Case Management Advisor – October 1, 2008
October 1, 2008
View Issues
-
Case management program slashes hospital stays for ESRD patients
An intensive case management program for patients with end-stage renal disease resulted in an 83% drop in hospitalization in just six months for members of DaVita VillageHealth's Special Needs Plan. -
Personal visits help CMs establish rapport
Face-to-face contact is an essential part of managing the care of patients with end-stage renal disease, says Cristina Walter, MS, RN-BC, CCM, CCP, regional operations director, DaVita VillageHealth. -
Plan targets seniors with high cholesterol
As part of its efforts to take a proactive approach to heart disease, Health Net Inc. has launched the first-ever Medicare Advantage Special Needs Plan designed specifically for seniors with high cholesterol. -
Empowering seniors to take responsibility
The goal of Health Net's Special Needs Plan for seniors with elevated cholesterol is to empower the members to become more informed and responsible for their own medical care in cooperation and collaboration with their physicians, says Richard Jacobs, MD, MBA, chief medical officer for Health Net of Arizona Inc. -
Health care system offers challenges, opportunities
One of the biggest challenges facing case managers today is educating the consumer and other health care providers about what case managers do and the value they bring to the table, says Jeff Frater, RN, BSN, CCM, new president for the Case Management Society of America (CMSA). -
Teach about proper use of physical therapy
Physical therapy is becoming more commonplace as health care professionals who specialize in this field take staff positions at hospitals, outpatient clinics, home health agencies, nursing homes, and sports and fitness facilities. -
Research: Sedentary workers risk chronic illness
Exercise can improve a worker's health and productivity. That's a no-brainer, right? The vast majority of employees and managers at your workplace probably take that statement as a given. But new data show that lack of exercise can actually cause chronic, costly, and debilitating diseases. -
What? No expensive new gym for workers?
"You don't need to build a half-million dollar fitness center to have a fitness program," says Don R. Powell, PhD, president and CEO of the American Institute for Preventive Medicine, a wellness program provider based in Farmington Hills, MI. -
Safety reward program results in 'huge ROI'
Digital cameras, blenders, food processors, waffle makers, espresso machines, jewelry, luggage, gas grills, fishing rods, and telescopes. These are some of the items that workers at Wika Instrument Corp., a Lawrenceville, GA-based manufacturer of pressure and temperature instrumentation, can receive for improving their own safety. -
Musculoskeletal injuries cut 75% with this program
Fifty more trucks produced a year. That's the result of regaining just six more days of productivity per injured employee, as a result of a musculoskeletal disability management program implemented in Warrenville, IL-based Navistar's truck division. -
Outcomes not improving for back and neck pain
Despite higher costs for imaging and therapy for back and neck problems of employees, work limitations and disability claims aren't improving, says a new study.