Newswise — TEMPLE, Texas (March 20, 2018) — Scott & White Medical Center – Temple, part of Baylor Scott & White, is one of 15 U.S. hospitals selected to participate in the American College of Cardiology Patient Navigator Program: Focus MI Quality Campaign as a “Diplomat Hospital.”
This is an expanded version of the original Patient Navigator Program launched in 2013. Scott & White – Temple was one of 35 pioneering hospitals chosen to provide personalized services to heart disease patients to help them avoid a quick return to the hospital.
“Improving the overall quality of care for heart patients continues to be our long-standing goal,” said Jeffrey Michel, MD, interim chair, department of cardiology at Scott & White – Temple. “We endeavor to understand the challenges our heart patients are facing and develop methods to support their recovery, including improving their recovery and reducing admissions.”
Patient Navigator Program: Focus MI will provide hospitals participating in the ACC’s ACTION Registry the ability to transform care by sharing successful strategies, mentorship and specialized tools and resources. In addition, the 15 Diplomat Hospitals will focus on identifying best practices for improving patient care and readmissions, including 30 and 90 days of follow-up care post-hospital discharge – an increasing area of focus for proposed payment and reimbursement models.
Scott & White– Temple will focus on 90-day outcomes for patients discharged after a cardiac event or procedure, in addition to their follow-up care. One goal is to examine patients’ medication adherence to ensure their recovery is progressing, potentially reducing 90-day readmission and decreasing the 90-day mortality rates. The hospital plans to incorporate its mobile-integrated health team to intervene when patients are not meeting specific program targets after their hospital discharge. The system’s integrated model and working collaboratively with other institutions will give patients the best opportunity for favorable outcomes.
“Since the original Patient Navigator Program launched, hospitals and cardiovascular care team members have led the way in developing effective ways to help manage patients’ heart health after they leave the hospital,” said ACC Immediate Past President Mary Norine Walsh, MD, MACC. “Scott & White – Temple will be building on what we have learned to help hospitals across the country reduce readmission rates while improving patients’ long-term outcomes.”
Hospitals that enroll in the Patient Navigator Program: Focus MI access evidence-based toolkits, self-assessment tools, a learning community of national experts and peer colleagues, and an ACTION Registry dashboard designed to track Patient Navigator Program: Focus MI metrics. The 15 Diplomat Hospitals will focus on reducing 90-day readmissions for MI patients and provide mentorship for wider adoption of the program at other institutions.
AstraZeneca is the founding sponsor of the ACC Patient Navigator Program.
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