Apr

15

Optimize patient flow to protect against RACs

By Case Management Weekly

Waits, delays, and cancellations are so common in healthcare that patients and providers have come to expect waiting as part of the care process. But poor patient flow can have seriously adverse effects on patient outcomes and your facility’s bottom line—and can even increase your susceptibility to RAC audits.

According to Kelly Cooke, MSN, RN, the director of clinical resource management, social work, and documentation improvement at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, part of maintaining optimal patient flow is placing patients in appropriate level of care and creating a system that guards against readmissions.

“If you can initially place your patients in the appropriate level of care, this will enable your facility to have a very successful RAC audit,” says Cooke. In addition to up-front processes, she recommends creating strategies to prevent unnecessary readmission.

Editor's note: This article is an excerpt from HCPro’s newest resource for hospital case managers—www.CaseManagementMentor.com—a free online blog dedicated to connecting hospital case managers to industry pacesetters, peers, and best practices. Visit the blog to read the complete article.