The Centers for Disease Control estimates that about 50 percent of American adults have at least one chronic condition. Today's primary care providers have the ability to better manage this population by utilizing care management. This course discusses use of the care management model in the ambulatory care setting to increase patients' access to providers and decrease hospital visits, including readmission. It also addresses the issue of some payment systems not allowing providers to profit from managing chronic conditions.

This course discusses how to improve healthcare quality while decreasing costs within the payer environment. You will learn evidence-based practices to improve health outcomes for member populations, along with the role of medical-necessity criteria in creating a roadmap for financially responsible optimal care. Included in the discussion is the role of utilization management, common misconceptions about its purpose, key metrics every utilization manager needs to know, and the review and appeals process.

On average, people who live with serious mental illness or co-occurring mental illness and substance-use disorders die 25 to 35 years prematurely. This is largely due to preventable diseases, health disparities, and even the contributing factor of the stigma associated with mental illness. Behavioral health case managers are experts in helping people manage their chronic mental health conditions. By applying those skills in addressing the whole-health needs of these individuals, case managers become care managers in an integrated-systems approach to behavioral health concerns. This course for health and human services professionals offers an overview of case-to-care management, a strategy for incorporating a patient-centered approach, and ways to effectively impact the health outcomes of the people you serve.

Root cause analysis (RCA) is a team approach for investigating adverse events. Rather than calling out individuals who are at fault, its purpose is to identify factors that make adverse events possible. This overview explains some of the commonly used tools for conducting RCA, and why uncovering information gives a detailed understanding of the reason the event happened in the first place and what may prevent it from happening again.

Neurological dysphagia, most often caused by acute stroke, can lead to malnutrition, social restrictions, anxiety, dehydration, aspiration pneumonia, acute/chronic illnesses, or even death. This course for clinicians explains how to identify those at risk for dysphagia, and it discusses treatment strategies to improve overall outcomes for stroke patients. You will learn practical information about current swallowing screens, who should receive them, who should carry them out, and how to implement them at your facility.

This fifth presentation in a six-part webinar series is intended to help both new and experienced staff in the cardiac catheterization lab to prepare for the Registered Cardiovascular Invasive Specialist (RCIS) examination. This comprehensive program includes a review of anatomy and physiology, advanced waveform analysis, shunts and treatment modality, right- and left-heart catheterization, interventional equipment, and commonly used cardiac medications.

Opioid dependence continues to be a growing problem in the United States. Even when patients discontinue opioid use, they often require treatment to prevent relapse. In this module you will learn key differences between three drugs—including Buprenorphine—that the FDA has approved for treating opioid dependence. Also presented is a discussion of the safety and efficacy of each formulation, along with regulations that control prescribing and dispensing them.

Stroke, the fifth-ranking cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S., is the country‘s primary neurological problem. Each year, about 800,000 people have a new or recurrent stroke costing more than $34 billion in medical care and disability. Risk factors, characteristics of left- and right-hemispheric strokes and appropriate rehabilitation goals are discussed.

Advance directives are legal documents that allow individuals to spell out their decisions ahead of time concerning end-of-life care. This course discusses the different types of advance directives and how they are honored.

This course will familiarize the learner with basic information concerning domestic and intimate partner violence (IPV). Information about IPV’s prevalence, characteristics, legal protections and risk factors will be presented. The cycle of abuse will be explained along with issues related intimate partner homicide. Screening and intervention protocols will be described along with community resources available to people experiencing domestic and intimate partner violence.

Discharge planning is not only important to ensure compliance with the CMS standards but also for reimbursement. This webinar will discuss what your hospital must do to be in compliance with the revised discharge planning standards. While every hospital that accepts Medicare and Medicaid must be in compliance with the CMS discharge planning guidelines, the standards must be followed for all patients and not just Medicare or Medicaid. It will also review the discharge planning worksheet which is a valuable tool to understand how to comply.  

The more familiar you are with the essentials of ethical care, informed consent, and advance directives, the better equipped you will be to provide higher quality patient care in medical and behavioral healthcare settings. This course covers the fundamentals of the Client Bill of Rights, the six principles of ethical care, the process for obtaining informed consent, and how to interpret behavioral health advance directives. Through interactive exercises and vignettes, you will have the opportunity to apply these concepts so you can provide your clients with a higher standard of care.

This course discusses quality payment programs, participation, and how these programs work, along with sources of additional information. It is designed for presentation to trainers and other information-givers, and can easily be adapted for presentations to groups of beneficiaries.

Delays in developmental skills in young children can include problems with movement (motor), hearing and speaking (communication), social and emotional development, and thinking and problem-solving skills (cognitive). These difficulties, ranging from mild to severe, may extend into adulthood and can affect learning, communication, and functioning in the community. The onset of some developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome, can be diagnosed at birth. Other disorders may become apparent only as young children miss important developmental milestones, although the typical sequence of development can have a wide range. This course explains how to identify atypical development in young children, how to recognize common developmental disabilities that require comprehensive assessments, and how to identify and describe common disabilities that may result from environmental factors. With this knowledge, you will be better equipped to meet the individual needs of the young children with whom you work.

Certain external conditions, often beyond an individual’s direct control, are referred to as the social determinants of health, and they have the potential of affecting the health of your patients. These conditions, contributing to individuals’ health inequity and inequalities at all levels, encompass where a patient lives and works; socioeconomic policies, systems, and norms; and more. This course discusses how the five pillars of the social determinants of health impact the daily delivery, accessibility, and engagement of health-improvement efforts. It also presents strategies for assessing the social determinants of health that may be affecting your patient population, how to increase awareness and interest in these determinants, and ways to engage patients, stakeholders, and other providers in addressing social determinants of health.

Teams are essential in today’s world. Whether the teams you’ve been part of functioned in a professional capacity or a personal one, most likely some teams were more successful than others. This course discusses the team process, relational skills that enhance team participation, and best practices for high performance/high output teams.

Pediatric immunizations are orchestrated specifically to protect young children from life-threatening diseases. These immunizations are often administered on a schedule. This course discusses the immunization schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as related contraindications for pediatric immunizations.

This course presents methods for ensuring that the continuity of care for the patient is maintained.

The US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and state narcotic control bureaus closely monitor controlled prescription medications—such as opioids, tranquilizers, and amphetamines—because of the potential for the drugs’ abuse and diversion. In addition, practitioners and pharmacies are required to report the use of these controlled substances and make ethical dispensing decisions based on each patient‘s condition and need for the drug. In this module, pharmacy technicians will learn warning signs of drug abuse and of fraudulent prescriptions, the etiology of substance use disorders, and laws enacted to prevent drug diversion. You’ll come away better equipped to avoid unnecessary judgment or bias regarding these disorders and to assess each patient individually so you can treat them with compassion and respect.

Learn about informed consent and why it is important.

This course provides hospice and palliative care providers with detailed information about the pathophysiology, disease trajectory, and unique symptoms experienced by patients with advanced neurological diseases. Learners will identify the clinical features of advanced Parkinson's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington disease as well as best practices for symptom management. In addition, hospice and palliative caregivers will learn the key clinical indicators and symptoms that should serve as triggers to optimally transition a patient with advanced neurological diseases to palliative and hospice care. The unique disease-related stressors for family caregivers are discussed and resources and suggestions are given for utilizing support from non-profit, disease-specific organizations.

This program will focus on OCR-enforced federal law that is in effect now for hospitals under Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act for grievance procedures. Hospitals must have a grievance procedure and compliance coordinator to investigate any grievances alleging noncompliance with this law including discrimination. The program will also cross walk the CMS grievance interpretive guidelines with relevant standards of The Joint Commission and DNV Healthcare.  Staff should be educated on and follow the hospital’s grievance and complaint policy approved by the Board of Directors. This program will cover what is now required to be documented in the medical record. Although Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) have their own hospital Conditions of Participation, critical assess hospitals as part of a system should know the difference between the two sets of standards and may find this program of interest.

Two of the most important aspects of breast cancer care are length of life and quality of life. Early detection can help lead to positive outcomes in both of these areas. Careful practices in mammography are essential for accurate pathological diagnosing, as well as for providing patient safety and comfort. This course for radiologic technologists in acute care facilities discusses specified methods of Quality Control (MQSA) for ACR accreditation, false positives, common pathologies found in radiographic mammography, tumor mapping used in nuclear medicine, and steps to ensure patient safety during mammography.

Stress is part of everyone’s life. While a certain level of stress can motivate one’s productivity, too much stress can leave a person feeling drained and irritable. Stress can’t be avoided, but it’s possible to learn to respond differently to it. This course discusses assessing your own stress levels, recognizing the difference between good and bad stress, identifying stress triggers, and developing a personal stress-management plan.

This assessment measures overall learner competencies as aligned with the modules presented in the social determinants of health learning path. The objectives being assessed are the social factors that impact a person’s health, how providers can incorporate the social determinants of health into their patient assessments, how these determinants impact patients’ ability to adhere to their care plans, and how to improve the care-planning process by incorporating social health information.

This webinar, presenting an overview of the current opioid epidemic, discusses methods for identifying the potential risks of opioid treatment. It also presents recommended treatment strategies for patients with chronic pain, including an overview of CDC guidelines and general strategies for safer pain-management practices.

It can be difficult to work with certain people due to issues such as communication breakdowns, personality clashes, or conflicting work habits. You may not like everyone you work with, but it’s important to respect everyone. By learning ways to reduce conflicts, you’ll become more respected too. In this course, you’ll learn strategies to calmly address misunderstandings before they blow up, deal with differences, communicate clearly, and listen respectfully.

Every year, hundreds of thousands of children in the United States are abused or neglected (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2018). It is imperative that medical professionals have a better understanding of what they can do to address this serious issue. In this course you will learn the definitions of child abuse and neglect, how to screen and assess risk factors that predispose children to maltreatment, and how to help children and families receive the care that they need.

This introductory overview of cultural diversity will help enable you to interact with others of diverse cultures and effectively perform your job responsibilities.

The patient interview is the most important part of your exam. Gaining the patient’s perspective and learning more about issues important to them can guide you in developing patient-specific care plans. This course will discuss how to conduct patient-centered interviews. You will learn interviewing methods to effectively elicit the important details about a patient's reason for presenting to the clinic. Information will also be presented on how to approach a challenging patient and how to adapt for several specific patient types.

Learn what cultural sensitivity is and the need to respect other cultural backgrounds.

When treating patients for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), medical professionals seek to stabilize the immune system so opportunistic infections (OIs) are less likely to occur. The chief method used is highly active antiretroviral therapy (ART, previously referred to as HAART), an approach that has significantly improved the mortality rates of patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). This module explains the management of HIV-induced lipodystrophy and the criteria for initiating ART. You will learn the prophylactic management of opportunistic infections, along with different classes of antiretroviral drugs used for HIV treatment. 

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) gives rights to individuals concerning the protection of their personal healthcare information. Allowing non-authorized individuals to see this personal information, even accidentally, can have severe consequences for you and your organization. This course provides basic information about the principles of confidentiality, and explains two important branches of HIPAA: the Privacy Rule (what information is protected) and the Security Rule (the steps that must be taken to protect this information).

NOTE: This course is not intended as legal advice for any individual provider or situation. Comprehensive information is available from the resources listed in the courses' references section, as well as through consultation with your company's legal and compliance team.

This course explains how the coordination of benefits works when people have Medicare and certain other types of health coverage. Module 5, Coordination of Benefits, explains the rules that govern payers’ responsibilities when people have Medicare and certain other types of health and/or prescription drug coverage. This module was developed and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the federally facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace. This course is designed for trainers and other information givers who are familiar with the Medicare program. It can be easily adapted for presentations to groups of beneficiaries.

This course discusses hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, including pathophysiology, classifications, characteristics, diagnostic criteria, risk factors, management, and prevention. Also covered are the diagnostic criteria used to screen and monitor women with potential preeclampsia, pathophysiologic changes that occur with preeclampsia, the appropriate management of women receiving magnesium sulfate therapy, and the recommended guidelines for administering anti-hypertensive agents.

Although palliative care can be a tremendous benefit for individuals with chronic, life-limiting conditions, many qualifying individuals are not referred to such care because of a lack of understanding of the services. Another point of confusion is how palliative care and hospice care differ. This course explains each type of care, including when they are appropriate, the services offered, team-member roles, and payer sources. Thus equipped, healthcare professionals can better advocate for the most appropriate care, provide education and guidance to individuals and their families, and, when necessary, ease the transition from palliative care to hospice care.

In today's increasingly complex healthcare system, care coordination and case management are vital for producing optimal member outcomes, decreasing care costs, and ensuring that healthcare services are utilized effectively. This course focuses on care coordination and case management within the payer setting. You will learn about the need for these services; common challenges you may encounter; and the latest goals, philosophies, and guiding principles of these functions. Also included are seven critical steps in the care coordination and case management process, along with tangible benefits and superior outcomes that these steps produce for providers, members, and payer organizations.

Establishing an effective corporate compliance program minimizes the risks and effects of misconduct by helping ensure that everyone adheres to policies and standards. This course covers fraudulent and ethical conduct, laws pertaining to fraudulent conduct, and your responsibility for preventing and identifying this conduct under a corporate compliance program.

The powerful forces of nature unleashed by earthquakes and tsunamis can cause catastrophic damage. This course presents some basic facts about earthquakes and tsunamis, including why and when they occur, along with guidelines for preparedness and recommended protective actions to stay safe.

One of the hormones used by the endocrine system to finely regulate and maintain the human body is Antidiuretic Hormone (ADH). By increasing water absorption, ADH helps control the body’s fluid balance when the circulating blood volume becomes too low. However, a condition known as Syndrome of Inappropriate Antidiuretic Hormone (SIADH) develops when an excessive amount of ADH is secreted or when the body has an increased response to ADH. In this course, you will learn about SIADH, how to identify patients at risk and their clinical presentation, nursing care for those with SIADH, how to identify complications associated with treatment, and the monitoring required for prevention.

Cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) or strokes are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. However, they can be treated if the patient is helped within the first four and a half hours of the event, according to the American Stroke Association. This course for healthcare providers identifies medical and lifestyle risk factors that can lead to a stroke, describes diagnostic measures used to assess stroke risk, and outlines stroke-prevention strategies and lifestyle changes. You will be equipped to educate patients on how their lifestyle can significantly impact their stroke risk and how making key changes can help them to avoid medical emergency.

Research indicates that screening and brief interventions by health-care professionals can have a significant impact on individuals with drug or alcohol difficulties. This course presents step-by-step guidelines about how to integrate screenings, how to conduct brief interventions that “meet people where they are” in their stage of change, and how to refer individuals to appropriate resources when they suffer from more severe substance issues. This training illustrates best practices using the SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) approach outlined by SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. You will be equipped with the tools you need to successfully screen and provide brief interventions for substance use issues in your own health-care setting.

More than 21 million blood components are transfused annually in the U.S. But if blood types are mismatched, transfusions can be deadly. Three factors that commonly lead to ABO incompatibility errors have been identified as mislabeling of the blood specimen for cross-matching, misinterpretation by the blood bank, and misidentification of the patient before blood transfusion. Nurses who generally administer blood products must follow facility policy to ensure that they give the correct blood product to the correct patient.

This course will guide you through understanding best practices in incident report writing. It will assist you in understanding how those practices help protect the health and safety of the person you support, while at the same time protecting you. In this course, you will identify factors that affect the quality of incident reports and investigate elements that affect memory and recall. You will focus on reducing factors that negatively impact the completeness and accuracy of incident reports. Demonstrating your understanding of the guidelines taught in this course will ensure your documentation adheres to legal, ethical, and programmatic standards. While completing this course, you will review incident report notes and apply what you have learned to identify unclear, subjective, and ungrammatical elements within the notes. This course is intended for direct support professionals

In this course, you will become familiar with various models and configurations of integrated care. You will learn about the costs, benefits, and goals of integrated care systems. As there are numerous challenges to integrating care, you will become aware of some of these key challenges, and familiar with particular characteristics of well-functioning integrated care systems. Finally, you will learn a variety of ways that behavioral healthcare professionals, including you, can function effectively in an integrated care environment.

The role of supervisor includes being a leader, a motivator, and a coach when guiding and directing others toward common goals. A supervisor’s success is enhanced with a proven set of characteristics, skills, and experiences that can help you effectively lead your organization, whether you are new to the role or have had some supervisory experience in the past. This course discusses specific skills, the qualities of good leadership, and approaches to enhance communication and time-management strategies to maximize your effectiveness as supervisor.

This course explains the eligibility, benefits, and administration of Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Also discussed are the implications of the Affordable Care Act on Medicaid and CHIP.

Rather than being a stand-alone disease, diabetes (particularly Type II diabetes) is a metabolic dysfunction at the cellular level. This metabolic dysfunction contributes to many comorbidities being associated with diabetes. Taking a purely pharmaceutical approach—looking only at blood glucose or A1C as an endpoint—fails to identify and address the potential underlying causes of diabetes and other comorbidities. To help you facilitate the best outcomes for your patients, this course discusses the correlation between diabetes and comorbidities, the underlying pathological processes, and the impact of glucose control. You will come away with an understanding of the common comorbidities associated with diabetes and of the proper management of these conditions.

Aneurysms are known as silent killers. Without early detection and prompt intervention, their mortality rate can reach as high as 90 to 100 percent. A number of commonly found risk factors and comorbidities can increase the risk of developing an aneurysm. To help you achieve quality outcomes for your patients, this course discusses the symptoms of a potential aneurysm, how to identify aneurysm types and their physical location, and common techniques used in managing the patient with an aneurysm.

Many individuals with behavioral health problems are unable to access behavioral healthcare. Telehealth (enhancing health care through the use of telecommunications technologies) is designed to provide everyone with access to health care, regardless of their location. In this course you will learn what telehealth is, its history, potential advantages and challenges, and the research base supporting telehealth for behavioral health services. You will be equipped with practical strategies you can apply in your own setting to use telehealth for adults with behavioral health issues.

Symptoms in a child such as fever, cough, and chills can alert you to the potential presence of a communicable disease and can aid in the detection of concerns in your work environment. Less obvious symptoms may require a more careful inspection to determine risk factors. Because children are exposed to a variety of environments, caregivers working with families must have the ability to identify healthcare concerns quickly in order to halt the spread of disease. This course, designed for staff members working with children and their family members, will help you determine if signs and symptoms depict the presence of a communicable disease, and the best way to manage the child and their environment. Included are ways to interact with a child who has a communicable disease, as well as a review of best practices in preventing the spread of common communicable diseases.

Workplace violence includes threats or actual use of physical force. This course presents the key steps- Prevent, Report, and Respond- that you can take to maintain a safe workplace.

A bleeding disorder—also called coagulopathy—is an impairment of the blood's ability to form clots. This course for nurses in the acute care facility explains the concepts of coagulation and hemostasis. You will learn how to identify emergency situations and will be equipped to care for those with coagulopathies such as immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC), heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT), and warfarin-induced coagulopathy.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), a complex condition with a wide array of associated symptoms and disabilities, significantly impacts the lives of patients and their families. This course for nurses who care for patients who have experienced a TBI discusses assessment strategies, current treatment guidelines, and supportive care to effect positive outcomes.

Experiencing a stroke can result in a permanently devastating condition. While some risk factors are uncontrollable, certain practices can help prevent, limit, and even reverse stroke damage. This course equips providers of senior healthcare to facilitate stroke recovery by knowing the signs and symptoms of stroke, being able to perform quick assessments, and responding appropriately. Also included: strategies for stroke prevention and ways to help your patients achieve quality of life after a stroke.

 Wrong-site surgery is one of the most devastating sentinel events experienced by patients and practitioners. As defined by The Joint Commission, wrong-site surgery involves the wrong side or region of the body, the wrong procedure (a procedure other than the one intended), or the wrong patient. Perioperative healthcare providers must be knowledgeable about the latest risk-prevention strategies, protocols and tools to ensure the safety of surgical patients.

This course is designed to provide greater awareness of sexual harassment in the workplace, steps to take to prevent it, and methods to deal with it if it does occur. The course will focus on federal laws, liability issues, harassment policies, employee rights, supervisor responsibilities, and investigation procedures.

The content in this course is applicable to supervisors in all settings.

The connection between physical and behavioral health includes the impact that behavioral health disorders have on chronic health conditions. Behavioral health screening has been shown to improve the identification of disorders, facilitate referrals to needed services, and reduce adverse outcomes by helping avoid complications, achieve treatment goals more rapidly, and reduce the overall cost of care. This screening can be implemented fairly quickly in a variety of health-care settings, requiring minimal time and effort on the provider’s part. This module reviews some of the most widely used behavioral health screening tools and explores important factors for consideration when implementing them in your practice.

Crisis is broadly defined as an exceptional event that is disruptive and beyond a person‘s usual coping skills. The goal of crisis intervention is to return individuals or families to the optimum level of functioning they experienced before the crisis. In addition, a potential for growth exists when people develop new and effective coping skills. Nurses need to understand crises and assessment and intervention strategies because they are often the first medical personnel to spend enough time with patients to recognize the signs of crisis.

This course explains Medicare-Covered Preventive Services, and was developed and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the federally facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace. It includes information on which preventive services are covered, who can receive them, when said services are covered, how much you pay, and where to get more information.

Hepatic failure is one of the leading causes of death in this country. According to the American Liver Foundation (ALF), one in 10 Americans—approximately 30 million people—has some form of hepatic failure, with 16,000 such patients currently on the transplant list waiting for a new liver. So you can better manage and care for this patient population, this course presents the causes, symptoms, risk factors, complications, treatment strategies, and characteristics of hepatic failure.

Part 1 of this course, designed for paraprofessionals working with individuals who have substance use disorders, explores how such disorders develop and why some individuals seem to be more susceptible to them than others. Drawing upon guidelines from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, this training offers a comprehensive look at these sometimes fatal disorders, including the stages of addiction, how normal behaviors can develop into dangerous ones, and the effect of substance use disorders on other individuals. After completing this training, you will be ready to demonstrate best practices for the individuals you serve who struggle with substance use disorders.

Develop a secure workplace by looking at the dynamics contributing to workplace violence. Included in the course are: active-shooter response protocols, threat assessment protocols, security measures, ways to evaluate your organization’s preparedness, techniques to de-escalate hostile behavior, and ways to address domestic violence in the workplace.

While bronchoscopy provides valuable diagnostic and therapeutic benefits, it also carries risk for complications, some potentially life-threatening. This course for nurses in the acute care facility discusses conditions for which bronchoscopy is used, its potential benefits, and its possible complications. You will also learn identify safety risks for staff, patients, and visitors, as well as describe nursing interventions before, during, and after a bronchoscopy.

The early recognition of stroke symptoms and subsequent intervention have been identified as key factors in the outcomes of patients with completed strokes. This includes the initial assessment and stabilization of critical respiratory, circulatory, hemodynamic, and neurologic status, and obtaining crucial elements of a patient’s history. Distinguishing ischemic from hemorrhagic strokes requires diagnostic applications performed within narrow windows of opportunity, so that appropriate treatment options can be accurately selected and effectively administered. This course discusses the knowledge and skills needed to care for patients with an acute stroke, from onset through the first 24 hours.

About 20 percent of emergency department visits are due to hand and wrist injuries. While most hand injuries are straightforward, many cause long-term complications that may profoundly alter a person‘s ability to work, create, and enjoy life to the fullest. This continuing education program, which includes the steps for preserving an amputated body part, addresses the assessment and treatment of patients with hand trauma.

As they age, many patients find themselves developing one or more chronic diseases, but they don’t know how to navigate this country’s fragmented and exorbitantly expensive healthcare system in order to receive appropriate care. Care coordination by the medical team—providing additional services such as education and close monitoring of the disease process—has been shown to decrease healthcare costs while improving patients’ health. Unfortunately, standardized techniques or processes for care coordination are not in place. This course for nurses discusses care coordination’s process, its various components, current efforts, ideas for improvement, and a review of practical applications for your nursing practice.

This course will familiarize the learner with personal protective equipment. The different types and proper application of personal protective equipment are discussed. Choosing the correct personal protective equipment for the type of exposure is presented. This course engages the learner in discovering educational resources for commonly used chemicals and tactics for choosing personal protective equipment used in situations where exposure risks are evolving. 

As a working professional, you may find yourself in situations where boundaries are blurred between staff and persons who receive services from the organization. Some boundary violations can be dangerous for you and the people you work with. This course explores best practices for maintaining professional boundaries, the difference between areas that are flexible and open to good judgment versus unprofessional and unhealthy situations, and what actions should take place when you recognize that a boundary has been crossed. You will come away knowing how to make sure your working relationships remain professional.

 After completing this refresher course on the key action steps in CPR, you will have a grasp on the essential components of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), including the initial first aid steps you can take prior to performing CPR. Through didactic, interactive exercises and vignettes, you will be able to apply this material when you need it most. This course does not replace formalized training and return demonstration that must be completed for competency according to the American Heart Association. This course should only be used as a “refresher” to remind the learner of the key action steps in CPR.

Care plans are developed to help residents attain and maintain physical, mental and psychosocial well-being while in your care. The purpose of this course is to provide information on the care plan framework so that you can work together as a team to develop comprehensive care plans that maximize the well-being of each resident. The module covers the use of care area triggers, resources and CAA summary so that decision making can be supported and documented in the care of the resident.

This course on CMS Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) explains how Medigap policies work with Medicare, what Medigap policies cover, how Medigap policies are structured, and when to buy a policy. Included are definitions of key terms, an explanation of guaranteed issue rights, and where to get information on Medigap rights and protections.

Diabetes, the leading cause of adult blindness, non-traumatic amputation, renal failure, and cardiovascular disease, affects 29 million people in the U.S., putting a tremendous strain on healthcare costs. The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) partnered with numerous health organizations to produce Guiding Principles for the Care of People with or at Risk for Diabetes. The publication includes 10 principles developed to guide healthcare providers in delivering quality care to adults who have or are at risk for diabetes. This introductory course, appropriate for nurses, dieticians, rehab professionals, nurses’ aides, and anyone interested in learning more, presents three of the publication’s guidelines (Principles 7–10) related to current evidence-based diabetes management and prevention.

Be equipped with the tools and knowledge you need to effectively prevent and/or report serious incidents in behavioral health settings. Included in this course are interactive exercises, helpful vignettes, and informative guidelines.

Conflict in the workplace is inevitable, because every person is different. However, handling it the right way leads to better relationships, an improved work environment, a stronger team, and personal goal achievement. This course presents techniques essential to handling conflict in the workplace.

Mammography, the most widely used screening tool for breast cancer, has certain limitations. Several imaging modalities are being developed and improved to overcome mammography’s shortcomings. This course discusses how imaging techniques can reduce breast cancer mortality when used for routine screening and diagnosis, as well as for staging breast cancer, planning treatments, and monitoring response to chemotherapy.

A critical step for service providers in receiving reimbursement is to submit treatment-planning documentation. This course reinforces what you already know about plans of care, while offering suggestions for capturing the real therapeutic relationship on paper. You will learn how to hone in on core principles for clinical documentation; take a fresh look at ways to record your client’s strengths, goals, and treatment objectives; and evaluate methods of accurately representing interventions, outcomes, and discharge plans.

Proficiency in the use of a validated stroke scale, such as the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), is important for any member of the healthcare team caring for patients with acute stroke. This stroke assessment scale efficiently assesses stroke severity, offering objective information about prognosis and outcomes along with directing early treatment. With proper training in the use of the NIHSS, including serial monitoring, specifically for those at risk for worsening neurologic status, little variance should exist in results among clinicians. Education is essential to improving reliability and increasing effective communication regarding treatment of stroke patient

This course explains the indications for hysterectomy, a commonly performed surgical procedure. You will learn the different approaches and the areas of special learning needs for women experiencing this procedure. Also covered is post-operative nursing care for women who undergo a hysterectomy, whether that care takes place in a surgery center, a hospital, or at home.

 As an employer or supervisor, you need to know what obligations the FMLA imposes on your organization when an employee requests leave from their job. This course will introduce you to key provisions of the FMLA such as which employees have rights under the FMLA and the circumstances under which they are eligible to take protected leave. Then, you’ll learn about your responsibilities both when an employee asks for leave and wants to return to work. Finally, you’ll learn how to comply with the FMLA and avoid potential pitfalls. The goal of this educational program is to provide administrators and human resource professionals with knowledge of FMLA.

This course explains the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program. This training was developed and approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that administers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the federally facilitated Health Insurance Marketplace.

Critical situations in the emergency department (ED) often result in a rapid flow of information between providers and patients. In the midst of the volume and urgency of such exchanges, ED providers must be especially careful to safeguard patient information. This course covers the basics of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and 42 CFR Part 2. As an overview of each law is discussed, you will learn about the specific information you can and cannot share, how to share it appropriately, and what the information you may not be able to access. Included are practical approaches for acquiring the information you need in a timely and efficient manner.

NOTE: The content in this course is based on information from HIPAA (US Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2014) and 42 CFR Part 2 (United States Government Publishing Office [USGPO], 2015). If you wish to view the law in its entirety, please see the References section at the end of the course. This course is intended for all emergency department personnel and providers. Please note that this course focuses on federal law. However, every state has its own privacy and confidentiality laws, and it is your responsibility to know your state's laws and regulations. Furthermore, this course is not intended as legal advice for any individual provider or situation. If you need more comprehensive information, please review the resources listed at the end of the course and consult with your organization's legal and compliance team.

Diabetes, the leading cause of adult blindness, non-traumatic amputation, renal failure, and cardiovascular disease, affects 29 million people in the US, putting a tremendous strain on healthcare costs. The National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) partnered with numerous health organizations to produce Guiding Principles for the Care of People with or at Risk for Diabetes. The publication includes 10 principles developed to guide healthcare providers in delivering quality care to adults who have or are at risk for diabetes. This introductory course, appropriate for nurses, dieticians, rehab professionals, nurses’ aides, and anyone interested in learning more, presents three of the publication’s guidelines (Principles 4–6) related to current evidence-based diabetes management and prevention.

In Part 1 of this course, you learned about how substance use disorders develop, as well as their various stages including when substance use becomes unhealthy and problematic. In this course, you will build upon that knowledge and explore in detail four commonly used drugs, which will help you to understand the short-term and long-term effects of substance use disorders, along with the symptoms of withdrawal. The material in this course is designed for paraprofessionals working with individuals who have substance use disorders. Drawing upon guidelines from the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, Part 2 of this training offers you a more detailed look at specific substance use disorders, including their effects on others. Descriptive scenarios and practice exercises will help you to solidify your application of the knowledge you acquire to better apply these tools in your own setting. After completing Part 2 of this training, you will be better prepared to help the individuals you serve who struggle with substance use disorders.

Floods, landslides, and debris flows happen in almost every state. This course provides some basic information about these potentially destructive events, including the importance of knowing the particular risks in your locality and taking recommended protective actions.

Although gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is increasing in the US, a woman with GDM can experience a healthy pregnancy if the condition is well managed. This course, for providers who work in maternal child health, discusses how pregnancy alters glucose metabolism, what risk assessment is required, and what test results indicate when a pregnant woman has crossed into GDM. You will come away equipped with the information you need to provide quality care for your patients with GDM.

Obesity affects the entire scope of a person‘s life, including health, social relationships, self-image, and psychological well-being. Now recognizing obesity as a chronic disease that must be managed long term, the American Medical Association has added a new sub specialty to its continuum of care: the obesity medicine physician. As the number of obese people in our society rises, the health care industry must assimilate this aspect of their treatment and care into daily practice. This module discusses the epidemic that obesity has become, reviews current treatments and care plans, and includes the psychosocial impact that being obese has upon the individual and society.

Caregivers who work with older adults with dementia often report that the biggest obstacles they face are related to managing challenging behaviors. This course offers a clinically based overview of such behaviors, along with the most common effects of the pharmacological agents used to treat these behaviors. You will learn practical techniques to use in your own setting to help you determine the most effective strategies for managing the people you serve.

This course, intended for nurses who frequently encounter wounds while working with a geriatric population, covers the basics of wound assessment. Included: accurately performing wound assessments, standardizing the components of wound assessment, and facilitating wound healing.

As dementia gradually destroys areas of the brain responsible for sending and receiving messages, communication becomes increasingly difficult. However, there are guidelines you can follow to ensure effective communication with people who have dementia, including those with severe cognitive impairments. In this course, you will learn how to increase your understanding of persons with dementia by knowing each as an individual and recognizing common speech patterns, find out how people with dementia use behaviors to communicate discomfort, and learn some  communication strategies you can employ to ensure that your message is clearly received.

While opportunities to share information online have increased, so has the challenge of keeping information private. Learn how to avoid social media’s privacy pitfalls so you won’t run the risk of committing Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is your ability to understand, express, and manage your emotions as well as your level of insight into what the people around you are feeling. Being equipped with EQ can add to your quality of life and career success. In this course, you’ll learn about developing emotional awareness—the bedrock of emotional intelligence.

To be equipped for any type of emergency, your healthcare organization must include a plan for addressing a possible pandemic influenza event. In this course on the three stages of preparation, response, and recovery, you will learn about pandemic influenza, the basic elements of creating a plan to address it, and the steps needed to implement such a plan when responding to a pandemic.

This entry-level course in pain assessment and management is for direct-care staff and activity professionals in long-term care, hospice, and home-health settings. It covers types and classifications of pain, pain assessment tools to use with both verbal and nonverbal individuals, the basics of pain assessment, some pain management strategies, and federal regulations that address quality of life and quality of care.

Previous courses covering the Healthy People 2020 campaign have explored how social determinants of health impact health outcomes and healthcare delivery. Also included were best practices for providers addressing each determinant. This course offers scenarios representing the culmination of the knowledge and skills this series has presented regarding critical components of the five major pillars of the social determinants of health. These scenarios, providing glimpses of real-world experience, will challenge you to use your critical thinking, and the knowledge and skills you have gained in the other courses in this series.

As the number of older adults increases, especially those who are older and frailer, the incidence of elder abuse is expected to increase. Mistreatment of older adults often occurs in isolation and often remains undetected. The first step to addressing the problem is to heighten awareness of abuse of the old, in particular among those who serve them or have frequent contact with them. Throughout this course, you will learn about types of elder abuse, indicators, consequences, risk factors of abuse, and interventions. You will have the opportunity to test what you have learned in each section through brief quizzes. The course also offers typical elder abuse case scenarios drawn from actual case material from Adult Protective Services or other elder abuse program caseloads.

In this course, you will learn the most common causes of falls and how to prevent them. 

Top leaders know that the ability to listen to others can increase their individual effectiveness while providing necessary leverage they need to build more productive and engaged teams. You will learn the difference between active and passive listening, how to establish common ground, how to practice empathy, and some of the consequences of not listening effectively. This course uses a blend of experiential exercises, instructive information, and self-study to help you apply tips and techniques for becoming an effective communicator—a leader who listens.

All persons have the right for their health information to be protected from unauthorized access. To ensure that protection, your healthcare organization is required to follow the Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which limits the situations in which your employees can use and disclose protected health information (PHI). This course explains the Privacy Rule and how breaches can be prevented.

The American Stroke Association estimates that 85 percent of all strokes are related to ischemia, and in the United States, ischemic strokes are the leading cause of adult disability. Since early intervention is key, this course discusses pharmacological agents (thrombolytics) that destroy clots and are often used as part of the treatment plan.

“Bounce back,” “frequent flyer,” “rehospitalization,” “readmission”—regardless of the term used, the revolving door of hospital admission and readmission is often associated with the development of delirium, depression, functional decline, and healthcare complications. Unnecessary hospital admissions and readmissions are also costly for Medicare and other payers. As a caregiver, you are in a unique position to help prevent unnecessary hospital admissions and readmissions. This course presents information about how you can accomplish that by providing your patients with the appropriate level of care based on their current conditions, in other words, the right kind of care provided in the right place at the right time.

This course will provide an overview of innovative ways that data are being applied to improve healthcare costs, quality, and outcomes. You will begin with a broad perspective of what experts are calling the “data revolution” in healthcare, or the “age of big data,” and dive into what this means from a technology perspective. Following this, you will learn how data are being applied in ways never before seen by payers and providers to drive healthcare improvement through an analytic approach.

Next, you will dig down to the micro level of healthcare data application within the payer setting. You will examine the different ways in which data are helping payers to improve overall population health, manage healthcare costs, and inform the creation of innovative pilot programs. Finally, you will learn about the application of healthcare data from the case management perspective within the payer setting. An overview will be provided about member case management selection, the intersection of healthcare data and member preference, and how data are being used to inform best practices through medical necessity criteria and clinical guidelines.

This course is intended for all case managers and care coordinators with payer organizations.

Physical environment has a direct impact on your patients’ health and wellness. This course covers four components of neighborhoods and the built environment: crime and violence, quality of housing, environmental conditions, and access to healthy foods. Learn how to leverage this knowledge to improve treatment planning for your patients.

Renal disease—failure of the kidneys to perform their normal function—has three categories: acute renal failure (ARF), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The patient’s history, physical examination, test results, and signs and symptoms will allow you to differentiate acute from chronic kidney disease. To ensure the best outcome, learn the signs and symptoms of renal disease, how to assess it quickly, and the appropriate actions to take. In presenting that information, this course discusses the significant role you play as a healthcare provider in renal-disease education and prevention.

Learn how properly assessing patients’ pain can help prevent further complications.

Children with tracheostomies are routinely being cared for in the home and in community settings. Numerous studies show that an increased mortality rate is associated with tracheal complications during emergencies. This course for EMS professionals, dietitians, and nurses working with children with tracheostomies examines reasons why children may need tracheostomy tubes and explains how to manage pediatric tracheostomies and emergencies associated with them.

In this course, you will learn how to support the patient's spiritual beliefs.

This course is about harassment in the workplace, including sexual harassment and other types of workplace harassment. It looks at the basic skills needed to deal with situations involving harassment. This course will provide information that will help produce a healthy work environment that is free of harassment. It will also help you understand your role if you encounter harassment in the workplace. The content in this course is applicable to all employees.

The rise of the serious problem of multidrug resistant organisms (MDROs) has been linked to the inappropriate prescribing and use of antibiotics. In response, antibiotic stewardship programs have been developed to guide best practice in treating this powerful group of medications resourcefully. The goal is for healthcare providers to steward antibiotics in such a way that these medications can continue to be used to fight infections. This course discusses the Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and how you can apply components of the program to your nursing practice.

This course explains therapeutic communication, overcoming barriers to communication, nonverbal communication and active listening, words and actions that influence patients’ perceptions of courtesy and respect, how to use interpreters, and how caregivers’ thoughts and beliefs impact their words and behaviors.

While the use of technology has improved the delivery and continuity of health care, it also increases the chance that unauthorized persons will be able to access individuals' protected health information (PHI). To protect electronic PHI(e-PHI), your organization and healthcare workers are required to follow the Security Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This course explains the Security Rule and how breaches can be prevented.

This course discusses what quality payment programs are and who can participate in them. Included are Alternative Payment Models (APMs), Advanced APMs, and Other Payer Advanced APMs, along with the criteria to be considered for each of these programs. Also covered are Qualifying APM Participants (QPs), how payments apply to QP determinations, threshold scores, and payer combination options, along with a discussion of the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC). This module is designed for presentation to trainers and other information givers and can easily be adapted for presentations to groups of beneficiaries.

The long-term care facility, rehabilitation facility, or nursing home you work for provides housing and a variety of services to many individuals. Because your duties include the need to communicate personal information, this course explains your responsibility for protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information of these individuals.