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Strengthen your discharge planning process

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, November 6, 2007

Running an efficient hospitalist discharge process can positively affect clinical outcomes and decrease the likelihood of readmissions.
Here are some helpful tips for improving your program or organization's discharge planning process:

• Evaluate home and community resources. An evaluation of the patient's home resources should be conducted beginning at the time of admission.
• Consult with a pharmacist. Review the patient's discharge medications and any changes from admission medications.
• Conduct medication reconciliation. A protocol must be in place for the hospitalist to attest that he or she educated the patient about the medications and confirmed that all of the patient/family members' questions were answered.
• Complete and transmit a discharge form to the patient's PCP. This form should include information such as discharge diagnosis, a complete list of medications, disposition, follow-up studies, and appointments that are required.
• Call the patient 24 hours post-discharge. During this call, the hospitalist or a hospitalist program representative should ask the patient and his or her family if they have any questions or have experienced any problems since the discharge.

Learn more effective tools and tactics to run your hospitalist program in Hospitalist Case Studies, Tactics and Strategies for 10 Common Hurdles, by Kenneth G. Simone, DO, published by HCPro, Inc.

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