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Universal discharge time takes serious planning

Case Management Weekly, June 27, 2007

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At many hospitals across the country, the discharge process is quickly becoming one of the make or break moments of a patient's experience. Many recent studies have shown that the speed and smoothness of a discharge is directly linked to how patients perceive their overall hospital experience.

The North Shore Medical Center (NSMC) in Salem, MA, attempted to improve the speediness of its discharge process by striving for a daily, universal discharge time between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.

"We found that initiating an early discharge program takes much more planning and effort then expected," says June Stark, RN, BSN, Med, director of case management at Salem Hospital and North Shore Medical Center in Salem, MA. "This is because creating a universal discharge time affects the work patterns of every employee in the hospital, from physician and nurses, to pharmacists, housekeeping, and beyond."

One of the problems with attempting an early morning discharge is that staff feel like the clock is being turned back at least 24 hours because many of the activities usually performed on the day of discharge now have to be completed the day before, says Stark. In other words, the operations of every department in the hospital have to be examined and redesigned to accomplish the goal of an early discharge time for patients.

Source: Case Management Monthly, HCPro, Inc, April 2007

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