Case Management

CMW Tip of the Week: A second look at observation orders

Case Management Weekly, January 14, 2009

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Last week’s tip on standardizing physician level of care orders inspired some readers to write in about what works for their facilities.

Joby Kolson, DO, the medical director of quality and care management for AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City, NJ, says:

What we have found works best for us is to make observation orders very specific. We use orders like:

“Place in observation status on
____med/surg
___telemetry”

In this case, the option for floor designation would be checked or circled. This eliminates the confusion around admission and observation since there is no mention of admission, and also specifies in which location in the hospital the patient should be placed.

Have a tip or tool you’d like to share? Or maybe a question for our experts? E-mail it to editor Julie McGinley at jmcginley@hcpro.com.Your thoughts could be featured in the next issue of Case Management Weekly!



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