ABQAURP News
September / October 2011
KISS – Not a Quality Conundrum at all!
Her elderly mother has been failing—renal insufficiency, poorly controlled HTN, severely impaired vision, and more. Mom has recently experienced multiple hospitalizations for altered mental status and falls. She has had many injuries, some of them serious. Yet, Mom is legally competent and insists on living at home, alone. My friend, who works full time and has a family, is frantic to keep her mother safe and well. She has no idea how to do that.
Fate (or perhaps luck) intervenes. Unable to take her mother for routine physician visits any longer, my friend finds a “house-call service” on the Internet. She is apprehensive because she doesn’t really know who these people are. She decides to give it a try.
After being enrolled, her mom gets an assessment visit from a geriatrician. Mom’s medication regimen is simplified. Her mental status and balance improve. The care team makes arrangements for blood draws and other routine medical needs to be carried out at home. They hold a family meeting (that, in the interests of full disclosure, did interfere with my friend’s work) and review the care plans. Most important of all, the new medical team leaves behind a set of pictures of everyone on the case and what they do.
For the first time in many years, the patient and her family know who is caring for her, what they are doing for her and why. And they all feel much better.
Maybe KISS (keep it simple-stupid) isn’t a quality conundrum at all!
Please send inquiries and comments to rwillog@abqaurp.org, please use
Quality Column in the subject line.
We look forward to your participation in this new column.
It’s Not Too Late!
November 4-5, 2011
The Westin Riverwalk
San Antonio, Texas
Register online now at www.abqaurp.org or call 800-998-6030, ext. 117
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Is Your Medical Education Accredited?
ABQAURP welcomes applications for joint sponsorship of educational activities for continuing education credit. ABQAURP accredits a variety of activities, including:
- Live Activity
- Internet Activity Live
- Enduring Material
- Internet Activity Enduring Material
- Journal-Based CME
- Performance Improvement
ABQAURP is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians and is also accredited by the Florida Board of Nursing to sponsor nursing contact hours. As an accredited provider, ABQAURP is here to work with each joint sponsor organization to ensure the accreditation process runs as smoothly as possible. Benefits of working with ABQAURP include: one-on-one assistance, on-site assistance, contact for speakers and commercial supporters, evaluation compilation, one-time mailing list to drive attendance, website placement, and advertising in Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare magazine.
ABQAURP believes that ongoing continuing education in new research, identified problem areas in clinical practice, and areas of interest in the quality assurance, utilization review, risk management, and managed care fields is a worthy endeavor to pursue. Participants improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and quality of health care delivered to the patients to improve the overall clinical outcome. Plus, each activity encourages participants to put into practice knowledge learned and assess the impact. Innovative courses provide important updates and practical tools for all health care professionals. These activities ensure that participating health care professionals receive up-to-date information on the ever-changing health care environment.
For more information, please call Deborah Naser at (800) 998-6030, ext. 118.
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