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View All ProductsIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
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Learn MoreThe aging of the American population is spurring the increased focus on efforts to provide better care for people with chronic conditions. This is the message of the HealthStream article, Manageable but Often Overlooked: Chronic Disease Treatment Will Play a Vital Role in Effective Population Health Efforts.
Chronic Illness Care Requires Multiple, Individualized Approaches
Chronic disease management should be seen as something to be individualized vs. trying to find that one great solution to fix all ills. For instance, treating chronic conditions such as diabetes is not simply a matter of getting patients to cooperate with medical advice. Because of age, infirmity, socioeconomic issues and more, effective treatment calls for personalized plans vs. a population care roadmap, says Judy Carden, a registered nurse and certified diabetes educator who is a diabetes clinician for Sharecare.
“I work with patients who have diabetes while they are hospitalized,” Carden says. “A lot of them also have COPD, so they are in the hospital for that or another illness, alongside anything that’s happening with their diabetes. We can get a lot done in the hospital setting as far as disease management, and that is where we have to work on education and preventive care as well.”
Case Management Is a Step in the Right Direction
Patients come to Carden via referral from doctors and nurses, and the care team reviews the patient’s medical history with her. That includes not just chart numbers, but family history and other information if it is available. The growth of a case-management system for diabetic patients, as well as those with COPD and other chronic diseases, is a step in the right direction but also just the first wave of a process which mostly lies outside the facility’s walls, Carden says.
“With the chart we can get a picture of their A1C and see if we can get that under control,” she explains. “We have clinicians in the hospitals who are doing this kind of case management when those patients come in, and then we try to get them connected with outpatient therapies, or education, so that everything that’s done to get conditions under control during hospitalization doesn’t go away once they are discharged.”
Regular Provider Involvement and Interaction Is Important
Research indicates that interaction with providers can and does lead to reduced readmissions and better patient outcomes, she says, adding that engagement also lowers healthcare spending on these patients. But it requires their initial and ongoing cooperation, which is why she says education may be the most important component of any population health management strategy.
“All the research, all the literature, points to that,” Carden says. “If patients know more, they follow directions better and get things like blood sugar under control. They can improve dramatically in just two or three months but need encouragement to keep up with the regimen. It’s much easier and cheaper to prevent a condition from happening, or worsening, than it is to treat something they already have.”
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HealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All Learning & PerformanceHealthStream offers performance learning management solutions to help develop your healthcare staff into leaders and reduce turnover.
View All ProductsHealthStream works with healthcare organizations to create engaging and high-quality training videos for your staff and management.
View All ProductsImprove care quality and save money by making informed decisions about your healthcare facility and staff with HealthStream's reporting analytics solution.
View All ProductsHealthStream's proven methods for the improvement and overall engagement of your healthcare staff foster a positive workplace and increase retention rates.
View All ProductsThe leadership development program from HealthStream helps mold your high-potential healthcare employees into proven leaders.
View All ProductsWhen you enact HealthStream's quality compliance solutions, you can do so with the confidence your healthcare organization will meet all standards of care.
View All Quality & ComplianceFulfill compliance requirements with a variety of programs and courseware designed to address critical regulatory requirements as well as educate staff to recognize and mitigate risks.
View All ProductsBy increasing your healthcare staff's focus on quality and safety with HealthStream, they can help to reduce medical errors and readmission rates.
View All ProductsLearn about what HealthStream's healthcare policy management software and how it can help aid your organization efforts.
View All ProductsHealthStream's education helps address diversity, equity, and inclusion within your organization, as well as promoting health equity in the communities you serve.
View All ProductsHealthStream offers professional training and education on how to best optimize your reimbursement process within your healthcare organization.
View All ReimbursementTeach your healthcare staff about the revenue cycle and claim management through targeted training and video tools from HealthStream.
View All ProductsImprove the preparedness of your staff, increase survival rates, and cut costs with the advanced resuscitation training services from HealthStream.
View All ResuscitationNurture the skills of your nurses and medical staff to help mold them into effective leaders with development training from HealthStream.
View All ProductsIn all areas of resuscitation, from neonatal to elderly care, clinical deterioration is a risk that can be avoided with the help of HealthStream's training programs.
View All ProductsHealthStream's EMS Program offers a comprehensive, CAPCE accredited EMS course library that meets National Registry annual recertification.
View All ProductsExpand the decision-making skills and effectiveness of your healthcare workforce with HealthStream's clinical development programs and services.
View All Clinical DevelopmentMake sure your clinicians have the support they need to provide competent care with clinical competency training and development from HealthStream.
View All ProductsThe suite of healthcare onboarding solutions available from HealthStream aids in nurse retention and improved patient outcomes.
View All ProductsGive your healthcare staff the decision support and skills training they need with the online products available from HealthStream.
View All ProductsHealthStream's solutions allow your healthcare workforce to be confident and competent with the knowledge they are upholding the highest of standards.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s learning management system and comprehensive suite of competency management tools empower your healthcare workforce to deliver the best patient care.
View All ProductsDelivers everything you need to request, gather, and validate information about a provider to create a single source of truth for downstream processes.
View All CredentialingMake sure your healthcare staff can schedule out appointments and work schedules with ease using HealthStream's line of software solutions.
View All Scheduling & Capacity ManagementHealthcare scheduling software designed to optimize staffing requirements & elevate patient care
View All ProductsPrecisely align staffing and needed resources to enable efficient patient flow and high-quality, cost-effective patient care.
View All ProductsHealthStream’s free nurse schedule app, NurseGrid™, is built to help you care for your staff and engage with their specific needs.
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