Using evidence to structure discharge planning / Aundrea McNeil

Discharge planning is a universal priority for all acute care facilities that provide inpatient services. The process of discharge planning includes interdisciplinary care coordination, a framework to guide communication and decision making, and a method to continuously evaluate discharge needs throughout the patient's admission. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) provides discharge planning guidelines and requirements for hospitals as a framework to structure their discharge planning process. Institutions non-compliant with these guidelines and requirements don't receive reimbursement of care from the CMS. At the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center in Bethesda, MD, CMS guidelines and requirements provide a standard for discharge planning. Nurses are often the first healthcare providers to assess the patient on admission by observation, interviewing, and physical examination. This initial interaction with the patient at the time of admission creates an opportunity for early discharge planning.

Nursing