Harnessing Clinicians’ Top Of License Expertise To Enhance Post-Acute Placements

Staffing shortages and throughput challenges are putting pressure on healthcare organizations, prompting care management (CM) leaders to rethink care delivery. A recent report by Kaufman Hall found that two-thirds of hospitals and health systems have operated below capacity in the past year due to staffing issues, affecting patient care, health outcomes, and revenue. Gina Kidder, Client Outcomes Engineer at ABOUT Healthcare, suggests that hospitals must find new ways to bridge gaps in post-acute care (PAC). Effective strategies include using support staff for administrative tasks, allowing clinical registered nurse (RN) and social worker (SW) care managers to focus on patient care, and implementing technology for seamless communication and data-driven decision-making.

Kidder emphasizes that redefining CM roles is another critical step. By shifting CMs away from non-clinical tasks like sending referrals, healthcare organizations can leverage their expertise in direct patient care and multidisciplinary team (MDT) activities. Effective use of technology helps manage the length of stay (LOS) and ensures CMs are patient-facing, ultimately improving care outcomes and operational efficiency. Data analysis of PAC performance can reveal care gaps and guide strategic improvements, allowing healthcare organizations to work more closely with PAC partners to ensure smoother patient transitions.

Read the full article in Healthcare Business Today.