Reduce 30 day Readmission for Congestive Heart Failure
Reduce 30 day readmission for Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), once the patient leaves the hospital the 6SigmaTek way.
The following steps are what I personally used to reduce my father’s 30-day readmission rate for CHF. My father has CHF, diabetes, high blood pressure, he has to take two types of dialysis six days a week, he has two Ziploc bags of meds that he has to take daily, he weighs 98 lds., and I thank God for him every day. But he will eat a bag of hot skins and drink a beer to watch football (Roll tide)! Here is what I did (to) him to keep him from returning to the hospital in 30 days or less. Home health, and the physician must discuss with the caregiver and the patient about the process and the importance of being compliant prior to these steps. I feel that the patient truly needs to understand they have a responsibility also or they will feel the consequence.
- Make sure your data is (1:1), i.e. if my dad leaves after being treated for CHF he needs to return for CHF conditions not something none related like bumped his head this would not be 1:1. (Gather the proper data).
- Remove all salt or high sodium products from the house.
- Have home health to maintain step 2 with a home check twice a week for 30 days.
- Have home health work with dietary to produce non sodium meals and deliver them ..(my dad is southern if you know what I mean). The cost of this is less than the penalty for a 30 day re-admit
- Have caregivers to replace gravity weighted scales with a digital scale in the house and have home health to only use a digital scale to weigh the patient.
- Have home health / caregivers to train and have the patient only weigh on an uncovered surface not on carpet…( carpet causes variation in readings).
- Have home health call the patient 3 times a week the 1st week, 3 times a week the 2nd week, 2 times a week the 3rd week, and 2 times a week 4th week once patient leaves the hospital. These calls are used to ask the patient questions to determine if the patient is being compliant.
- Make sure that home health has a script/ check list that the caregivers help to create to ask the patient about weight, diet, and meds.
If you’re a hospital that needs help with 30 re-admissions for CHF contact me at 704 604-9470 or sg@6sigmatek.com. I would be excited to help!
