Blessing Health System’s Care Coordination Department has earned the maximum three-year Case Management Accreditation from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA). Three year accreditation terms are granted only to organizations that demonstrate strong performance in the 10 functions outlined in NCQA accreditation standards. Functions include patient assessment, care planning, care monitoring, measurement and quality improvement and staff training.
Blessing’s Care Coordination Department consists of 35 nurses, caseworkers, and therapists whose goal is to help Blessing’s outpatients access the care they need as efficiently and effectively as possible in order to improve their health and quality of life and reduce avoidable use of healthcare resources and related costs.
Blessing’s Care Coordination staff helps patients identify their healthcare needs and any social needs that may be affecting their health, establish relationships with providers, and connect with healthcare and community-based support services. The staff also provides counseling and education about patients’ health conditions and health and wellness in general. The department’s services are available at no cost.
Quality measurements by the Blessing Care Coordination department over seven years of data collection show patients experience an average decrease of 81 hospitalizations over a year of program participation. The program has also experienced success in helping patients manage their blood sugar and blood pressure.
“We are excited to have achieved the maximum NCQA Case Management Accreditation available,” said Julie Shepard, MS, director, Care Coordination, Blessing Health System. “Accreditation helps us know that we are using nationally-recognized, proven practices to deliver efficient, cost-effective case management and the highest-quality service to assist the patients of the Blessing Health System, while helping the health system manage costs for the benefit of everyone in the Blessing region.”
“Case Management Accreditation moves us closer to measuring quality across population health management initiatives,” said Margaret E. O’Kane, president, NCQA. “Not only does it add value to existing quality improvement efforts; it demonstrates an organization’s commitment to the highest degree of improving the quality of their patients’ care.”