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VST Nutritional Risk Screening Tool - Fact Sheet Malnutrition commonly occurs in the hospital setting and adds significantly to costs. Multiple surveys have shown that 40% to 50% of hospitalized patients are at risk for malnutrition, *1 and up to 12% are severely malnourished. *2 Malnourished patients are hospitalized up to 100% longer than comparable patients who are well nourished, and charges for malnourished patients average 75% higher than their well-nourished counterparts. *3 Malnutrition is unaffordable in the United States in the 2000s. While health care facilities are implementing clear strategies to reduce costs, the costs that result from malnutrition are all too often unrecognized. With today's payment and reimbursement systems, healthcare providers are concerned with expenses, length of stay, and complication rates. Payers are interested in rehospitalization rates, length of stay, and post-hospital care costs. Taking the following steps can reduce all of these costs:
Traditional methods of screening patients for the incidence of malnutrition are labor intensive and sporadic at best. VST provides a thorough method of continuously screening and identifying all patients at risk of protein-calorie malnutrition through use of computer applications. The VST Nutritional Risk Tool operates in conjunction with the VST Diet History Tool and the VST Nutritional Assessment Tool. Using HL7 interfaces, the Nutritional Risk Screening Tool accepts data from the existing hospital A/D/T, order entry, laboratory and pharmacy systems into the appropriate VST System tables. This data is compared to facility selected screening criteria in the VST System, and specific screening reports are generated as desired. The screening reports show all patients in the hospital who meet the nutritional risk criteria established by the facility. Appropriate patient information (name, room number, diet type, diagnosis, etc.) is shown, as well as the specific risk criteria that have been met. After review, dietitians may elect to have the computer generate a thorough nutritional assessment profile on specific patients who have met the screening criteria. This report can be used as further backup for assessment, which can be reviewed by the physician, and as documentation to be placed in the patient medical record (if applicable). Any patients who have been treated for malnutrition and associated nutrition related problems can be identified in the VST Diet History system. Upon discharge, patients who have been treated for malnutrition will appear on the Patient Nutritional Status Report, which can be submitted to the Medical Records Department. This report can be used by diagnosis coding personnel to assure that those personnel who have been treated for malnutrition can be coded as such, allowing for additional financial reimbursement by third party payers. BENEFITS:
FEATURES:
Read more about VST's Nutritional Risk Screening Tool > 1. Bistrain BR, Blackburn GL, Vitale J, et al: Prevalence of malnutrition in general medical patients. JAMA 1976; 235:1567-1570. 2. Detsky AS, Baker JP, O'Rourke K, Goel V: Perioperative parenteral nutrition: A meta-analysis. Ann Intern Med 1987; 107:195-203. 3. Christensen KS: Hospitalwide screening increases revenue under prospective payment system. J Am Diet Assoc 1986;86 1234-1235. 4. Christensen KS, Gstundtner KM: Hospital-wide screening improves basis for nutrition intervention. J Am Diet Assoc 1985; 85:704-706. 5. Gallagher-Allred C, McCamish MA: Malnutrition: A Hidden Cost in Health Care. Ross Products Division, Abbott Laboratories, 1993.
For more information, please call 724.452.8794, send e-mail to info@vstech.com,
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