Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1111492
Why Care Team Redesign is Good Business Improving patient safety is the primary reason for adopting team-based care and redesigning workflows to minimize diag- nostic errors, but there is also a compelling business case for doing so. Traci Poore, JD, CPHRM, Senior Risk and Patient Safety Consultant at MMIC, and Kassie Remo, MHA, PMP, FACMPE, CPHQ, Director of Health Care at CliftonLarsonAllen LLP, say enhancing team function can: + Boost productivity and efficiency + Enhance care coordination + Improve patient experience scores + Reduce patient injuries and malpractice claims + Increase revenue + Reduce providers' administra- tive burden and increase the amount of time they have to spend with patients Organizations that undertake a care team review and rede- sign may find that they're now able to identify opportunities to increase revenue and offer additional services. of physicians and other clinicians to pro- vide direct patient care, especially at the primary care level. Organizations need to focus on allowing them to spend as much time as possible with patients by putting a robust team in place to support them." The first step of implementing team- based care, Remo says, is to assess a team's current state — what everyone is doing and what part(s) of the process they are responsible for — and then research each individual's potential scope of practice, based on what the law a nd his or her training or certification allow, before attempting to reassign or redistribute responsibilities. As part of this current- state analysis, organizations may find some team members working above their level of credentialing and others operating below theirs. Neither scenario is desirable, according to Remo. "If team members are working above their level of credentialing, that can be problematic because they 're not the ones who should be making decisions about next steps in patient care, or they may not be able to communicate with patients appropriately," she says. "When individuals operate below their level of credentialing, they're not realizing their potential. This often occurs because they or team leaders are concerned about the adequacy of their training or are uncertain about their legal scope of practice." Pharmacy technicians, Remo says, are examples of an underutilized resource in many medical practices, where clinicians, especially registered nurses, devote signifi- cant time each day to refilling prescriptions. Working within clinician-approved pro- tocols, pharmacy technicians can obtain prior authorizations, assist with medication reconciliation, review criteria for continu- ing medications and notify patients when tests are needed before medications can be renewed, thereby freeing clinicians to focus on direct patient care. In addition to creating a culture where everyone works to his or her level of cre- dentialing, organizations can promote team-based care by: + A l low ing nonphysicia n prov iders, such as registered nurses, to take on patient triage and front-line disease management tasks, as appropriate, such as obtaining strep tests for suspected upper respiratory infections 2 6 2 6❱❱❱❱❱ S P E C I A L F E A T U R E