Response Guidelines

In your response, either offer additional information or ideas to support the learner’s argument or explain why you disagree with the argument. Read the post below and have very detailed and engaged information while expanding on the ideas the peer introduced. For this discussion, contribute and respond to your peer in a collaborative, creative manner. Also, include two critical questions pertaining to the peer response. You are responding to one of my classmate’s discussion response and the response should have a minimum of 150 words and at least one peer-reviewed reference. APA format. My professor assists PHD candidates in writing their dissertation so he wants strong critical thinking. Thank you.

The issue of coordinating care is concerning to me. The United States is spending billions of dollars on healthcare. The lack of care coordination is evident due to the increase in healthcare cost in the US, Schram (2010). Patients with chronic illness will generally receive services from primary a care physician and a multiple of specialist to manage their health condition. There are over 100 million people living with chronic illness and disabilities and functional limitations in the United States at this time Coordinating the patients care can provide better care and decrease the probability of repeating diagnostic testing, Shi and Singh (2011). Primary care physicians do not have a lot of time to spend with their patients in the office nor do they have the time to spend outside of the visit to make referrals and/or any follow up. This fee-for –service payment system does not encourage this practice either.

Coordinating care also is an issue with hospitals, ER’s and nursing facilities as well. I am currently employed at a nursing facility, working with patients on short term, rehabilitation units. Patients are transferred to our facility with some medical information and we pick up where the hospital left off. Some ortho surgeons and insurance companies are very interested in the patients’ length of stay, encouraging a discharge back to the community as quick as 10 to 14 days. In some cases this can happen but in other cases it can be very difficult when the patient has other co morbidities, which is generally the case in the elderly. Once the patient is medically stable to discharge we then need to coordinate care for the discharge home. Follow up appointments are scheduled, referral for homecare is done, any needed equipment is ordered and the patient and family/caregivers are given instructions. This should decrease the risk of return to hospital when the care is coordinated.

Scoring Guide

• Analyzes course concepts, theories, or materials correctly, using examples or supporting evidence.
• Collaborates with fellow learners, relating the discussion to relevant course concepts and extending the dialogue.
• Applies relevant professional, personal, or other real-world experiences to extend the dialogue.
• Validates position with applicable knowledge.