least once a day with your shift team. During this time you should discuss any potential problems that might be occurring that day.
For example, if there’s a high intake of emergency room patients, then case management should quickly be prioritized. However, if it’s a slow day, then case management doesn’t need to be as pressing of a concern for the entire staff.
6. Keep Your Notes Accurate, Chronological and Concise
It’s important to include notes that are as accurate as possible. This will ensure that no mistakes are made by anyone reading them. However, keep in mind that more isn’t always better.
Keep your notes concise. To make it easier, but the most recent notes first since they’re the most relevant.
7. Use Cloud Management For Your Reporting System
Case management notes can greatly benefit from cloud reporting solutions.
Services like iinsight allow you to securely share information across a large network. This allows you to easily scale your reporting system to a size that fits your organization. Best of all it’s easy to use, so anyone can learn it.
8. Pay Close Attention to Health-Related Social Determinants
It’s the hospital case manager’s job to pay attention to potential social determinants that might be missed by the hospital staff. These are conditions that exist outside the facility that could affect the patient’s condition.
For example, a dangerous home environment could exacerbate a condition. Similarly, lack of transportation to drug stores or therapy can also be problematic. If you notice any of these determinants, then it’s your job to fix them to the best of your abilities.
9. Collaborate With the Rest of the Hospital
It’s important to form relationships with the rest of the health departments in the hospital.
This will allow for greater communication. Collaborate with these department heads to streamline the process as a case is passed off from department to department.
10. Reach Out to Other Healthcare Providers For Better Follow-Up Care
When you hand off a client to a nursing home, home care organization, or psychiatric ward, your job isn’t over. It’s important to provide follow-care to make sure they’re getting the treatment that they need.
One way to make this easier is to reach out to these community organizations. This is ideal because it allows for a smoother transition between the hospital and wherever they end up.
However, more importantly, it gives someone for you to touch base with if you need to follow up on the patient.
Want More Content? Keep Exploring
We hope this article helped you learn some helpful hospital case management tips. As you can see, a case manager is a job position that requires a lot of juggling.
So, to make it easier it’s best to provide this job position with the authority needed to make any structural changes that might be necessary. That way, the staff is on the same page and the patients get the post-care that they deserve. Did you enjoy this article? If the answer is yes, then you’re in the right place. Keep reading to find more topics that you’re sure to love.
