Hospitals in pursuit of excellence

Fine-tuning Discharge

Improving discharge can reap multiple benefits for patients and providers, including reducing readmissions. At Dameron Hospital, a 202-bed community hospital in Stockton, Calif., staff aimed to reduce readmissions for congestive heart failure patients, expecting to learn about decreasing readmissions for all patients. Focused on improving the discharge process and communication, project team members tested several tools, including one patient discharge guide that proved too lengthy to use. Dameron staff created their own “Patient Interview Tool” to help identify patients who had no primary care physician and needed help understanding medications and complying with weight monitoring and diet management. Discharge phone calls were modified to ask patients about their medications and follow-up appointments and confirm understanding of discharge instructions. The discharge process is continually evolving and will include participation by pharmacy staff, dieticians and case managers. CHF hospital readmissions at Dameron decreased from 35 percent in March 2011 to 19 percent in January 2013, and hospital readmissions for all diagnoses decreased from 8.5 percent to 4.0 percent during the same time frame.
For more information, contact Janine Hawkins, RN, chief nursing officer, at j.hawkins@dameronhospital.org.