Atlantic General Hospital's Case Management Team Receives Dedication to Excellence Award

Atlantic General Hospital's Case Management team recently received the Dedication to Excellence award for implementing a series of new programs and practices for the betterment of Atlantic General Hospital's patients. Read below for more information about the Case Management team and their impactful contributions:

Over the past 6 months, the Case Management Department has implemented a number of changes to improve patient outcomes, increase throughput and reduce length of stay.

Initial efforts were focused on reducing the time it takes to obtain pre-authorization for transfer to nursing home and rehabilitation. Case Management worked closely with payers and began using processing to reduce the time patients have to stay in the hospital.

In April, Case Management implemented a weekend option plan and have two nurses who are exclusively dedicated to weekends covering the Emergency Department and inpatient areas.

Lastly, the focus was on the redesign of the daily discharge rounds process. Previously, rounds were held in the afternoon and were led by physicians. In June, discharge rounds were changed to 9:30 a.m., with Case Management initiating the review of each case, providing each patient's diagnosis, background, and discharge plan. Positive feedback has been received, showing that rounds have become more efficient and informative.

There has been great collaboration by providers and fellow staff in implementing and adjusting to all the changes. With these changes, Case Management continues to strive for reduced hospital readmissions.