Determinants of client termination in hospital-based case management programs.

Increasing attention is being focused on hospital-based programs that address the needs of the frail elderly. This article reports results from a demonstration of hospital-based case management (HBCC). Baseline, 3-, 6-, and 12-month assessment data are analyzed to determine why clients terminated from HBCC programs. Subsamples of community- and hospital-originated clients are examined to determine what factors predict case management termination. About half of both hospital- and community-originated clients left case management within 12 months because of death, nursing home placement, referral to another case management agency, relocation out of the service area, or discharge as self-sufficient. Hospital-originated clients were more likely to die within the first 6 months after entering case management than were community-originated clients. Cognitive and functional abilities were important predictors of termination status.

Critical factors for successful hospital-based case management.

Six hospitals were funded to develop programs for long-term case management. Factors that should be considered when developing hospital-based case management are discussed within three areas: organizational placement, program management, and financial viability.

Hospital-based case management: results from a demonstration.

The Flinn Foundation Hospital-based Coordinated Care case management demonstration was designed to help patients discharged from six participating hospitals be linked to community services by a case manager. One unexpected result was that about half of the clients served were referred from the community, not from the hospital. We examine the characteristics of hospital-based case management clients, the predictors of their continuation in case management, and their health status over 1 year, focusing on the differences between hospital- and community-referred clients.

Evaluation of a peer health worker prenatal outreach and education program for Hispanic farmworker families.

This article contains the findings from an evaluation of a prenatal education program to Hispanic migrant farmworker families using peer health workers. The focus of the evaluation was on establishing the validity of the intervention model in the target population. Data are presented on the program setting, characteristics of the clients served, and effects of the educational program on the clients and peer health workers. The evaluation identified factors that established confidence in the program model: (1) there were existing barriers to health care and health information; (2) the program served a culturally specific and disadvantaged population; (3) the prenatal curriculum was culturally sensitive; (4) the peer workers were accepted by the target community; and (5) the model did not threaten the medical community. The directions for future research are presented.

Using lay health workers: case study of a community-based prenatal intervention.

This article reports on the design and implementation of a prenatal outreach and education intervention for low income, Hispanic women living in three migrant and seasonal farmworker communities in Arizona. The program included three major elements: a Spanish language prenatal curriculum; a group of mature Hispanic women recruited from the target communities and trained as "Comienzo Sano" (healthy beginning) Promotoras (health promoters), and the organization of a support network of local health professionals. The rationale for the demonstration is reviewed, and the structure of the intervention is described. Factors which facilitated and constrained implementation of the program are identified, and guidelines are provided for other health care providers and health educators interested in developing similar programs.

The design and implementation of hospital-based coordinated care programs.

This article contains the initial findings of an ongoing evaluation of a hospital-based coordinated care demonstration. The goal of the demonstration is to investigate the appropriateness and feasibility of providing hospital-based case management services for extended periods to elderly individuals living in the community. The rationale for the demonstration is reviewed, and the structure of each participating hospital's coordinated care program is described. Data are presented on the characteristics of clients served by the programs during the first six months of the demonstration. The factors that influenced implementation and early operations of these programs are analyzed, and their implications for hospital managers are discussed.