Alaska Tuberculosis Program Manual - Epidemiology - State of Alaska

For assistance with language issues, see the National Health Law
Program and The National Council on Interpreting Health Care’s
Language Services Resource Guide for Health Care Providers (National
Health Law Program Web site; October 2006) at
http://www.healthlaw.org/images/stories/issues/ResourceGuideFinal.pdf
For more information on using interpreters, see the Interpretation
Services lesson in Module 9: “Patient Adherence to Tuberculosis
Treatment” of the CDC’s Self-Study Modules on Tuberculosis (Division of
Tuberculosis Elimination Web site; 1999) at
http://www.cdc.gov/tb/education/ssmodules/pdfs/9.pdf
Patient’s Medical Records
The case manager needs all medical records in order to provide case management and
recommend a treatment plan. Prior to the visit with the patient, the case manager should
ensure that a copy of all of the patient’s medical records (from hospitals, clinics, and
other healthcare providers) and chest radiographs are available to the treating provider.
Without the medical records, the provider may not be able to make the correct
judgments in medical management. 14
Use the Consent for Release of Information Form (18.1) if necessary to
obtain the patient’s medical records. Send a copy of the medical records
to the Alaska TB Program.
Assessment Site
If the patient is hospitalized, conduct the initial assessment during the patient’s
hospitalization. If the patient is not hospitalized, conduct the initial assessment at the first
clinic visit or during a home visit.
Due to limited travel schedules, itinerant PHNs may have few opportunities for home
visits or in-person visits with patients during their TB treatment. If PHN case managers
are having difficulty scheduling face-to-face interactions for initial and follow-up visits
with patients, they should consult their Regional Nurse Manager (RNM) or the Alaska TB
Program to explore options. Alternatives to home visits or other face-to-face encounters
may include teleconferences that include the Community Health Aide/Practitioner
(CHAP), patient, PHN, and the DOT aide, individual phone calls to the patient, letters,
visits by other providers, etc., during the course of treatment.
A L A S K A T B P R O G R A M M A N U A L Case Management 10. 7
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