With the changes in reimbursement related to readmissions within thirty days before us, case management’s role in managing and reducing readmissions has never been more important.  Gate keeping at the front end, effective patient education and discharge planning, and safe and timely hand-offs to the community are all necessary to managing and reducing your readmission rates.

This 90-minute webinar by case management experts Dr. Toni Cesta and Bev Cunningham, RN, MS, will focus on tips and strategies that you can use to reduce your readmission rates that are cost-effective and successful.  Also discussed will be ways in which to partner with other care providers across the continuum as well as physicians and nursing staff within the hospital setting.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the CMS structure for payment changes regarding readmissions.
• Review tools and techniques for assessing your hospital’s state of readiness to reduce readmissions.
• Discuss strategies that you can implement in your organization to positively affect a reduction in your readmission rates.

Target Audience:

• Case Management Directors and Managers 
• Discharge Planning Directors and Managers 
• Patient Care Services Professionals 
• Quality Assurance Directors and Managers 
• Social Workers and Social Service Directors 
• Utilization Management Directors and Managers 

Level: All levels

Meet your Expert:

Toni G. Cesta, Ph.D., RN, FAAN is Senior Vice President for Operational Efficiency and Capacity Management at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.  Additionally, Dr. Cesta serves as Health Care Consultant and partner in Case Management Concepts, LLC, a consulting company assisting institutions in designing, implementing and evaluating case management models, new documentation systems, and other strategies for improving care and reducing cost. Dr. Cesta has presented and published extensively on case management topics. She has presented at national and international conferences and workshops, and is the author of "Nursing Case Management: From Essentials to Advanced Practice Applications" and the best selling book - "The Case Manager's Survival Guide: Winning Strategies for Clinical Practice". In 2009 Dr Cesta co-authored a new book "Case Management Core Skills" with Beverly Cunningham. Dr. Cesta has also been active in the research and development of case management for 20 years. She is Consulting Editor of "Hospital Case Management Journal" and serves as editorial advisory board member of several case management journals and publications including "Strategies for Healthcare Excellence" and "The Journal of Care Management."

Bev Cunningham, RN, MS is a Vice President, Clinical Performance Improvement at Medical City Dallas Hospital.  Her responsibilities include Case Management, Health Information Management, Documentation Integrity, Quality Management, Patient Access and Transplant Financial Services.   

Bev is a well-known speaker in the Case Management field and she has presented internationally.  Her area of expertise includes denials management, patient flow and the role of the Case Manager and Social Worker in the Case Management process.  She has served as a Commissioner on the Commission for Case Management Certification and is a fellow with the Advisory Board. Bev is also a partner and consultant in Case Management Concepts, a company that provides international support to hospitals regarding effective Case Management model development and evaluation. Bev's publications include a chapter CMSA's Core Cirriculum for Case Management Certification and most recently, co-author of the book, Core Skills for Hospital Case Management.  She is on the advisory board for American Health Consultant's publication, Hospital Case Management.

Participation:

AHC Media webinars may be attended in an audio-only format, but we encourage attendees to take advantage of the webinar feature as it may allow you to participate in interactive survey questions throughout the presentation. Each listener participates in the continuing education activity by listening to the webinar/audio conference and completing the online post test and evaluation.

Accreditation Statement:

AHC Media is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

Credit Designation:

This activity has been approved for 1.5 nursing contact hours using a 60-minute contact hour.

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider # 14749, for 1.5 Contact Hours.

This activity has been approved by the Commission for Case Manager Certification for 1.5 clock hours.

Sponsor:

The sponsor of this educational activity is AHC Media.

Recorded: Tuesday, August 30, 2011