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Regulatory MonitoringOct
21
CMW sneak peek: What are some creative ways to reduce LOS?
By
by June Stark, RN, BSN, MEd
Strategic innovations for reducing length of stay (LOS) that have emerged in recent years provide a wide range of choices for case managers.
Many innovations have become predictors of success and may enhance hospital throughput from the ED door to discharge. These initiatives also cross the entire healthcare continuum, providing case managers with the opportunity to select initiatives that have a focused effect on LOS.
I’ve listed many of these initiatives in chronological order, from the beginning of the hospital-based continuum to the conclusion of the stay:
- Institute preoperative admission screening for all elective surgeries to decrease LOS. Positioned on the front end, the case manager meets the patient and/or family and sets hospital expectations along with preadmission discharge planning.
- At the time of admission, a unit-based case manager assignment model is more reliable for reducing LOS when compared to specialty case manager assignment. The advantage of unit-based case management is that the case manager is present to ensure completion of all discharges. Specialty-based case managers often follow a physician group’s patients from one unit to another. A case manager’s travel time can average approximately 90 minutes, according to published reports.
Check out the November 2009 issue of Case Management Monthly to read the other creative ways to reduce LOS. You can also discover the benefits of becoming a Case Management Monthly subscriber.
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