Sure it’s already 2011 and it’ll be Christmas before we know it. This is a link to a timeless paper. We all want Better healthcare in 2011, don’t we? Just follow this link . It’ll take you to the fine folks at the National Quality Forum, who publish this update. The abridged copy downloads for free. The Full Report is available for a nominal fee. Please let me know what you think.
Cleveland
This article by Georgia Nurses Association Director of Nursing Practice Wanda Jones MSN, FNP-BC, will generate some conversation and action. Thank You Nurse Jones!
Patient handoff forms and pill cards can save lives.
Special Thanks to The Free Library by Farlex http://www.thefreelibrary.com for keeping this article alive.
Want a pill card? Feeling Creative? This link to “How to create a Pill Card” on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Website Tells me all I need to know about making my own “Pill Card”.
Dear EVERYONE!
Please pass this to everyone you know. The better prepared we are for a BAD flu season, the better off we’ll be.
The following is from the http://www.flu.gov website.
*****************************
The threat of a flu pandemic is real. It is not a question of IF it will occur, but WHEN it will occur. You
need to be ready to take care of yourself and your family during a flu pandemic.
Preparing now will make it easier for you and your family during a pandemic. Here are a few quick tips:
• Stock up on food, medicines, and supplies. You should have enough for two weeks.
• Improve your health habits. Sneeze and cough into a tissue or your sleeve and wash your hands
with soap and water frequently.
• Have a plan. Know what you plan to do if schools are dismissed, if you can’t go to work, or if a
member of your family becomes sick and needs care.
Now that you’re preparing, do you know if your friends and family are?
Help spread the word about pandemic flu preparation! Send this message to your friends and family.
For more information on how to get prepared, visit http://www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/individual/checklist.html
****************************
pandemicflu.gov and flu .gov are the same sites. The “checklist ” link is very useful.
Here are two other links to very handy documents. These are from the National Transitions of Care Coalition. The “My Medicine List” helps a person keep all the information about their medication together. The “”Take Care of My Healthcare” form is a very handy list of talking points to help you(or someone you know) talk to their physician or Nurse Practitioner when you go to the Doctors Office. These are found at http://www.ntocc.org/Home/Consumers/WWS_C_Tools.aspx
Once again, the Official website for all things FLU is http://www.flu.gov
thanks for your time. Please pass this along to everyone and Wash Your Hands!
I realize that this blog would be even more successful if you, dear reader, would add your two cents on Safe Passage. Please make this a dialogue and let’s get our customers Safely Home!
http://www.ntocc.org/Home/tabid/36/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx
This site has great resources for patients, providers, and administrators. Please go to and subscribe to their letter and check out the Tools for Professionals!
I may as well park my wagon outside their gate!
Although I really plan to explore issues around safe discharge home from the hospital, I couldn’t resist a brief detour to find out more about the “Medical Home” model of medical practice. As the Keckly and Underwood paper puts it, U.S. Healthcare is on a “burning platform”. An ageing population and increasing rates of chronic illness (diabetes, obesity, heart disease to name a few) conspire to overwhelm our present system.
Keckley PH, Underwood HR. The medical home: disruptive innovation for a new primary care model. Washington, DC: Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, 2008. Accessed 2009 Jul 6.
What is a Medical Home?
More formally known as the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), the model has seven principles:
-A patient will have a personal physician
-This physician will lead a team who will be responsible for the outcome.(reduced ER/hospitalization, improving A1c level, etc).
-PCMH is holistic in its approach to the patient
-Care is coordinated and/or integrated by primary team across Healthcare spectrum
-Quality and Safety are assured by Care Planning, evidence based medicine (EBM), clinical decision support tools, etc.
-Open scheduling (Walk-ins) expanded hours and telemedicine enhance access.
-The physician and the team get paid for results, for time spent with the patient, and for the usual tests.
American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians, and American Osteopathic Association. Joint principles of the patient-centered medical home. 2007 Mar
On the ground, running
United Healthcare is testing the idea in Arizona. UHC’s biggest client IBM is encouraging the test. As this article points out, IBM (and I bet the rest of business) is tired of paying more and getting less.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/07/business/07medhome.html
United Healthcare is also testing the model in Maine and Colorado. UHC believes in getting ahead of the ball.
It’s exciting stuff. The Deloitt paper shows ROI is possible. Read The medical home: disruptive innovation for a new primary care model. For an in-depth look at how the Medical Home model can improve our healthcare.
The USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-13-medical-homes_N.htm article is a quickie. The NYT article is medium depth.
Will Hospitals ?
My question is “Will Hospitals position themselves to become the Medical Home for their communities? ” The plan requires a ton of IT infrastructure (electronic records, telemedicine, etc) and the hospitals are in position to play.
The House Healthcare bill has $6 Billion earmarked for PC-MH.
This blog will help me organize ideas about discharging a patient and their family safely home.
In Healthcare today the goal is Safe Passage for the patient and the family (my nursing practice is Patient and Family Centered) through the facility and Safely Home. (!)
I am a Registered Nurse with 20 years of experience providing Safe Passage to my clients in a Medical Surgical Unit. My expertise is Gyn., Urology, and Plastic Surgery discharge instruction. I can talk about Diabetic and CHF instruction also.
This blog will look at larger issues around safe passage and discharge home.
I am still very much a student and this blog will reflect my continuing education.
A very quick search of WordPress and I’ve found…
This is from Mercy Library Mosaic- “This blog features select searches, articles and website that support hospital clinical care, quality projects, patient safety issues, technology and health care management”.
http://mosaic123.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/improving-patient-discharge-process
This is Bert Copple’s “Michigan Home Care”
Blog. What I want to be when I grow up. Thank You Bert!
