Physical Assessment- A way to establish our value and elevate our practice!
Who would have thought that Nutrition-Focused Physical Assessments (NFPA) could change the future of what it means to be an RD?! I recently got to attend a Physical Assessment workshop held for the Sodexo Clinical Dietitians at Hoag Hospital. It really opened my eyes to the new and exciting developments for our profession. We have a unique knowledge base and perspective; incorporating NFPA’s allow us to further demonstrate the vital role registered dietitians play as part of the healthcare team. The most obvious benefit of physical exams is with the diagnosis of malnutrition and early intervention in the acute care setting. We are all well aware how this saves time, money, and leads to better outcomes, but did you realize that it also provides a tool to track and measure the value that you add to your organization? The amount of money saved can be quantified by using data from NFPA’s along with follow-up data regarding reduced length of stay and measured outcomes. Malnutrition is a costly healthcare expense and through documentation of malnutrition, hospitals can increase reimbursement rates from insurance companies, which can add up to more than $100,000/month! At the workshop I attended, they introduced how Sodexo is going to start having dietitians track these values so they can link it up with data from hospital insurance coders in order to obtain the actual monetary value. I don’t know about you but I find that very exciting- this could have major implications for the future of our profession! It definitely takes a little bit of practice to become proficient and confident in performing assessments, but like any new habit, it gets easier with time. This is just one more unique and specialized way to add measurable value to the hospital and the patient care it provides.
Who would have thought that Nutrition-Focused Physical Assessments (NFPA) could change the future of what it means to be an RD?! I recently got to attend a Physical Assessment workshop held for the Sodexo Clinical Dietitians at Hoag Hospital. It really opened my eyes to the new and exciting developments for our profession. We have a unique knowledge base and perspective; incorporating NFPA’s allow us to further demonstrate the vital role registered dietitians play as part of the healthcare team. The most obvious benefit of physical exams is with the diagnosis of malnutrition and early intervention in the acute care setting. We are all well aware how this saves time, money, and leads to better outcomes, but did you realize that it also provides a tool to track and measure the value that you add to your organization? The amount of money saved can be quantified by using data from NFPA’s along with follow-up data regarding reduced length of stay and measured outcomes. Malnutrition is a costly healthcare expense and through documentation of malnutrition, hospitals can increase reimbursement rates from insurance companies, which can add up to more than $100,000/month! At the workshop I attended, they introduced how Sodexo is going to start having dietitians track these values so they can link it up with data from hospital insurance coders in order to obtain the actual monetary value. I don’t know about you but I find that very exciting- this could have major implications for the future of our profession! It definitely takes a little bit of practice to become proficient and confident in performing assessments, but like any new habit, it gets easier with time. This is just one more unique and specialized way to add measurable value to the hospital and the patient care it provides.
