Self Assessment: Managed Care Skills

Managed Care Skills

Managed care touches all of us, usually in many ways. In this part of the module, you'll get a chance to refresh your knowledge of managed care--an historical perspective, the economics aspects, and your skills base.

Review these sites before you complete the activity below:

Integrated HealthCare Association: Managed Health Care - A Brief Glossary

Managed Care Education Connection

Managed Care Skills

Nurses need to develop these important skills for working in the managed care environment. Read the questions in the table below. These questions will help you assess your skills. After answering and considering these complete the assignment at the bottom of these questions. These assignments are listed under Skills for which Staff Should be Cross-Trained. This means other people are being trained in this skill. Nurses who are cross-trained are valuable.

Skills for Clinicians in Today's Managed Care Marketplace
Teaching Effectiveness How many teaching sessions on average do you need to discharge patient into family care? How adherent are your patients? Do they maintain… Give an example of a clinical situation in which you used innovative teaching skills. Describe a situation in which you delegated to other staff to ensure learning took place. What are some of the criteria you would use to to determine that a patient may be able to transition to home? Skill competency How many technical skills have you successfully kept current? How long, on average, do your intravenous needle insertions last without complications? What is your percent of success in low variances from critical paths? What is the adherence to teaching plan rate with patients you care for? Documentation- Charting in medical records Do you complete documentation or charting as your nursing care occurs? How much time, on average, do you spend on documentation per visit? Chart about a situation in which you showed particular skill in managing complex care. Interpersonal Skills Describe a situation in which you effectively worked with a physician to change a prescription. Describe a situation in which you worked with other members of the health care team to reach a clinical goal. Describe a situation in which you demonstrated communication effectiveness with other members of a health care team. Give an example of how you effectively deal with physicians to obtain new pharmacy orders. Describe a situation in which you worked effectively with other members of the health care team to address an organization wide problem (problems whereby errors, over expense, delays… Organizational Efficiency How do you communicate your agency's values and mission to patients and their families? How have you promoted efficiency in clinical scheduling? What innovative solutions have you introduced or do you use to prevent waste of time, materials, or team work? How do you insure that charting is current and reflects the schedule of care? Care Competencies What is the incidence of adverse blood drug reactions for the patients that you monitor? How do you assist pharmacists/physicians to choose the most appropriate and cost effective drug? How do you insure that patient drug levels are appropriately monitored? Describe a situation in which you discovered a drug incompatibility. Flexibility Are you competent to teach oral therapeutic diets, enteral formulas, and knowledge and skills for parenteral nutrition? Can you assess and counsel adults and children using complex equipment? Do you have skills in both high technology care and traditional nursing and in home care?

Skills for Clinicians in Today's Managed Care Marketplace

Teaching Effectiveness

How many teaching sessions on average do you need to discharge patient into family care?
How adherent are your patients? Do they maintain…
Give an example of a clinical situation in which you used innovative teaching skills.
Describe a situation in which you delegated to other staff to ensure learning took place.
What are some of the criteria you would use to to determine that a patient may be able to transition to home?

Skill competency

How many technical skills have you successfully kept current?
How long, on average, do your intravenous needle insertions last without complications?
What is your percent of success in low variances from critical paths?
What is the adherence to teaching plan rate with patients you care for?

Documentation- Charting in medical records

Do you complete documentation or charting as your nursing care occurs?
How much time, on average, do you spend on documentation per visit?
Chart about a situation in which you showed particular skill in managing complex care.

Interpersonal Skills

Describe a situation in which you effectively worked with a physician to change a prescription.
Describe a situation in which you worked with other members of the health care team to reach a clinical goal.
Describe a situation in which you demonstrated communication effectiveness with other members of a health care team.
Give an example of how you effectively deal with physicians to obtain new pharmacy orders.
Describe a situation in which you worked effectively with other members of the health care team to address an organization wide problem (problems whereby errors, over expense, delays…

Organizational Efficiency

How do you communicate your agency's values and mission to patients and their families?
How have you promoted efficiency in clinical scheduling?
What innovative solutions have you introduced or do you use to prevent waste of time, materials, or team work?
How do you insure that charting is current and reflects the schedule of care?

Care Competencies

What is the incidence of adverse blood drug reactions for the patients that you monitor?
How do you assist pharmacists/physicians to choose the most appropriate and cost effective drug?
How do you insure that patient drug levels are appropriately monitored?
Describe a situation in which you discovered a drug incompatibility.

Flexibility

Are you competent to teach oral therapeutic diets, enteral formulas, and knowledge and skills for parenteral nutrition?
Can you assess and counsel adults and children using complex equipment?
Do you have skills in both high technology care and traditional nursing and in home care?

Modified from: Vail, Carolyn (January, 1996) Professional Development in Managed Care, ERA Symposium, Washington, DC. ASPEN

After considering the above, select two of your weakest skills to work on for your future role and make goal statements to challenge yourself to gain skills you need and describe how you will maintain the skill in the future.