Have you ever wondered how a term or a saying was created? A few years ago I learned that the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater." was from the family using the same bath water from oldest until youngest. By the time that the baby was washed it was pretty dirty. We have long since grown out of the saying yet I have heard someone use that saying as recently as yesterday.
Another funny thing that often happens at work is the comment, "That is the way we have always done it." It is true that there are a lot of things that have always been done a certain way and have worked. Thank goodness for things in life that don't change. Unfortunately, healthcare is not one of them.
How often have you wondered how healthcare got in the state it is in? I know I have. Here is a nation that is so advanced in so many areas and yet so far behind in other areas. We still have one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world. Shocking isn't it? We have the highest rate of obesity of any nation. We have very fragmented healthcare.
No one will deny that healthcare is fragmented. Bridging the gap of healthcare has been a high priority and is definitely the key to unlocking poor outcomes if you are asking me. The reason is simple. There was a time, not all that long ago where your physician knew you. He or she knew your healthcare needs, your personal life and when you went to the hospital he was right by your side. That intimate knowledge helped him make detailed decisions about your care. He knew that if he didn't discharge you home in a timely manner there would be problems because you were the only caregiver for you 6 year old child and your invalid spouse. He knew because he interviewed you and had the time in the office to get to know you. He knew because he was there in the hospital after you were admitted deciding if you should have your gallbladder removed and often he removed it.
Hospital Case Managers and Social Workers now have to act as an investigator to clinically extrapilate the facts to get to the same conclusion that your physician would have in the previously discussed model. The hospital case manager and social worker have become the person(s) that analyzes your story and moves you in the right direction.
So what does placement navigation offer to this formula? That is perhaps the greatest piece of all. Placement navigation is triggered based on criteria that these case managers and social workers identify and it allows the client additional help without putting a burden on the healthcare system or costing the client anything. Medicaid has identified this service as being so cost effective that our company is reimbursed to care for these cases when they qualify. It has been reported that our service saves the state $2700 per client.
Remember that saying at the beginning, "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater?" Well, even though CayCare, Inc is in fact a referral agency we turn the industry on it's side. There is nothing like what we do out there. Nothing even close. Our entire model is outcome driven instead of consumer driven. Every client we follow has a clinical team to help with the results. They receive hands on guidance and literally are empowered to chart their own course. The follow up allows our clients clinical assistance even after a decision has been made. And at least once a week our clinical team helps a family with a clinical challenge. In fact we are so well known for this that we often get calls after other agencies have placed a client in a facility. Currently we receive a call about this type of case at least once a week. The questions or concerns are anything from medication management to wounds they discovered and need guidance on what to do.
Next time you are in the hospital or elsewhere remember one thing, one of our placement navigators is there to assist...
