Longitudinal Care Coordination: The Key To Improving Care Planning And Patient Outcomes

The problems of a fragmented healthcare system are well documented and acknowledged as barriers to quality care delivery, achievement of regulatory and legislative mandates and optimal reimbursement under value-based parameters.

Fragmented and disjointed care leads to complications, including medication errors, preventable hospital readmissions and unnecessary pain and suffering for patients, especially those who are medically complex and require more intensive medical services coordinated across multiple providers and settings.

Failures in care coordination can increase costs by $25 billion to $45 billion annually.

Patients and family members can play a significant role in preventing errors and reducing harm, but the responsibility for providing quality care and patient safety lies primarily with the leaders of healthcare organizations and the clinicians and staff who deliver care.

In the search for solutions, a consistent call has been raised for a patient-centered, longitudinal care coordination approach. For this approach to be successful, several components are required. They are: an organizing framework, the technology to support evidence-based care and team collaboration.