[Hospital case management].

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Practice
• Patient Safety

Context:

• Evolving healthcare landscape driven by demographic shifts, increased costs, and insurer reimbursement.
• Growing emphasis on cost-effectiveness and patient safety necessitates innovative care delivery models.
• Emergence of case management as a critical function within hospitals.

Purpose:

• To conduct an exhaustive literature review on hospital-based case management.
• To explore the origins, characteristics, and various types of case management.
• To analyze the positive impact of case management on patient safety and hospital metrics.

Summary:

• Case management, often nurse-led, identifies high-risk patients to prevent prolonged hospitalization and readmissions.
• Teams focus on early intervention, systematic patient education, accurate diagnosis coding, and discharge documentation.
• Strategies aim for safe, timely patient discharges with appropriate medical follow-up.

Impact:

• Demonstrated reduction in hospital length of stay and patient readmission rates.
• Enhanced patient safety through proactive risk identification and management.
• Improved efficiency in healthcare resource utilization and hospital operational metrics.