2024 Reflection - T23 - My Pleasure! A Sustainable, Innovative, Community Volunteer Program Decreases Readmissions - On Demand

Unplanned readmissions are costly and often an important indicator of a hospital's effectiveness and quality of care. A significant contributor to readmissions is lack of timely follow-up with the specialty or primary care physician. We instituted an innovative approach to decrease readmissions by engaging community volunteers to assist patients with follow-up appointments. Since its 2016 inception, the program has grown from one to 15 volunteers. The number of diagnoses the program supports has expanded from one to five. We will describe the journey and evolution of this program and provide a road map for implementation in other organizations.

Target Audience

 

  • Healthcare Quality Professionals
  • Nurses
  • Pharmacists
  • Pharmacy Technicians
  • Physicians
  • Other Healthcare Professionals

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:  

  • Describe how to recruit, train and retain community volunteers for a successful readmission reduction team.
  • Outline a volunteer process map that guides volunteers on how to assist in making appointments.
Course summary
Available credit: 
  • 0.50 ACPE Pharmacist
  • 0.50 ACPE Pharmacy Technician
  • 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 0.50 ANCC
  • 0.50 CPHQ – Certified Professional Healthcare Quality
  • 0.50 General CE - Attendance
  • 0.50 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE)
Course opens: 
10/06/2024
Course expires: 
10/07/2025

FACULTY & PLANNERS

Faculty

 

Alma Villanueva, MSN, RN, Director of Case Management and Social Work, Houston Methodist West Hospital, Houston, Texas

Tere Jackson, Guest Relations Service Quality and Volunteer Services Manager, Houston Methodist West Hospital, Houston, Texas

Debra Welsch, BSN, RN, Case Manager, Houston Methodist West Hospital, Houston, Texas

 
Planning Committee
 
Juli Hermanson, MPH, RDN, CPHQ (Course Director)
Senior Director 
Member Education 
Vizient, Inc. 
 
Kathy Christensen, BS 
VP, Operations 
Member Networks 
Vizient, Inc. 
 
Katie David, DNP, MS-HSM 
Senior Intelligence Director 
Member Networks 
Vizient, Inc. 
 
Cheryl Jachna, BS 
Lead Education Programs Manager 
Vizient, Inc. 
 
Marilu Kelly, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CHCP 
Director 
Continuing Education 
Vizient, Inc. 
 
David Levine, MD 
Chief Medical Officer 
Vizient, Inc. 
 
Lisa McClain, BS 
Networks Manager 
Member Education 
Vizient, Inc. 
 
Mike Oinonen, PharmD, MPH 
Vice President 
Pharmacy Networks 
Vizient, Inc. 
 

 

DISCLOSURE

As an accredited provider of continuing education, Vizient, Inc. is dedicated to ensuring this activity presents learners with only accurate, balanced, scientifically justified recommendations, and is free from promotion, marketing, and commercial bias. In accordance with The Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education, all planners, faculty, and others in control of the educational content have disclosed the absence or existence of all financial relationships (of any dollar amount) with ineligible companies within the past 24 months.
 
Ineligible companies – those companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
 
It is Vizient’s policy that owners and employees of ineligible companies, and any individuals who refuse to disclose the absence or existence of financial relationships with any ineligible companies are disqualified from participating as planners or faculty.
 
Disclosure Statements
 
Absence of Relevant Financial Relationships
 
None of the planners, faculty, or others in a position to control content for this educational activity have relevant financial relationship(s) to disclose with ineligible companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
 
 
Statement of Content Validity
 
Vizient, Inc. educational activities are intended to assist healthcare teams advance their professional responsibilities in accordance with the definition of continuing education. It is the policy of Vizient, Inc. to review and ensure that all content and recommendations for patient care within accredited CE is evidenced-based, based on current science and clinical reasoning while ensuring the content is fair and balanced. All recommendations must conform to the generally accepted standards of experimental design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation. Vizient, Inc. does not permit accredited continuing education if it advocates for unscientific approaches to diagnosis or therapy, or if the education promotes recommendations, treatment, or manners of practicing healthcare that are determined to have risks or dangers that outweigh the benefits or are known to be ineffective in the treatment of patients.
 
FDA Off-Label Use
 
Faculty presenters are also expected to disclose any discussion of (1) off-label or investigational uses of FDA approved commercial products or devices or (2) products or devices not yet approved in the United States.
 
Disclaimer
The education provided through this activity is for continuing education purposes only. The views and opinions expressed in this activity are those of the faculty/presenters and do not necessarily reflect the views of Vizient, Inc.

 

Joint Accreditation Statement

In support of improving patient care, Vizient, Inc. is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

 

Designation Statement(s)

Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE)

This activity was planned by, and for, the healthcare team, and learners will receive 0.50 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.

 

Nurses (CNE)
 
This activity is designated for 0.50 contacts hours.
 
Pharmacists (CPE)
 
Vizient, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50contact hours for Pharmacists.
 
Universal Activity Number: JA0006103-0000-24-246-H04-P
 
Pharmacy Technicians (CPE)
 
Vizient, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 contact hours for Pharmacy Technicians.
 
Universal Activity Number: JA0006103-0000-24-246-H04-T
 
Physicians (CME)
 
Vizient, Inc. designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
 
Healthcare Quality Professionals (CPHQ)
 
This activity is approved by NAHQ® for 0.50 CPHQ CE credits.
 
Other Healthcare Professionals (General CE Credit)
 
Vizient, Inc. will award all other healthcare professionals who successfully complete the activity a Certificate of Participation.  Various state license boards and credentialing bodies accept certificates of participation from accredited CE activities to meet CE requirements for license renewals and re-certification. It is the responsibility of the participant to contact their state licensing board and/or certifying body for verification on credit eligibility reciprocity.

 

 

Available Credit

  • 0.50 ACPE Pharmacist
  • 0.50 ACPE Pharmacy Technician
  • 0.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
  • 0.50 ANCC
  • 0.50 CPHQ – Certified Professional Healthcare Quality
  • 0.50 General CE - Attendance
  • 0.50 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE)
Please login or register to take this course.

 

Select the “Obtain Credit” button to access the activity evaluation and to claim CE Credit.
 
Please Note: 
  • If the "Register/Take Course" tab is displayed instead of the "Obtain Credit" tab, you must first login to proceed with the credit claim process.

Required Hardware/software

 

The Vizient CE Learner Portal is compatible with most modern web browsers (such as Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Apple Safari) and can also be accessed with mobile devices.