Treatment progress indicator: application of a new assessment tool to objectively monitor the therapeutic progress of patients with depression, anxiety, or behavioral health impairment.

Depression, anxiety, and behavioral health impairment are common in the US. Efforts to treat patients with depression, anxiety, and chemical dependency are surpassed by the great demand for psychiatrist and therapist appointments. Unlike other specialties, psychiatry lacks a vital sign or tests (eg, blood pressure for hypertension and hemoglobin A1c for diabetes) to objectively measure a patient's response to therapy.

Complex case conferences associated with reduced hospital admissions for high-risk patients with multiple comorbidities.

Objectives: Reducing avoidable hospital readmissions presents an opportunity to improve health care quality and reduce avoidable costs. We studied the effect person-focused care may have on reducing avoidable admissions to the hospital.

Methods: Among patients with heart failure discharged from the hospital, we evaluated the effect on 30-day readmissions of transitions-in-care interventions: home health visits, follow-up phone calls, and physician office visits.