Kimberly Flynt-Lester, RN, BSN, of Magee General Hospital (MGH), has assumed the new role of Case Manager along with her responsibilities as Quality RN, Infection Preventionist, and Employee Health Nurse.
Working alongside a team of healthcare professionals, including a front-line social worker, Kimberly manages the patient’s entire hospital stay and ensures that their transition back home or to a skilled nursing facility is smooth and stress-free. This involves coordinating closely with the social worker and insurance companies to arrange home health services such as skilled nursing, physical, occupational, and speech therapy, and any other necessary care. One thing she is very proud of is the Swing bed program that MGH implements, which allows the community to be served locally following a hospital stay, allowing the patient to receive rehabilitation and/or IV therapy.
She focuses on creating a safe environment for the patients while in the hospital and upon discharge home, ensuring that they receive the necessary care to recover fully. She draws on her nursing experience of over 12 years in areas such as the emergency room, medical-surgical unit, behavioral health, and the intensive care unit to provide a strong clinical foundation and an understanding of patient care coordination.
One aspect that sets her job apart is balancing care with the business side of things. This means ensuring insurance companies have all the information they need for approval and requesting additional days of care when necessary. She places a key emphasis on preventing multi-drug resistance and, as such, is a member of Sepsis Alliance, which provides her with updates on guidelines and useful tools to combat infection. She is also part of the antibiotic stewardship program at MGH, which is at the forefront of helping improve and measure antibiotics prescribed and used to ensure the best outcome for patient care.
Infection control is another critical aspect of Kimberly’s job. She works tirelessly to ensure all employees and visitors follow the correct protocols to ensure a safe environment for all. This includes mask protocols, proper hand-washing techniques, and the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE), which are followed in all departments.
Finally, Kimberly’s goal is to ensure that every patient and employee at MGH receives the best possible care and that they know they can rely on the hospital for quality healthcare services.
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