Howdy,

Well I finally get back to my email and get assaulted with an Ursine
Guilt Trip for not being as active a member as I should...

My current practice has been the development of a fairly new model of
care within the Veterans Hospital Administration. This has been in the
area of Home Telehealth. Utilizing new technology we have been managing
and treating veterans with chronic diseases in the home and reducing
utilization of expensive ER and Hospital admissions. Much resistance
has been met because of the nature of change itself and what some
physicians call "diminished contact" with the veteran patient.
Utilizing a SUHB model I have been able to counter these arguments with
explanations of "enhanced and increased contact" despite reduced
physical encounters. This I can directly correlate with improved
disease management outcomes and decreased utilization of expensive
resources. The SUHB paradigm does not limit interaction to physical,
face to face encounters and allows the development of effective models
for care that seem to stand strong despite their surface conflict with
the traditional medical care model.

Are there any other RN/APN roles and/or programs out there utilizing
non-traditional approaches to care based on SUHB? I'd love to swap
ideas and experiences with anybody breaking into new futures.

Kelly D. Rutherford, MSN, ARNP-C, FNP
Lead Care Coordinator
VAMC Muskogee, OK
Tel: 918.781.8593
Fax: 918.781.8596



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