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The Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has released its revised recommendations for the prevention and control of influenza.
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In April 2002, Donna Zazworsky, MS, RN, CCM, FAAN, director of grants, partnerships, and policy at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Clinic in Tucson, AZ, got a telephone call from a case manager at a local hospital who wanted to know if the clinic had a hospital bed it could donate for use by a 17-year-old patient who was being discharged.
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The trauma team at Borgess Medical Center in Kalamazoo, MI, refers to Dorothy Malcolm, RN, BSN, as the glue that holds us all together. As trauma case manager, Malcolm coordinates care for trauma patients from the time they come into the emergency department (ED), during their entire stay in the hospital and while they are being treated in the outpatient follow-up clinics.
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Merging the case management department with the quality department is the best thing weve ever done, says Sharon Simmons, CRNP, MSN, CNOR, director of clinical excellence for St. Vincents Hospital in Birmingham, AL. Combining the departments has resulted in a tremendous improvement in quality of care as well as improved outcomes, she adds.
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With less than a year left before the HIPAA Security Rule goes into effect, a study by URAC has shown that the majority of health plans are not prepared.
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An automated calling system reminding members to get preventive health care services has paid off for Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (BCBSNJ). Instead of receiving a postcard reminding them to go for immunizations, cancer screenings, prenatal and postnatal care, and other preventive health care services, members who are eligible for the services receive a computer-generated telephone call.
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A system that rates cases by acuity level helps case managers at BlueCross and BlueShield of Oklahoma (BCBSOK) keep their workload evenly distributed. Cases are stratified by complexity, with Level 1 being the lowest acuity and Level 5 the highest.
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A system to help identify patients who are at risk for suicide, chemical dependency, or premature treatment termination is a great adjunct to traditional psychiatric care, asserts Daryl E. Quick, PhD. Quicks organization, Western Psychological and Counseling Services, uses the ALERT Predictive Modeling and Outcomes Management System from PacifiCare Behavioral Health.
