QIO HHQI Weekly Update :: August 20, 2007   

TIP OF THE WEEK

Emergency care planning can reduce avoidable hospitalizations

A change in health status can make patients and their caregivers anxious, concerned, scared, or frustrated. An effective emergency care planning process prepares the patient and caregiver for changes, so they can act appropriately in a timely manner.

Emergency care planning establishes a process for clinicians to teach patients and caregivers about the actions to take if a specific medical problems or changes in their condition occur. The emergency care plan should be initiated at the start of care and reinforced at each visit. At each patient care visit, your staff members should talk to the patient and caregiver about key health events and what they should do if the events occur.

There are several components that can be included in an agency’s emergency care planning process. These include:

• Patient emergency plan – a written format identifying key symptoms of concern for the individual patient and actions should those health events occur.
• Patient/caregiver emergency reminders note (i.e., magnet, stickers, dry erase boards) with a prominent display of the home health agency’s contact information and key symptoms the patient should report.
• Flyer reminding patients to “call me first” (contact the home health agency) before going to the hospital, unless it’s a true emergency.
• Teach the patient/caregiver what to tell you when they call (who, what, where, when and descriptions) to assist in providing meaningful information to the home health agency about the changing health situation.
• Discuss the individual emergency care plan each visit and document it.
• Establish a reliable process for handling patient needs during regular agency hours and after hours.
• Assess the patient’s ability to access the phone and place a call to the agency or 911 in case of an emergency.
• In some cases, you might consider asking for permission to program the home health agency’s phone number into the patient’s phone.
• Incorporate specific physician-directed parameters in applicable cases.
• Annual review of the agency processes, procedures, and guidelines for emergency care plan.

 

 

IN THE NEWS

TRAINING HELPS ALZHEIMER'S CAREGIVERS

August 13, 2007 -- Newsday -- Offering simple training to people struggling to care for loved ones with Alzheimer's disease not only eases their burden -- it even can keep patients out of nursing homes for an extra 1 1/2 years. Read more >>

A GRASS-ROOTS EFFORT TO GROW OLD AT HOME

August 14, 2007 -- NY Times -- The Allens, an elderly couple struggling to remain in their beloved home and neighborhood, have banded together with their neighbors, who are equally determined to avoid being forced from their homes by dependence. Along with more than 100 communities nationwide, their group is part of a movement to make neighborhoods comfortable places to grow old, both for elderly men and women in need of help and for baby boomers anticipating the future. Read more >>

ISSUE BRIEF EXAMINES STATES' EFFORTS TO EXPAND HEALTH COVERAGE, IMPROVE QUALITY

August 15, 2007 -- Kaiser Network -- The issue brief highlights states' health care initiatives, which include increasing coverage through expansions of public and private programs and restructuring the private insurance marketplace. State efforts also are aimed at improving quality and increasing prevention and wellness by instituting measures such as pay-for-performance systems, electronic data exchange and early treatment of preventable diseases. The issue brief includes a comprehensive state-by-state overview of the initiatives. Download the report >>

 

COMING ATTRACTIONS

Ohio Immunization Partners for Healthy Adults Meeting
September 6, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.
LifeCare Alliance, 1699 W. Mound Street, Columbus, Ohio, 43223
Or dial 1.877.339.0018, conf ID: *8625947*
RSVP by calling Liz Simpson at 216.447.9604 by August 31, 2007