HBR Blog Highlights ThedaCare’s Collaborative Care Innovation

A lot has been written regarding ThedaCare's work on redefining patient care from the patient's perspective. The following article clearly describes just what the inpatient care redesign coined "Collaborative Care" is and isn't; how lean principles were utilized to create it; and what the results are to date. This valuable contribution to healthcare is truly best practice. Here is an excerpt:

"The collaborative-care model replaces inconsistent, fragmented hospital care. A bedside-care team composed of a physician (“medical expert”), nurse (“care-progression manager”), pharmacist (“medication expert”), and discharge planner (“transitional-needs coordinator”) collaborates — with patient and family input — to develop a single care plan that is continuously updated in daily team huddles. On admission, the team gathers the patient history, performs a physical assessment, determines an anticipated discharge date, and works backward from this date to build a coordinated plan of care.

Using evidence-based guidelines linked to the electronic medical record, the nurse manages the patient’s care progression, and the bedside pharmacist contributes to optimizing management of the medication. The physician leads the clinical assessment and planning process but as a team member/partner. The discharge planner assists the team in devising the best transition plan post hospitalization."

Read the whole article here: http://blogs.hbr.org/2013/09/redefining-the-patient-experience-with-collaborative-care/