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CMW Sneak Peek: Bridging the communication gap

Case Management Weekly, January 28, 2009

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Many facilities use an interdisciplinary team for discharge decisions, and this raises many problems.

The common misconception about the interdisciplinary approach is that consensus is reached by all parties on a discharge date. However, the reality is there is rarely a meeting of the minds. Physicians dictate when and how patients are discharged based on the information provided by each team member’s subspecialty. Physicians generally have a plan to treat their patients with expectations based on anticipated clinical milestones.

To assist physicians in their decision-making, case managers need to bridge the gap of communication between the other members of the team and physicians.

The role of the case manager in determining when a patient is ready for the next level of care must be systematic, based on elements of medicine in conjunction with best practices and clinical milestones. These essential components of a case management plan of care are needed to achieve outcomes that are not only beneficial to the patient, but to the organization.

Check out the January 2008 issue of Case Management Monthly to get the full story, and discover all the benefits of being a Case Management Monthly subscriber!

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