MCS marks ‘Patient Day’ by celebrating members it has supported post-hospitalization
Healthcare company MCS marked this year’s Patient Day celebration, on April 11-12, by sending its representatives to visit more than 800 of its members hospitalized at more than 60 network hospitals, following all COVID-19 security protocols, to distribute literature and other educational materials to help them have greater control over their health.
Through the initiative, MCS sought to show that incorporating social health determinants into its care management programs is “the most effective way to maintain continuity of patient treatment and ensure their health remains stable in the months following a hospital discharge.”
The company works with hospitals and doctors within its network through its Transition of Care programs, which helped more than 60% of MCS members with a successful care transition in 2020. These programs resulted in a significant improvement in the health conditions for which these members were hospitalized.
Despite the pandemic, MCS’s Transition of Care programs serve members with any type of health condition and are not limited to COVID-19. Nevertheless, the pandemic has put unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems around the world, and Puerto Rico is no exception. Of the members who participated in these MCS programs in 2020, around 25% were hospitalized for COVID-19.
The effectiveness of the patient care programs is a result of the holistic approach by a multidisciplinary team at MCS, which considers all components of the hospitalized person’s well-being, said Inés Hernández Chief Medical Officer at MCS.
“From the time our member is hospitalized, we conduct weekly rounds of case discussions with a multidisciplinary clinical team made up of doctors, nurses, and social and psychology workers tasked with identifying and addressing physical and psychosocial needs that could impede a transition and adequate health care for the patient,” Hernández said.
“We also consider the family environment, the sources of the patient’s social support, and other social determinants that could affect the person’s health or transition of care when discharged from the hospital,” she added.
If the impact of any of the social determinants is identified, the MCS Community Outreach staff will evaluate the member’s social environment.
