Valued Voice

Technical Assistance Coaching Session on Reducing Readmissions Draws Statewide Participation

WHA held its first technical assistance coaching call on July 14, drawing in 30 participants from 20 critical access and small rural hospitals’ continuing participation. This webinar was for the readmissions quality initiative to support rural and critical access hospitals to reduce 30-day readmissions for heart failure, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and heart attack.
 
RUSH University guest speakers presented on promoting health and equitable outcomes involving social work care management models based on the developed Center for Health and Social Care Integration (CHaSCI) model. This work supports patients and families through several aspects: upon discharge home from the hospital or skilled nursing facility through the Bridge Model of transitional care, helping integrate social work into primary specialty care through the Ambulatory Integration of the Medical and Social (AIMS) Model, and offering bi-directional referrals, consultation, and training with the Community Health Worker-Social Worker (CHW-SW) collaboration model. Additionally, hospital teams discussed their action plans for the next 60 days to guide their work in reducing readmissions.

This initiative is sponsored by the Wisconsin Office of Rural Health. The final coach call for this project will wrap up in August.
 
Contact WHA Clinical Quality Improvement Manager Kristin Bausch with questions.