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Optimize your discharge planning process

Case Management Weekly, November 27, 2007

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"A good discharge experience leaves the patient with positive emotions and a strong affinity for returning to the facility," said Paul Clark, MPA, MA, CHE, senior knowledge manager for Press Ganey Associates in South Bend, IN, during the HCPro audioconference "Optimizing the Discharge Process: Improve patient flow, reduce length of stay, and increase patient satisfaction."

The first step toward optimizing your discharge planning process is to understand what it looks like from the patient's perspective.

Next, to help understand and create an ideal discharge planning process, Clark recommends using The Joint Commission and American Medical Association (AMA) standards for discharge planning as a framework.

Both The Joint Commission and the AMA require hospitals to provide an assessment of a patient's learning needs, abilities, preferences, and readiness that considers culture, religion, emotional barriers, physical and cognitive limitations, language barriers, and financial implications.

After framing your discharge process around the Joint Commission and AMA standards, the Press Ganey researchers recommend you structure your process based on your patient's needs.

Source: Patient Access Weekly Advisor, HCPro, Inc.

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