Clinical Services Journal ’s Post

Here is an insightful article from first year UofT PA Student, Leora Goldreich. Bravo, Leora!

Addressing the Backlog: Effective Strategies for Managing Large Waiting Lists   With over 7.4 million people currently waiting for elective procedures in the NHS, addressing the backlog has become a critical priority. Prolonged waiting times not only affect patient outcomes but also strain the healthcare system. To effectively manage these large waiting lists, NHS trusts are exploring a range of strategies.   1. Expansion of Virtual Consultations: Leveraging telemedicine can free up physical clinic space and reduce the burden on in-person services. Virtual consultations allow healthcare providers to manage more patients efficiently, particularly those who do not require immediate or hands-on treatment. This strategy is not fool-proof and still leaves many patients without appointments which is making our population sicker. https://lnkd.in/eFJF-q9G.   2. Enhanced Resource Allocation: Targeting resources to the most critical areas can significantly impact waiting times. By prioritizing high-demand specialties and allocating additional funding or staff to those areas, trusts can address bottlenecks more effectively.     3. Clinical Insourcing: This approach involves bringing in external medical professionals to perform procedures within NHS facilities, often outside regular hours. By utilising existing infrastructure and maximising the workforce, clinical insourcing helps reduce waiting times without the need for permanent staff increases. This method has proven effective in rapidly decreasing backlogs, ensuring patients receive timely care.     Clinical Insourcing can help the NHS navigate the current backlog crisis and improve patient care outcomes. Get in contact with RTT Support today.   #ClinicalServices #HealthcareSupport #NHS #MedicalRecruitment #NHSFramework #NHSStaff #health #nurse #NHSEngland #NHSWorkforceAlliance #Insourcing #PatientWaitingList #NHSWaitingList #ClinicalInsourcing #NHSsupport #ReduceWaitingLists #PatientCare #HealthcareSolutions #RTTSupport #EfficiencyInHealthcare #NHSInnovation #HealthcareEfficiency #ReduceWaitingTimes #HealthcareManagement #MedicalStaffing 

Did you know 83.6% of emergency physicians supported using ABEM certification to replace state-mandated, topic-specific CME requirements, according to a recent survey? These requirements are seen as irrelevant to patient care by many. The following JACEP article, co-authored by AAEM Immediate-Past President Dr. Jonathan S. Jones and Past President Dr. Lisa Moreno-Walton, tells you everything you need to know. ✅ Read the Article: https://lnkd.in/gf4K662r #PatientCare #CME #EmergencyMedicine #EmergencyPhysician

Interesting stuff from a new JAMA study in this CBC story. Hospitalizations in BC: 2017 vs 2002 Patients coming to the emergency room in 2017 were more likely to be 2.7x hospitalized 2.1x multiple medical issues 1.8x taking 10 or more medications "...and were also more likely to be ≥ 75 years or older & to have an adverse event ... in hospital" Only quibble is that the potential solution posed re: moving away from fee-for-service [FFS] is without context. Makes a huge difference whether talking about physician vs hospital remuneration. While data on the adoption of the former in high-income universal healthcare systems is mixed, the latter is increasingly employed in comparable UHC's with remarkably shorter wait times. Need to be specific. https://lnkd.in/gmhMiStA

Good coverage in the Telegraph and Bloomberg today of the latest Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) quarterly independent sector NHS acute activity report. It shows that the sector is now delivering nearly 1 in 5 NHS-funded operations and in just the first five months of 2024 the sector has taken 750k people off the NHS planned care waiting list. This doesn't include all of the NHS patients treated or diagnosed by independent sector providers within NHS acute facilities so this number will be considerably higher. More can still be done and we have set out our thoughts on how to achieve that but pleasing to see the sector is making such a big contribution to NHS acute recovery as well as the fantastic work the sector is doing in primary and community care. https://lnkd.in/eZAdpBqb

Earlier this week, researchers at Mass General Brigham unveiled the results of a national study underscoring the value of the hospital-at-home model. Focused on patients who received treatment under the Acute Hospital Care at Home Waiver, the findings are promising as expected: lower mortality rates, reduced use of skilled nursing facilities, and less need for escalated care at home compared to the hospital. DispatchHealth's recent white paper underscores these findings, revealing 30-day readmission rates nearly 50% below the national average, and net promoter scores exceeding 93—significantly higher than typical healthcare patient satisfaction scores. (Review that white paper at https://lnkd.in/eVRWYvpf) We are proud to share that we now have over 400 payer partners and more than 100 million covered lives. As we step into 2024, we will continue to push the boundaries of healthcare and set new standards for excellence.

The transformative power of group training for home hemodialysis (HHD) is producing some amazing results! Check out this article in Fierce Healthcare outlining how one clinic's training model is helping to enhance learning and adoption rates, while providing a supportive environment that empowers patients with end-stage kidney disease. These findings show that group training can accelerate proficiency and bolster patient retention, making HHD a more accessible and sustainable treatment option. "This training model is second to none,” says Rickie C., an HHD patient at the clinic. “When my wife and I were told we could go home after 10 days of training, we couldn’t believe it, but they prepared us so well for doing this at home. I’m feeling worlds better.” Dive deeper into the benefits of this innovative approach: https://lnkd.in/e8KWEFWn #HealthcareInnovation #HomeHemodialysis #PatientCare #NxStage Not all patients may experience these benefits.

Hospitals: are your consent policies and processes up-to-date with the new #CMS guidance? #hospital #informedconsent #consent #privacy #healthlaw

741 hospitals selected for CMS' next alternative pay model, by state To All Clinical Documentation Integrity Specialists, CMS just announced the 741 hospitals that must participate in the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM) model. I encourage all CDI professionals to take the time to learn about and become knowledgeable in this model. Medical necessity and efficient use of healthcare resources are paramount to achieving success in this model. Selected hospitals will coordinate care for traditional Medicare beneficiaries undergoing certain procedures and be responsible for the cost and quality of care for the surgical episode as well as 30 days after patients are discharged from the hospital. The procedures within the bundle are: Lower extremity joint replacement Hip femur fracture treatment Spinal fusion Coronary artery bypass graft Major bowel procedure Given that hospitals will be responsible for the inpatient encounter as well as cost and quality for 30 days post-surgical, efficient use of resources is paramount since unnecessary use of resources that are not medically necessary adds to the cost of the care. Medical necessity must come to the top to increase the likelihood of success in this model. This reinforces my contention that CDI can be an instrumental part of this model, ensuring medical necessity to the inpatient encounter through complete and accurate documentation, and in the post-30-day care from the index encounter ensure all services ordered and/or provided are supported by the provider documentation. Recently, I completed a review of 100 outpatient office encounters and noticed an abundance of services being ordered by the providers that were not supported by the documentation of the encounter. In working with the providers in the office in follow-up discussions of individual cases, the providers tended to conclude that the services ordered were not necessarily medically necessary and were ordered as part of their regular practice patterns. This is an area where CDI can assist, ensuring physicians document their clinical judgment and clinical rationale in the Medical Decision Making component of the note, an invaluable addition to the CDI's role in the outpatient setting. CDI has a definite role in working with providers to help establish medical necessity through better documentation. #bundledpayment, #teams, #efficientmedicine, #betterdocumentation, #medicalnecessity, Cesar M. Limjoco, M.D. https://lnkd.in/ecK99it2

Thank you, Nina Youngstrom and COSMOS, for including my comments on the new OB CoPs in their August addition! For a summary of the 2025 Medicare Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System and Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment System Proposed Rule, please see my article here https://lnkd.in/dxVCiXdc.