Nursing Organizations Enlist Nurse Leaders in National Effort for Care Coordination

It’s not easy for patients to navigate through today’s health care system. Too often, the experience is fraught with confusion and frustration. Enter care coordination and transition management (CCTM), a key nursing role many experts believe is the answer to a puzzling, fragmented – and often costly – journey to health.

To make that journey smoother, two nursing organizations have joined forces to mobilize and guide nurse leaders in a national effort for better care through CCTM.

The American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN) and the American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) recently issued a joint statement defining how nurse leaders can help their facilities and clinicians achieve the “Triple Aim” of health care: improving the quality of patient care, improving the health of communities, and reducing health care costs.

“Registered nurses are the largest group of front-line health care professionals. That’s why it is crucial for nurse leaders to take initiative and prepare their delivery systems and nursing staff for CCTM,” said AONE CEO and American Hospital Association Senior Vice President for Nursing Pamela Thompson, MS, RN, CENP, FAAN. “The principles in the joint statement will help guide leaders in acute and outpatient settings to achieve the best patient experience and outcomes.”

“Care coordination is a role that synchronizes all aspects of patient care, from admission to discharge home or to another care setting, and follow up with other care providers,” said AAACN CEO Cynthia Nowicki Hnatiuk, EdD, RN, CAE, FAAN. “The goal is to ensure people don’t struggle through the system or fall through the cracks.”

Related Information

The Care Coordination and Transition Management (CCTM) online course and text define the integral role of the RN in the interprofessional team and apply to nurses in all settings from ambulatory care to hospitals. Read about Care Coordination and Transition Management (CCTM) from AAACN.

Getting nurse leaders on board is a critical step in the process, Hnatiuk said, adding the collaboration with AONE “is an historic one because it bridges the traditional silos between acute care and ambulatory care nursing, thereby forging ground on a seamless patient experience throughout the continuum of care.”

Related Information

The Care Coordination and Transition Management (CCTM) online course and text define the integral role of the RN in the interprofessional team and apply to nurses in all settings from ambulatory care to hospitals. Read more about the CCTM from American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing (AAACN).