CareConnections is pleased to introduce a new feature to Outcomes and Prior Advice / Authorization (PAS) customers. Upon saving patient records, your summary screen will now include a table that shows you comparative outcomes averages (updated quarterly) for the treating therapist. Basic outcome information for the patient being registered is shown in the first column. For comparison, you are also shown the same outcome category averages for the treating therapist, for the clinic, and for the national outcomes database over the past two years. Comparative data is limited to the ICD-9 code being treated so that you see only relevant comparison data to the patient condition being treated.
The comparative table will help you to get a better feeling for the average starting point of patients being treated for a particular diagnosis. To explain, if the example below showed data for ICD-9 code 724.2, you would learn the following from looking at the table.
- Treating therapist has treated 21 cases where ICD-9 code equals 724.2 over the past 2 years. Therapist’s clinic has treated 119 patients with this condition over the past 2 years, and the national database contains 6,438 records with the same diagnosis over the past 2 years.
- All other categories show average values for initial and final function, initial and final pain, and number of visits.
Depending on the CareConnections modules used with a specific patient registration the comparative table can be used for several purposes:
- PAS customers now have a tool for prospective utilization management. While the average is not the targeted outcome or total visits, the table does provide a expectation of what should be achieved on average.
- Outcomes customers now have a method to benchmark the outcomes of an individual patient against the national database.
- Comparative table provides therapists with continuous feedback on their outcomes versus the entire database to help promote improved quality of care.
The comparative table also gives you something to print and put in patient charts for a quick reference on patient’s recovery during treatment. The information can also be used as a supplement to your quarterly outcomes reports.
As CareConnections continues to grow, look for more reporting features that will continue to be added in the future.
What is CareConnections?
CareConnections is a Web-based suite of rehabilitation medical Management services. CareConnections uses combinations of tools to assist providers and payers with the medical management of patients and clinical services. These tools are the CareConnections Outcomes System, CareConnections Treatment Guidelines, CareConnections Patient Satisfaction Monitoring, and CareConnections Prior Authorization/Advice System (PAS).
The entire suite of CareConnections management tools present powerful, yet cost effective systems for today’s healthcare world. Providers and payers alike can benefit from CareConnections’ component parts or their integrated ability to serve the needs of both value-based and outcome-oriented care to all rehabilitation patients.