What's New | January 19, 2011

Phone-Based Care Management

Telephone care management programs can help reduce medical costs and can lead to improved patient care, medication adherence, and patient satisfaction. The process typically involves nurses who call patients to provide education about specific medical conditions and therapeutic options, to assess symptoms, and to support individuals in health care decisionmaking.

The featured Innovations describe three programs that utilized a telephone-based approach to deliver care to specific patient populations.

The featured QualityTools provide clinicians with information about the use of telephone care for the management of specific conditions.

Featured Innovations:

• Telephone Consultations Improve Medication Adherence and Physical Functioning in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

• Telephone-Based Care Management With Automated Symptom Monitoring Reduces Pain and Depression in Cancer Patients

• Telephone-Based Coaching on Shared Decisionmaking, Behavioral Change, and Health System Navigation Reduces Utilization and Cost

Featured QualityTools:

• Implementing High Quality Telephone Care in Pediatric Practice
Developed by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; St. Louis Children’s Hospital

• Using Telephone Support to Manage Chronic Disease
Developed by California HealthCare Foundation

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Also in This Issue:

Innovations >

• Culturally Appropriate, School-Based Education and Support Reduces Likelihood That Latino Teens Will Engage in Risky Sexual Behaviors

• Dental Health Aide Program Improves Access to Oral Health Care for Rural Alaska Native People

• Medication Reconciliation Process Results in Anecdotal Reports of Improved Safety in Inpatient Setting

• Pharmacist Provides Telephone-Based Medication Reconciliation and Education to Recently Discharged Patients, Leading to Fewer Readmissions

• Public Health Dental Practitioners Offer Cessation Support to Low-Income Smokers, Leading to Increased Quit Rates

QualityTools >

• Active Living Resource Center
Developed by National Center for Bicycling & Walking

• Home Health Care CAHPS^® Survey Materials
Developed by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

• Joint Commission 2011 National Patient Safety Goals
Developed by The Joint Commission