Curaspan spotlights expertise of SeniorBridge's Eileen Zenker in reducing hospital readmissions through medication management and care coordination

Curaspan - February 1, 2011 - The importance of reducing readmissions is well-documented, but with a looming deadline next year that impacts Medicare reimbursements for the lowest-performing 25 percent of hospitals, case managers and discharge planners find themselves in key roles to drive better financial and clinical outcomes....

"With a short length of stay, hospitals have to create a patient profile very quickly," says Eileen Zenker, a director at home-care provider SeniorBridge and a former social work executive at New York University Medical Center. "The discharge planner will make recommendations based on that profile."...

...And as the population ages and the number of prescriptions and their interactions multiply, medication management becomes much more complex. Half of Medicare participants take eight or more prescription medications regularly, according to a statement by the National Council on Aging and CVS/Caremark. The effective distribution of medication data to all of the patient's care providers can help maintain treatment without interruption and thus reduce readmissions...

... "Inadequate medication reconciliation is a huge piece of readmissions that can be avoided," says Zenker. "Patients don't always understand medication orders, and doctors don't always know their patients' insurance coverage."

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