Discharge Planning Advisor Archives – December 1, 2008
December 1, 2008
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Iowa COC project seeks to prove importance of discharge planning
Discharge planners know intuitively that what they do matters to patients' health and safety and to reducing the public health costs of repeated hospitalizations. -
DPs can address patients' adherence barriers
One key to discharge planning is understanding what might prevent your patient from following medication and other instructions. -
Pre-admission prediction tool improves process
Sometimes the best response to regulatory and payer changes in health care is to improve the discharge planning process. -
DP process begins five weeks before surgery
Discharge planning for orthopedic surgery patients at one major hospital begins well in advance of patients being admitted for surgery. -
Patient perceptions guide discharge education process
Transitions in health care are changing more quickly than patients' expectations, which is why it's important to address these expectations head-on, an expert notes. -
LEP patients need solid translation services
Hospitals across the United States are seeing an increase in patients who have limited English proficiency (LEP), and this means discharge planners must plan accordingly. -
Family interpreters can cause harm
When hospitals rely on a patient's family members to interpret medical news, they might be placing the patient at risk, an expert says. -
Assess patients' health literacy before teaching
Too often health care professionals give patients instructions and education without taking the additional step of making sure they understand. -
Medicare clarifies privacy of health info
When transferring private health information to potential post-acute providers, discharge planners need to be aware of some facts about the Privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).