November 12, 2008

"Care Guides"

Wayne Glowac

In an effort to make the healthcare process easier for patients, many healthcare organizations offer something called a “Care Guide.” These employees basically serve to help patients make decisions about everything from appointments to care. It’s a useful idea that works well for specialties with more long-term treatment plans – such as cancer or physical therapy.

But one Minnesota provider – Abbott Northwestern — has taken the idea a step further and is implementing care guides throughout the entire system. The clinic hopes to both reduce costs and improve patient health faster, especially for poor or chronically ill patients.

The care guide’s job is to check up on the patient and make sure treatment or recovery is going as planned. He or she also will offer money-saving solutions such as prescribing generic drugs instead of name-brand ones. Essentially, it is their job to make the process easier and less costly for both the provider and patient.

While not a simple idea to implement, it is an investment that can hopefully prove worthwhile if effective.

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/32072679.html

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