Heart failure coordination for a whole caseload, stratified by LACE score into three tiers with contact schedules and role assignments, is what NU433's Unit 6 plan sets out. Searches like "nu 433 unit 6 assignment example", "nu433 unit 6 sample" and "nu433 unit 6 example" land here.
Sixty-Four Heart Failure Patients a Quarter: A Risk-Tiered Coordination Plan Where No Cell Holds Two Names
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NU433: Case Management Across the Continuum of Care
Unit 6 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Composite population and program written as a model document. Prescribing belongs to cardiology and primary care.
Population Profile
Sixty-four patients this quarter, the population the plan is built around: median age 74; 38 with reduced ejection fraction, 26 with preserved; 41 on Medicare, 15 Medicare Advantage, 8 Medicaid; 19 living more than 30 minutes from the cardiology clinic.
Stratification
The LACE index scores length of stay, acuity of admission, comorbidity and emergency visits in the previous six months; a score of 10 or more predicts higher risk of death or readmission within 30 days (van Walraven et al., 2010). Two local modifiers, drawn from the program's own readmission review, move a patient up one tier: living alone, and no scale at home.
High tier: LACE 10 or more, or 7 to 9 with a modifier. Weekly calls for the first month.
Middle tier: LACE 7 to 9 without a modifier. Calls every two weeks.
Low tier: LACE below 7. Monthly calls.
Triggers to move up a tier: a rise of more than 1 kg overnight, or more than 2 kg across any seven days; a missed follow-up visit; or an emergency visit.
Coordination Matrix
Daily weight monitoring: owner, the patient; checked by the RN case manager on each call.
Medication access and affordability: owner, the pharmacist.
Follow-up visit within seven days: owner, the scheduler, booked before discharge. Early follow-up after a heart failure hospitalization is recommended in the national guideline (Heidenreich et al., 2022).
Cardiac rehabilitation referral: owner, the RN case manager.
Sodium and fluid teaching: owner, the RN case manager.
Prescribing changes: owners, cardiology and primary care; shown only as referral points.
The matrix's rule is that no cell holds two names, because a task owned by two people is often done by neither.
Worked Example
A composite 72-year-old man, high tier: LACE 11, lives alone, no scale. The scheduler booked his seven-day visit before discharge; the pharmacist confirmed his copays; the RN case manager arranged a free scale through the program, called weekly and referred him to cardiac rehabilitation 20 minutes from home, with a volunteer driver arranged.
Outcomes
Three measures: 30-day readmission rate, seven-day follow-up completion, and the share of high-tier patients with a scale at home by the first call. Reviewed quarterly, next on [date]. If readmissions in the high tier do not fall within two quarters, the modifiers and call frequency will be revisited before adding staff.
References
Heidenreich, P. A., Bozkurt, B., Aguilar, D., Allen, L. A., Byun, J. J., Colvin, M. M., Deswal, A., Drazner, M. H., Dunlay, S. M., Evers, L. R., Fang, J. C., Fedson, S. E., Fonarow, G. C., Hayek, S. S., Hernandez, A. F., Khazanie, P., Kittleson, M. M., Lee, C. S., Link, M. S., ... Yancy, C. W. (2022). 2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA guideline for the management of heart failure: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation, 145(18), e895-e1032. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001063
van Walraven, C., Dhalla, I. A., Bell, C., Etchells, E., Stiell, I. G., Zarnke, K., Austin, P. C., & Forster, A. J. (2010). Derivation and validation of an index to predict early death or unplanned readmission after discharge from hospital to the community. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 182(6), 551-557. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.091117
How this NU433 Unit 6 example is structured
Population before patient: the plan describes the caseload, then the method for sorting it, then the work, and only then one person as a worked example. Stratification is justified in a paragraph on the LACE index, what its four elements measure and its published threshold, and on why two modifiers were added from the program's own readmission review. Contact frequency follows the tiers: weekly calls for the first month in the high tier, every two weeks in the middle, monthly in the low, each with the triggers that move a patient up. The matrix is the center of the plan, and its rule is that no cell holds two names. Prescribing changes belong to cardiology and primary care and are shown only as referral points. Outcomes close the plan with three measures and a quarterly review date.
Get an NU433 Unit 6 example written to your instructions
Chronic disease populations in these prompts range from heart failure and COPD to diabetes and kidney disease. Name the one your Unit 6 assignment sets, add the rubric and any caseload data supplied, and the model plan returns within 24-48h with tiers, triggers and one owner per task. First requests are free. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
NU433 Unit 6 questions, answered
What is the LACE index?
A readmission risk score built from four elements: length of stay, acuity of the admission, comorbidity measured with the Charlson index, and emergency department visits in the previous six months. Scores range from 0 to 19, and 10 or above is commonly treated as high risk. It was developed and validated in Canada, so a plan should note that when applying it elsewhere.
Should the plan cover one patient or the whole population?
Check the prompt, but a population plan with one worked example usually satisfies both readings. The population part shows how the program sorts and serves everyone; the example proves the matrix works for a real, if composite, person. Prompts that name a single patient want the reverse emphasis, with the population as context.
Can the case manager adjust diuretics based on weight gain?
Only under a protocol a prescriber has signed, and many programs have none. Without one, the case manager's role is to recognize the trigger, gather the facts, such as the weight trend, symptoms and what the patient took, and reach the prescriber the same day. The sample shows that escalation path in its matrix and keeps all doses out of the plan.