(music.)
Nearly 2 million medicare beneficiaries are
readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge
every year and that costs 17.5 billion dollars in hospital
bills.
So what can we do to lower those hospital U-turns?
Here to talk about how to reduce readmission for you or maybe a
loved one from Selective Medical services, is CEO Marisa Gladen
and Director of Operations, Dee Urdiales.
Good morning to both of you.
Good morning.
Alright, let's first start with the
number, 2 million people each year, that's, that's crazy,
that's a big number, I mean why are so many people that return
trip?
Who wants to go back anyway.
I mean yeah, it could be a multitude of things, it could
be complications regarding wound, medication deficits, lack
of coordination between physicians that has, That
happens a lot.
Yeah that has left a gap, it could be lack of
care giver, unsafe home environment.
And so the patient goes home, something happens and
hence they go back to the hospital.
Exactly.
And that's where this problem occurs.
Dee let's talk about some tips that
you have, in terms of staying out of the hospital.
First tip, I think it's a great tip.
It empowers you as a patient.
Understand your illness and ask questions about your healthcare.
Exactly.
Many patients and their families are very overwhelmed
when they're in the hospital.
And they fail to ask the necessary questions and one of
the things that we tell our patients is, ask questions no
matter what.
Find out what medications you're taking.
Why you're in the hospital, and what
you can do to stay out of the hospital.
Tips number 2, Marisa, have a written discharge plan.
Definitely, you want something with all your medications on it,
especially your new ones, any kind of test results, Follow up?
Follow up, yup with your doctor.
Doctors appointments, so you go home with something to refer
back to, because a lot of times when you're in the hospital and
you're sick you don't remember.
Good point.
And tip number 3 work with the hospital to plan
ahead.
Yes you want to make sure that your discharge planner is
keeping your doctors in the loop, making sure like we said
that those appointments are made, getting you the equipment
that you may need, a walker, wheelchair things like that and
that they're coordinating with the right disciplines after
discharge.
So what happens if a patient does not have a special
planner or discharge planner that will help them before they
leave, then what?
Um typically I mean that's where a lot of these
hospitalizations come in.
Because they don't have the right tools when they get home.
So Dee what does a patient do?
Well that's where we come in.
At Selective Medical Services we
provide case managers, both social workers and nurses and we
help fill the gap with their disciplines which is their
medical doctors, their therapist and their care givers.
Is this different, than a home health
agency?
Very different.
A home health agency addresses the
acute medical needs, they are in the home 30 minutes or less we
take a holistic approach, we see the patient and we look at their
finances, their home to see if they are safe in the home, as
well as their acute and chronic medical needs.
So when they get back home from the hospital,
they really have someone there to provide them a service that
they need one-on-one.
Exactly.
Yes.
Definitely and you know I mean if they have problems
paying their bills we find assistant with that.
If they don't have food and they are
diabetic, we find them assistance with that, anything
that could possibly trigger an exacerbation of whatever they
were in the hospital for, we make sure that those needs are
met.
And I would just like add that at Selective Medical
Services we only hire case managers that are social workers
and nurses, so with a minimum of three years experience in case
management, we conduct extensive background checks, as well as
drug tests every month.
So truly an advantage in using a care
management company.
Yes one of our primary goals is to empower
patients and their families to make informed decisions about
their medical care.
Informed decisions, Marisa that will make
a difference in the long run.
Definitely, you know it's been official to have a quarter back
of care.
Quarter back of care, I like that.
Thank you so much for your time to both of you.
No thank you!
Thank you for having us.
And if you'd like more information about finding a care
manager in your area go to selective medical services dot
com or go to our website, the balancing act dot com (music.)